Blog

Earthship Home Construction - Narrated Slideshow

Kevin Hansen — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 02:45:29 +0000

Narrated visit to the Earthship location northwest of Taos, New Mexico in the US, showing construction techniques. This is a simple narrated video showing a site visit in 2009 by my father and I.

Earthship is a wonderful, creative, beautiful and very sustainable building style pioneered by Michael Reynolds. This video was independently produced without affiliation to Earthship, Garbage Warrior the film or Michael Reynolds....but we think you're all great!

For more information:
EarthShip.com
GarbageWarrior.com

Run Time: Approx. 9 minutes.
Language: English

Run Time:

8 minutes, 53 seconds

UK Parlia. Chair: "...serious questions...EU pesticides regulation...

Kevin Hansen — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 22:09:20 +0000

Great article in the Guardian by Damian Carrington:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/dec/12/mps-insecticide-regula...

Quoted by Joan Walley MP, chair of the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC).

"European regulators seem to have turned a blind eye to data on the danger that one of the world's biggest selling pesticides could pose to bees and other pollinators," said Joan Walley MP, chair of the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC). "Evidence seen by the committee raises serious questions about the integrity, transparency and effectiveness of EU pesticides regulation. Data available in the regulators' own assessment report shows it could be 10 times more persistent in soils than the European safety limit."

Quoted by Prof Dave Goulson, an ecologist at the University of Stirling

Location:

UK Parliament Holds Hearings on Honeybee Collapse

Kevin Hansen — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 18:05:34 +0000

The UK Parliament's Environmental Audit Committee held several days of hearings on insecticides, bee collapse, regulatory responses and industry actions.

I have attached the original transcripts of the testimony.

Video of the Hearings:
http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=11954

Raw Transcripts of the 28-Nov-2012 hearings - see other days testimony also:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmenvaud/uc66...

Media:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/damian-carrington-blog/2012/oct/22...

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Canada: Fetuses Have Widespread Pesticide Residues

Kevin Hansen — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 17:39:03 +0000

Pesticides associated to genetically modified foods (PAGMF), are engineered to tolerate herbicides such as glyphosate (GLYP) and gluphosinate (GLUF) or insecticides such as the bacterial toxin bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between maternal and fetal exposure, and to determine exposure levels of GLYP and its metabolite aminomethyl phosphoric acid (AMPA), GLUF and its metabolite 3-methylphosphinicopropionic acid (3-MPPA) and Cry1Ab protein (a Bt toxin) in Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada. Blood of thirty pregnant women (PW) and thirty-nine nonpregnant women (NPW) were studied. Serum GLYP and GLUF were detected in NPW and not detected in PW. Serum 3-MPPA and CryAb1 toxin were detected in PW, their fetuses and NPW. This is the first study to reveal the presence of circulating PAGMF in women with and without pregnancy, paving the way for a new field in reproductive toxicology including nutrition and utero-placental toxicities.

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Ramesh Ferris and the End of Polio

Kevin Hansen — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 21:57:45 +0000

For decades, Rotary Clubs around the world have focused on one goal - the Eradication of Polio. In India, this required one of the largest civilian mobilizations in human history.

Together with many groups, here is how they did it.

The lesson from their efforts is simple and clear:

We can achieve any goal, complete any great work we set out to do.

Run Time: 8 minutes
Language: English

Run Time:

8 minutes

Create a Honey Bee Haven!

Kevin Hansen — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 00:38:41 +0000

There is a wonderful new program by Pesticide Action Network that appears very helpful for bees, pollinators and habitat:

Honey Bee Haven:

http://www.honeybeehavens.com/content/honey-bee-toolkit?utm_source=actio...

Download the Honey Bee Haven Toolkit:
http://www.panna.org/sites/default/files/BeeToolkit_Reduced_0.pdf

Cheers,
Kevin

Three More Countries Restrict Bee-Killing Nicotine Pesticides

Kevin Hansen — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 20:41:50 +0000

Three more countries have put additional pressure on nicotine pesticides, one of the leading suspects in the global honey bee die-offs:

Canada has asked for most of the nicotine pesticides to be re-evaluated - this is a huge step that slows pesticide manufacturers:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/pubs/pest/_decisions/rev2012-02/index-eng...

Brazil (Brasil) has forced Monsanto to pay about $7.5 BILLION in fines because its nicotine-pesticide-coated and GMO soya/soybeans were being used to force farmers not to save their own seeds - while paying a punitive 2% tax. Brazil's supreme court took action to protect farmers' rights to save seeds - and also restrict toxic seeds:
http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=15747

France has banned Syngenta's canola/rapeseed brand because of honeybee losses to this toxic product. This ban was upheld by French courts:
http://www.farming.co.uk/news/article/6767

Locations

Canada

See map: Google Maps

Brazil

See map: Google Maps

France

Bee-Killing Nicotine Pesticide Illegally Registered in US - One Million+ Sign Emergency Petition

Kevin Hansen — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 23:14:32 +0000

A remarkable emergency petition with over one million signatures has been submitted to the USEPA requesting the withdrawal of the pesticide clothianidin - a nicotine-based systemic pesticide widely used on corn/maize. Multiple activist organizations participated, lead by major US beekeepers.

The basis of the petition is that the USEPA's legal requirements for the demonstrated safety of clothianidin were never proven - and subsequent findings have shown its damages - violating the US law FIFRA, which governs the registration process for pesticides.

A coalition of beekeepers and activists gained over one million signatures on this petition, that walks step-by-step through the reasoning behind the proposed determination of the clothianidin registration's illegality - used as the basis for the withdrawal request.

This is fantastic.

http://www.beyondpesticides.org/pollinators/CFS-Clothianidin-Petition-3-...

Please pass this link to whomever you think might benefit.

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Honeybee Dieoff Link to Corn Planting Process - Italy Researchers

Kevin Hansen — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 02:09:57 +0000

The process of planting can release large amounts of pesticides coated on seeds - as dust. Corn/maize is widely treated with a coating laced with toxins: neonicotinoid pesticides, fungicides and a host of other substances are physically stuck to the grains of corn. This is a brittle substance that breaks off and creates a large dust problem - a toxic dust.

The team of researchers at the University of Padua, Italy, led by Andrea Tapparo has found significant mortality to honeybees as a result of this exposure. This was closely related to the spring-planting die-off blamed in Germany for a honeybee catastrophe several years ago.

This article is accepted - and will be published in the American Chemical Society's (ACS) journal "Environmental Science and Technology."

We have read a pre-print - look for this one to be downloadable soon.

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Top US Bee Experts: Nicotine Pesticides Worsen Bee Diseases

Kevin Hansen — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 03:34:58 +0000

This is a really big deal:

A team of the top United States honeybee experts at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Beltsville, Maryland, laboratory near Washington DC has published a damning report linking tiny sub-lethal concentrations of one nicotine pesticide, imidacloprid, with an increase in another common gut disease, Nosema.

Although many other studies before this suggested similar findings, the US government has been far behind - this is therefore a breakthrough. It also acknowledges some of the major work done by French researchers: until now, the groundbreaking French research was largely ignored by official US government agencies. Look for breakthroughs because of this work.

The original article linked above was released for public/open access (thanks Springer Publishing for making this open access!!). It is a top-downloaded article at this time on Springer's website.

Abstract of Original Article:

Ocean Acidity: Unprecedented, man-made trends: Univ. of Hawai'i Study

Kevin Hansen — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 02:14:15 +0000

This study reflects a huge shift in ocean chemistry exacerbated by CO2 absorption. Higher acidity and changed chemistry in the oceans affects countless forms of life - including our own. Kevin

Researchers find unprecedented, man-made trends in oceans acidity
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Contact: Gisela E. Speidel, (808) 956-9252
Outreach Specialist, International Pacific Research Center
Tobias Friedrich, (808) 956-7385
Postdoctoral Fellow, International Pacific Research Center
Posted: Jan. 23, 2012

[Image] Simulated surface aragonite saturation (top) and atmospheric CO2 concentration in ppm (bottom)
[Image] Yellow tangs frolicking among corals. Courtesy D. Meadows, NOAA

Location:

Kick-Starting the Bio-Based Economy by by Mackinnon Lawrence

Kevin Hansen — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 01:13:00 +0000

This is one of the very important shifts occurring now: an entirely new industrial production base not founded on fossil fuels. Cheers, Kevin

ENERGY | JANUARY 30, 2012 | BY MACKINNON LAWRENCE
Kick-Starting the Bio-Based Economy

Original Article in MatterNetwork.com:

http://www.matternetwork.com/2012/1/kick-starting-bio-based-economy.cfm

by Mackinnon Lawrence of PikeResearch.com

Massive, varied, and intricately woven into the fabric of modern industrial society, the global chemical industry was valued at over $4 trillion in 2011, according to Pike Research’s Green Chemistry report. The non-pharmaceutical chemicals industry in the United States is valued at around $700 billion per year.

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Under Pressure, Monsanto withdraws GM Corn (Maize) from France

Kevin Hansen — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:58:01 +0000

Monsanto says won't sell GMO maize in France in 2012

Under pressure, Monsanto has withdrawn its GMO corn MON810 from France, as beekeepers, activists and farmers protested and repeatedly sued - and won - in court.

This comes on the heels of Bayer, Syngenta and other manufacturers of neonicotinoid pesticides withdrawing their products for use on almonds in California. Although at first GMO and pesticides seem different, they are in fact tightly corrrelated: seeds now routinely are GMO, and are simultaneously treated with nicotine-based pesticides and fungicides. The full article is here:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/24/us-gmo-france-monsanto-idUSTRE...

Location:

Global Simultaneous Die-Offs of Multiple Species

Kevin Hansen — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:20:11 +0000

This great article in two parts, from Australia, details the mass die-offs around the world, of many species - including the beautiful Ladybird Beetle that is surprisingly important to the web of life: Original Articles at: Part One: http://hydroponics.com.au/free-articles/where-have-all-the-ladybirds-gone and Part Two: http://hydroponics.com.au/free-articles/where-have-all-the-ladybirds-gon...

Where have all the ladybirds gone? Part 1

By Marilyn Steiner and Stephen Goodwin

In this two-part article, the authors shine a spotlight on neonicotinoid pesticides against a backdrop of widespread use of this group and concerning reports of an alarming and increasing loss of biodiversity. While honey bees have been the focus of concern, other pollinators and invertebrates, birds and even the lowly earthworm are at risk.

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Leo Burke Explains the Commons - #Commons Education Series A

Kevin Hansen — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:50:04 +0000

Professor Leo Burke of the University of Notre Dame describes the commons and the benefits of a commons viewpoint in this interview recorded in Berlin, Germany at the commons conference sponsored by the Heinrich Boll Stiftung (Heinrich Boll Foundation) in late 2010.

Students interested in the commons should also read the following article about Professor Burke by another well-know commons expert, Jay Walljasper:

A World that Works for Everyone
By Jay Walljasper

Original article in Notre Dame Magazine:
http://magazine.nd.edu/news/27932-a-world-that-works-for-everyone/
PUBLISHED: WINTER 2011-12 POSTED IN: CAMPUS & COMMUNITY AND CURRENT AFFAIRS

You would expect Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business to focus its teaching on making profits from the world as it is instead of asking students to explore how to fundamentally change it.

Run Time:

22 minutes, 36 seconds

Blog

Earthship Home Construction - Narrated Slideshow

UK Parlia. Chair: "...serious questions...EU pesticides regulation...

UK Parliament Holds Hearings on Honeybee Collapse

Canada: Fetuses Have Widespread Pesticide Residues

Ramesh Ferris and the End of Polio

Create a Honey Bee Haven!

Honey Bee Haven:

Three More Countries Restrict Bee-Killing Nicotine Pesticides

Locations

Bee-Killing Nicotine Pesticide Illegally Registered in US - One Million+ Sign Emergency Petition

Honeybee Dieoff Link to Corn Planting Process - Italy Researchers

Top US Bee Experts: Nicotine Pesticides Worsen Bee Diseases

This is a really big deal:

Ocean Acidity: Unprecedented, man-made trends: Univ. of Hawai'i Study

Researchers find unprecedented, man-made trends in oceans acidity University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Kick-Starting the Bio-Based Economy by by Mackinnon Lawrence

ENERGY | JANUARY 30, 2012 | BY MACKINNON LAWRENCE Kick-Starting the Bio-Based Economy

Under Pressure, Monsanto withdraws GM Corn (Maize) from France

Monsanto says won't sell GMO maize in France in 2012

Global Simultaneous Die-Offs of Multiple Species

Where have all the ladybirds gone? Part 1

Leo Burke Explains the Commons - #Commons Education Series A

Researchers find unprecedented, man-made trends in oceans acidity
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

ENERGY | JANUARY 30, 2012 | BY MACKINNON LAWRENCE
Kick-Starting the Bio-Based Economy