Environmental Film Festival a Success

By Colin Bennett

On April 26, just a few days after the 40th anniversary of the first Earth Day, Mason celebrated, in part, with an environmental film festival. Thanks largely to the help of Campus Progress four films were screened and over two dozen people attended at least one of the movies, each showcasing salient environmental issues.

The day started with Earth Days a look "back to the dawn and development of the modern environmental movement—from its post-war rustlings in the 1950s and the 1962 publication of Rachel Carson’s incendiary bestseller Silent Spring, to the first wildly successful Earth Day celebration in 1970 and the subsequent firestorm of political action." 

Earth Days, was followed by the heartbreaking film, The Garden. This movie provided an "unflinching look at the struggle between these Latino urban farmers, the City of Los Angles and a powerful developer who wants to evict them to build warehouses."

The last two movies in the series examined mountaintop removal, a hugely destructive form of coal mining that is devastating entire communities throughout Appalachia from Tennessee to Maryland. Burning the Future, examined "the explosive conflict between the coal industry and residents of West Virginia."  Deep Down: A Story From the Heart of Coal Country showcased one family's struggle as they were pressured by a coal company to sell their land so it could be destroyed for the coal underneath. Deep Down was screened through an arrangement with folks involved with making the film. Their goal is to get the movie in front of as many people as possible to showcase the devastation that is mountaintop removal.

According to Mason student Nya Jackson, "The movies really made me examine my own choices as they relate to the environment; from where my food comes from to how my electricity is produced, I'm now even more dedicated to making responsible decisions so I can do my part to protect the planet."

Another Mason student, Anthony Murray echoed Nya's sentiments, "These films did a great job of raising awareness about important environmental issues. I'm glad that so many students came out to see them; hopefully they will go back and spread the message to their friends."

Considering the success of this event, the Office of Sustainability, is planning on hosting more film screenings in the future. In the fall, they plan on hosting a series of films looking at different aspects of the climate crisis as part of their Climate Education and Outreach Campaign.

Once again, thanks goes out to Campus Progress for their help with this event. To learn more about the Office of Sustainability's effort to combat the climate crisis, please see their website at green.gmu.edu.

Coca-Cola has No Place at Mason

This piece was originally published on Connect2Mason on 4/27/2010 http://www.connect2mason.com/content/letter-editor-coca-cola-has-no-place-mason

By Jason Von Kundra

According to Killer Coke, a campaign against the Coca-Cola corporation, the company is guilty of a "gruesome cycle of murders, kidnapping, and torture," perpetrated mainly against union organizers in Columbia and other South American countries. In India, Coke has been accused of illegally siphoning from local ground water supplies, a practice Indian farmers say has caused severe droughts. What was a company like that doing at Mason's Earth Week celebration and why is Mason doing business with Coke in the first place?

The Coca-Cola corporation makes more than just soda. Powerade, Minute Maid, Dasani (bottled water), Gold Peak tea (served in Southside), Vitaminwater and even the supposedly eco-friendly Odwalla are all made by Coke. Coca-Cola also owns 40% of Honest Tea with the option to purchase the company outright in 2011. The point is, Coke is ubiquitous, everywhere you turn there are Coke products. In fact, at Mason, Coke products are just about the only beverages you can buy.

Fortunately, people across the world are taking action against the corporate behemoth. According to the India Resource Center, "the High Power Committee established by the state government of Kerala in India has recommended that Coca-Cola be held liable for [$ 48 million] for damages caused as a result of the company’s bottling operations in [India]."

Cokejustice.org, the website for the International Campaign to Hold Coca-Cola accountable, says that over 20colleges and universities in the U.S. and U.K. have stopped doing business with the company over the last several years. In Norway, students successfully campaigned last year to get rid of Coke on their campuses. The Foundation for Student Life in Oslo made the decision not to renew Coca-Cola's exclusive contract and applies to colleges and universities across Norway.

United Students Against Sweatshops report that, "Rutgers University, had a ten year contract with Coca-Cola that, among other things, let the company create specially designed Rutgers-themed vending machines and marketing materials. The university had received a million dollars a year in return from Coca-Cola. In May 2005 after a two year campaign around Coke's human rights abuses, Rutgers did not renew the contract and removed all Coke products from its campus." In addition to Rutgers, other schools that have removed Coke products from their campus includeBard College, Carleton College, Lake Forest College, Oberlin College, and Salem State College.

The cause of these boycotts is simple: the Coca-Cola corporation is an irresponsible company that is causing misery and suffering all over the world.

The case against Coke goes on-and-on. A simple internet search will return dozens of accusations of Coke's wrongdoing from the alleged murders in Columbia and ground water draining in India, to its use of high-fructose corn syrup and aggressive marketing to children. Knowing this, how can Mason continue an exclusive contract with Coca-Cola? It's time for Mason students to do the right thing and demand Mason to end its relationship with Coke once and for all.

Mason Wins $5000 for Environmental Protection Program

This article was originally published in Broadside, George Mason University's student newspaper on 4/26/10.

By Allison Rutledge

Just in time for Earth Day, Mason's Office of Sustainability received word that they had been awarded a $5000 grant for their Student Training for Environmental Protection program. For a week this summer college students from all over the U.S and Puerto Rico will be coming together at Prince William Forest to learn how to turn their passion for the environment into action. Colin Bennett, Outreach Coordinator for the Office of Sustainability and director of the program, submitted it to the Brighter Planet Project Fund competition at the beginning of April. The program had to compete against seven other environmental projects to see which one could receive the most votes during the 15 day voting period. Through the efforts of people across Mason reaching out to their friends and family to encourage them to vote, the resulting 2233 votes won the program $5,000 dollars. This money will help greatly with aiding the students that will require scholarships in order to attend. '

This year marks the second Student Training for Environmental Protection organized by the Office of Sustainability. According to Bennett, "This program teaches students how to become successful environmental advocates, students will leave this program with the skills and knowledge needed to lead strong and successful groups that will be able to run effective environmental campaigns on their campuses or in their communities." These skills will allow students to be part of the movement that solves climate change, environmental injustice, and economic failure.

Shelby Steinberg, senior Elementary Education major, is looking forward to the program even though she is graduating in May. "I have friends that went last year and they said it was one of the best experiences they had while at Mason. I know that they really enjoyed their time at, creating valuable relationships with other individuals of similar environmental interests and concerns. I know that the things I learn will be applicable to my future jobs and goals, as I plan on teaching the values of the environment to the students in my elementary classrooms."

In addition to the Brighter Planet grant, the Student Training for Environmental Protection is supported by the Environmental Action Group, the Mason Organic Garden Association, University Life, and Campus Progress. "We are greatly appreciative of all the people and organizations that have come together to help us make this program a reality," said Bennett. "With their help we will be able to train part of a new generation of environmental leaders. "

In addition to learning Bennett promises that students will meet awesome people, eat great food, participate in fun activities and enjoy the beautiful outdoors. Participants from last year’s program have said it was one of the most empowering experiences of their life. Environmental Science and Policy graduate student Ashley Mott, a participant in last year's program said, "If I went in with any expectations, I definitely came out of it blown away because it far exceeded any expectations I had. I learned more in a week than I have in previous years of my life. The Student Training for Environmental protection was a truly incredible experience with incredible people."

For more information about the program, contact Colin Bennett at cbennet6@gmu.edu.

Weather Is Not Climate

By Colin Bennett
March 4, 2010

Weather is what we experience day-to-day or week-to-week; a few weeks ago it was bitterly cold in the D.C. area but there was no snow. More recently, there has been a lot of snow but the temperature has been warmer. Both the bitter cold and the blizzards are examples of weather. Climate on the other hand, is what we experience over long periods of time. In the D.C. area the climate can be generally described as hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Spring and fall are obviously marked by the transition between the intensity of winter and summer.  Sometimes it gets remarkably hot in the summer just as sometimes it gets exceptionally cold in the winter. A particularly warm January period not disprove that it’s winter just as a lot of snow does not disprove that our planet is warming. 

With the recent snow storms in the area, some have mistakenly jumped to the conclusion that our planet must be getting colder. Apparently, their logic is something along the lines of "it's snowing; there must be no such thing as global warming!" Unreasonable claims like these are made by people like Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity and other Fox News personalities and parroted by people that don’t want to learn the facts about our warming planet and its changing climate. The truth is, the presence of snow, even record amounts of snow, does not disprove the fact that Earth is getting warmer and our climate is in crisis. In fact, major storms could add to the body of evidence that support the fact that our climate is changing (for the worse) and humans are responsible for it. Paradoxically, the same can be said of the lack of snow at the winter Olympics in Vancouver. 

There are a number of media sources that are at best, grossly misinformed and at worst, purposely trying to deceive the American public. Take this recent statement from the Washington Times, “Record snowfall illustrates the obvious: The global warming fraud is without equal in modern science.” The idiocy of that statement barely warrants comment; it’s like saying that because it’s raining in the desert, it’s no longer a desert. It could snow everyday for a month and that would prove nothing other than we are experiencing an extreme weather event. Unfortunately, some of the people making these asinine statements (that have no basis in scientific fact) include some our highest elected officials. Senator Jim DeMint (R- South Carolina) recently tweeted "It's going to keep snowing in DC until Al Gore cries "uncle". Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe, one of the most vocal global warming skeptics in Washington, went so far as to publicize an igloo on Capitol Hill, built by his grandchildren, with a sign on it that said "Al Gore's New Home". 

Contrary to some 'news' reports, evidence suggests that our recent storms could actually be a result of climate change. Warm air holds more moisture than cold air. Warmer air leads to increased evaporation, increased evaporation leads to more moisture in the atmosphere, and increased moisture in the atmosphere can lead to stronger storms. Already, this winter has delivered the most snow in D.C. and Baltimore since records began. In fact, as reported by Time, two of the major storms that buried D.C. and Baltimore this winter, “in December and during the first weekend of February, are already among the 10 heaviest snowfalls those cities have ever recorded.” Philadelphia has seen three of its snowiest storms ever this winter.  

However, as stated before, weather is not climate- a single snow storm, or even a series of snow storms is not indicative of overall climate trends, just as the lack of snow where it's typically common does not prove that our planet is warming. The scientific community is still in consensus about real, anthropogenic climate change, despite record snow in D.C. Decades of research conducted by thousands of scientists all over the globe provide the evidence. 

Fortunately, most media sources actually understand what’s going on. Time Magazine has a great article covering the relationship between the recent snow and climate change, 'Another Blizzard: What Happened to Global Warming?' Rachel Maddow of MSNBC has an excellent segment from one of her recent shows 'Global warming isn't the opposite of snow.' The Washington Post has also been doing responsible reporting on the issue, 'Harsh winter a sign of disruptive climate change, report says.'

While future extreme weather events are likely to cause a few people to make ridiculous claims, it is incumbent upon responsible Americans to avoid irresponsible media outlets that make fallacious statements and seek out sources that will provide the facts about our warming planet and changing climate. 

Mason Students Support Historic Environmental Legislation

By Allison Rutledge

March 1, 2010

An edited version of this article was published in Broadside, George Mason University's student newspaper on 3/01/10

Over the past month, members of Mason's Environmental Action Group (EAG) have been working hard to help pass legislation to protect streams and mountains in the commonwealth. In particular, one bill, the “Stream Saver" bill would stop coal companies from dumping surface mining waste in streams, effectively ending mountaintop removal in Virginia.

The EAG is familiar with the environmental destruction caused by the extraction of coal. Last October, five EAG members traveled to the coal fields of West Virginia for the annual Mountain Justice Fall Summit. The students witnessed the impacts of mountaintop removal, the predominate type of surface mining in Appalachia. Mountaintop removal is the practice of leveling the tops of mountains through massive explosions and dumping the resulting debris in the adjacent valleys, a common location for streams. The waste pollutes the watersheds, decreases biodiversity, and deprives Virginia residents of clean drinking water. This type of mining has already destroyed 67 Virginian mountains. A 2001 assessment by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that the waste from mountaintop removal mining has affected 151 miles of streams in Virginia. Many more miles of streams have been destroyed since 2001 and, according to the EAG, will continue to be destroyed if action is not taken. The Stream Saver bill would stop this practice.

Mason students Emily Miles and Jason Von Kundra traveled to Richmond on January 18th to voice their opinions to their legislators regarding various environmental bills, including the Stream Saver bill formally known as Senate Bill 564. The students met with four state senators and two legislative aides to ask for their support. They met Senator Chap Petersen, who represents the district where Mason’s Fairfax campus stands. According to Von Kundra, “Senator Peterson seemed sincerely interested in everything we discussed. He admitted he was not familiar with mountaintop removal coal mining which prevented him from taking a stance on the issue. A documentary film about mountaintop removal, Coal Country, explains the issue well and has made a big impact on me. Other members of the EAG and I plan on giving the film to Petersen in the near future.” The two students also met Senator Ticer, the patron of the bill, and Senator Whipple, a co-patron.

Von Kundra went to Richmond again on Thursday, February 11th, for a hearing on the Stream Saver bill. Senator Petersen described the hearing as “one of the largest public hearings in the history of the State Capitol.” The hearing room, an overflow room, and the halls surrounding each were packed with people. During the nearly three hour hearing, both supporters and opponents were given the chance to voice their opinions to the Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee.

To protect their interests, one coal company bussed over a hundred coal workers to speak against the bill at the hearing. Most of the bill’s opponents came in defense of jobs in the coal industry, although this bill only applies to surface mining which, because of its highly mechanized nature, employs far less workers than traditional underground mining. In Virginia, surface mining represents approximately 30% of the total coal industry. Tommy Hudson of the Virginia Coal Association gave the jobs breakdown at the hearing: of the 4,797 coal mining jobs in the commonwealth, 1,433 are related to surface mining.

The supporters of the bill spoke of environmental, economic, and social injustice caused by mountaintop removal; they see this bill as a solution to those problems. Residents from Southwest Virginia, where mountaintop removal is currently taking place, came to protect their communities including the streams and mountains. Kathy Selvage, a Wise County native and co-founder of the Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards brought water from her tap that had been polluted by mountaintop removal; she urged legislators to support the bill. Another Southwest Virginia resident described the nearly constant blasting from the explosives used to break up the top of the mountains before dumping the debris in the streams. This blasting occurs dangerously close to homes, keeping people up at night and endangering lives.

Both sides received 45 minutes to present their case.

Following the hearing, members of the EAG collected photo petitions to send to Senator Petersen, in order to show him that Mason students support the bill. This past Friday they wandered the JC with cameras and signs that read “Save Our Mountains and Streams, Support SB 564” and “Not One More Mile!” taking pictures of anyone that wanted to send a message to their elected official. Before snapping a picture of a Mason student holding one of the signs, Gopi Raghu, an electrical engineering major, explained that “Not One More Mile!” means the polluting of Virginian streams must stop now.

On Monday, February 15th, the Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee choose to "leave the bill in committee" and postpone the voting of the bill to next year. This is the first time such legislation has been considered in the Virginia General Assembly. The fact that legislation to stop mountaintop removal was considered this year makes this is a historic time for preservation of our natural resources. Opponents of mountaintop removal are pleased with the momentum gained from this bill: support from numerous senators, a productive public hearing, and more attention to the issue. Mason students are proud to be part of the effort.