Carrot To
The City of Phoenix, Ariz., for taking a big leap toward carbon neutrality. In a bid to turn the Valley of the Sun into America's first carbon-neutral metropolis, Green Phoenix aims to cut carbon dioxide emissions from city operations by 70 percent over the next three to four years. Using funds from the Obama administration's economic stimulus package, the plan will restore or protect as much as 3,000 acres of natural habitat, reclaim 85 percent of the city's wastewater, and amp up solar energy sources from the current 12.1 megawatts to 250 megawatts. Increasing regional food production is expected to reduce the need for importing goods over long distances, while creating community gardens is hoped to lower the heat-island effect that causes city temperatures to rise in response to widespread concrete and asphalt.
Called overly ambitious and pricey by critics, Green Phoenix mixes projects already under way—such as constructing a people mover train between the airport and one of the city's light-rail stops and upgrading public buildings to LEED standards—with new programs, such as providing bike rentals at light-rail stops and installing solar panels and solar water heaters in public buildings. "The question is not whether Phoenix is doing too much at once," says Mayor Phil Gordon. "The question is why weren't we all doing more sooner?"
Stick To
Queensland, Australia, for turning the mass killing of poisonous cane toads last March into a carnival—complete with free grub, cold drinks, and prizes. Imported to Queensland in 1935 to wipe out the cane beetle, the toads are now despised as a threat to native species across Australia. The state's first "Toad Day Out," the brainchild of Queensland politician Shane Knuth, drew hundreds of gleeful Aussies toting thousands of the creatures they'd captured alive. Children won prizes, including weekend getaways, for the largest toad and the heaviest combined weight of the creatures they carted. The toads weren't so lucky—they were killed by carbon dioxide asphyxiation or freezing.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Queensland, for its part, "reluctantly" supported the event. "The collection and subsequent euthanizing of the toads was carried out humanely," explains RSPCA QLD spokesman Michael Beatty. He must mean relatively; according to Beatty, in the past, Knuth "encouraged entire communities to bash the toads to death with cricket bats and golf clubs." And yet the sight of children happily conspiring in the toads' death—not to mention the coldly clinical means of mass execution or the trophies created by a local taxidermist—hardly seems less chilling.
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This article prompted me to send an emailvoicing my disgust to the city of Queensland. Just hard to understand how humans can be so cruel and this is a prime example. I'm a teacher and am appalled at the lesson these children have learned in such a profound, experiential way. They are now grounded in the art of animal cruelty.
The mother of a good school chum once told me "Always remember that when you point a finger at someone else that you have three fingers pointing back at yourself." You cannot point the finger at Queensland and not realize that we have similar rules about non native species here in the states. Off the top of my head the English sparrow and the Starling come to mind. Any search on the internet involving these two species will soon lead you to information on how destructive they are, and also how to get rid of them. When we bring in a species from another place and turn them lose they often don't have their natural predators to keep them in check. When they begin to out compete the local native species do we then just let them do it? It is hard to say, but we must consider all issues involved and not just our own feelings as it has become a world wide problem. I should like to hear others opinions on this subject. It is a tough one.
@Kim Reinhardt: I understand your feelings but just so you know, Queensland is a state not a city. It tells me you don't know much about the place before jumping to attack them. Don't get me wrong, I don't think a festival was the best way to handle it but cane toads ARE a big problem there.
In the end I have to agree with Lynda. We've got to remember we're not perfect either. I saw an American shoot a songbird for fun not too long ago.
I love the Vegetarian Times and rewarding people/places that do good things but I'd much prefer to read about what we can do individually (or collectively) to make our world a better place. Playing the blame game is nasty and breeds negativity.
The article could have done without the sensationalism of adding mass killings. That only breeds contempt.
The event itself could have done without the encouragement of the politician Shane Knuth.
For lack of better words politicians should be more responsible in a plan to take care of the problem lest it get to some spectacle of a carnival type atmosphere.
If they were encouraged previously to beat these animials that were brought in without them being asked is the same mentality as the dog killings sometime ago in China.
Kim understand your concern however as they always say until you have lived it, it is hard to walk in some one's shoes and if you live in QLD there will probably be a toad in it. Kim how would you like a yard littered with toads? A lawn that you could not walk accross, your children could not play in and forget having a dog. Well I have lived that. Cane toads are a problem and the sad part is that they are extremely destructive and reaking environmental havoc in OZ. I agree about the lesson these children may have learnt but trust me the loss to them is a huge gain. Check out the following web site and educate yourself on the problem and then just maybe present it to you children in class.
http://news.mongabay.com/2005/0417b-tina_butler.html
Educate yourself before you comment. Cane toads will eat anthing that can fit in their mouth. Review the following site to see how they got to Australia and then clink on the link at the end to see what they eat. They are a HUGE PROBLEM!!! Kim I hope they do not show up in your back yard?
http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2009/gutierre_marc/Habitat.htm