· August, 2010

Stories about Environment from August, 2010

Venezuela: Franklin Brito Dies After Several Hunger Strikes

  31 August 2010

Franklin Brito, a farmer who had been on a hunger strike since July 2009, died from a respiratory arrest in a military hospital on Monday night. Brito had lived through several hunger strikes protesting the confiscation of his land. Venezuelans reacted to the announcement of his death through Twitter and blogs.

Bangladesh: Recognizing The Vegetable Grower

  31 August 2010

Bangladesh Corporate Blog has this splendid idea of recognizing the farmers who grows the vegetables by including some personal stories in the vegetable packaging to give them some credit and make the product more authentic.

U.S. Virgin Islands: The Effects of Hurricane Earl

  31 August 2010

Hurricane Earl made its way across the U.S. Virgin Islands yesterday as bloggers continued to share their thoughts and experiences. Jamaican diaspora blogger Labrish, who “[has] been fortunate to travel to these islands several times”, was concerned about her acquaintances there: My thoughts go out to everyone living on the...

Caribbean: “Earl” Watch

  30 August 2010

It's that time again: Hurricane season. Regional bloggers, having been affected by brutal storms in the past, are keeping a watchful eye on Hurricane Earl, which has now been classified as a Category 3 storm. Within the next 36 to 48 hours, it is expected to affect the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, among other islands.

St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Welectricity

  30 August 2010

Abeni wants you to vote Welectricity, “the brainchild of Vincentian energy consultant Herbert A (Haz) Samuel”, which delivers energy efficiency through social networking and is in contention for the GE Ecomagination Challenge.

Russia: Mari Paganism and Charges of “Extremism”

  28 August 2010

OpenDemocracy.net reports: “In their remote forest republic 400 miles east of the Moscow, the pagan Mari people are once again being harassed by the authorities. […] Ethnically kin to the Finns and Hungarians, their profoundly ecological religious worldview challenges Russian-led designs on their republic’s natural resources.”

Russia: West Nile Virus Hits Volgograd Region

RuNet Echo  28 August 2010

LJ user alliruk writes [RUS] that the South of Russia may turn into Africa because of the global warming. After listing recent unusual epidemics outbreaks in the Volgograd region, he mentions the recent West Nile Virus [EN] outbreak that had already killed six people [EN].

Russia: Khimki Forest and Bono's “Intervention”

RuNet Echo  28 August 2010

Natalia Antonova comments on Bono's role in the resolution of the Khimki forest situation during his visit to Moscow earlier this week: “There was an “intervention” on behalf of Bono in regards to the destruction of the Khimki forest? Where is the evidence of this intervention?”

Uganda: The Expat/Ugandan Dynamic

  27 August 2010

Mark Jordahl discusses corruption allegation at Uganda Wildlife Authority and lessons to be learnt about the dynamic between foreign experts and Ugandans: I believe that for some, there is a tendency to assume we mzungus bring more to the table than we actually do.”

India: Recyclers – The Invisible Heroes

  27 August 2010

Anna da Costa at India Climate Solutions writes about the Indian recycling industry which is contributing in India's economic boom and the slum dwellers who provide cheap labors for this industry.

Chile: Strong Citizen Response Against Thermal Energy Project

  27 August 2010

The approval of a thermal energy project sparked a strong online and on-the-ground citizen response; the plant was to be built near the Humboldt Penguin National Reserve and Punta de Choros, a small beach town known for its natural beauty and rich biodiversity. The announcement mobilized unprecedented numbers of protesters in one of the most successful instances of online organizing carried out in Chile.

Dominican Republic: Frequent Power Outages

  25 August 2010

Rull Fernández writes [es] about the frequent power outages he experiences at home. He says that as far back as he can remember, the problem of electricity and power outages is something that has always concerned the people of the Dominican Republic.