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Compost helps build soil, store carbon, absorb water, increase food, and increase resilience. Food production (mostly hemical fertilizers and feedlots) causes 20% of greenhouse gases. Ocean acidification could harm the phytoplankton, which creates much of the world's oxygen. See the last 5 minutes of Michael Pollan's talk. link

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"Ivory belongs to elephants only" is the message of African natives who march and protest. "Please be our protector. Please deliver us from evil" is the imagined cry of the elephants. some good news: Daphne Sheldrick and a team of supporters have been rescuing orphaned baby elephants. A British zoology professor, Lee White, left studying elephants and moved to Gabon to protect them. He leads 250 army rangers in protecting 13 national parks. President Obama's recent rule change will ban interstate sales of elephant ivory across state lines. He also will use the intelligence agencies to target the $20 billion illegal wildlife trade. link

Using native sovereign treaty rights plus educating local people about the threats to water quality, wetlands, fish, wildlife, and rice beds, natives stopped the huge Gogebic Taconite iron mine in northern Wisconsin. Pro-mining forces gave $ 15 million to Gov. Walker and legislators. The company got to write a new state law that would allow mining waste to be dumped into wetlands. They got Walker to fire the 66 staffers at the Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources. Walker tried to appoint the mining company flack to the state DNR. The mine's owner Chris Cline, has given $1.5 million to Illinois politicians including the Illinois Governor, House Speaker, and Supreme court Justice. His coal companies have 8,000 federal safety violations since 2004. Two other large iron mines were stopped by Ojibwe tribes with alliances with environmental groups and local citizens. So mines and oil drilling can be stopped by campaigning together, especially when you start early. The giant Pebble mine in Alaska, is also being held up by the EPA, which says that it would destroy the last intact salmon ecosystem. Pollution and failure to obtain consent of the local communities leads to resistance. Communities form coalitions, do education, file legal cases, and do blockades. link

Hundreds of kayaktivists delayed the gargantuan Shell arctic drilling platform in Seattle. 1500 people shut down the largest machine on earth, a giant coal excavator in Germany. link

Razz Gormley volunteered to to go join Greenpeace and rappel off the bridge to block the Shell oil icebreaker in Portland. Fracking gas companies and oil companies drilling in the Arctic corrupt our courts, legislatures, elections, governor, and Congress. So he asks us to help, and says there is a great group of people who will support you. Here is the article:link . He is a leader in this group:frack free colorado.