Climate Change & Environment
An Open Letter To Dr. Susan Hedman – EPA Region 5 Administrator
Dr. Susan Hedman
EPA Region 5 Administrator
Environmental Protection Agency
77 West Jackson Boulevard
Chicago, IL 60604-3507
Dear Dr. Hedman:
In support of the formal request to you on May 27, 2014 from the Six Bands of the Anishinaabeg Territory Watersheds and Waters of Lake Superior: Bad River Band of Lake Superior, Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior, Lac du Flambeau Band, Lac Courtes Oreilles Band, St. Croix Band, Sokoagon Band I request that the Environmental Protection Agency initiate a public process under Section 404c of the Clean Water Act to protect ...
***Action Alert*** Bad River Tribe asks for Letters to the EPA
Send your letter now. And forward this message to others who are concerned about pollution of the Bad River watershed & Lake Superior.
Led by Bad River, six Ojibwe bands have asked the EPA to undertake a 404c process, which would allow them to preemptively stop proposed iron mining in the Penokee Hills because of the importance of the resources that it threatens.They need your help. This is a very simple “ask” but ...
Health, Global Warming & A Christmas Carol
Global warming will affect our health in ways you might not expect.
Because the air will be warmer, we’ll experience more frequent, more intense, and longer heat waves. As a result, many more people will suffer from heat stroke and related conditions, and some will die—especially children, the elderly, and poor people.
We’ll also have more droughts, which will make it harder to get water to drink and food to eat. That too will affect our health, as will the bigger and more intense wildfires that we’re just beginning to experience in the U.S.
Warmer air is ...
Pipeline Expansion: Their Gain – Our Risk
Enbridge Energy is expanding the capacity of its pipeline through Wisconsin. You may ask, “What is the big deal?” Pipelines run over the state and most of the country.
There are many good reasons to be concerned discussed by the Sierra Club, 350.Org, and the National Resources Defense Council. These include concerns over accidents, spills, higher risks associated with tar sands oil, lack of regulations, the poor safety record of Enbridge, and the threats to water resources in the state. Middle Wisconsin News highlighted some of these in the article The Dangers of ...
The Future’s so Bright I Gotta Wear Shades!
The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades!
by David Arey
“I study nuclear science, I love my classes
I got a crazy teacher who wears dark glasses
Things are going great, and they're only getting better
I'm doing all right, getting good grades
The future's so bright I gotta wear shades.” 1
If you replace “nuclear science” with "solar energy technology," the lyrics suffer. But the reality is that the future for solar energy is blindingly bright.
And it has to be if the U.S. and the world are going to kick our addiction to carbon-based fuels. ...
Pale Blue Dot
The following quote is from the book Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space by Carl Sagan. The Pale Blue Dot is a photograph of planet Earth taken in 1990 by the Voyager 1 space probe from a record distance of about 6 billion kilometers (3.7 billion miles, 40 AU) from Earth. The Voyager 1 spacecraft, which had completed its primary mission and was leaving the Solar System, was commanded by NASA to turn its camera around and to take a photograph of Earth across a great expanse of space, at the request of Carl Sagan.
“Look again at that dot. That's ...
The Dangers Of Tar Sands Oil – In Wisconsin
Tar Sands Oil is coming to Wisconsin. Last Thursday the state DNR approved an air permit to triple the capacity of the pipeline between Superior and the Illinois state line.
Construction could start as soon as Friday on three new storage tanks near Superior.
Environmentalists are not happy with this decision. The DNR received 200 written comments and 3400 e-mails asking for a complete environmental review of the project. However, the DNR decided not to do the complete review.
This pipeline has been used since 2009 and now carries 400,000 barrels of oil a day. By ...
The Best Way to Stop Climate Change
Many of us are well aware of climate change, so we use LED light bulbs, plant trees, recycle, and lower our thermostats in the winter. As we do all this, however, we realize that fossil fuel companies are receiving billions of dollars in federal subsidies and that global warming and climate change continue to increase.
Is there anything you can do that would have a significant impact on global warming?
Yes, there is! You can contact your U.S. Senators and Representatives and urge them to pass a revenue-neutral carbon tax. Climate scientists and economist agree ...
On a Green Diet: UW-Stout Claims State Recycling Crown
Less than two years after going on a strict trash diet, University of Wisconsin-Stout has weighed in. The results are impressive: the university has cut tons of waste, is producing more compost than trash and has earned a state title.
During the 2013-14 academic year, UW-Stout so far has reduced its total amount of waste going to the landfill by 43 tons — more than 86,000 pounds — compared to the previous year. That figure played a big part in the recently completed national Recyclemania contest. UW-Stout, for the first time, led all competing colleges in Wisconsin ...
Moral Monday: Discovering the Penokees
EDITORS' NOTE: "Moral Mondays" is a movement founded by Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II to identify interconnected social and moral issues, and the people, movements, and organizations working to address these problems. "Moral Monday" is a weekly feature in Middle Wisconsin.
Moral Monday in the Penokees
By Joyce Luedke
An Open Letter to Senator Jerry Petrowski
After reading the book Discovering the Penokees by Joel Austin, Joyce sent a copy of the book and this letter to Senator Jerry Petrowski.
Dear Senator Petrowski:
Please share this book, Discovering the ...
