Stop Japan's Whaling Fleet From Killing Humpbacks!
Next month, the Japanese Government plans to send its whaling fleet into the protected waters of the Southern Ocean Sanctuary around Antarctica. And this year, Japan is threatening to add humpback whales to its target list!
The Japanese government attempts to defend its whaling program by calling it "scientific" whaling. In reality, this deadly program is nothing more than unlawful commercial whaling in disguise. We don't need to kill whales to study them in the 21st century.
More than 30,000 whales have been killed since a global ban on commercial whaling came into effect in 1986. Japan must not expand its whaling program!
Tell Japanese Ambassador Ryozo Kato to immediately stop the senseless annual killing of whales, including the humpback. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/111615377
After a cursory review, the Food and Drug Administration is poised to allow milk and meat from cloned animals into the food supply, without any labeling. Clones could soon be the food on your table, and you would never know it.
A majority of cloned animals never make it to adulthood due to birth defects and disease. Most sicken and die before they reach their first birthday. With weak immune systems, they contract infections requiring antibiotic treatment. Overuse of antibiotics already contributes to the rise of antibiotic resistant strains.
But we have a chance in the next couple of days to make the FDA reconsider. A proposed amendment to the Farm Bill would keep cloned food off the market until the FDA fully considers some of the things you care about -- safety, animal health and public health.
Tell your Senators to support the Mikulski amendment to the Farm Bill -- because cloned food should be proven safe for humans and animals before it's on our tables!
Tell Congress to Require FDA Testing of Cosmetic Ingredients
Sponsor: Care2
Every morning, millions of women and teenage girls could be putting their health at risk as they unknowingly expose themselves to toxins - including lead - that may lead to reproductive birth defects, infertility and cancer. 
According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, of all the chemicals used in cosmetics, nearly 900 are toxic.
In fact, 450 ingredients that are used in the U.S. are banned for use in cosmetics in the European Union!
In spite of all this, the Food and Drug Administration doesn’t require strict safety testing before beauty products hit the market. Most readily available makeup is loaded with chemicals that are either untested for long-term effects on your health, or have already been proven to have potentially harmful qualities.
As they set their priorities for 2008, urge Congress to require the FDA to adequately test and regulate ingredients used in our personal care products!
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In one of the most sparsely populated regions in the state of Mississippi, the Corps wants to build the world's largest hydraulic pumping plant. In a throwback to another era – and contrary to federal policy – the Yazoo Pumps would be used to drain wetlands so agribusiness can intensify production to reap more farm subsidy payments. A less expensive alternative — which includes some structural flood protection and easements — would spare the wetlands and cost less money.
The Corps has released its final recommendation for the Yazoo Pumps, and we must put a stop to this wasteful and destructive project.
Tell the Corps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Interior to dump the Pumps and save the wetlands.Save the Wetlands! »
The Bush Administration is proposing $300 million in funding cuts for Afterschool programs. If Congress approves this proposal, hundreds of thousands of children will lose the programs they participate in. Email Congress today to tell them not to approve these harmful budget cuts.
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/t/5365/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=23192
Animals
Cher
- 2 hours ago - thepetitionsite.com
Hi all!!
The University of California, San Diego student organization: VEG (Vegetarian Environmentalist Group) is happy to present an online petition which aims to reduce the livestock industry via means of removal of governmental subsidies for livestock farmers as well as implementation of tax for livestock products for their detrimental external social burden on the environment. If you are still unfamiliar with the relationship between livestock production and the environment, I have listed the key facts below.
Here is our petition link:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/livestock-production-reduction-for-the-environment
Please support us and help us spread the word! This is definitely an attempt at a baby toward in the right direction!Thank you!
---UCSD VEG
http://ucsdveg.blogspot.com/
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: SUMMARY OF LIVESTOCK'S IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT(SOURCE: 2006 UNITED NATIONS FAO REPORT, LIVESTOCK'S LONG SHADOW)
Our current livestock industry is responsible for emitting 37% of all human-induced Methane, 65% of all human-induced Nitrous Oxide, 9% of all human-induced Carbon Dioxide, and 64% of human-induced Ammonia. The Carbon Dioxide equivalent of livestock industry emissions is 18%, which is greater than all transportation combined (transportation CO2 equivalent is 12%). So, we need to decrease the livestock industry along with turning to alternative transportation systems (like biking!!). We cannot just pin global warming on one single source and go from there, all aspects need to adapt to the current climate crisis.
In addition to the greenhouse gas emissions, livestock current needs 36% of the world grain and 74% of the world soy to sustain its industry. If you think about it, this is not sustainable at all in the long run. It is definitely not an efficient usage of world crop supplies.
Now let's talk water. Water is essential for survival. Did you know that California currently imports 100% of its clean water supply? Yes... and we are not increasing our world water supply. Yes, there are technologies being researched to desaltize the ocean waters, but think about the cost of that. It's not a quick and easy solution. The best solution would be for everyone to be frugal. While major medias are telling us to conserve water during showers and toothbrushing, they are leaving out a major part of water usage.According to the Stockholm International Water Institute, 20% of all world water supply goes to industries, 10% of all water goes to households, and 70% of all water goes to producing food. These statistics awaken a lot of people because if you think about how much water we use in industries and households (it’s A LOT), many folds more is going to agriculture. Now get this: within the agricultural business (which uses 70% of all our clean water), 1 POUND OF LETTUCE takes 23 gallons of water to produce, 1 POUND OF WHEAT takes 25 gallons of water, 1 POUND OF APPLES take 49 gallons of water, 1 POUND OF CHICKEN takes 815 gallons of water, 1 POUND OF PORK takes 1,630 gallons of water, and 1 POUND OF BEEF takes 5,214 gallons of water. (You can do some research online to see how to have defined these water usage values according to pounds) So now the question is, one plate of dinner will fill most of us up (some go for seconds, thirds, but anyways..). If you fill that one plate with meat, that's 6000 gallons of water or more. If you fill that one plate up with rice and veggies (this can be tasty faux meat too!), it takes less than 100 gallons of water. Please, be frugal and responsible. Imagine a planet with no more water.
Here are just some additional costs of livestock production. Did you know that livestock farming land takes up 70% of all agricultural land, and 30% of world's ice-free terrestrial surface? Yup. And for the forest lovers (we should all love forests, they are the lungs of our planet), 70% of the Amazon rainforest is currently being occupied by pastures; feedcrops occupy a large sector of the remaining 30%.Everyone talks about saving energy now with new bulbs, solar power, etc. Well why not talk about food, too. The livestock sector requires 16 times more fossil fuel energy than other sectors of agriculture. Moreover, livestock is increasingly being fed with grains and cereals that could have been consumed by humans, converting only up to 33% of its nutrients for our consumption.
Lastly, the U.S. livestock sector alone produces 900 million tons of manure annually. Immense lagoons used to store waste are known to heavily degrade the surrounding air and water, creating dead zones within our clean bodies of water. Besides harming our precious marine life, it's nice to know that we are surrounded by 80% of water of this planet. So if our ocean dies, we probably don't have much of a chance for survival either.
All in all, it's good that we are more aware of global warming and finally (most people) recognize it as partially (if not mostly) human caused. Now, besides being frugal, using a reusable bag, riding a bike or taking the bus, changing lightbulbs, and saving shower time, please also change your diet. It really makes a huge impact, even though it seems like you're just intaking a piece of meat, that piece of meat came from loads of environmental damage (as well as suffering!). Inaction is inexcusable. If you're a non-vegetarian, go vegetarian. If you’re already a vegetarian, go vegan. If you’re already a vegan... go organic 
Of course, if you can go straight to organic vegan that is the best for the environment in terms of personal contribution. Be Veg, Be Green, Save the Planet. (doubtful? do research!)
