The whaling fleet is scheduled to put to sea in a matter of days and has set a target
of 850 minke whales and 50 fin whales, according to Shigeki Takaya, a spokesman for
the Ministry of Agriculture’s Far Seas Fisheries Division.

Last year, Tokyo announced that it would also take 50 humpbacks for the first time
since the sixties, provoking outrage from anti-whaling nations. That plan was dropped
and plans to hunt the species this year have again been cancelled.

“We received a lot of pressure from around the world, but particularly Australia
and New Zealand, so we will not be catching humpbacks as part of the research
programme,” said Mr. Takaya.

Japan exploits a loophole in the rules of the International Whaling Commission
that permits “lethal research.” Critics say Tokyo’s programme is little more than
disguised commercial whaling as the meat ends up in supermarkets and restaurants in
Japan.

Mr. Takuya would not reveal the exact date when the whaling fleet will put to sea
out of concerns for the safety of their crews.

The radical environmental group Sea Shepherd disrupted last year’s hunt and has
been widely criticised for threatening the safety of the whalers. On one occasion,
environmentalists hurled packages of rancid butter onto the deck of the Nisshin
Maru; the Japanese retaliated with flash grenades.

This year, Sea Shepherd has unveiled a new weapon the war against the whalers,
with Hollywood mermaid Daryl Hannah – star of the 1984 film “Splash” – scheduled
to be aboard the group’s flagship, the MV Steve Irwin.

Source: Telegraph.co.uk

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FoodServiceWarehouse.com is a Greenwood Village, Colorado company that
was started by a group of avid environmentalists. Their commitment to the
environment can be seen from the environmentally conscious way that they run
their own company and the programs they have developed to help the restaurant
industry become more environmentally responsible.

As part of their services, they have created an industry leading certification
program aimed at helping commercial kitchens cope with the costs and complexities
of going green. The program features educational resources, rewards and the industry’s
only free certification process, modeled after, and fulfilling credits for LEED
(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.

Their goal is to help the environment, save money and earn rewards. Complete their
five-part program and become a Certified Green Commercial Kitchen™.
» Energy Conservation
» Water Conservation
» Waste Reduction
» Green Cleaning
» Education

They invite you to visit their website

http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/going-green/c11836.aspx , and check out
what they think is the most complete resource on the web for commercial kitchens
looking to go green.

And to show their dedication in helping commercial kitchens slash energy costs,
conserve water and reduce their environmental impact, they are giving away a green
commercial kitchen worth up to $40,000 to one qualifying kitchen.

Good Luck to all of the restaurants that take this challenge to “Go Green” and
reduce your costs and footprint on earth.

Source: Focus Earth – Planet Green Channel

The Endangered Species Act protects over 1,300 animals and plants listed as
threatened or endangered with specific rules on how to do that. The Bush
Administration intends to change those rules and environmentalist are accusing
the White House of “putting a fox in charge of the ‘endangered’ hen house“.

It was only in May of this year that the polar bear joined the list of
endangered species. Conservationist declared a victory because global warming
threatens the bear’s habitat and now federal agencies must consider climate
change and it’s impact on Artic ice before approving new projects like highways
and bridges. This typically involves an independent review from scientist at
the Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries.

But now the Bush Administration wants to overhaul the Endangered Species Act
by allowing federal agencies THEMSELVES, not outside scientist, to determine
whether new projects will impact threatened plants and animals.

Jeremy Symons with the National Wildlife Federation said it was a “sneak
attack by the Bush Administration as they’re heading out the door to undermine
the premier wildlife conservation law in America”.

The White House says they want to cut through red tape and allow scientist to
focus on species that are truly threatened. Tony Fratto, Deputy White House
Press Secretary said, “We don’t see a need to have those consultations take
place if they’re affecting a species in a remote area. We want to see those
scientist dealing with cases where species are really threatened.” (Huh?

But environmentalist worry that self regulation will mean bureaucrats, not
biologist will get to pick and choose which species to protect. Opponents say
it is a move to protect big industry, a dangerous and possibly illegal attempt
to replace scientist with bureaucrats.

The public will have 30 days to comment on the proposal after it is formally
submitted, (supposedly this past week). But Congress gets no say in the matter,
some democrats say the Administrations actions are illegal. However the White
House says they are “acting in the environment’s best interest”, (pardon me while
I puke).

Contacting the White House:

E-Mail

comments@whitehouse.gov

president@whitehouse.gov

Mailing Address

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Phone Numbers

Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461

TTY/TDD

Comments: 202-456-6213

Please take the time to let the Bush Administration know how you feel about this!

According to Focus Earth, astounding results in a poll conducted by ABC News,
Planet Green, and Stanford University, “puts a whole new spin on American
environmentalism”. Every black cloud has a silver lining. The black cloud of
energy costs and gas prices has produced a silver lining of mass consciousness-
raising over global warming, the health of our planet, and our own personal
carbon footprints. Albeit it economically driven, I will certainly take having
people wake up and smell the coffee due to a stressed bank account instead of a
terminally ill planet. Surveyed from all over the nation, here are some of the
results:

*    80%  – Americans who accept global warming as fact

*    73%  – It is a threat to today’s children

*    63%  – People and industry are to blame

What to do?

*    7 out of 10 are trying to reduce their carbon footprint

*    78%  – Support stricter efficiency standards for vehicles

*    63%  – Favor offshore drilling in protected areas (thanks to $4 a gal gas)

However there seems to be a great divide between party lines and gender around
the question: In favor of the expansion of nuclear energy:

*    60%  – Republicans

*    33%  – Democrats

*    60%  – Men

*    29% – Women

Finally, while a wide margin of Americans said they are more likely to support
a presidential candidate who is a strong environmentalist, only 41% described
themselves as an enviromentalist. (Ah! Come on now! Don’t be modest! Stand up
with the rest of us “tree-huggers”, be counted!) (That’s the way, uhn, uhn, I
like it!)