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September 11, 2006

Ecological Internet's "Sustainability Solutions Initiative" Launches

PRESS RELEASE
Ecological Internet's "Sustainability Solutions Initiative" Launches

New On-line Eco-Think Tank to develop and disseminate information and policy proposals in regard to Global Ecological Sustainability Solutions
http://www.EcoEarth.Info/ssi/
September 11, 2006

(Madison, WI) - Ecological Internet, Inc. today announced their new online environmental sustainability think tank. "Sustainability Solutions Initiative" will facilitate global discussion upon the policies necessary and adequate to achieve global ecological sustainability - where humanity can live well and equitably upon the Earth's natural capital for as long as possible.

Ecological Internet, Inc. is more known for its unique, comprehensive and much used environmental portals and search engines including such notables as Climate Ark at http://www.climateark.org/ and EcoEarth.Info at its name's URL (full list below). It is hoped that the new policy development effort can benefit from these existing distribution channels - used by tens of thousands of people a day.

As Dr. Barry, the President of Ecological Internet, explains "the heart of the global ecological crisis is that too many people are consuming too much and their developments have severely diminished natural ecosystems. There is little hope of the Earth and humanity regaining a state of balance absent a major surge in ecological based policies in virtually every human realm and/or a major human population collapse."

Ecological Internet's Sustainability Solutions Initiative is committed to developing and implementing an Earth rescue plan. Dr. Barry continues, "What hope exists for avoiding global ecological collapse, the death of billions and the end of civilization lies in bold visionary proposals that are adequate to transform humanity's relationship with the Earth. Things like stopping ancient forest logging, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 60% soon and cutting human populations by more than half."

The project's web site at http://www.EcoEarth.Info/ssi/ contains a comprehensive, yet draft and incomplete, list of policies necessary to pursue global ecological sustainability. Based upon ecological science more than political practicality, it is suggested these specific ten challenging policy recommendations together are adequate - indeed required - to address virtually all environmental crises. Your comments are welcome below.

More...

Ecological Internet intends to construct a learning community on the web committed to ecological sustainability solutions using their existing portal/search engine platform with expanded social networking and group collaborative services. The Sustainability Solutions Initiative is meant to inform these discussions and provide for an action plan of global, system wide measures to save the Earth.

It is hoped that new partnerships, collaborators and funders will come forward to support Ecological Internet's fledgling think tank effort, and web portals and targeted biocentric advocacy which though modest in resources nonetheless have proven amazingly effective (see Kudos at http://www.EcoEarth.Info/kudos/ ). Ecological Internet has already enunciated specific campaign goals in our campaigns section at http://www.EcoEarth.Info/campaign/ .

Besides working in environmental portals and sustainability policy research, Ecological Internet has a project called "Land Restore". Ecological Internet's office is on seven acres in rural Wisconsin. There we seek to demonstrate sustainable land management and living techniques. We are carrying out restoration of native forest; and plan to showcase organic farming and permaculture techniques.

We depend upon individual small donors for the majority of our funding, twice yearly holding fund-raising drives targeted at our web and email list users. Latest 990 U.S. Tax information report for 2005 can be found as a link in bottom right of our Ecological Internet organizational web site at http://www.ecologicalinternet.org/ . New donors are always appreciated at http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/donate/ and site sponsorship information can be found at http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/sponsor/ .

###ENDS###

Dr. Glen Barry
President
Ecological Internet, Inc.
P.O. Box 433
Denmark, WI 54208
USA
[email protected]
+1 920 776 1075 phone


Ecological Internet's projects include:

EcoEarth.Info -- http://www.EcoEarth.Info/
Climate Ark -- http://www.climateark.org/
Forests.org -- http://forests.org/
Water Conserve -- http://www.waterconserve.org
Rainforest Portal -- http://www.rainforestportal.org/
Ocean Conserve -- http://www.oceanconserve.org/

Comments

I welcome your idea - global solutions are urgently needed, and I like the idea of a simple 10-(or however many) point charter!

I would, however, recommend changes to the section on greenhouse gases. 60% reductions are based on 1990 research and will not stabilise the atmosphere. We must aim for stabilisation of CO2 levels below 440/450 ppm (and if possible well below that dangerous figure), and this will mean steeper and faster cuts than previously called for. How steep depends on how fast the planet's ability to absorb carbon declines, and any figure must be revised according to new scientific findings. I understand that 75% cuts are the current baseline.

I would very much like to see Ecological Internet embrace the Contraction and Convergence model which is the only science-based, fair and easy-to-implement model for reducing fossil fuel emissions fast enough to (eventually) stabilise the climate. Parallel to adopting C&C we also need an international agreement which ensures the end of ancient forest and ecosystem which Ecological Internet calls for anyway.

Finally, the destruction of peatlands is a very major cause of CO2 emissions (15% of all human-induced CO2 emissions annually just from the drained peat swamps of Indonesia). I believe that protection of all peatlands and immediate ecological restoration of those which have been damaged, particularly in south-east Asia should be named as a main priority - otherwise we will completely lose it on climate change!

Good luck with this great project!

Almuth Ernsting

Please don't forget animal protection,f.e. live stock on meadows instead of caging them; protection of wildlife by securing healthy woods, wild meadows, fruit trees etc., clean water in sea and lakes + rivers, etc.
AND; perhaps your programs and actions also in other languages than English?
Good luck + thank you!
E. Richter, Austria

The only fair way I know of to curb population growth is to pay people to get sterilized. I third world countries ist could be as little as $5. A program like this would kill several birds with one rock. It would definitely drastically curb population growth. It would end welfare in a generation. And as a bonus it would elliminate the stupid gene, as only the illiterate are reproducing these days. I hope I've been of help. Namaste, Don Bemis

Hello,
Do you have any information pertaining to Nepal. Editing a magazine which we want to focus on the environment & education as well as social welfare.
Thank you,
J. Perkins

It is important to define mechanisms of adjustment of current policies and economic models in order to achieve the objectives outlined in the prescriptions.
Basic is the recognition, and whenever possible the quantification (and even valuation), of the values of environmental services, in order they will be always taken into account in any "development" project.
2. It should follow that their preservation (or restoration) should never be alienated without the consensus of their beneficiaries.
3. I agree with Elisabeth on extending the information to other languages and anyway in international format (most peolple on this Earth does not know what an acre is).

Hi Glen, really pleased to see this. Will you be sending out updates, news
or alerts?
Hope to contribute with regards to sustainable palm oil, as you can imagine.
Michelle

Hi Glen, many thanks for your informative email.

I think a lot of governments and NGOs around the world are doing lots of policy and coming up with high-level aims more or less like the ones on your new site. Eg the UK govt has announced a target of a 60% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by (not sure what year). I think that the real work is to actually implement real programmes to achieve these aims while maintaining reasonable stability within countries' economies. That's the hard part. It is all very well to come up with nice policies at the highest level! However, facilitating global discussion is at least a start, and it will hopefully make people more aware of the fundamental issues. What is really needed though is behaviour change; I believe that studies have shown that all the awareness in the world doesn't necessarily make any difference to what individuals actually do.

You may want to work with the Center for a New American Dream: http://www.newdream.org/ . You might also be interested to know about the "Church of Stop Shopping": http://www.revbilly.com/. There is also a small group in Seattle that is working to reduce their impact: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/02/13/BAGH3H7DH71.DTL and it would be great to see such initiatives become common. Perhaps your site could be a catalyst.

You might also be interested to know that a couple of weeks ago, I sent a comment to a Greenpeace NZ blog in which I said it was all very well for Greenpeace to protest about coal mines etc, but perhaps they should also be trying to stop people buying so much stuff that requires coal to make in the first place. Anyway, my comment was not placed on the blog, and the blog was pulled off the Gpeace NZ site and was replaced by the Gpeace International blog. All very strange. I got the feeling that even Greenpeace does not want to try to get people to live in any really sustainable way; they seem to address some issues (still very courageously and effectively) while the Titanic ploughs ever forward. So I am very glad to see you come out with your new sustainability site.

What I would really like to see is a group with the practical strategies and courage like Greenpeace, promoting the sort of sustainability that your site will promote, and attacking waste and overpopulation. Perhaps I should do something myself! I have considered protesting at roadsides with a placard saying something like "Cars drive climate change".

Best wishes, and thank you for doing what you do.

Regards
M. Dance

I wish to make two points with regards to SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIES:

(1) We need to change from GDP to GPI (Genuine Progress Indicator www.gpiatlantic.org ) to measure economic performance.

(2) Using the current interest-bearing debt based money system renders the achievement of sustainable economies impossible. According to Prof Dr Margrit Kennedy ( http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~roehrigw/kennedy/english/ ) the present money system fuels the growth imperative on which our economy depends. This relentless growth results in ever increasing consumption of natural resources and consequent pollution.

Bernard Lietaer, author of The Future of Money ( http://www.transaction.net/money/bio/lietaer.html ), says that the design of the money system profoundly influences the outcomes of its use.

I therefore recommend Richard Douthwaite's The Ecology of Money which can be read at http://www.feasta.org/documents/moneyecology/index.htm

Fortunately, new money systems, based on and respecting the living systems of our planet, are emerging in all corners of the world. These can be read about in the second part of Deirdre Kent's book Healthy Money, Healthy Planet. ( http://localcurrencies.blogspot.com/ ) (The first part explains the workings of the conventional money system.)

Deirdre Kent is a founding member of the Living Economies Trust ( www.le.org.nz )

Finally, I quote Michael Ruppert ( http://www.fromthewilderness.com/ ) 'Unless we change the way money works, we change nothing'.

Helen Dew, New Zealand

Thanks for this important initiative.

Given the seriousness of the global warming threat, shouldn't we address the fact that the world is not only trying to feed 6.5 billion people, but also the 50 billion framed animals raised or slaughter annually? Shouldn't we also be concerned when the population of farmed animals is projec ted to double to 100 billion in 20 years?

Thanks,

Richard Schwartz
President, Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA)

Its important to understand the difficulties of today. But lets not let the injustices stand in the way of achieving the solution which will get us past the proplems which exist today.

I would beg of you to consider the consequences of accomplishing just one visional change. The accomplishment of transport with on grid electric and utilizing electric propulsion.

Its nothing new. Its something that should of been accomplished decades ago. Because you know, doing so would have resolved the vast bulk of all those problem we know.

Its a real and visonal thing that can begin today.

The energy issues would not be. electric propuslion is known to be 97% more energy efficeint. And thats just the beginning of the large energy and resource efficiencies. No thats not by any means all. The real benefits are in acheiving automated transport. Whose cost would then be limited to profitable provision of a 100 year structural investment. Which then would become divided by an enormously greater usage rate. WHich is possibly 1/40th of the cost today.

The bulk of those costs which determine the cost of everything are in transport related influences.

Its amazing thing this automated capability that will come with the establishment of a fixed and rigidly controlled pathway and the precise ability to regulate speed.

Its a done deal. Its lucratively profitable. The annual energy efficiency values are exponentially greater than the cost of implementation.
Our structural and technological abilities of today go far beyond what is needed.

And now Knowing this simple accomplishment exists. Join with me in calculating the difference it would make.

Remove 97% of transports energy and resource consumptions? But its not just the fuel and resources consumed. The benfits are far larger than that. Try removing emissions? And while your at it. Try removing accidents and congestion? These are all things that will come too. And lets not forget all of the energy and resources who are caught up in this removal of accidents and congestions.

And then what will happen when all these enormouse amounts of unecessary energy and resource consumptions are removed.

It will also free them up. SO that they will become then all that more available toward more deserving pusuits. God know we have more deserving pursuits. 80% of humanity still lays in a undeveloped and developing state of well-being. And it is this remaining population where the exploding population is. For with out the modern worlds healthcare and its removal of premature deaths. They will only continue with thier customs of highbirth rate practices. Leveling the population expansion period we are in is humanely a matter of ending the premature.

Ecological diversity will only be maintained once the impacts of our expanding populations and increasing levels of resource consumption are brough to a sustainable level. A level of impact which is far below todays.

I can support this gross analysis with technological facts and economical figures.

Dear Mr. Glen Barry,

I sent you a comment on top ten policies before, but you may perhaps have forgotten it. So I send it to you again.
..............

I am enjoying your messages on Forest conservation, Climate Change and your essays "Earth Meanders"every time. In particular, your essay on top ten policies necessary to pursue global ecological sustainability was so interesting that I would like to join a discussion about it.
Indeed, all of the ten policies given in your list are highly important ones, and I can agree with you in many ways. But one policy indispensable for global sustainability seems to be lacking: equitable international economic order.As you know well, it is the current inequal economic relationship between rich, industrialized countries and poor, developing ones that yield excessive consumptions of natural resources to rich nations on the one hand and poverty, hunger and desperate environmental disruptions for survival to the other ones on the other. Especially,WTO, IMF and World Bank are responsible for this injustice in the international community. These three international organizations help major multinational corporations to invest and trade as they like. They drag developing countries into the arena of global market economy in the name of assistance and rob them of their natural resources.
I would, therefore, propose to incorporate equitable international economic order as one of the ten top policies and unite No.3(protect ecosystems) and No.8(Ecological restoration) into one policy.
. The idea of Equitable international economic order or New International Economic Order has been expressed in the Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States at the general assembly of United Nations in 1974.But it was entirely neglected up to this day.

Nagamitsu Miura (Japan)

In response to your call for comments on developing the role of Ecological Internet Sustainability solutions, could there also be letters of concern encompasing as well, calls of protest in letter in the broader environmental sphere requesting;
1.governmental and political accountability for greenhouse reduction targets,including
carbon tax on fossil fuel based automobile manufactures;
2.legal action against the automotive industry for the destruction it has created;
3.letters of accountability to companies who continue to develope old technologies in light of new knowledge;
4.calls for local municipalities to assist their communities to utilise the millions of vacant rooftops to create community owned solar power grid networks ending the reliance on corporate ownership and control of energy sources;
5.call to local municipalities to assist houses to install separate greywater waste systems for the obvious saving to water consumption and rest for our oceans.
with thanks for you time in taking this email,
sincerely
mary rogers
resident of Brunswick in Australia.

Hello, i love www.environmentalsustainability.info! Let me in, please :)

We’ve each must start working on this project, if we’ve not already, in our own community such as knowing where your water comes from, what’s in it or in its path then cleaning it out even if it’s not your garbage. Poverty is in each of our backyards, we can help feed, clothe and educate our neighbors that live on the other side of the tracks. We need to realize the perpetuation of the poverty mentality that big media thrives on and we are suckers for, that is the false sense of never enough. We need to seek inner peace so as to realize that weapons are useless; true courage is revealed in the man who knows he is strong without his gun because he has integrity. We need to make conscious choices and bring them to the voting booth; we need to engage in our lives, see our destructive habits, reduce consumption and waste, recycle, reuse and refuse unsustainable packaging or, to quote Emerson, “to leave the world better by a garden patch.’

I would like to voice something. I would like to voice the Global Warming issue we have at the moment. I would like to voice the devastation we are creating for our Planet. If we destroy our Planet, we destroy every living and non living thing on it. That means, we destroy the luxury of pampering ourselves, the food we eat, the aquarium, where we like to take our loved ones to enjoy life and fill our day with joy. We destroy our favorite chocolate bar. We destroy our favorite thing to do on the weekend e.g. Going to the cinema, hanging out with friends at the pub, going to visit family members in the other village, having a night in watching television, going to a music festival, going to our dance class, and having a party for your friends/families birthdays. We destroy our comfy beds that we sleep in at night, our savings account and bank cards/credit cards. We destroy our fantastic holidays. We destroy our favorite piece of jewellery, and we destroy wedding days to come. We destroy our happy lives, because we destroy every living and non living thing in our existence until we are left in darkness. We destroy our minds, our chemical balance, our knowing of existence, our ability to decipher between what is real and what is not. we destroy ourselves. Please watch a documentary, available on DVD. "An Inconvenient Truth". Open your eyes.........

my environmental concerns are obviously anything that will contribute to the earth travelling in a non natural pattern. every single one of us contribute obviously, but if we can get people to change their minds globally, we can make an impact that will see the earths future in a more positive sense. it will give the earth a possible future and therefore a positive future. as we cannot stress enough the consequence of our doings, all we can do is have our voice heard. if our voice is heard, we can then decide to listen to that voice, or dismiss it. if we are selfish enough to dismiss it, we shall all suffer the consequences, good people and bad people, every living organism and every non living compound and element on the planet. this is my concern.....

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