Russia Imprisons Environmental Activists Ahead of the Sochi Olympics

While Russia is trying to portray the 2014 Olympics in Sochi as the greenest ever, they are silencing those who threaten to expose the truth about the environmental toll of the games.

A couple of Russian environmental activists who have spoken out against the nations ecological crimes were locked up for the Olympic games. One such individual is Yevgeny Vitishko an ecologist and activist who was prevented from publishing a report detailing environmental damage caused by Olympic construction. He was sentenced to 15 days in prison for the crime of swearing in public.

Event - Green California Summit & Expo

The 8th annual Green California Summit & Expo will be held in Sacramento on April 8-9, 2014 at the Sacramento Convention Center. The Green Market Oracle is proud to once again be an Outreach Partner for this important event. See details of how our readers can receive a special 20 percent discount at the bottom of the page.

ALEC Must Die

There is a sinister force that is corrupting American politics by giving the most environmentally destructive elements of Big Business significant control over state legislatures. The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) turns 40 this year. This organization is composed of large corporations and state lawmakers. They draft environmentally harmful model laws that have been adopted in state legislatures across the country.

ALEC describes itself as “nonpartisan public-private partnership” and is registered as a not for profit organization. While the organization enjoys 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, many groups see it as little more than a front for one of the most powerful and influential lobby groups in America.

Video - United States of ALEC

Moyers & Company presents "United States of ALEC," a report on the most influential corporate-funded political force most of America has never heard of -- ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council. A national consortium of state politicians and powerful corporations, ALEC presents itself as a "nonpartisan public-private partnership." But behind that mantra lies a vast network of corporate lobbying and political action aimed to increase corporate profits at public expense without public knowledge.

Video - United States of ALEC: A Follow-Up

Moyers & Company follows up on a breakthrough 2012 report about ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council. A national consortium of state politicians and powerful corporations, ALEC presents itself as a "nonpartisan public-private partnership." But behind that mantra lies a network of lobbying and political action aimed to increase corporate profits at public expense without public knowledge.

Video - ALEC's Organized Corruption

ALEC creates model bills, drafted by lobbyists and lawmakers. This includes support for the lax regulations in the fossil fuel industry and resistance to clean sources of energy.

However there ALEC's influence extends far beyond crafting model legislation. As explained in the New York Times, "a review of internal ALEC documents shows that this is only one facet of a sophisticated operation for shaping public policy at a state-by-state level. The records offer a glimpse of how special interests effectively turn ALEC's lawmaker members into stealth lobbyists, providing them with talking points, signaling how they should vote and collaborating on bills affecting hundreds of issues like school vouchers and tobacco taxes. The documents — hundreds of pages of minutes of private meetings, member e-mail alerts and correspondence — were obtained by the watchdog group Common Cause and shared with The New York Times..."

Related Articles
ALEC Must Die
Video - How ALEC Controls US Legislation
Video - ALEC Bill on Capitol Hill
Video - United States of ALEC
Video - United States of ALEC: A Follow-Up

Video - How ALEC Controls US Legislation

This is an important report on the subversion of America's legislative process by Big Oil and other corporate interests. The "United States of ALEC," is a report from Moyers & Company on the most influential corporate-funded political force most of America has never heard of -- ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council.

New Jersey Supreme Court Ruling Undermines Enforcement of Wetlands Protections

Sometimes laws that protect the environment are emasculated by precedent setting rulings by the courts. In New Jersey, the state's highest court has made it harder to enforce environmental protections. The New Jersey Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of upholding the state's wetland protections but added an unsettling caveat.

A 1987 law in New Jersey was supposed to give the state's Department of Environmental Protections the mandate to protect wetlands. The law protects drinking water, prevents flooding, and preserves important habitats for fish and wildlife. However, a recent unanimous decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court erodes the law.

The Sustainability Yearbook 2013 Leading Countries

Nine US-based companies, more than any other country, have been awarded gold medals for sustainability practices in RobecoSAM and KPMG’s Sustainability Yearbook 2013. The US gold medal winners include Molson Coors, Alcoa, Sonoco Products, Herman Miller, UnitedHealth Group, Baxter International, Waste Management, MeadWestvaco and PepsiCo.

Germany and South Korea were tied for second place with six medals each. German gold medalists are Siemens, SAP, BMW, Henkel, Adidas and travel firm TUI.

The State of Government Sustainability Efforts

We have seen some progress on government sustainability and government's environmental collaboration. One survey of senior policymakers and managers, indicated that more than half said their jurisdictions have appointed someone to lead sustainability efforts.

Despite progress, most government leaders have been woefully inadequate in their efforts to manage climate change. This is particularly true of conservatives. World leaders will only respond when there is sufficient popular support and right now they are lacking in political will and leadership.

Governments and Sustainability

Difficult economic times have not arrested the growth of sustainability. Despite recent economic difficulties, states and localities have increased the number of sustainability directors as well as the number of new technologies deployed to monitor energy consumption. According to a Government Technology survey of senior policymakers and managers, more than half of the respondents said their jurisdictions have appointed someone to lead sustainability efforts.

Twenty percent of respondents said they have created dashboards and metrics to monitor energy consumption in government buildings, and another 16 percent said they are considering such deployments.

National Governments Seen to be Lacking Political Will on Sustainable Development

There is a profound lack of confidence in national governments to act on climate change, these same governments are perceived to be lacking the political will to act. When experts were asked to rate a wide range of different groups on sustainable development, National governments received the worst rating. More than three quarters of sustainability experts surveyed said they think it will take an apocalyptic event to move governments forward.

According to 2012 survey released by GlobeScan and SustainAbility, more than 76 percent of sustainability experts think a major catastrophe will have to occur for national governments to take action on sustainable development. The survey was conducted by GlobeScan and SustainAbility who interviewed 1,603 sustainability experts in 117 countries.

Environmental Collaboration Transforming Government

Environmental issues are forcing governments to collaborate both internally and externally. Management of the vast number of interconnected environmental concerns demands that government collaborates both between various departments and with other governments. Focusing on collaboration between and within various agencies is a matter of efficient governance. Clearly environmental issues do not respect national boundaries. To get serious about containing climate change we must manage intra-governmental conflicts as well as transnational issues.

Sustainability Supported by Government Leadership

Tough economic times over the past few years didn’t stop states and localities from appointing sustainability directors and deploying new technology to monitor energy consumption, according to a new survey of senior policymakers and managers.

More than half of the respondents to a recent [2012] Government Technology survey said their jurisdictions have appointed someone to lead sustainability efforts. Twenty percent of respondents said they have created dashboards and metrics to monitor energy consumption in government buildings, and another 16 percent said they are considering such deployments.

The results are based on responses from 113 members of the Governing Exchange, an online community of government executives. The new survey findings track with an analysis of 2012 State of the State addresses released April 11 by the National Governor’s Association. More than 20 governors talked about energy priorities, according to the NGA, and nearly 20 mentioned environmental goals.