INTERNET SURFERS BEWARE OF THE FLOOD OF MISINFORMATION
by Sarah Morgan

Pesticides are our friends, global warming is a scientific farce, and everyone should drive an SUV because they are safer in a crash.

These and many similar statements can be found on eye-catching, nonprofit web sites that claim to be serving the community by setting the record straight on so-called junk science.

Conduct a search for environmental information and several of these sites will be somewhere in the mix. For instance, when looking for Rochester's Center for Environmental Information, or CEI, typing in www.cei.org will bring you to the page for the Competitive Enterprise Institute.

The Competitive Enterprise Institute's environmental home page and environmental publication, the Monthly Planet, contains reports about various environmental issues from genetically modified foods to pesticides and global warming.

Of several reports on pesticides, an editorial published in their Monthly Planet regarding the banning of pesticides states, "The assumption behind bans is that there are no valuable uses for the banned products. Were that true, there would be no markets for such products and no need for bans."

Regarding air pollution, the site says, "Evidence suggests that exposure to PM (particulate matter) at current levels likely has little or no effect on mortality in most of the United States."

A similar web site, aBetterEarth.org, claims to be "a non-partisan educational site for students of environmentalism."

Among the site's issues ­ global warming.

"There is indeed a small amount of man-made global warming, but the scientific evidence is growing stronger that it's not much of a crisis."

This web site even attacks National Geographic as a "slick lobbying mag."

The Science and Environmental Policy Project's web site also addresses global warming, saying, "Computer models forecast rapidly rising global temperatures, but data from weather satellites and balloon instruments show no warming whatsoever."

The list goes on.

With the advent of the World Wide Web, more and more people are turning to the Internet for news, research, and general information on a myriad of subjects. But the problem of determining what to believe is becoming more difficult as anyone with an agenda can discover how easy it is to publish content on the web.

SMART GROWTH INITIATIVE

At the next Smart Growth meeting, Ned Levine, PhD, transportation program coordinator at the Houston-Galveston Area Council, will report on the region¹s safety record, showing how Houston is leading the state in the number of serious crashes. At a recent Smart Growth meeting, speakers looked at regional transportation plans from Denver, San Diego, and Atlanta with a view toward finding models for the future. The next meeting is Wednesday, Sept 29, noon to 1:30 pm, at the Houston-Galveston Area Council, 3555 Timmons on the second floor. The Gulf Coast Institute and the Houston-Galveston Area Council host Livable Houston/Smart Growth bring-your-own-lunch meetings that are open to the public on the fourth Wednesday of every month. For more information call (713) 523-5757, or visit http://www.gulfcoastinstitute.org.

REGIONAL WATER CONFERENCE

The Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club and the Texas Living Waters Project Event will be holding a regional water conference this Saturday, Sept 25, at the University Hilton on the UH Main Campus, from 9 am to 4:30 pm. The conference will address such issues as the importance of environmental flows, what the water future looks like for the Texas coast, how much water we need for environmental purposes, what the impacts are of large-scale water projects, and more. For more information contact Jennifer Walker of the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club at (512) 477-1729 or e-mail jennifer.walker@sierraclub.org.

VEGETARIAN COOKING CLASS: FOODS OF FAMOUS VEGETARIANS

GoVeganTexas is holding a vegetarian cooking class with the theme, Favorite Foods of Famous Vegetarians. The class will include lessons on the vegetarian dishes of Leonardo da Vinci, Tolstoy, Pythagoras, and other paragons. Culinary dishes will include Tolstoy¹s high-enzyme beetroot soup, Gandhi¹s carrot salad, Annie Besant¹s watercress salad sandwich, Paul McCartney¹s cabbage salad, and Leonardo da Vinci¹s fried figs and beans. All the dishes and historical notes come from the research of vegetarian historian Rynn Berry. Berry will also be the instructor for the afternoon. The class, held at Casa Azul, located at the Wild Blue Garden, 1708 Rosewood, begins at 11 am and concludes at 2 pm on Saturday, Sept 25. There will be a $25 fee for the class, which includes food costs. For more information about the event, call (713) 522-6899.

PART-TIME SCHOOL HEALTH COORDINATOR NEEDED

Mothers for Clean Air has an immediate need for a part-time school health coordinator to implement an indoor air quality program in Spring Branch ISD schools. The successful candidate will work directly with SBISD to coordinate training sessions for school indoor air quality coordinators and to assist selected schools in identifying, prioritizing, and solving problems in the school that contribute to poor indoor air quality. The applicant should have a bachelor’s degree, reliable transportation, and at
least two years of work experience. School Health Coordinator is a one-year grant-funded position and does not currently include benefits. Estimated time required is 15 to 20 hours per week and pay is $1000 per month. E-mail your resume and a cover letter stating why you would be good for this job to hiring@ghasp.org.

CONSULTANT NEEDED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SUPPORT CENTER

The Environmental Support Center is looking for a consultant to the outreach coordinator from October of 2004 to March of 2005. The consultant’s activities include developing a results-oriented outreach plan, with benchmarks, and raising awareness among environmental activist and environmental justice groups about their programs through events, e-mail, targeted phone calls, newsletter bulletins, regular mail, etc. The successful candidate will have experience conducting outreach or marketing activities, working in an activist organization or on public policy, and will have knowledge of and ability to work collaboratively with environmental activist and environmental justice organizations in Texas. Consultants interested in the position should submit a letter describing their skills, approach to this work, similar work done in the past, references, consulting fees, and availability. Please e-mail or send letters to Patty Larson. Deadline for letters is Sept 30, 2004. For more information, please contact plarson@envsc.org.

BUFFALO BAYOU PARTNERSHIP SEEKS HORTICULTURIST / URBAN FORESTER

The Buffalo Bayou Partnership is seeking to fill a full-time professional position funded through the Texas Forest Service Urban Forestry Partnership Grant Program. Responsibilities include advancing the BBP’s vegetation management plan, which involves specific restoration objectives in the Buffalo Bayou corridor. The person accepting the position will work with volunteers and contractors to accomplish many of these goals and will also be responsible for monitoring tree health by performing forest health assessments. Other responsibilities include reporting to the Texas Forest Service Urban Forestry Representative, seeking funding for a stream bank protection demonstration project, and working closely with the director of public relations to involve the media in newsworthy projects. Some Saturdays will be expected, leading volunteer groups. Requirements include a bachelor’s degree in a related field, good computer skills, local flora knowledge, and leadership and presentation skills. To apply for this position, please send resume to Scott Barnes at sbarnes@buffalobayou.org or fax resume to 713-223-3500.

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