Home a film by Yann Arthus Bertrand

by sidonie June 5, 2009

Walking in the footsteps of Al Gore, Yann Arthus-Bertrand sign a film Home with artistic and activist who has a global distribution to warn about the threat climate.

Unable to ignore Home, the new documentary by Yann Arthus-Bertrand. On the occasion of World Environment Day and to reach as many people as possible, his fate Friday SOS together in a film, on France 2 television on big screens (the Champ de Mars Paris, London and New York), on the Internet (YouToube) and DVD. A general mobilization to save the planet, supported by Nicolas Sarkozy: "This is a beautiful film with great images, a French production which we can be proud because it will be distributed free of charge."

Produced by Luc Besson (producer of the trilogy Taxi) and EuropaCorp, Home was funded by François-Henri Pinault, the owner of the global luxury group PPR, which has disbursed 12 million euros. It required more than two and a half years of filming with a helicopter in over 50 countries and resulted in 500 hours of rush, which decreased to 2 hours to film and 90 minutes for television.

"The beauty is food for thought"

Distributed in 126 countries (Glenn Close provides the comments in English and Spanish with Salma Hayek), the advocacy retrace the history of the planet and humanity by playing on the contrast between the beauty of the footage of the sky high definition and severity of threats to the Earth. On the one hand, a mother bear that comes out of crunchy water, followed by his two grandchildren on the other, melting the ice that promises to lead to disruptions in supply chain.

Even the images of polluted sites is a magnificent breathtaking. "The beauty creates emotion and thinking," says Yann Arthus-Bertrand. The message carried by this film is extremely important because it highlights the question of survival. Without realizing it, molecule after molecule, we have upset the balance of the earth climate. "And to emphasize the urgency of the situation:" There are more than ten years for humanity to reverse the trend .

Sponsors famous, including Al Gore, Nobel Peace Prize and author of "An Inconvenient Truth, have provided scientific caution to the film. But Yann Arthus-Bertrand has encountered hostility from some countries, disturbed by his probing camera. Syria and Dubai did not wish to open their borders. India has retained half of its film and China has lifted its censorship in extremis. Argentina has adopted a weeks under a false pretext. Evidence that the photographer is often green finger where it hurts.

The movie "Home", showing the planet in distress, tumbling in a free distribution in 126 countries in film, television and internet. The French Yann Arthus-Bertrand, photographer hit the Earth from the sky, hopes to convene consciences at the bedside of the planet.

Drought, urbanization, water shortages, pollution, competition for oil and fossil fuels, climate change, each subject was filmed from the sky, the shooting mode preferred by the author. The commentary is scientifically impeccable. It was submitted to Al Gore, former vice president and Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 and Lester Brown, pope of ecology in the United States.

"In 20 years the world will be completely different: how will there be a world without oil, with a completely different climate? We must get out of denial." "To contemplate what else should we help them to respond" assène photographer-filmmaker, who hopes "aware of a massive, hard and brutal."

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To watch the movie click here

One World

Environmentally friendly Vegetarian Dining Which Also Presents A Sustainable Financial Message.

Article from UWA Green-e-News

Recently a friend asked me to accompany her to a vegetarian restaurant. Knowing that I was Environmental Officer at UWA, she exclaimed that the proprietors of this restaurant were interested in sustainability. Ok then I thought, and told her "I would love to go."

I arrived at One World Cuisine early, thinking it will be nice to chat to some of the staff about their views on sustainability and this would make for some stimulating dinner conversation.

It wasn't long before I realised that these perceptions were limiting. In fact, upon entering One World Cuisine, I knew I had entered into a different world. A large screen at the front of the restaurant played shows on vegetarian cooking, sustainable eating, holistic living and environmental issues. Beside the screen there was a library containing, an assortment of literature on the benefits of vegetarianism, sustainability and animal ethics. I indulged in the viewing and literature as I waited for my friend.

She arrived, we greeted, sat and she explained how the food was served. The buffet style vegetarian meal is not only meat free, but GMO and MSG also. To top this, the cost of the food is 'pay as you feel.' The more I learned about this restaurant, the more I saw that this was a business operating on a foundation and ethos of sustainability.

Can you imagine the feeling of eating food that is great for your body while feeling a freedom about what you pay for it? It was very liberating indeed.

We ate, talked, and I marveled at the many creative foods and individual flavors that I was enjoying. While I had been a vegetarian at one time in my life, I had never managed to create such a variety and taste in my cooking.

It was about then that I thought to write an article on the place. I communicated this to my friend, who said "I know the Manager, I will call her over" Bonus, this was all too good and too easy.

I met Manager Lee-Lin, and introduced myself. She was impressed with my role as Environmental Officer, and really excited about my desire to write an article on One World Cuisine. Lee-Lin showered me with pamphlets which explained and supported the One World Cuisine philosophy of vegetarianism and sustainability.

For social sustainability, the pay what you feel concept was introduced to encourage trust, generosity and respect. Further, this is used as a strategy to draw customers and highlight the urgency of sustainable eating. One World Cuisine operates on the belief that the vegetarian diet is more environmentally friendly because it uses fewer resources and promotes respect for life. Specifically, they are concerned about the high use of water and emission of methane that results from animal husbandry practices.

One World Cuisine staff will gladly present you with a variety of literature that presents scientific and philosophical arguments for vegetarianism. Plus, they are more than happy to provide you with vegetarian cooking support.

I I thoroughly recommend a visit to One World Cuisine. The staff are friendly, the food gorgeous, the atmosphere inspiring, and the sentiment infectious. A meal at One world Cuisine is memorable on a variety of levels.

One World Cuisine
Where: Shop 7, 23 South St, Kardinya
Opening hours: Lunch 11:30 - 2:00,
Dinner 5:45 - 9:00pm
Closed Mon and Tue
How much: pay as you feel
Phone: 9331 6677
Web: http://www.oneworldcuisine.com.au/

Climate Change responsible for 300,000 deaths a year

Article from Global Humanitarian Forum

First ever report exclusively focused on the global human impact of climate change calculates more than 300 million people are seriously affected by climate change at a total economic cost of $125 billion per year

> Report projects that by 2030, worldwide deaths will reach almost 500,000 per year; people affected by climate change annually expected to rise to over 600 million and the total annual economic cost increase to around $300 billion

> To avert worst possible outcomes, climate change adaptation efforts need to be scaled up by a factor of 100 in developing countries, which account for 99% of casualties due to climate change

London 29 May – Kofi A. Annan, President of the Global Humanitarian Forum, today introduced a major new report into the human impact of climate change. The 'Human Impact Report: Climate Change – The Anatomy of a Silent Crisis' is the first ever comprehensive report looking at the human impact of climate change.

The report was issued immediately prior to official preparatory talks in Bonn for a new UN international climate agreement to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012. These talks will culminate at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009. The report was reviewed by leading international experts, including Rajendra Pachauri of the IPCC, Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University, and Barbara Stocking of Oxfam.

The report estimates that climate change today accounts for over 300,000 deaths throughout the world each year, the equivalent of an Indian Ocean Tsunami every single year. By 2030, the annual death toll from climate change will reach half a million people a year.

It also indicates that climate change today seriously impacts on the lives of 325 million people. In twenty years time that number will more than double to an estimated 660 million, making it the biggest emerging humanitarian challenge in the world, impacting on the lives of 10% of the world's population.

Economic losses due to climate change already today amount to over $125 billion per year. This is more than the individual GDP of 73% of the world's countries, and is greater than the total amount of aid that currently flows from industrialised countries to developing nations each year. By 2030, the economic losses due to climate change will have almost trebled to $340 billion annually.

The Global Humanitarian Forum commissioned Dalberg Global Development Advisers to develop thereport in December 2008 by collating all relevant information and current statistics relating to the human impact of climate change. Within the limitations of existing research, the report presents the most plausible estimate of the impact of climate change on human society today.

Mr Annan said: "Climate change is a silent human crisis. Yet it is the greatest emerging humanitarian challenge of our time. Already today, it causes suffering to hundreds of millions of people most of whom are not even aware that they are victims of climate change. We need an international agreement to contain climate change and reduce its widespread suffering.

"Despite its dangerous impact, climate change is a neglected area of research since much of the debate has focused on the long term physical effects. The point of this report is to focus on today and on the human face climate change.

"Just six months before the Copenhagen summit, the world finds itself at a crossroads. We can no longer afford to ignore the human impact of climate change. Put simply, the report is a clarion call for negotiators at Copenhagen to come to the most ambitious international agreement ever negotiated, or continue to accept mass starvation, mass sickness and mass migration on an ever growing scale."

According to the report, a majority of the world's population does not have the capacity to cope with the impact of climate change without suffering a potentially irreversible loss of wellbeing and risk of loss of life. The populations most gravely at risk are over half a billion people in some of the poorest areas that are also highly prone to climate change – in particular, the semi-arid dry land belt countries from the Sahara to the Middle East and Central Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, South and South East Asia, and small island developing states.

Mr Annan was joined at the launch by report review panellist Barbara Stocking, chief executive of Oxfam GB and Global Humanitarian Forum Board Member. She said:

"Climate change is a human crisis which threatens to overwhelm the humanitarian system and turn back the clock on development. It is also a gross injustice - poor people in developing countries bear over 90% of the burden - through death, disease, destitution and financial loss - yet are least responsible for creating the problem. Despite this, funding from rich countries to help the poor and vulnerable adapt to climate change is not even 1 percent of what is needed. This glaring injustice must be addressed at Copenhagen in December"

Can vegetarians save the world?

A small town in Belgium has gone meat-free one day a week. A sign of things to come, says one food historian

By Tristram Stuart

For decades, environmental arguments against eating meat have been largely the preserve of vegetarian websites and magazines. Just two years ago it seemed inconceivable that significant numbers of western Europeans would be ready to down their steak knives and graze on vegetation for the sake of the planet. The rapidity with which this situation has changed is astonishing.

The breakthrough came in 2006 when the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) published a study, Livestock's Long Shadow, showing that the livestock industry is responsible for a staggering 18% of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. This is only the beginning of the story. In 2008, Brazil announced that in the 12 months to July it had lost 12,000 sq km (3m acres) of the Amazon rainforest, mainly to cattle ranchers and soy producers supplying European markets with animal feed. There is water scarcity in large parts of the world, yet livestock-rearing can use up to 200 times more water a kilogram (2.2lbs) of meat produced than is used in growing wheat. Given the volatile global food prices, it seems foolhardy to divert 1.2bn tonnes of fodder – including cereals – to fuel global meat consumption, which has increased by more than two and half times since 1970.

Vegetarians have been around for a very long time – Pythagoreans forbade eating animals more than 2,500 years ago – but even as the environmental evidence mounted, they didn't appear to be winning the argument. Today in Britain just 2% of the population is vegetarian.

Thankfully, a more pragmatic alternative to total abstinence now seems to be emerging. In September 2008, Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a vegetarian himself, called on people to take personal responsibility for the impacts of their consumption.

"Give up meat for one day [a week] initially, and decrease it from there," he said. "In terms of immediacy of action and the feasibility of bringing about reductions in a short period of time, it clearly is the most attractive opportunity." This week the Belgian city of Ghent met his demands by declaring Thursday a meat-free day. Restaurants, canteens and schools will now opt to make vegetarianism the default for one day a week, and promote meat-free meals on other days as well.

This is not the first institutional backing for such a move. In Britain, the NHS now aims to reduce its impact on the environment partly by "increasing the use of sustainably sourced fish and reducing our reliance on eggs, meat and dairy". Last year, Camden council in London announced that it would be issuing a report calling for schools, care homes and canteens on council premises to cut meat from menus and encourage staff to become vegetarian. (In the end the initiative was shot down by Conservative councillors who insisted that people should not be deprived of choice.) While in Germany the federal environment agency in January called on Germans to follow a more Mediterranean diet by reserving meat only for special occasions.

These initiatives may sound novel, but in fact they reinstate what was for centuries an obligatory practice across Europe. The fasting laws of the Catholic church stipulated that on Fridays, fast days, and Lent, no one could eat meat or wine; on some days, dairy products and fish were also banned. Even after the Reformation Elizabeth I upheld the Lenten fast, insisting that while there was no religious basis for fasting, there were sound utilitarian motives: to ­protect the country's livestock from over-exploitation and to promote the fishing industry (which had the ancillary benefit of increasing the number of ships available for the navy).

Towards the end of the 18th century, two consecutive bad harvests in Europe created shortages. There was a huge public clamour for the wealthy to cut down on their meat consumption in order to leave more grain for the poor. The idea that meat was a cruel profligacy became current, and led Percy Bysshe Shelley to declare that the carnivorous rich literally monopolised land and food by taking more of it than they needed. "The use of animal flesh," he said, "directly militates with this equality of the rights of man."

In the wake of last year's food crisis and with mounting concern over global warming, we appear to have reached a similar crisis moment.

The vegetarian argument is complicated, however, by the fact that in terms of environmental impact, no two pieces of meat are the same. A hunk of beef raised on Scottish moorland has a very different ecological footprint from one created in an intensive feedlot using concentrated cereal feed, and a wild venison or rabbit casserole is arguably greener than a vegetable curry. Likewise, countries have very different animal husbandry methods. For example, in the US, for each calorie of meat or dairy food produced, farm animals consume on average more than 5 calories of feed. In India the rate is a less than 1.5 calories. In Kenya, where there isn't the luxury of feeding grains to animals, livestock yield more calories than they consume because they are fattened on grass and agricultural by-products inedible to humans.

In a paper published last month in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, food ecologist Annika Carlsson-Kanyama showed that kilo for kilo, beef and pork could produce 30 times more CO² emissions than other protein rich foods such as beans. On the other hand, the paper also indicated that poultry and eggs had much lower ­emissions than cheese, which was among the highest polluters. So do meat-free days, and arguments for vegetarianism in general, take adequate consideration of these subtleties, or should we all be chucking out the cheese and going vegan?

"A vegetarian day is a simple message that people can understand," says Carlsson-Kanyama, "though probably what we ultimately need to do is eat less animal products overall."

Alex Evans, fellow at the Centre on International Cooperation at New York University, points out that more and more people – including Sir Nicholas Stern, the author of a 2006 review on the economics of global warming – accept that the only equitable way of achieving an international agreement on climate change is for rich and poor nations to converge on an equal per capita "fair share" of carbon emissions. "The same ought to apply to food," Evans says, "but currently there is no agreed method for calculating what is my 'fair share' of the world's food supply – in particular how much meat."

Based on the global food production figures published by the FAO, I did a few preliminary calculations. Global average consumption of meat and dairy products including milk was 152kg a person in 2003. Average EU and US consumption, by contrast, was over 400kg, while Uganda's was 45kg. In order to reach the equitable fair share of global production, rich western countries would have to cut their consumption by 2.7 times – and this doesn't include the fact that the butter will have to be spread even more thinly if the global population really does increase by another 2.3 billion by 2050.

However, still further reductions would be necessary because global meat production is already at unsustainable levels. The IPCC among other bodies, has called for an 80% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Since high levels of meat and dairy ­consumption are luxuries, it seems reasonable to expect livestock production to take its share of the hit. For rich ­western countries this would mean decreasing meat and dairy consumption to significantly less than one tenth of current levels, the sooner the better.


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Are We So Addicted to Meat That We Can't See Where the Swine Flu Came From?

By Kathy Freston

A virus like swine flu is a completely predictable outcome of our cruel and appallingly filthy factory farming systems.

Are we killing ourselves?

There has been a lot of talk in recent days about how factory farmed animals are the cause of the deadly hybrid virus that is eerily mutating, and some are calling it cosmic retribution, a sort of "chickens coming home to roost" scenario. I don't know about that, but an animal virus like swine flu is a completely predictable (and was a widely predicted) response to our modern horribly cruel and appallingly filthy factory farming systems.

Undoubtedly, some animal welfare people are hoping that swine flu will serve as a wake-up call for humanity, that the "groupthink" in support of intensive farming might move toward thoughtfulness about the health hazards and cruelty of intensively confining animals, and that governments will pass laws to make these "confined animal feeding operations" (CAFOs, the industry term for "factory farm") smaller, cleaner, less cruel, and less dependent on drugs--which are used to keep the animals alive through the filthy and stressful conditions that would otherwise kill them in much greater numbers.

I must admit that this does feel like a wake-up call: Are we really so addicted to eating meat (even as we demand that meat be inexpensive, meat processors want to make more money, which means faster, meaner ways of raising and slaughtering animals for food) that we're willing to risk the millions who could die from such mutating viruses? Has our desire for gustatory pleasure at any cost pushed us into terrible consequences as we creep toward an ugly future? The "big one" may not be this particular version of the flu, but scientists say we have not seen the last of H1N1; not by a long shot.

When the swine flu hit, I was already wondering and talking with friends about whether the economic crisis might inspire a paradigm shift in how we live our lives, especially after reading a remarkable column by generally sober and hyper-realistic Thomas Friedman in the New York Times. Writes Friedman, "What if the crisis of 2008 represents something much more fundamental than a deep recession? What if it's telling us that the whole growth model we created over the last 50 years is simply unsustainable economically and ecologically...?"
Friedman concludes that "Often in the middle of something momentous, we can't see its significance. But for me there is no doubt: 2008 will be the marker--the year when 'The Great Disruption' began."

Of course, the economic meltdown is already forcing us to rethink our priorities and what we value, so there is a process of letting go of a lot of things we considered important. People have cut back on buying non-essential items; we're eating out less, using the library more, and generally becoming more reasonable in our consumption and more civic-minded in our overall way of being--the economic crunch is, as Friedman predicted, causing a reevaluation of our priorities.

But will the changes be as massive as Friedman predicts? President Obama certainly hopes so. I recently saw a quote by the president: "History reminds us that, at every moment of economic upheaval and transformation, this nation has responded with bold action and big ideas." Yes, we have; and we can again, of course.

In the past, America has faced and overcome enormous difficulties again and again, from the Revolutionary War to World War II to the obstacles of racism and sexism. These challenges, and our ability as a people to address them--with both individual and societal change--should inspire us to optimism in the face of current challenges.

What can we do, as individuals, to create a sea change, to halt the mutation of deadly viruses, to say no to out-of-control business practices, to stop creating environmental havoc, and to bring our health up to a better level? All of this can be covered, incredibly, by thinking very seriously about the foods we choose to eat, and then changing our habits if we find that our choices are generating problems. And as we change as individuals, society and governments will change with us.

Here's a home run solution that I can't help coming back to: eat less (and eventually no) animal protein. A diet high in animal protein bloats us physically by clogging our bodies with saturated fat, growth hormones, and antibiotics; it has been proven conclusively to cause cancer, heart disease, and obesity.

And the meat industry poisons and depletes our clean air, potable water, and fertile topsoil almost more than any other sector of business. As just one example, the meat industry is responsible for about 18 percent of all global warming--that's almost half again as much as all cars, planes, and trucks combined. And now it's become all too clear that factory farms are breeding grounds for viruses to mutate and become deadly.

Basically, our current food choices (the average American eats about 200 pounds of meat annually) are killing us on a host of different levels. Perhaps now more than ever, it's time to clear out old, tired, uninformed ways of eating and opt instead for food that nourishes us, is easy on the planet, and gives the animals some breathing room.

Oh, and especially useful in these exceedingly difficult economic times: Eating a plant-based diet is cheap relative to eating meat. Compare the price of grains and beans with that of chicken and cheese. And growing grains and vegetables is by no means the filthy business that animal agriculture has become.

I realize it's not painless to give up what we are used to, what we like the taste and tradition of, in favor of a diet that we know is better for us and the planet. But if we lean into the shift of eating consciously by giving up one animal at a time (give up chickens first, as I discuss here), or eating only vegetarian for two out of three meals, we will find our way and get used to new tastes. We will grow to love different foods that are kinder to our bodies, the environment, and the animals.

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*Kathy Freston is a health and wellness expert and a New York Times best-selling author. Her latest book is The Quantum Wellness Cleanse: A 21 Day Essential Guide to Healing Your Body, Mind and Spirit. Freston promotes a body/mind/spirit approach to health and happiness that includes a concentration on healthy diet, emotional introspection, spiritual practice, and loving relationships. Kathy's recent television appearances include The Oprah Winfrey Show, Ellen, The View and Good Morning America. www.kathyfreston.com

Maybe J.C. (was a vegetarian)

Song and video by songwriter Paul Seymour, about how some of the greatest people throughout history have been ethical vegetarians, maybe even Jesus?!

Belgian City First In World To Go Vegetarian At Least Once A Week

Starting this week there will be a regular weekly meatless day, in which civil servants and elected councillors will opt for vegetarian meals.

Ghent means to recognise the impact of livestock on the environment.

Read the whole story: BBC

Vegan Food Coming to Murdoch University

One World Cuisine restaurant has started to provide delicious vegan meals in the canteen of Murdoch University since May 11.

Thanks to Laura Williams, the sustainability representative of Murdoch Guild of Students, we had the chance to meet Cheryl, the manager of Walters Café in Murdoch University, and provide vegan meals to the students. It turned out that the vegan meals such as sweet & sour veggie pork with fried rice, curry and Vietnamese rice rolls were so popular that they were sold out in no time.

We deeply appreciate Laura's help and Cheryl's support for promoting and providing eco-friendly meals at the café.

Climate Change to Cause "Cultural Genocide" for Australia's Aborigines

by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn on 05.11.09

Just as a band of Carteret Islanders are abandoning their homes due to the effects of climate change--becoming the world's first climate change refugees--word has come that rising sea levels and more severe weather patterns may claim an even greater victim: the entire cultural legacy of Australia's native Aborigines. It would be the world's first case of climate change-caused "cultural genocide". Could climate change really wipe an entire, culturally rich people off the map?

A recent report says that it's not only possible, but probable-yet how would this happen?

According to AFP,


Climate change would force Australia's Aborigines off their traditional lands, resulting in "cultural genocide" and environmental degradation, a human rights watchdog warned on Monday.

The culture is thousands of years old, but is nonetheless delicate enough to be wiped entirely away by climate change-that's the consensus of a report recently completed by the Human Rights Commission. How would it happen?

Rising sea levels and soaring temperatures would make their homelands uninhabitable, severing spiritual links and laying waste to the environment, according to the commission's annual Native Title Report.

And the problems would be many:

"Problems that indigenous Australians will encounter include people being forced to leave their lands, particularly in coastal areas. Dispossession and a loss of access to traditional lands, waters, and natural resources may be described as cultural genocide; a loss of ancestral, spiritual, totemic and language connections to lands and associated areas."

As if all that wasn't enough, the Aborigines food security will be threatened, they'll be much more susceptible to diseases like malaria and dengue fever. 80% of Aborigines rely on the natural environment for their livelihood—all of which become endangered as climate change grows more severe.

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Tofu and Eggplant Lemak

Ingredients:
1 box Tofu (600g), cut into chunks and lightly pan fried
1 eggplant, cut into thick strips and lightly pan fried
8 dried red chilli, soaked in hot water and removed seeds
2 onions, chopped
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
1 stalk lemon grass
1 Tbsp turmeric powder
10 pieces candle nuts
1/3 Tbsp salt
Pinch of sugar
1 cup water
1 can coconut milk
Several lime or bay leaves

Directions:
Blend red chilli, onions, garlic, lemon grass, turmeric powder and candle nuts in a blender.

Heat oil and fry blended ingredients until fragrant and a little dry. Then add water and let it boil. Add in coconut milk, lime or bay leaves, salt and sugar. Reduce fire and simmer until gravy thickens. Add in tofu and eggplant and mix well. Remove and serve with rice.

*Candle nuts are available in Asian shops.

Colorful Cuisine with Chef Cary Brown: Barbequed Vegan Ribs

Part 1:



Part 2:

Swine Flu: Factory Farming at the Root of the Cause?

Interview with One World Cuisine by Fremantle Radio

Fremantle Radio (107.9 FM) interviewed the manager of One World Cuisine about our concept of running the restaurant yesterday morning. To listen online, please go to: http://www.radiofremantle.com/contentid=165.htm

After log on, click Wednesday/ Breakfast Show/ 08:00 time slot. It starts from 45:15.
Since their programs are presented on a weekly basis, this audio will be removed after one week.

James Hansen: Reduce CO2 in Atmosphere or Face Catastrophe

Top climate scientist Dr. James Hansen speaks of our planetary emergency. Presenting the 2009 Walter Orr Roberts Distinguished Lecture during the Conference on World Affairs held at the University of Colorado, USA, Dr. James Hansen, respected climatologist and Director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, spoke of the urgency of addressing climate change. Regarding the current state of atmospheric greenhouse gases, he noted, "We have already passed into the dangerous zone." Dr. Hansen went on to say that if such gas emissions are not reduced immediately, "We would be sending the planet toward an ice free state. We would ... be creating a very different planet, and chaos for our children."

In an interview with Supreme Master Television on March 19, Dr. Hansen offered two key preventative actions.

Dr. James Hansen – World leading climatologist, Chief of NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, USA (M): On a personal basis, perhaps the most important thing you can do is change your diet to a more vegetarian diet, because that is a major contributor to carbon, to not only carbon dioxide, but also methane and other greenhouse gases. You also have to put pressure on the politicians to address the coal issue. If we could do those two things, then the planet would be on much safer grounds.

SupremeMasterTV.com

U.S. Declares Public Health Emergency Over Swine Flu

By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.
Published: April 26, 2009

Responding to what some health officials feared could be the leading edge of a global pandemic emerging from Mexico, American health officials declared a public health emergency on Sunday as 20 cases of swine flu were confirmed in this country, including eight in New York City.

Other nations imposed travel bans or made plans to quarantine air travelers as confirmed cases also appeared in Mexico and Canada and suspect cases emerged elsewhere.

Top global flu experts struggled to predict how dangerous the new A (H1N1) swine flu strain would be as it became clear that they had too little information about Mexico's outbreak - in particular how many cases had occurred in what is thought to be a month before the outbreak was detected, and whether the virus was mutating to be more lethal, or less.

"We're in a period in which the picture is evolving," said Dr. Keiji Fukuda, deputy director general of the World Health Organization. "We need to know the extent to which it causes mild and serious infections."

Without that knowledge - which is unlikely to emerge soon because only two laboratories, in Atlanta and Winnipeg, Canada, can confirm a case - his agency's panel of experts was unwilling to raise the global pandemic alert level, even though it officially saw the outbreak as a public health emergency and opened its emergency response center.

As a news conference in Washington, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano called the emergency declaration "standard operating procedure," and said she would rather call it a "declaration of emergency preparedness."

"It's like declaring one for a hurricane," she said. "It means we can release funds and take other measures. The hurricane may not actually hit."

American investigators said they expected more cases here, but noted that virtually all so far had been mild and urged Americans not to panic.

The speed and the scope of the world's response showed the value of preparations made because of the avian flu and SARS scares, public health experts said.

The emergency declaration in the United States lets the government free more money for antiviral drugs and give some previously unapproved tests and drugs to children. One-quarter of the national stockpile of 50 million courses of antiflu drugs will be released.

Border patrols and airport security officers are to begin asking travelers if they have had the flu or a fever; those who appear ill will be stopped, taken aside and given masks while they arrange for medical care.

"This is moving fast and we expect to see more cases," Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said at the news conference with Ms. Napolitano. "But we view this as a marathon."

He advised Americans to wash their hands frequently, to cover coughs and sneezes and to stay home if they felt ill; but he stopped short of advice now given in Mexico to wear masks and not kiss or touch anyone. He praised decisions to close individual schools in New York and Texas but did not call for more widespread closings.

Besides the eight New York cases, officials said they had confirmed seven in California, two in Kansas, two in Texas and one in Ohio. The virus looked identical to the one in Mexico believed to have killed 103 people - including 22 people whose deaths were confirmed to be from swine flu - and sickened about 1,600. As of Sunday night, there were no swine flu deaths in the United States, and one hospitalization.

Other governments tried to contain the infection amid reports of potential new cases including in New Zealand and Spain.

Dr. Fukuda of the W.H.O. said his agency would decide Tuesday whether to raise the pandemic alert level to 4. Such a move would prompt more travel bans, and the agency has been reluctant historically to take actions that hurt member nations.

Canada confirmed six cases, at opposite ends of the country: four in Nova Scotia and two in British Columbia. Canadian health officials said the victims had only mild symptoms and had either recently traveled to Mexico or been in contact with someone who had.

Other governments issued advisories urging citizens not to visit Mexico. China, Japan, Hong Kong and others set up quarantines for anyone possibly infected. Russia and other countries banned pork imports from Mexico, though people cannot get the flu from eating pork.

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Chinese Fried Rice

Ingredients:
3 slices vegan ham, diced
1/2 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup snow peas
4 shiitake mushrooms, soaked until soft and diced
1/3 cup pine nuts
4 cups cooked rice, white or brown
Pinch of natural seasoning
2 Tbsp soy sauce
Pinch of black pepper

Directions:

In a wok or large skillet, heat oil until hot. Add shiitake mushrooms and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add vegan ham and carrots and continue stirring over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add snow peas and cook for 2 minutes. Add rice, natural seasoning and soy sauce, and continue to stir-fry until rice is heated through. Sprinkle some black pepper and serve.


*You can add anything you like to this fried rice, according to your taste or the ingredients you have on hand.

Fried Noodles

Ingredients:
I pkt Japanese Noodles (the yellow one)
2 slices vegan ham, cut into stripes
Shredded cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, broccoli florets and baby corns
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon natural seasoning
Pepper to taste
Extra soy sauce, salt or sugar for seasoning, as desired

Directions:
In a wok, heat 2 tablespoons oil, add mushrooms and ham, and stir-fry for about 3 minutes. Remove from wok.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil, add cabbage, carrot, baby corns and broccoli. Stir-fry for about 3 minutes. Season with a bit of soy sauce, salt and natural seasoning while stir-frying. Remove from wok.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in the wok, add noodles. Stir-fry quickly, stirring to coat the noodles in the oil and make sure they don't stick to the pan. Add salt, soy sauce, and natural seasoning, and mix well. Add the cooked mushroom mixture and cabbage mixture, and mix well. Serve hot.

*Vegan ham can be replaced by veggie prawn. Both are available in One World Cuisine.
* Japanese Noodles are available in Asian shops.

Chana Masala

Ingredients:
500g chickpeas
3 big onions, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
4 stalks spring onion, chopped
1 bunch coriander, chopped
1/2 tbsp ginger powder
3 potatoes, cut into small cubes
1/2 tbsp turmeric powder
1/4 tbsp chili powder
4 heaps tbsp curry powder
Salt to taste

Directions:
Soak chickpeas in water with a pinch of salt overnight. Wash and boil with half tbsp of salt until chickpeas are soft, about 1/2 hour. Blend onions, tomatoes, spring onion, coriander and ginger powder with water (add water until lower end of handle of blender).

Heat up pan with half cup of oil. Add in blended ingredients and fry until fragrant. Add 1/2 tbsp of salt, turmeric powder, chili powder and curry powder, and cook until thicken. Then add potatoes and 1/2 cup water, and cook until potatoes are soft. Add chickpeas. Taste and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with rice.

Go Meatless On Monday: Even Just One Day a Week Makes a Difference

Article from Treehugger
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 04.24.09

Diet is really one of the most commonly overlooked things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint. That's a message I never tire of getting out there; and while I'd recommend a completely vegetarian diet (for the planet, your health and for the cultivation of compassion), even just one day a week really can make a difference. That's the message Meatless Monday is sending:

If we all just commit to one day a week without eating meat, the effect will be great over the course of the year:

*Our greenhouse gas emission reductions equal US switching from a car with average fuel efficiency (that's about 22 mpg for the entire fleet) to a high efficiency car such as the Toyota Prius (50 mpg).
*We will save about 1 ton of water, enough to fill up the bathtub 22 times per week.
*If everyone in the US did this, we'd collectively save about 12 billion gallons of gasoline.

Climate Change Mitigation Costs Slashed by Vegetarian Diet
Though the exact figures vary depending on which study you look at, according to a recent study done in the Netherlands, if the majority of the population adopted a completely vegetarian diet the costs of climate change mitigation could drop by 70%. And even if people just cut back their meat consumption to more reasonable levels—particularly in the US where meat consumption is well out of line with the recommendations of doctors and nutritionists—the costs of climate change mitigation can drop by 50%.

More: Meatless Monday

Vegetarianism
Vegetarian Diet Could Cut Climate Change Mitigation Costs by 70%, If Enough Of Us Make the Switch
Study Finds Meat and Dairy Create More Emissions Than Miles
Reduce the Meat in Your Diet: Become a Weekday Vegetarian

Green Planet Awards launches eco-eating and eco-activity competitions

A new non-profit green initiative, Green Planet Awards, is inviting the world to exciting competitions that are all about going green to cool the planet. Based in Europe, the Green Planet Award founders stated that they were originally inspired by watching Supreme Master Television to raise awareness especially toward how human eating habits are affecting the planet. In particular, their concern upon realizing that the meat industry adds more greenhouse gases to global warming than all transportation combined led to their theme of "Eco-Eating" for the 2009 Green Planet Awards competitions. In this premiere event, which is taking place throughout Ireland, university students are being asked to design the best awareness campaign on the environmental and health impacts of excessive meat consumption. Students displaying the most creative and diligent efforts through such media as flyers, songs, conferences, and other marketing techniques, will receive prizes, with the top award being an electric car.

Green Planet Awards is also hosting a second competition that is online and worldwide, called Green2Cool. This event's first prize of €1,500* will go to the most active member of the social networking website at http://www.green2cool.org/, meaning the person who is most influential in spreading the veg eco-eating trend and making the social space a success. Both the Green2Cool.org and GreenPlanetAwards.org websites provide media resources for those seeking up-to-date facts on climate change urgency and its relation to diet.

For more activity information, please visit http://www.greenplanetawards.org/ or http://www.green2cool.org/ for English, and http://www.green2cool.org.tw/ for Chinese

*The first prize has been risen to €3,000.