October 31, 1998
1) Forever Wild Program Praised By Bama Newspapers
2) Changes in ADEM Leadership
3) Mobile Ozone Problems Increasing
4) Diverse Alliance Formed for Mass Transit
5) New Resource!! National Enviro Data Index
6) "Worlds Apart" Exciting New Socially Responsible
Store
1. Forever Wild Praised - This October the Forever Wild
Program was
recognized by the Montgomery Advertiser and the Birmingham News
for making
progress in the area of environmental protection. The following
are some
quotes from the two newspapers.
"The wisdom of Alabama voters' creation of the Forever
Wild Land Trust has
been demonstrated anew with the fund's biggest land purchase (Coldwater
Mountain)....Examples abound of government gone wrong. The Forvever
Wild
Trust Fund is an example of government doing right, using what
is essentially
found money to benefit Alabamians for generations to come."
"Land Preservation Blessing for Future" - Montgomery
Advertiser Editorial,
October 14, 1998
"Bravo to the 15 members of the Forever Wild board. Their
decision to buy
4,000 acres atop Coldwater Mountain near Anniston shows the true
potential of
Forever Wild like nothing else since the state voters approved
the land trust
program overwhelmingly in 1992." "Forever Wild's Promise"
Birmingham News
Editiorial, October 13, 1998.
2. Leadership Changes at ADEM - Still adjusting from
numerous retirements
this Fall, ADEM made some additional leadership changes last week.
The
Permits/Services leadership position which has been unfilled since
Marilyn
Ellilot was named Deputy Director, has been filled by John Poole.
Poole who
had headed up the Lands Division for several years will be replaced
by Gerald
Hardy as Lands Division chief.
3. Mobile Ozone Pollution Problems Worsen - According
to a October 27th
Mobile Register report, "ozone levels in Mobile County have
reached unhealthy
levels and could lead to restrictions on industrial development
and road
construction, environmental officials said." Much like the
Jefferson/Shelby
county area, it looks like the community will be organizing efforts
to
confront the ozone air pollution problem. Jim Apple, vice president
of
economic development at the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce stated
their
intentions to launch community efforts to avoid a "non-attainment"
status.
4. BARTA Garners Diverse List of Endorsements - On Wednesday
October 28th,
perhaps the most diverse alliance of groups in Alabama electoral
history
announced their support for BARTA, the public transit referendum
on the
Jefferson County November 3rd ballot. More than 30 groups ranging
from the
Birmingham Area Chamber of Commerce to the Sierra Club have thrown
their
support behind BARTA. The press conference was remarkable because
of the
diversity of organizations. Supporters included the Alabama Disabilities
Action Committee (representing 15 groups), Greater Birmingham
Ministries
(which represents 13 religious denominations) and the Clean Air
Alliance
(which has 10 members from the health, enviro, and business communities).
Anyone who has ever lived in Birmingham/Jefferson County understands
the
region's desperate need for a new and improved public transit
system. BARTA
is the answer to that need. A YES vote on November 3rd by residents
of
Jefferson County will be a step in the right direction.
5. Found!! New Environmental Resource On the Web - Ever
wanted to find
environmental information from the Geological Survey?... Or ever
wondered
what the Forest Service is up to? You can link up with most Federal
Agencies
through the National Environmental Data Index. This site can send
you to the
EPA, Dept. of Agriculture, NASA, Dept of Defense, the Smithsonian,
the
Library of Congress, Geological Survey, Dept. of Interior, the
Dept of
Education and much more. Please bookmark this site!
http://gcdis_www.esdim.noaa.gov/
6. Worlds Apart Trading Company Great New Store - Yesterday,
I visited a
wonderful new socially responsible store located in Crestline
Village here in
Birmingham called "Worlds Apart". Entering the store
is like stepping into a
museum of art works from around the world. Handcrafted items (and
inexpensive) from Tibet, Haiti, India, Botswana and about 30 additional
countries fill the store like an international festival. What
makes this
store special is its owner's commitment to being socially responsible.
"Worlds Apart" is a member of the Fair Trade Federation
- an association of
businesses committed to providing fair wages and employment to
low income
artisans and farmers world wide. FTF's mission is to educate consumers
about
purchasing fairly traded products which support living wages and
safe,
healthy working conditions around the world. I highly recommend
you visting
"Worlds Apart" and sharing "news" about this
place with friends. For more
info about the store call Becky Armstrong, the owner at 205-871-9282.
Please share BEN with friends and fellow conservationists.
If you have any questions about BEN, contact Pat Byington at
205-226-7739 or pkbyington@aol.com
