❀ The Good News ❀

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Stop watching the News on T.V. filled with lies, propaganda, and made to make you feel helpless and afraid.

With all the negative news in the world, it's time to give you hope and inspiration. It's time to the weekly Good News! 

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Success! NBC Cancels Elephant-Killing Show “Under Wild Skies”

NBC Sports has responded to Care2's Petition, PETA, and other compassionate individuals like yourself, and has canceled the NRA-sponsored big game hunting show Under Wild Skies. 

The show depicted NRA lobbyist Tony Makris as he hunted elephants, hippopotamuses, antelope, buffalo, crocodiles, and numerous other exotic animals—including one episode in particular that featured Makris laughing as he shot an African bull elephant in the face. 

A very big thank you to all of you who responded to the action alerts and urged NBC to cancel Under Wild Skies!

(Read more) 

Shockingly Neglected Dog Carly is Now Living the Dream

Several months after she wandered into a woman’s Los Angeles area backyard showing all the signs of years of abuse, a dog named Carly is leading a good and happy life in her forever home.

Carly is one resilient pup. On May 21, Annie Hart, the founder of the Los Angeles-based Bill Foundation, received a call from the woman into whose yard Carly had chanced to stop in. Her hair was terribly matted and soiled and her eyes and face bore the signs of burns and infection.

As wrenching as it is to know that too many animals are mistreated as Carly was, it is something  to see how, with attention and love, she has been able to recover and that she has a family whose members know how lucky they are that Carly is with them.

(Read more and watch the heart-warming video) 

Now Even Rural LGBTs in India Can Get Help without Coming Out

A new helpline has been set up in India to help provide counseling and advice services for the LGBT community.

The new and first of its kind for the region initiative, called the Saahay Project, gives LGBTs in the Indian states of Chhattisgarh, Delhi and Maharashtr a toll-free number (1800-2000-113) to call to discuss a variety of issues including sexual health and fears surrounding forced marriage.

The project is backed by an international NGO, FHI360, as part of an operational research study that is designed to assess outreach effectiveness among men who have sex with men (MSM) and also trans women who may engage in sex work. There will be particular focus on promoting HIV/AIDS awareness and educating about safe practice.

The new helpline, it is hoped, will give LGBTs in these areas access to the support and guidance they need.

(Read more) 

10 Inspiring Girls Who Will Put a Smile on Your Face

When there are so many things wrong in the world (like this, this, or this), it’s nice when you come across some good news. Take for example the following 10 girls who are shattering gender stereotypes and doing some amazing things, like discovering dinosaur remains, bench pressing 240 pounds or starting their own businesses.

(Read their stories here!) 

Calf Left on Road Gets Rescued by Pair Feeding Stray Dogs

This is a heart-warming story from Joellen Anderson of Integrated Animal Care Center in India; he and his good friend are animal advocates living in Delhi, India. They spend every evening feeding the stray dogs in their neighborhood. One night at around 10:30, as they were making their rounds, they were searching for a particular dog and instead encountered a baby calf. The calf was abandoned and injured so they took it to the nearby shelter Sanjay Ghandi. 

Big actions and small actions, all going a long way! 

(Read the full story and more of Joellen's Rescue work here) 

Success! Iran Releases Canadian Prisoner Hamid Ghassemi-Shall

After five years of unfair imprisonment, Iran has released Canadian citizen Hamid Ghassemi-Shall. He was freed on September 23rd as part of an amnesty for 80 political prisoners in Iran.

Thanks to a number of human rights efforts, and to the 12,000 Care2 members who signed the petition, Ghassemi-Shall can soon return to Canada and resume his life that was abruptly interrupted five years.

In May 2008, Ghassemi-Shall traveled to his native Iran to visit his mother. Ghassemi-Shall immigrated to Canada in 1979 following a revolution in his home country, and had made a number of trips to Iran without issue in the past. However, during this visit, officials confiscated Ghassemi-Shall’s personal belongings, including his Canadian passport, under the suspicion that he and his brother Alborz, an Iranian national, were plotting to send an incriminating email to one another against Iran. No such email existed.

Ghassemi-Shall’s release is an incredible success for human rights around the world, and this would not have been possible with the tremendous support of people like you!

(Read more) 

5 Creative Ways People Are Fighting the Keystone XL Pipeline

1. Building a Solar-Powered Barn: In a move that’s both literally and symbolically brilliant, volunteers from BoldNebraska.org are building a barn, which will act as a solar and wind-powered community center, on land directly in the path of the Keystone XL pipeline. Supporters say that if all else fails to stop the pipeline, they’ll protect the barn with their own bodies.

2. Human Oil Spill: Tar sand oil spills, like the one that devastated Mayflower, Ark., earlier this year, have caused many Americans to change their minds about building the Keystone XL. Such spills are not a low-percentage possibility, but thanks to TransCanada’s documented disregard for safe-welding practices, they are a certainty. Some creative protesters in Denver decided to pre-enact such a spill for their elected officials. Dressed all in black, they “spilled” themselves on the lawn of the Denver Civic Center.

3. Funeral for Our Future Many scientists and climate experts have gone on record to say that building the Keystone XL pipeline would be like signing Mother Nature’s death sentence, taking the human race along with her. So, earlier this year, over 100 youth and their allies showed up at TransCanada’s MA office to mourn their lost future (watch the video). http://youtu.be/RwmKJKtNE0c

4. Fore! Oil company executives make lots of money, and if there’s one thing rich people like to do, it’s play golf. Upon learning that the the Valero corporation would be sponsoring a golf tournament in his home town, one Keystone XL protester decided to get creative.

5. A Line in the (Tar) Sand: Just days ago, thousands of people in hundreds of places across the U.S. joined together in a nationwide action called “Draw the Line.” Organized by 350.0rg, the protests encouraged local pipeline opponents to literally form a line against sections of the pipeline–sending a clear message that America has no interest in allowing the world’s dirtiest form of fuel to flow through its heartland.

(Read more) 

This Critically Endangered Species is Getting a Second Chance

Distinctive looking creatures for sure, the saiga antelope may yet recover from the brink of extinction and prove to be a conservation success story.

Saiga, who live in the steppe grasslands and semi-arid deserts throughout Russia and Central Asia, are believed to have outlived ancient animals including the woolly mammoth and sabertooth tiger with populations that once numbered in the millions as recently as the last century. Unfortunately, poaching and other threats have continued to cause losses that have driven their numbers down by 95 percent in just the last 15 years.

In 2002, saiga were listed as critically endangered on the Red List of Threatened Species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which is the last stop before a species is listed as extinct in the wild. However, it appears these goat-sized animals are making a comeback in Kazakhstan thanks to efforts to protect them, according to National Geographic.

(Read more) 

10 Incredible Farm Animal Rescue Stories That Will Make Your Heart Sing

I love hearing rescue stories of animal in their new homes after living unfair, cruel lives. The joy of their new lives is just so profound and inspiring. Soooo, check out these 10 incredible farm animal rescue stories that are guaranteed to warm your heart!

(Read the Stories here!) 

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Thanks for reading this week's "Good News!" Join us every week and feel inspired! 

Be sure to sign up for Care2's newsletter for some real news around the globe, to make a change, and to open up your mind to the Real World!

See that your actions count and get out there and do good! Be the Change!  

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

❀ The Good News ❀

. . . . . . . . . . 

Stop watching the News on T.V. filled with lies, propaganda, and made to make you feel helpless and afraid.

With all the negative news in the world, it's time to give you hope and inspiration. It's time to the weekly Good News! 

. . . . . . . . . .

Wild Animals Saved From Entertainment Industry in West Hollywood

This week the West Hollywood City Council took another progressive stand for animals with a vote to ban the use of wild and exotic species in commercial displays and performances.

The goals of the ban, which was initiated by Councilmen Jeffrey Prang and John Duran, are to protect wild and exotic animals from cruel and inhumane treatment at the hands of caretakers, in addition to protecting the public from potential hazards that come with being in proximity to these animals.

The ban includes circus acts, rides, trade shows, carnivals, parades, races or similar events, where wild or exotic animals are “required to perform tricks, fight, or participate as accomplishments in performances for the entertainment, amusement or benefit of an audience.”

The list of animals includes more than a dozen species, including some obvious candidates like elephants, chimpanzees and bears, but it also extends to a number of others, including raccoons, sloths, armadillos and ostriches.

(Read more) 

Family Saves 7 Giant Puppies Marked to Die for Possible Ringworm

Please check out this completely inspiring and heart-warming story of a woman who saved these puppies! 

(Read the full story here) 

U.S. Blocks Import of Wild-Caught Belugas

The National Marine Fisheries Service has denied a permit -- opposed by NRDC -- that would have allowed the Georgia Aquarium to import 18 wild-caught belugas from Russia for public display purposes at aquaria around the country. We applaud the decision since Russia's wild beluga population is still recovering after being hunted nearly to extinction in the 1960s.

(Read More) 

Hong Kong Has Started to Ban Shark Fins

Hong Kong, the world’s biggest trade hub for shark fin, has announced that the traditional Chinese delicacy will no longer be served at official banquets. Given that about 80 percent of shark fin products pass through Hong Kong from 100 different countries, the government’s decision could have far-reaching ramifications.

(Read more) 

BREAKING NEWS for BC and Going GE Free!

In an unprecedented step, the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM), at their Annual General Meeting in Vancouver, passed a resolution “that UBCM ask the British Columbia government to legislate the prohibition of importing, exporting and growing plants and seeds containing genetically engineered DNA, and raising GE animals within BC, and to declare, through legislation, that BC is a GE Free area in respect to all plant and animal species." BC you rock!

Read: 

http://www.cban.ca/Resources/Topics/GE-Free-Zones

http://gefreebc.wordpress.com/

http://www.vicnews.com/community/224472171.html 

VICTORY! Anglo American Abandons the Catastrophic Pebble Mine

This week, British mining giant Anglo American, the lead company behind the potentially catastrophic Pebble Mine, announced that it was throwing in the towel on the project immediately.

This is spectacular, game-changing news for our long, hard-fought campaign against a mega-mine that threatens to destroy an American natural treasure: Alaska’s beautiful Bristol Bay.

A huge thank you to all the Care2 members who signed petitions urging Anglo American to abandon the project. It takes a lot for a hard-nosed company like Anglo American to change its mind so this is a huge step forwards for activism everywhere! 

(Read more)

Step Forward: EPA Announcement on 2013 Proposed Carbon Pollution Standard for New Power Plants

Today's announcement by EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy is an important step forward for our nation and our planet. From now on, future coal- and gas-fired power plants must take responsibility for their global warming pollution by reducing or capturing their overall emissions.

This is a critical achievement for President Barack Obama and his administration. In the face of an intransigent and inactive Congress, the President has made halting the climate crisis a priority. The policies announced today, combined with the rest of the President's Climate Action Plan, will put us on the path toward solving the climate crisis.

(Read More) 

Whole Foods Tosses Out Mayo to Make Room for a Cruelty-Free Alternative

Starting this week, select Whole Foods stores in California will be phasing out mayo and introducing a vegan-friendly product in their prepared food sections from Hampton Creek Foods called Just Mayo.

The Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that food production will need to increase by 70 percent by then to feed the world. At that level, cutting chickens out of the equation could streamline food production and help curb some of the problems caused by animal agriculture, which is one of the reasons the company has attracted the support of well-known funders including Bill Gates and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel.

Armed with a team of scientists, food industry experts and chefs, the company has developed plant-based, soy and gluten-free alternatives called Beyond Eggs and Just Mayo – products that are a win for both us and animals and can be sustainably produced at a lower cost. Made from about a dozen plants, including peas, sorghum and a type of bean, the results are just as versatile as the real thing. As for how they taste, reviewers seem thus far impressed.

(Read more) 

Finland’s People Make the Government Reconsider Same-Sex Marriage

Finland’s lawmakers will reconsider the issue of marriage equality after a public campaign garnered the highest number of petition signatures for a citizen’s initiative in the country’s history.

The petition needed only 50,000 signatures to prompt parliament to consider the initiative. It in fact secured more than 100,000 on its first day when it debuted in March, and as of writing has more than 164,000 signatures in favor of marriage equality.

This grassroots effort to have parliament reconsider marriage equality comes after the Finish Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee decided in February and by a narrow majority vote of 9-8 that it would not advance a bill to legalize same-sex marriage.

This is the first time in marriage equality’s modern history that a country’s lawmakers have been petitioned by such a sizable proportion of the national electorate and urged through a public initiative to (again) consider making marriage equality law.

(Read more) 

Nobel Laureates Denounce Keystone XL

NRDC and our partners ran a full-page ad in The Washington Post that featured a letter from ten Nobel Peace Prize winners, calling on President Obama to reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline and lead the way beyond dirty oil.

Maine Activists Don’t Want Tar Sands Under Their Feet

It’s on in Portland, Maine, where activists have successfully organized to get an anti-tar sands ordinance on the November ballot. Members of Protect South Portland are rallying together in an attempt to keep tar sands out of their city by cutting it off at the head, making it impossible for major oil companies to transport and process this controversial oil product within their city. The results of their organizing could prove explosive not just for Maine, but for the Northeast and the rest of the country.

(Read more) 

Summing up Victories on Change.org:

From Change.org: "It's been an incredible summer on Change.org in Canada and around the world. As more and more people discover the simple power of online petitions, we've seen over 700 campaigns win on Change.org this summer alone. Even the staff at Change.org are overwhelmed!

This last week of summer we thought we'd catch you up on a few of the season's most popular victories…"

One-year-old Mackenzie receives sight-saving treatment

Whitby parents, Heather and Matt Graham, are relieved to receive coverage for surgery to save their son's sight! Mackenzie was diagnosed with Norrie's Disease, a rare disorder causing blindness. Worse, the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) repeatedly refused to provide coverage for treatments that the family couldn't afford. But, after 1,484 people signed their petition and their story was featured in the Toronto Sun, the Ontario Ministry of Health called to say that Mackenzie's treatments would be covered!

Women will not be "erased" from British Banknotes

British women like Caroline Criado-Perez are proud to have successfully convinced the Bank of England to keep women on British banknotes! When Caroline learned that Sir Winston Churchill would replace Elizabeth Fry on the five-pound note, she was outraged. Other than the Queen, no British women would be left on the bills. After 35,000 people signed Caroline's petition, the Bank of England acquiesced and agreed to feature Jane Austen on the ten-pound note.

Afghan interpreter on Taliban "kill-list" is saved

Janis Shinwari and his family will no longer live in fear of taliban reprisal! Janis was an interpreter for US forces in Afghanistan, but like many interpreters working with the US army he became a target of Taliban violence. Two years after applying for a US visa Janis was still waiting. US army veteran, Matt Zeller, who had worked with Janis, started a petition asking the US State Department and the US Embassy in Kabul to save Janis's life by granting him a visa. 100,000 signatures later, Janis has now received his visa and will soon be safe with his family in Washington, DC.

Police officer James Forcillo is charged in Sammy Yatim's tragic death

Those who knew Sammy Yatim were comforted to learn that some justice had been won for the 17-year-old. Sammy's tragic death at the hands of police shocked Canadians. Fearing that the officer who shot Sammy nine times would not be held accountable, prominent political activist and commentator, Tarek Fatah started a petition asking the Special Investigations Unit to lay charges. In August, after 40,000 signed Tarek's petition and rallies were held across Toronto, the SIU charged Officer James Forcillo with second-degree murder.

Middle Earth is saved

This summer, New Zealanders celebrated the protection of Milford Sound, which played the part of Middle Earth in the Lord of the Rings movies. Over 30,000 signed a petition against the construction of a massive, environmentally destructive tunnel through the area, and in July, New Zealand's Conservation Minister rejected the plan to build the tunnel!

Air Canada will be forced to better treat customers

Air Canada passengers everywhere are pleased to learn that they will be paid up to $800 if bumped from an oversold flight. Previously, bumped passengers were given $100. Passenger rights advocate Jeremy Cooperstock started a 34,000 signature petition asking Air Canada to provide greater compensation based on the amount of time until the next flight. In August, the Canadian Transportation Agency announced that yes, Air Canada would have to pay higher compensation to inconvenienced customers!

Over 700 victories big and small were won on Change.org this summer -- that's 700 people who made a real difference by empowering and inspiring millions of supporters. Why not join them? The first step toward winning the change you want to see is easy. Click here to start your petition. 

. . . . . . . . . .

Thanks for reading this week's "Good News!" Join us every week and feel inspired! 

Be sure to sign up for Care2's newsletter for some real news around the globe, to make a change, and to open up your mind to the Real World!

See that your actions count and get out there and do good! Be the Change!  



If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

☆ Infographic: 13 Oil Spills in 30 Days ☆

Moving oil is a dirty business, and never has that been more clear than this past month. Since March 11, the global oil industry has had 13 spills on three continents. In North and South America alone, they’ve spilled more than a million gallons of oil and toxic chemicals – enough to fill two olympic-sized swimming pools.

How bad was it? Here’s an infographic of all the oil spills, leaks and derailments in the past 30 days. 

Visit http://tcktcktck.org/2013/04/infographic-13-oil-spills-in-30-days/50100

All spills in order of occurrence:

March 11 – 21: Gwagwalada Town, Nigera

A week-long leak of Kilometer 407.5 NNPC (Nigeria National Petroleum Corp) pipeline. No official # of barrels spilled released, however the spill saturated a hectare (10,000 sq metres) of marshy ground near a major water source.

Tuesday, March 19: Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories Canada

Enbridge Norman Wells Pipeline leaks 6,290 barrels of crude oil

Monday, March 25: Fort MacKay, Alberta Canada

Suncor Tar Sands tailings pond leaks 2,200 barrels of toxic waste fluid into the Athabasca River

Wednesday, March 27: Parker Prairie, Minnesota USA

CP Rail train derails and spills 952 barrels of Tar Sands crude oil

Friday, March 29: Mayflower, Arkansas

Exxon Mobil’s Pegasus Pipeline suffers a 22 foot-long rupture, spilling at least 12,000 barrels of diluted Tar Sands bitumen

Sunday, March 31: A power plant in Lansing, Michigan USA

16 barrels of an oil-based hydraulic fluid spills into the Grand River

Tuesday, April 2: Nembe, Nigeria

After suffering a reported theft of 60,000 barrels of oil per day from its Nembe Creek Trunkline pipeline, Shell Nigeria shuts off the pipe for 9 days to repair damage.

Wednesday, April 3: 350KM southeast of Newfoundland, Canada

A drilling platform leaks 0.25 barrels of crude oil

Wednesday, April 4: Chalmette, Louisiana USA

0.24 barrels (100 lbs) of hydrogen sulfide and 0.04 barrels (10lbs of benzene) leak at an Exxon Refinery

Monday, April 8: Esmeraldas, Ecuador

The OPEC-managed OCP pipeline leaks 5,500 barrels of heavy crude oil, contaminating the Winchele estuary

Tuesday, April 9: 29KM NE of Nuiqsut, Alaska USA

Human error during maintenance spills 157 barrels of crude oil at a Repsol E&P USA Inc pipeline pump station

……………………… 

Never has it been more important to move away from crude oil that is destroying our environment, communities, and wildlife. Enough is enough. With the Keystone XL Pipeline still trying to be pushed through, further drilling, and the Canadian Northern Gateway Pipeline, it is important to voice our opinions, to spread awareness and act for the goodness of our planet. There are still lots of petitions circulating to sign so do those, attend rallies, share information, contact your officials to let them know you want clean energy, and so forth. Every action counts. 

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

☆ Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline ☆

I want to raise a little awareness about Enbridge's Northern Gateway Pipeline today because it is an important environmental issue that needs more attention so that we can do something about it. Of course, the Government and the corporations backing the project claim it to be "safe," to boost economic strength, to add jobs, and even go as far as to say that it's a step in the right direction for the environment (???), but really, this project is a disaster waiting to happen, for the planet, for wildlife, and for neighbouring human populations. 

What is the Northern Gateway Pipeline?

The Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline is a project that includes two parallel 1,177 km pipelines that would transport oil from Alberta's Tar Sands (the world's dirtiest oil) all the way across British Columbian rainforests to a proposed oil port in Kitimat on the coast, and then out across miles of ocean to Asia. One pipeline would carry 400,000 to 1,000,000 barrels a day of crude oil, the second pipeline would carry 193,000 barrels a day of condensate (a mixture containing chemicals and petroleum used to dilute the thick, molasses like crude oil so that it can travel by pipeline). 

The proposed pipeline would cross over the rugged and mountainous terrain of the Northern Rockies and the Coast Mountains of British Columbia risking irreversible oil spills (which we have seen far too many of already). 

[Alberta's Tar Sands]

Risks:

If given a go-ahead, the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline Project would:

• Cross over 1,000 streams and rivers, threatening sensitive spawning salmon habitat. 

• Traverse over 50 First Nations territories, risking irreversible harm to the livelihoods of many coastal and aboriginal communities. (Currently, the Pipeline is opposed by the nine Coastal First Nations, as well as many of the inland First Nation along the pipeline route.)

• Fragment the boreal forest, home to birds and other wildlife, including Woodland Caribou and Grizzly Bears. 

• Expose the Great Bear Rainforest, home to wolves and the iconic Spirit Bear, and 30 internationally recognized Important Bird Areas teeming with marine birds, fish and other animals to potential oil spills and pollution from increased tanker traffic.

Although Enbridge claims that the pipelines would be "safe," Enbridge has a notorious history for oil spills and leakages. Enbridge has been responsible for no fewer than 800 oil spills from 1999 to 2010. 

That aside, all pipelines carry a serious risk of oil spills, the metal piping ages and corrodes over time making them susceptible to ruptures and they are also at risk of breakage due to natural events such as landslides. 

The National Energy Board estimates large petroleum pipelines will experience a spill every 16 years for every 1000 kilometres in length.[National Energy Board, Analysis of Ruptures and Trends on Major Canadian Pipeline Systems, 2004]

Each year, oil pipelines in North America spill millions of litres of oil into the environment. In July 2010, the largest oil spill occurred in Midwest U.S. history when Enbridge’s Lakehead pipeline ruptured near Battle Creek, Michigan, spilling an estimated 4 million litres of crude oil into the Kalamazoo River. Although Enbridge claims to have a rigorous pipeline safety program, there are serious questions being asked regarding both its maintenance of its pipelines and its response to the oil spill.

Oil Tankers:

Once the oil reaches the coast it would be transferred to oil tankers for foreign exportation, requiring 225 oil tankers per year. The oil tanker traffic that would be brought to B.C.‘s pristine North Coast represents the project’s greatest risk to the region’s environment.

The waters Enbridge would have oil tankers travel are the same waters that claimed the BC Ferry Queen of the North on March 22, 2006. There were 101 persons aboard, when it sailed off course and ran into Gil Island near the entrance to Douglas Channel, and sank. These waters are dangerous and narrow to navigate down, and the oil tankers are much larger than a ferry boat and would be travelling up and down these waters several times a week. 

A large marine oil spill on B.C.‘s North Coast would devastate a marine ecosystem that supports a vibrant coastal way of life for thousands of people and a wide wildlife habitat. For First Nations, the North Coast’s rich and diverse marine ecosystems are inextricably tied to their cultures and livelihoods.

An Environment Canada report in 1990 analyzed the likelihood of tanker accidents occurring in Canadian waters, stating that “based on current [1990] levels of tanker traffic, Canada can expect over 100 small oil spills, about 10 moderate spills and at least one major spill offshore each year. A catastrophic spill (over 10,000 tonnes) may occur once every 15 years.”

There is no way to recover oil from a major tanker spill or to keep oil spills from happening. Scientists estimate that the oil from the Exxon Valdez (the oil tanker that struck Prince William Sound’s Bligh Reef, spilling 260,000 to 750,000 barrels of crude oil--considered to be one of the most devastating human-caused environmental disasters ever to occur in history.) will continue to pollute Alaskan beaches for several more decades. Do we really want a repeat of this? 

No One Wants this Pipeline!

B.C.'s Coast has long been protected, when in 1972 the Trudeau government established that crude oil tankers should not travel through northern B.C.‘s inside coastal waters in order to protect the area from an oil spill. Today, the issue of oil tanker traffic in B.C.‘s northern waters is being contested--big surprise by money-hungry corporations and Harper. 

Yet a poll in May 2010 found that 80 percent of British Columbians are opposed to crude oil tankers on the North Coast. And both the NDP and Liberals support a legislated oil tanker ban for B.C.‘s North Coast. In July 2010, Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff pledged to work toward a legislated ban on northern oil tanker traffic.

And, again, Aboriginal communities are rejecting the proposal as well as hundreds of thousands of Canadians and people protesting all over the world. 

Today, both Enbridge and the federal government have indicated they plan to ignore the longstanding ban on oil tankers on B.C.‘s North Coast.

The threats, risks, and inevitable oil spill from this proposed pipeline are not worth destroying important wildlife and human habitats. Once again "economy" is being placed over ecology when Canada, like other countries, should be heading towards a greener and more sustainable future--not a continuing reliance on filthy oil. The supposed "jobs" created by this project are short-term, while many more jobs will be taken away from communities (such as aboriginals) that need and rely on them. 

We are already cleaning up enough oil spilled through the recklessness of profits and the constant disregard to the environment, why create yet another accident waiting to happen? Everyone says, it's not a matter of IF an oil spill or leak would happen, but a matter of When. 

What You Can Do!!!

There are lots of Petitions going around at the moment. You can also write a letter to the government to reject the project. I am fortunate enough to live in an amazing community that put on a special event to oppose the project--where there were documentaries, music, and letter-writing where people could write their letters and they took care of mailing them all out for everyone. There was even a "Harper hotline" for us to call and voice our opinions--which evidently ended up just going to a deadline in the mid-afternoon (surprise!). 

I highly recommend watching the documentary "Spoil." It's a wonderful film that shows B.C.'s rainforest and rare Spirit Bear that are endangered by the Pipeline. 

Check out: Pipe Up Against Enbridge for more information, to write a letter, and to find any local event or rallies in which you can take part. 

Easily send your letter to Harper here (you don't have to be in Canada!): https://secure2.convio.net/nc/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=167

Petitions: 

Stop Enbridge's Northern Gateway Pipeline

Care2 Petition Site: End Plans to Construct the Northern Gateway Pipeline! 

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

☆ 6 Reasons America needs to say "No" to the Keystone XL Pipeline! ☆

This is a "guest spot" so to speak. I wanted to share this article written over at Care2 which summarizes nicely and directly why the KeyStone XL Pipeline should not be approved. There are related links at the bottom as well as Petitions to sign that I highly encourage you to do so to let your voice be heard on this dire issue. 

Thank you for your love for Earth! xo

by Susan Casey-Lefkowitz
Director, International Program, NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council)

Legislation headed to the House this week gives President Obama 60 days to decide whether to approve construction of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, which would carry the dirtiest oil on the planet mined and drilled from under the forests of Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. That’s ridiculous. The Obama administration is on the case and has said it will take another year to conduct a thorough review of the economic, national security and environmental facets of this project. It’s irresponsible for Congress to insist that review be eliminated as a gift to Big Oil. It leaves the administration no choice but to bury this boondoggle for good — and we don’t need 60 days to figure out why.

Take 60 seconds to read six reasons why it’s time to say “No” to the risky and reckless Keystone XL tar sands pipeline now.

1. It would transport the dirtiest oil on the planet.

It takes two tons of tar sands — strip-mined or drilled from the forest floor — to produce a single barrel of bitumen, a low-grade, high-sulfur crude oil that must be extensively refined to be turned into fuel. Producing bitumen generates three times the carbon pollution of producing conventional North American crude oil. And the additional refining required to turn this crud into fuel only makes matters worse.

2. It would kill more jobs than it would create.

House Republicans claim the pipeline will create tens of thousands of jobs. It won’t. The pipeline would create, at most, 6,500 temporary construction jobs, very few of which would be local hires, according to the U.S. State Department. After that, it would leave only “hundreds” of permanent jobs, according to TransCanada, the Canadian company that wants to build the pipeline. A Cornell University study concludes the pipeline would actually kill more jobs than it would create by reducing investment in the clean energy economy that already employs 2.7 million Americans.

3. It would make us more oil-dependent, not more secure.

The pipeline would terminate at Texas refineries and ports along the Gulf of Mexico. From there, tar sands crude could be exported anywhere in the world. Indeed, that’s part of the business plan for some of the companies that have promised to buy the oil. Military experts advise that the Keystone XL pipeline would perpetuate our deadly oil dependence and will not make us more secure.

4. It would require Americans to take on a risk to benefit oil companies that Canadians themselves are not willing to take.

Even Canada has put the brakes on their new proposed tar sands pipelines (the Northern Gateway tar sands pipeline to the West coast and the Trailbreaker tar sands pipeline to the East) due to the need to take more time to listen to public concerns about water and safety. Why should Americans carry a risk that Canadians themselves are not willing to take?

5. It would threaten America’s breadbasket and U.S. waterways.

The pipeline would cut through the heart of the Great Plains, land of more than 250,000 ranches and farms, putting our croplands and food producers at risk of oil spills across the American heartland. Republican leaders want an approval of the pipeline despite the fact that Nebraska has not even settled on a route to avoid the precious Ogallala Aquifer, where millions of Americans get their drinking water. Further, Keystone XL would cross more than 1,500 waterways, from the Yellowstone River in Montana to Pine Island Bayou in Texas, threatening them with the kind of accident that dumped 42,000 gallons of oil in the Yellowstone River last summer and put 20 times that much tar sands oil in Michigan’s Kalamazoo River in 2010 — a spill that still has yet to be cleaned up.

6. It would lay waste to Canada’s Boreal forest, home of our backyard birds.

Tar sands producers have already destroyed an area of Canada’s Boreal forest the size of Chicago, creating an industrial wasteland of toxic sludge dams in the heart of the Boreal. The forest is a critical nesting region for America’s backyard birds and one of the last truly wild places on Earth. If the destruction continues, the total sacrifice area will be as large as the state of Florida.

The pipeline is a conduit to the past. Rather than deepening our addiction to fossil fuels, it’s time we did what presidents reaching back to Richard Nixon have called on us to do and reduce our dangerous dependence on oil.

It’s time to invest in wind, solar and other renewable fuels and the energy-efficient cars, workplaces and homes of tomorrow.

Go to http://www.stoptar.org to take action now.

Related Stories:

Big Oil Attacks Chiquita For Denouncing Tar Sands

GOP Embraces Showdown Over Oil Pipeline, Tax Cuts

The Dirty Truth About Tar Sands Oil Extraction

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/6-reasons-america-needs-to-say-no-to-the-reckless-keystone-xl-pipeline.html#ixzz1hCEgu9nd 

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