environmental dialogues

What began with 4 Anishinawbe Grandmothers quickly included women and men walking to raise awareness for the water Water is precious and sacred; it is one of the basic elements needed for all life to exist. They walked around the Great Lakes and the St Lawrence to the sea. Each of the 24,113,700 steps taken was a prayer for the water. Now the 2011 Mother Earth Water Walk to Wisconsin from 4 directions has begun. April 10, 2011, at Olympia, Washington, under the watchful eyes of loon and bald eagle, water from the Pacific Ocean was collected in a copper pail. Walkers will gather sea water in Gulfport, Mississippi, Machias, Maine and Churchill, Manitoba and walk the waters to Bad River, Wisconsin. Telling me of the epic endeavour are Dawnis Kennedy, Joanne Robertson (coordinator) Sharon M. Day (South), Tina (West) and Madeleine Huntjens (East).To learn more and to assist please visit http://www.motherearthwaterwalk.com or view their progress at http://emptyglassforwater.ca/map/

Olivia Newton-John and her husband Amazon John Easterling talk with Rob Moir on what we each can do for a greener planet and about their work to save the Amazon Rainforest. Olivia tells why the rainforest is so important. Amazon John explains the remarkable health-giving properties of the Camu-camu fruit (www.DrinkCamu.com). This indigenous fruit is harvested from shallow boats and is a source of income for local peoples. In the 2nd half, Rob talks with Bert Lettsome, a.k.a. 'Washasha X', Chief Conservation Officer of the British Virgin Islands and the work of the Virgin Island Environmental Council. Bert describes why nature in the British Virgin Island is more diverse than anywhere else in the Caribbean. To protect it and maintain pristine, undisturbed nature in the Virgin Islands, we must all make choices. Listen to his song “Choices.” Bert tells us why mangroves are so vital with his song “Ras Mangrove.”

In 1979 Raffi was kissed by a beluga whale. In that gentle gesture Raffi knew that for people to save wildlife or cleanup degraded environments there must be love for the other. Raffi’s Baby Beluga and Down by the Bay are songs cherished by families whose children are now adults continuing on. Raffi’s original philosophy of Child Honouring: How to Turn This World Around has become, more than a book, a covenant of nine principles: Respectful Love, Diversity, Caring Community, Conscious Parenting, Emotional Intelligence, Nonviolence, Safe Environments, Sustainability, & Ethical Commerce. Raffi tells how his work evolved from troubadour to champion of a global ethic that views life and communities through the lens of child honoring. Hear Raffi weave in the importance of stewardship and respect for families and environments from imperiled whales to global warming and climate change. Be inspired by a peacemaking culture of responsible stewardship for our world and all inhabitants on earth.

Leesa Souto talks with Rob from the shores of Indian River Lagoon. When at the University of Central Florida, Leesa surveyed lawn care practices and the advantages, including cost savings, of fertilizing one’s lawn once a year, early in the Spring with a slow release nitrogen fertilizer. This will save one effort on a hot June day. We must not spread fertilizer close to waterways. Instead let the plants in buffer zones to do what they do best, take up nitrogen. Leesa is Executive Director of the Marine Resources Council. Volunteers have for 20 years monitored water quality. Sea grass die-off is the big concern this year for the lagoon. MRC works also on shoreline restoration fighting back invasive plant species. Right Whales are observed by volunteers in the Lagoon. Finally, Leesa is doing much to improve interactive educational displays at the Lagoon House.

Tales of Russia’s Sacred Sea, Lake Baikal are told by Peter Thomson, Environment Editor at the public radio program The World. Peter describes visiting the world’s deepest, oldest, and largest supply of fresh water in his new book, “Sacred Sea: A Journey to Lake Baikal.” For scientists, Baikal is an enigma: at once both a healthy and a dying ecosystem. Peter eloquently describes diving deep beneath cold, shimmering seas. The waters are unbelievably clear thanks to “the zillions of epischura trawling at any one time like a vast armada of aquatic vacuum cleaners, filtering Baikal’s water with extraordinary efficiency.” These shrimp-like critters are consumed by remarkable fish called “golomyonkas.” These fish swim perpendicular like seahorses and are, in turn, food for nerpas, the Baikal Seal. Despite the clash of two very different fundamental faiths, complete with mirages and miracles, Peter finds hope in those struggling to save Lake Baikal.

In 1979 Raffi was kissed by a beluga whale. In that gentle gesture Raffi knew that for people to save wildlife or cleanup degraded environments there must be love for the other. Raffi’s Baby Beluga and Down by the Bay are songs cherished by families whose children are now adults continuing on. Raffi’s original philosophy of Child Honouring: How to Turn This World Around has become, more than a book, a covenant of nine principles: Respectful Love, Diversity, Caring Community, Conscious Parenting, Emotional Intelligence, Nonviolence, Safe Environments, Sustainability, & Ethical Commerce. Raffi tells how his work evolved from troubadour to champion of a global ethic that views life and communities through the lens of child honoring. Hear Raffi weave in the importance of stewardship and respect for families and environments from imperiled whales to global warming and climate change. Be inspired by a peacemaking culture of responsible stewardship for our world and all inhabitants on earth.

Dyan DeNapoli, author of the newly released book The Great Penguin Rescue, tells the remarkable story of the largest and most successful wildlife rescue ever mounted. On June 23, 2000, an iron-ore carrier named the Treasure foundered off the coast of Cape Town between two of the main breeding islands for the African penguin. Already classified as a species vulnerable to extinction, the oil slick threatened to destroy nearly half the world population. Penguin experts, including Dyan, were flown in from around the world to manage a battalion of 12,500 volunteers who worked more than 556,000 hours force-feeding, washing, and rehabilitating 19,000 oiled penguins, and moving another 19,500 penguins from their islands to prevent them from getting oiled. Dyan’s account is an endearing tale of perseverance to overcome devastatingly daunting obstacles to bring the African penguin back from the edge of extinction.

Lenni Armstrong talks with Rob about two of her eco heroes, Clair Patterson, a geochemist, and Herb Needleman, a pediatrician. These two men shared a passion about the dangers of lead and devoted their lives to measuring lead in the environment, finding out where it was coming from and how it was making people sick. Both men were willing to go to battle to get lead out of the environment to protect public health. Clair Patterson measured the age of Earth and in the process, discovered that the environment was contaminated with lead. Herb Needleman showed the effects of lead on the health of children. Lenni tells of the complex process resulting in a ban on the use of lead in gas and paint, which involved scientists, industry, government and the legal system. She then contrasts this story with the story of today's pollutants, CO2 and the other greenhouse gases.

The dolphins of Florida's Indian River Lagoon were dying at such an alarming rate that the situation was declared a marine mammal unusual mortality event. Most distressing is to see dolphins covered with skin-eating fungal infections. To save the dolphins, we must lessen the phosphorus and nitrogen entering the ecosystem. Rob talks with Stephen McCulloch, Founder/Manager of Marine Mammal Research and Conservation Program, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University at Fort Pierce. Steve rescued dolphins, manatees, and even Arctic seals in Florida. Since 1999 more than 200 marine mammals have been rescued. Steve recently helped transport and release almost 400 sea turtles; in FL effort that released 4,000 turtles. We can greatly reduce nutrient pollution in the Indian River Lagoon and lessen our subsequent role in the death of the lagoon dolphins by not using fertilizers with phosphorous and quick release nitrogen. Take Action with the Ocean River Institute.

Leesa Souto talks with Rob from the shores of Indian River Lagoon. When at the University of Central Florida, Leesa surveyed lawn care practices and the advantages, including cost savings, of fertilizing one’s lawn once a year, early in the Spring with a slow release nitrogen fertilizer. This will save one effort on a hot June day. We must not spread fertilizer close to waterways. Instead let the plants in buffer zones to do what they do best, take up nitrogen. Leesa is Executive Director of the Marine Resources Council. Volunteers have for 20 years monitored water quality. Sea grass die-off is the big concern this year for the lagoon. MRC works also on shoreline restoration fighting back invasive plant species. Right Whales are observed by volunteers in the Lagoon. Finally, Leesa is doing much to improve interactive educational displays at the Lagoon House.

No one has worked harder to defeat harmful algal blooms and to stop red tide outbreaks in Florida during the last six years than has Cris Costello of the Sierra Club. Cris talks with Rob about the many battles by both municipalities and counties across the state of Florida to pass strong responsible lawncare ordinances. Each ordinance has a “backbone” of responsible stewardship that Cris clearly points out. We talked the day after the city of Rockledge tabled the vote reduce nitrogen pollution to improved local ecosystems and economies. Cris and Rob also discuss how a good ordinance was defeated in Brevard County. Lessons learned along the way will with time, sufficient vetting, and burgeoning coalitions result in passage. Success in Tampa Bay when people modify their turf care practices lawns stayed green and water quality improved. Most remarkable has been the comeback and new growth of sea grasses – food for green turtles, nurseries for game fish.

Bristol Bay Alaska fishermen Katherine Carscallen and Brett Veerhusen talk with Rob about the world’s finest salmon fishery for indigenous people, for commercial fishermen and for recreational anglers. This is breathtakingly beautiful, awesomely wild country and a way of life that most of us assume no longer exists. Katherine and Brett want us all to care passionately for Bristol Bay and for the salmon known as “Alaska’s red gold.” Only then can we comprehend the problem with building the ginormous Pebble Mine at the head of all of Bristol Bay rivers. Will you care if Katherine’s and Brett’s livelihood is forever lost? Care if the land of walrus, seal, fish and eagle destroyed by a mining waste accident?

Patrick Paquette, a community organizer who represents bass fishing organizations in Massachusetts and Matthew McKenzie, Maritime History Professor at the University of Connecticut, talk with Rob about where have all the herring gone and how Cape Cod has changed over two centuries from a vibrant fishing community to something completely different. Patrick Paquette explains early efforts to save herring by collaborating with diverse interest groups through the CHOIR collaboration “where different voices needed to learn to sing in harmony.” He also noted a striped bass food shortage along the East Coast caused by industrial-scale fishing of coastal herring, mackerel and menhaden. Prof McKenzie tells the social and ecological history of the rise and demise of Cape Cod’s coastal fisheries in the nineteenth century. His book, Clearing the Coastline, includes Thoreau’s thoughts on Cape Cod fisheries and how these were adjusted by posthumous publishers to better fit what they wished to promote. Matt also tells of helping out at a family’s herring weirs on Cape Cod and of a fisherman well known to Patrick Paquette.

In 1979 Raffi was kissed by a beluga whale. In that gentle gesture Raffi knew that for people to save wildlife or cleanup degraded environments there must be love for the other. Raffi’s Baby Beluga and Down by the Bay are songs cherished by families whose children are now adults continuing on. Raffi’s original philosophy of Child Honouring: How to Turn This World Around has become, more than a book, a covenant of nine principles: Respectful Love, Diversity, Caring Community, Conscious Parenting, Emotional Intelligence, Nonviolence, Safe Environments, Sustainability, & Ethical Commerce. Raffi tells how his work evolved from troubadour to champion of a global ethic that views life and communities through the lens of child honoring. Hear Raffi weave in the importance of stewardship and respect for families and environments from imperiled whales to global warming and climate change. Be inspired by a peacemaking culture of responsible stewardship for our world and all inhabitants on earth.

Elizabeth Saunders talks with Rob about Clean Water Action’s work to prevent harm from toxic chemicals in consumer products by encouraging the use of safer alternatives to toxic chemicals. Elizabeth coordinates a broad coalition working to prevent harm to our health from toxic chemicals. There is concern for people being poisoned by cadmium, lead, mercury, pvc’s and flame retardant chemicals. The top priority is to create a groundbreaking program to systematically replace toxic chemicals with safer alternatives. The MA Safe Alternatives to Toxic Chemicals bill will set up a process where use of safer chemicals can be mandated to replace the use of a harmful chemical whenever a better alternative is established. This is an incentive that rewards development of alternative chemicals with a mandate for its use. With this bill, MA can become a national incubator for less toxic chemical compounds. Perhaps someday the region will become known as “Safer Chemical Valley.”

Laura Henze Russell has suffered for twenty years from mercury poisoning that vaporized from dental amalgam (silver cavity fillings) in her teeth. Laura describes regaining her health. She will present 3 articles at her town meeting in Sharon, MA. Laura’s goals are 1, to learn the health impacts and health disparities associated with mercury poisoning; 2, to reduce the hidden river of toxic mercury in people; and 3, improve general health & lower health care costs. Laura is directing the Hidden River SafeAMER project at the Ocean River Institute. The goal is to pass the state Safer Alternatives to Toxic Chemicals bill. This will set up a process where use of safer chemicals will be mandated. This is an entrepreneurial incentive that rewards the development of alternatives to toxic chemicals. By giving alternatives greater market share costs are brought down. Massachusetts can become a national incubator for less toxic, eco-friendly chemical compounds, “Safer Chemical Valley.”

It's the day after the 2012 election, Mike Dunmyer of Ocean Champions talks with me about how oceans benefitted. Ocean Champions is the political nonprofit that actively campaigns for good legislators. Currently Ocean Champions recognizes 31 decision-makers on the Hill as good on oceans. Setting a goal to up the number to 40, OC endorsed 46 candidates. Today the winners are 40 to 43 legislators with 3 of 4 leading in races too close to call. Ocean Champions are Democrats, Republicans and Independents Congressional leaders. Mike describes many of the endorsed candidates. Ocean Champions took the lead with others in a campaign to defeat a Congressman known as Ocean Enemy #1. Mike explains how despite failing to unseat progress is made in advancing ocean conservation. To discover who is and will soon be championing ocean conservation in Washington tune in and visit www.oceanriver.org for more information and biographies.

Mike Barrett is running for the Massachusetts State Senate. He is campaigning to represent the Third Middlesex district consisting of Waltham, Bedford, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Concord, Lexington, precincts 3, 8 and 9, Lincoln, Sudbury, precincts 1, 4 and 5, and Weston. In our talk Mike talks about his accomplishments in the House (1979-1985), including creation of the original hazardous waste super fund. In the State Senate (1987- 1995), Mike served as chief sponsor of the Toxic Reduction Act. If elected Mike will work on the Safer Alternatives to Toxic Chemicals bill authored by Jay Kaufman. Living in Lexington, Mike is an advocate for the Bruce Freeman bike trail and wants to prevent MassPort's civilian Hanscom Airfield from encroaching into the adjacent National Park. To reduce our carbon footprint, Mike also explains why he is for a gasoline tax that will pay directly into public transportation. Mike's campaign website is www.barrettforstatesenate.org.

Eric Jay Dolin talks with Rob about his newest book: When America First Met China, an exotic history of tea, drugs, and money in the age of sail. Colonial Americans were hooked on China’s high-tech instruments of leisure, including high-priced teas, silks, rhubarb, porcelains and lacquer-wear. To feed American consumerism, US traders went to the ends of the world, over-exploiting people & natural resources, especially seals, sea otters, sandalwood & sea cucumbers. Our voracious appetite for China-built goods drove tragedies of commons, the taking of public resources at a global scale. Dolin helps us to better understand our trading with China long ago and what informs China’s understanding of us today. Our relationship with China began in 1784, when the Empress of China set sail frm NY Harbor. The exploding demand for goods & rush for items to trade led a driven Stonington sealer to discover Antarctica in a very small boat. Foreign trade came with great benefits and bad detriments.

John Williamson, charter boat captain, former commercial fisherman, fellow member of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary talks with Rob about ocean policy planning, fisheries and seafood. John gives us a fisheries overview “from 30,000 feet” of the incredibly complex issues involved where fishing is the last hunting in a wilderness we can not see. The ocean, in particular the 200 mile ribbon encircling the nation, is a public trust resource. There are no property owners, no gatekeepers or gamekeepers. We don’t know who all the users of the resource are. Much of the planning work is now being done by regional councils. Tune in and discover the many ways you can assist and participate in national and regional ocean policy making.