Every year for the last 16 years, the Goldman Environmental Prize has
been awarded to a person or an organization on each of the five
continents and the island nations for their efforts to protect
environmental quality. In each case, the protection of the environment
has had a beneficial impact on the local and indigenous populations of
the areas protected. This connection between the environment and human
welfare was recognized internationally this year when Wangari Maathai
received the Nobel Peace Prize for her work to protect the forests of
Kenya. Her Green Belt movement mobilized poor Kenyan women to plant 30
million trees to restore forests, protect watersheds and provide
sustainable livelihoods for poor people in her country. The efforts of
Maathai and the other heroes described in this issue show that
environmentalism is not just about protecting trees and bugs. It is
about maintaining the integrity of natural systems that sustain human
lives and economies, and about ensuring that the pollution and
destruction of resources that result from development and
industrialization do not fall disproportionately on the poor and
disenfranchised.
North America: Isdro Baldenegro Lopez is the leader of the
Tarahumara of Mexico's Sierra Madres. He developed a non-violent
grass-roots movement to resist continued logging of the forests in the
region, risking arrest from the government and violent reprisals from
local land barons.
Asia: Kaisa Astakhanova is the director of the Karaganda
Ecological Center in the Republic of Kazakhstan. A biologist, she
specializes in the genetic effects of nuclear radiation and is leading a
campaign to prevent nuclear waste from being imported into Kazakhstan
for disposal.
Island Nations: Chavannes Jean-Baptist founded the
Peasant Movement of Papaye (MPP) in Haiti in 1973. MPP works to foster
economic development, environmental protection and individual survival.
An agronomist, Jean-Baptist and his colleagues train farmers in
drip-irrigation, integrated pest control and erosion prevention.
Europe: Stephanie Roth, formerly an editor at the
Ecologist, has spearheaded an international campaign to prevent a gold
mining operation in West-Central Romania whose plans include storing
cyanide contaminated waste tailings in a pond upstream from the Aries
River, putting the water supply of 100,000 people at risk.
Africa: Corneille Ewango went from elephant poacher to
botanist at the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature and
Wildlife. During a decade of civil war in the Democratic Republic of
Congo, he rallied staff and local residents to protect the Okapi Reserve
from poaching by warring factions.
South/Central America: Father Jose Andres Tamayo Cortez
directs Honduras' Environmental Movement of Olancho (MAO), a coalition
of subsistence farmers defending their lands against illegal logging. To
draw attention to corruption in the National Forest Agency, Tamayo led
a 3000 person, 120 mile march to the capital.
The University of Missouri has its own environmental heroes, recognized
each year with the MU Peter Raven Environmental Leadership Award.
This year's winner is the student group Sustain Mizzou. Over the past
two years Sustain Mizzou has gathered over 2,300 signatures supporting
hiring a solid waste/recycling coordinator (the position was filled in
December 2004), sponsored a letter writing "Burn Rubber" campaign to
encourage the legislature to reinstate a waste tire fee to fund tire
clean up and recycling efforts, collected used batteries and printer
cartridges on a weekly basis, started a quarterly magazine - FootPrint -
to provide information on living sustainably to MU students, raised over
$2000 in a "Local Food for Local People" campaign, produced and sold
notebooks from sheets of paper used on only one side, and has worked
with the Campus Recycling Committee and the Environmental Affairs
Committee on RecycleMania.
More Information:
BioRegional Quiz Question: Missouri chigger season starts in May
and continues through September. True or false: Chiggers burrow
underneath the skin of their host and suck their blood.
Job of the Month: Research Fellow - The Pinchot Institute
for Conservation; Washington, DC. Responsibilities: The Research
Fellow will conduct policy research and analysis, develop written and
Internet-based materials (fact sheets, newsletters, etc.), and perform
some general administrative tasks. Status: Full-time position.
Qualifications: Bachelor's degree (Natural Resources,
Environmental Studies or Policy Degrees are preferred), excellent
written and oral skills, ability to work with a diverse group of people.
Salary: Benefits include paid annual & sick leave and life &
health
insurance. Application Procedure: Send cover letter, resume and
contact information for 3 recent references to: jobs@pinchot.org -OR-
Pinchot Institute for Conservation; 1616 P Street NW, Suite 100;
Washington DC 20036; ATTN: Director of Finance & Administration.
Special Events/Classes/Programs/Talks
NEW PROPOSED STREET STANDARDS: Tuesday, May 3 at 7pm. Meet at the City
Building (7th & Broadway, 4th floor) for a public hearing and comment
session on the new proposed street standards. For more information:
http://smartgrowth.missouri.org/Events.htm
WILDFLOWER WALKS: Wednesdays in May, 5:30 pm, Devil's Ice Box, Rock
Bridge Memorial State Park
BIKE, WALK, WHEEL WEEK: Saturday, May 7 thru Saturday, May 14. For more
information visit: www.pednet.org Saturday May 7, 2:00 pm, Flat Branch Park - Kickoff - Katy Trail Ride
Sunday May 8 2:00 pm, Intersection at Garth and Sexton -
Cycle-Recycle & Group Road Ride
Thursday May 12 , 5:30 pm , Grill One-5 -Scavenger Hunt Downtown
Friday May 13, 7:00 - 9:00 am - Free Breakfast at stations around
town
Saturday May 14, afternoon, Flat Branch Park - PedNet Closing Event,
Ironweed
NATIVE PLANT "DIG & GIVE": Saturday, May 14 at 10am. Meet at the Forum
Nature Area (2701 Forum Blvd., at the lower parking lot). More
information contact Wild Ones at: wildonesmo@yahoo.com
GRAHAM CAVE FIELD TRIP: Sunday May 15 Graham Cave/Danville Area Field
Trip. This will be a joint outing with the St. Louis chapter. Depart
>From MDC on College Avenue at 8:00 am or meet at the Park Office at
Graham Cave at 9:30 am.
MISSOURI RIVER CLEAN UP: Saturday May 14, 10 am - 4 pm Cooper's Landing
- at Easley on the MO River
IF ONLY TREES COULD TALK: Saturday, May 21 from 1pm to 3pm. Go for a
hike through the park and learn about Missouri trees. For reservations,
call: 815-9255
MU Organization Meetings and Contact Information
ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS:
RECYCLING COMMITTEE:
SUSTAIN MIZZOU:
STUDENT ENVIRONMENTAL PROFESSIONS ASSOCIATION:
Organization Meetings and Contact Information
AUDUBON SOCIETY: 874-3904 / columbia-audubon.missouri.org Meet 3rd Wed
7:30 pm, USGS, 4200 New Haven
Answer to BioRegional Quiz: False. Chiggers are actually
the larvae of mites. They are only about 0.5mm, too small to be seen
with the naked eye. The larvae don't actually burrow under the skin or
suck blood as is commonly thought. Instead they attach themselves to a
hair follicle or skin pore and use a special enzyme to extract fluids
from skin cells. The process of feeding causes itchy red bumps that can
last for days. For more information about chiggers and how to prevent
them, visit: http://howstuffworks.com/question488.htm.
Feedback - Got an opinion? If we have space, we will consider
publishing it. Submit it by email (envstudy@ missouri.edu), snail mail
(Environmental Studies, 211 Lowry , MU, Columbia MO 65211), or call Jan
Weaver to talk about it (882-7116). MU Environmental Network News is
published by MU's Environmental Studies Initiative. All opinions
expressed are the responsibility of the editor. Any part of this
newsletter may be copied for distribution but please give us credit.
Interested in an Environmental Career?
For information on courses,
majors, and careers in the environmental field, contact Jan Weaver at
envstudy@missouri.edu, or visit:
http://web.missouri.edu/~esiwww/index.html
Environmental Heroes
by Jan Weaver
Nobel Peace Prize - http://nobelprize.org/peace/
Goldman Environmental Prize - http://www.goldmanprize.org/
Sustain Mizzou - http://students.missouri.edu/~sustainmizzou/
http://www.missouri.edu/~jesse105/committees/pages/environmental.htm
882-3091
http://www.students.missouri.edu/~sustainmizzou
882-7116. Next meeting at the beginning of the semester
882-7116 Next meeting at the beginning of the semester
BOONE COUNTY SMART GROWTH COALITION: http://smartgrowth.missouri.org/,
1st Wednesdays 7:15 Boone Co Govt Ctr.
CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVING: 875-0539 or
http://peaceworks.missouri.org/
CHOUTEAU GROTTO: http://chouteau.missouri.org/, Meet 1st Wed, 7 pm, The
Casteel Building, 1518 Business Loop 70 East
COLUMBIA FOOD CIRCLE: 882-7463 or email hendricksonm@missouri.edu for
information.
COLUMBIA PUBLIC WORKS VOL. PROGRAMS: 874-6271 or
http://www.gocolumbiamo.com/Volunteer/Opportunities/#PW
COMMUNITY STORMWATER PROJECT: 884-8333 or
http://www.gocolumbiamo.com/PublicWorks/StormWater/cswp.html
ENV EDUCATION WORKSHOPS AND CONFERENCES:
http://www.conservation.state.mo.us/teacher/workshops/
FRIENDS OF ROCK BRIDGE M. S. P.: 815-9255 or
http://rockbridge.missouri.org/ Outdoors Bldg, 200 Old 63 S.
GREENBELT COALITION: 442-4789 or http://greenbelt.missouri.org Meet 1st
Tuesdays, 7 pm, Outdoors Bldg, 200 Old 63 S.
MISSOURI ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION: www.meea.org
MISSOURI NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY: npshawth@hotmail.com 2nd Mondays in Jan,
Mar, May, July, Sept, Nov at 7:00 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Church,
2615 Shepard Blvd, Columbia, MO.
MISSOURI RIVER COMMUNITIES NETWORK: 443-0292 or
http://mrcn.missouri.org/
PEDNET COALITION: email: pednet@pednet.org or http://www.pednet.org
RIVER RELIEF: http://www.riverrelief.org/
ROCK BRIDGE MEMORIAL STATE PARK: 449-7402 or
http://rockbridge.missouri.org
SHOW ME CLEAN STREAMS COALITION: (573) 751-4115 ext 3169 or
www.mostreamteam.org
SIERRA CLUB: 443-4401 or http://sierra.osage.missouri.org Meet 3rd
Tuesdays 7:30 pm Hillel Foundation,1107 University Ave
WILD ONES: 573 882-9909, ext 3257 or email wildonesmo@yahoo.com,
http://wildones.missouri.org Meetings 2nd Saturdays.