We’re at a crucial moment for our coast. Louisiana’s 2017 Coastal Master Plan – the state’s blueprint for restoration and protection over the next five years – is making its way through the Louisiana Legislature. This plan and the projects it contains are critical to the protection of Louisiana’s communities and culture. To celebrate the culture that Louisiana’s coast supports and to raise awareness to the need to restore our coast and support the Coastal Master Plan, we held a ...

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The post Coastal Louisiana Supporters Rally at Concert for the Coast appeared first on Restore the Mississippi River Delta.

We’re at a crucial moment for our coast. Louisiana’s 2017 Coastal Master Plan – the state’s blueprint for restoration and protection over the next five years – is making its way through the Louisiana Legislature. This plan and the projects it contains are critical to the protection of Louisiana’s communities and culture. To celebrate the culture that Louisiana’s coast supports and to raise awareness to the need to restore our coast and support the Coastal Master Plan, we held a ...

Read The Full Story

The post Coastal Louisiana Supporters Rally at Concert for the Coast appeared first on Restore the Mississippi River Delta.

When the first endangered species list was created 50 years ago, it started out with 78 animals. The grizzly bear and bald eagle were among American icons that made that first list. Today, it counts 1,400 animals and 900 plants – an expansion that reflects more petitions for listings over time, but also the fact […]

The post What we’ve learned from 50 years of wildlife conservation first appeared on Growing Returns.

When the first endangered species list was created 50 years ago, it started out with 78 animals. The grizzly bear and bald eagle were among American icons that made that first list. Today, it counts 1,400 animals and 900 plants – an expansion that reflects more petitions for listings over time, but also the fact […]

The post What we’ve learned from 50 years of wildlife conservation first appeared on Growing Returns.

By David Festa

The imperiled greater sage-grouse avoided listing as an endangered species after Western landowners agreed on a plan to protect its habitat.

When the first endangered species list was created 50 years ago, it started out with 78 animals. The grizzly bear and bald eagle were among American icons that made that first list.

Today, it counts 1,400 animals and 900 plants – an expansion that reflects more petitions for listings over time, but also the fact that threats to habitats and ecosystems have become more widespread and complex.

In the early days of the Endangered Species Act, we could more easily identify the threat and go straight to the source. When DDT was thinning egg shells, killing embryos and endangering multiple bird species, we worked to curb applications of the harmful pesticide. After a federal ban against DDT, the problem was solved.

Today, threats are more likely to come from broad landscape changes that occur when growing populations push housing and commercial developments outward, energy development and large-scale farming fragment and encroach on habitats, and climate change-related droughts and wildfires degrade entire ecosystems.

It means the Endangered Species Act, and adequately funded species recovery plans, are needed more than ever before – but also that we must invest in new conservation approaches that help us protect species before they become endangered in the first place.

50 years of wildlife conservation – and where we go from here, via @davidfesta…
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An airbnb for wildlife

Three quarters of all land in the United States is privately held and, as such, it’s an untapped reservoir of conservation potential.

In the mid-1990s, my colleagues worked closely with farmers and ranchers to develop Safe Harbor agreements to tap into some of this potential. They gave landowners incentives to protect wildlife in return for legal assurances they would be shielded from the burdens of a future listing.

The idea became a national program that now encompasses 4 million acres. While a “big solution,” however, it’s not nearly large enough.

So we worked with producers to develop the next innovation – a program called habitat exchanges, dubbed “Airbnb for wildlife.” In a habitat exchange, landowners earn conservation credits by creating habitat on their property, revenues with billions in potential for farmers and ranchers.

In 2016, this habitat crowdsourcing program was adopted in Nevada, Colorado and Wyoming to protect the greater sage-grouse.

The bird’s 11-state range overlaps some of the highest oil and gas producing regions of the country that are also prone to drought and wildfires, exemplifying the complex challenges many species face today.

Why we still need a law

Farmers and ranchers are stepping up to restore and enhance breeding and nectaring habitats along the monarch butterfly’s great migration.

Unlike the bald eagle back in the 1970s, the sage-grouse was never listed as endangered. To keep the bird off the list, landowners instead agreed on a plan that is working better for the bird and for people.

Similar efforts are under way in California for multiple species, including Swainson’s hawk, Chinook salmon and monarch butterflies.

Such innovative solutions won’t replace the Endangered Species Act, a critical backstop needed to keep American species from going extinct. But they can complement the law and, if expanded, keep the endangered species list from growing bigger than it is today.

From my office window in downtown San Francisco I can now watch falcons hunt pigeons, something we just didn’t see back in 1973, the year President Richard Nixon signed the ESA. The falcons are flying again because the law worked as intended.

Let’s celebrate and defend the strong policies and innovative programs that make conservation work efficiently and effectively, while continuing to push for solutions that work for nature as well as people.

This post originally ran on EDF Voices and is used with permission.

Related:

Let's make ESA listings extinct, not wildlife >>

Why wholesale repeal of environmental protections is a losing business strategy >>

Written by Diane MacEachern

You and you and you and you and me and all of us.

Together, we’re forcing seismic changes in the products companies make, the packaging they use, even the energy they depend on to manufacture and market.

At a time when our politics seem broken, our purses, pocket books, and our consumer clout may be more powerful than ever before. That’s because no business can stay in business without customers. And when we customers demand changes to protect our families and communities, businesses literally can’t afford to ignore us.

Here’s a run down on some of the recent victories we’ve had because we’ve demanded safer products, less waste, and clean energy.

CVS – Green consumers scored a major victory recently when CVS Health promised to remove chemicals in their products that have been linked to cancer, birth defects, and endocrine disruptors. Those chemicals include parabens, phthalates, and formaldehyde.

What motivated CVS? In addition to the very effective pressure put on the company by the “Mind the Store” campaign orchestrated by Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, Cia Tucci, a CVS vice president, admitted,

“We listened when customers voiced their desire for products … with fewer ingredients of concern. Customer feedback has driven this move to eliminate parabens, phthalates and the most prevalent formaldehyde donors.” 

Woo hoo!

Target – Target has also unveiled new guidelines requiring manufacturers of baby products, cleansers, cosmetics, and personal care products to eliminate various toxic chemicals, including phthalates, propyl-parabens, butyl-parabens, formaldehyde and NPE’s, chemicals commonly used in laundry detergent.

Plus, labels will need to explain what catch-all words like “fragrance” actually mean. Currently, most fragrances are made up of synthetic compounds delivered on an aerosol stream of phthalates. Requiring full disclosure means manufacturers can’t sneak past the ban and still use phthalates in their compounds.

Here’s another victory at Target: By 2022, the retailer will require manufacturers to remove perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) from kids’ clothes and various housewares. Sleeping bags, rugs and clothing will be safer, too, since they won’t contain flame retardant chemicals.

Walmart – To some degree, Walmart got this ball rolling when it began encouraging suppliers to remove eight toxic chemicals from their products. Those chemicals include various parabens, NPEs, formaldehyde, and phthalates. Phthalates have been raising red flags for years, as they’ve been linked to hormone disruption and birth defects. Also on the Walmart list are triclosan, an antibacterial ingredient in soap and toothpaste that doctors worry is actually increasing our resistance to antibiotics, and toluene, a solvent in nail polish and house paint that can case neurological damage in high doses.

Walmart recently announced its commitment to help reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of its suppliers by one billion metric tons, it placed the company among the ranks of global economies taking major climate action.

Walmart has also made a major commitment to being more energy efficient. They’ve installed solar installations, constructed “eco roofs” and signed on to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Building’s Initiative. They’ve been recognized as the No. 1 commercial solar energy user by the Solar Energy Industry Association and as the largest on-site renewable energy user in America by the EPA.

Unilever – In its quest to develop “new ways of doing business,” Unilever developed a Sustainable Living Plan that aims to achieve more than 50 social, economic and environmental targets. The company, whose global brands include Dove, Knorr and Lipton, intends to cut in half its greenhouse gas emissions, as well as the water it uses and the waste it generates. By 2020, the company also plans to more than double its use of renewable energy to 40 percent of the total energy it needs, among many other ambitious steps.

What’s next?

L’Oréal – A coalition of non-profit consumer groups is delivering 150,000 petition signatures to cosmetics giant L’Oréal demanding that the company pledge to be toxic-free. The coalition includes U.S. PIRG, Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, Safer Chemicals Healthy Families, Moms Rising, Credo Action, and the Story of Stuff.

“Women shouldn’t have to worry about whether they are increasing their risk of breast cancer every time they use a mascara, or nail polish, or other L’Oréal beauty product,” said Breast Cancer Prevention Partners Organizing Manager Sara Schmidt.

The company should “prove “we’re worth it” by removing all cancer-causing chemicals from their beauty products.”

Among the chemicals of concern L’Oréal is being asked to purge are Benzophenone-1, which is linked to breast cancer; formaldehyde-based preservatives in mascara, toner, and kids shampoo; and “fragrance” or “parfum” which could consist of a formulation of at least 3,000 chemicals.

Here’s what you can do:

You can make your position known by using your consumer clout and shifting to a brand that already has removed these chemicals from their formulations. Check out the products certified by MadeSafe and please join our ASK THE SCIENTIST TWITTER CHAT WITH MADE SAFE!

TELL YOUR SENATOR: PROTECT OUR HEALTH FROM AIR AND CLIMATE POLLUTION

This week is Infrastructure Week, a national event recognizing the importance of investing in and improving our nation’s infrastructure. What do you think of when you hear the word “infrastructure”? You probably think of roads and bridges, ports and waterways, airports and railways. But another important element is investing in and improving our nation’s natural infrastructure. Rebuilding America’s natural infrastructure – its beaches, dunes, marshes and mangroves – is equally important, because such natural infrastructure solutions buffer communities against storm surges, ...

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The post Louisiana’s Infrastructure Opportunity: Coastal Restoration and Protection appeared first on Restore the Mississippi River Delta.

This week is Infrastructure Week, a national event recognizing the importance of investing in and improving our nation’s infrastructure. What do you think of when you hear the word “infrastructure”? You probably think of roads and bridges, ports and waterways, airports and railways. But another important element is investing in and improving our nation’s natural infrastructure. Rebuilding America’s natural infrastructure – its beaches, dunes, marshes and mangroves – is equally important, because such natural infrastructure solutions buffer communities against storm surges, ...

Read The Full Story

The post Louisiana’s Infrastructure Opportunity: Coastal Restoration and Protection appeared first on Restore the Mississippi River Delta.

This week is Infrastructure Week, a national event recognizing the importance of investing in and improving our nation’s infrastructure. What do you think of when you hear the word “infrastructure”? You probably think of roads and bridges, ports and waterways, airports and railways. But another important element is investing in and improving our nation’s natural infrastructure. Rebuilding America’s natural infrastructure – its beaches, dunes, marshes and mangroves – is equally important, because such natural infrastructure solutions buffer communities against storm surges, ...

Read The Full Story

The post Louisiana’s Infrastructure Opportunity: Coastal Restoration and Protection appeared first on Restore the Mississippi River Delta.

By Adam Peltz

Across the U.S. more than 15 million people live within a mile of an oil or gas well – and a new app is making it easier for those people to know exactly where those wells are located within their neighborhoods.

The WellFinder app uses data from state agencies to help users know not only the exact location of these wells, but also how old they are, who operates them, whether they are still active, what type of well it is (i.e. oil, gas, injection) and who to call if something doesn’t appear to be functioning properly.

Companies and regulators often find out about water contamination and air pollution from the people who live near these facilities.  With this kind of transparent data now at our fingertips, communities can keep a more watchful eye on oil and gas operations – ultimately enhancing the environmental performance of the industry.

The app can also help first responders find wells involved in, or adjacent to, emergency situations – providing potentially life-saving information.

The tool is the brainchild of the Ground Water Protection Council (an association of state agencies) and the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (the state’s oil and gas agency), which – with help from EDF — launched a trial version of the app last year in Oklahoma.  This new version includes information about wells in eight additional states: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska and New York.

It’s our hope that other states will participate in this program, so all communities can have same access to usable data that can improve emergency response time and hold operators accountable for their facilities – an outcome that ultimately benefits communities, regulators and the industry.

By Adam Peltz

Across the U.S. more than 15 million people live within a mile of an oil or gas well – and a new app is making it easier for those people to know exactly where those wells are located within their neighborhoods.

The WellFinder app uses data from state agencies to help users know not only the exact location of these wells, but also how old they are, who operates them, whether they are still active, what type of well it is (i.e. oil, gas, injection) and who to call if something doesn’t appear to be functioning properly.

Companies and regulators often find out about water contamination and air pollution from the people who live near these facilities.  With this kind of transparent data now at our fingertips, communities can keep a more watchful eye on oil and gas operations – ultimately enhancing the environmental performance of the industry.

The app can also help first responders find wells involved in, or adjacent to, emergency situations – providing potentially life-saving information.

The tool is the brainchild of the Ground Water Protection Council (an association of state agencies) and the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (the state’s oil and gas agency), which – with help from EDF — launched a trial version of the app last year in Oklahoma.  This new version includes information about wells in eight additional states: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska and New York.

It’s our hope that other states will participate in this program, so all communities can have same access to usable data that can improve emergency response time and hold operators accountable for their facilities – an outcome that ultimately benefits communities, regulators and the industry.

By Adam Peltz

Across the U.S. more than 15 million people live within a mile of an oil or gas well – and a new app is making it easier for those people to know exactly where those wells are located within their neighborhoods.

The WellFinder app uses data from state agencies to help users know not only the exact location of these wells, but also how old they are, who operates them, whether they are still active, what type of well it is (i.e. oil, gas, injection) and who to call if something doesn’t appear to be functioning properly.

Companies and regulators often find out about water contamination and air pollution from the people who live near these facilities.  With this kind of transparent data now at our fingertips, communities can keep a more watchful eye on oil and gas operations – ultimately enhancing the environmental performance of the industry.

The app can also help first responders find wells involved in, or adjacent to, emergency situations – providing potentially life-saving information.

The tool is the brainchild of the Ground Water Protection Council (an association of state agencies) and the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (the state’s oil and gas agency), which – with help from EDF — launched a trial version of the app last year in Oklahoma.  This new version includes information about wells in eight additional states: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska and New York.

It’s our hope that other states will participate in this program, so all communities can have same access to usable data that can improve emergency response time and hold operators accountable for their facilities – an outcome that ultimately benefits communities, regulators and the industry.

Across the U.S. more than 15 million people live within a mile of an oil or gas well – and a new app is making it easier for those people to know exactly where those wells are located within their neighborhoods. The WellFinder app uses data from state agencies to help users know not only […]

The post New app lets users see how close they are to an oil or gas well appeared first on Energy Exchange.

Across the U.S. more than 15 million people live within a mile of an oil or gas well – and a new app is making it easier for those people to know exactly where those wells are located within their neighborhoods. The WellFinder app uses data from state agencies to help users know not only […]

RT @dickmunson: Lucas Co. commissioners against new subsidies for FirstEnergy - toledoblade.com/Energy/2017/05…

Written by Moms Clean Air Force

What would you tell your son or daughter years from now? (Tweet this) Dear Tomorrow empowers people to build a positive climate legacy by sending a message to their loved ones living in the future. Through letters, moms (and dads!) communicate passionately with their children on their commitment to protect them through doing everything they can to combat climate change.

These letters are shared with friends and family to open up a conversation about why we must act now on climate change.

Please enjoy and share the video below, dedicated to all moms fighting to create a clean and safe planet for our kids.

In partnership with Climate Listening Project. 

JOIN MOMS CLEAN AIR FORCE

Written by Moms Clean Air Force

With headlines about flame-retardants in car seats, formaldehyde in mattresses, toxic talc in baby powder, and long product ingredient labels that claim to be “natural” and “eco,” wouldn’t you love learn how to figure out how to keep your family safer?

If you answered YES, then you’ll love the Twitter Chat Moms Clean Air Force is hosting with the MADE SAFE science team!

We’re excited to team up with MADE SAFE, a nonprofit that provides America’s first comprehensive human health-focused certification for nontoxic products.

WHAT: Ask the Scientist Twitter Chat

WHEN: Thursday, June 15, 6:00 PT/9:00 ET

WHERE: On Twitter, follow #madesafemoms & hosts @CleanAirMoms, @madesafehq

WHO: You, your friends, and your friends’ friends! Spread the word by sharing the following Tweet:

Join me & @CleanAirMoms on 6/15 9pmET to ask the @madesafehq scientist about keeping my family safe! http://ow.ly/SGHt30bMhXY #madesafemoms

We need your input! What would you like the MADE SAFE scientist to answer? Submit your question here.

Stay tuned for giveaways from brands with MADE SAFE certified products!

RSVP TO THE ASK THE SCIENTIST CHAT