TO WHOM THIS CONCERNS:

ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress to Protect the L.A. Clean Truck Program!

maryngo — Tue, 04 May 2010 21:26:52 +0000

An Important message about the Congressisional Hearings today and tomorrow from the Coalition of Clean & Safe Ports.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler Leads Effort to Modernize U.S. Port Trucking System

April 28, 2010

78 Members of Congress lend their voices to growing momentum to fight pollution and poverty as critical May 5th Congressional Hearing approaches. “We applaud Rep. Nadler for his leadership to update federal transportation law so it is consistent with the Clean Air Act,” said Dave Foster, Executive Director of the BlueGreen Alliance.”The Congressman rightly highlights that local government, such as ports, need to be part of a layered approach to reduce air pollution in our cities and across the nation. Out coalition looks forward to working with Congress to advance legislation, which will reduce pollution, make our ports healthier communities and create green jobs.

CLICK HERE TO WRITE YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS!

Eighty-seven million Americans live and work in regions near ports that violate Federal air quality standards, where rates and risk of asthma, cancer and respiratory illnesses are rampant.

Congress is holding a hearing about the impact of port trucking on May 5th, and they need to hear from you now! Please join port truck drivers, environmental advocates and community residents across the country and ask Congress to support real clean truck programs at our ports.

CLICK HERE TO WRITE YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS!

http://www.cleanandsafeports.org/

World Water Day LA Event – Sunday, March 14, 2010

maryngo — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 04:36:57 +0000

World Water Day comes to LA on Sunday, March 14, 2010. Water gives life, and a lack of access to water is an environmental injustice. There will be a free water festival at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles for those interested, this Sunday. We hope you take the time to visit this wonderful event, which raises awareness on local, regional, state, national and international water issues.

A few wonderful documentaries include:
- 11am – ¡Aguas con el Agua! Maywood residents fight for clean, drinkable water
- 12p – Tapped: The hidden truth about bottled water
- 1pm – Puberty Ceremony: The Winnemem Wintu tribe’s struggle to practice traditional rituals on their ancestral lands
- 2pm – Rural California Exposed: Communities drinking water contaminated with arsenic and other dangerous chemicals

It’s a bottled-water-free event, so please be respectful and bring your own reusable water container. Lots more details at the World Water Day L.A. website (http://worldwaterdayla.com).

World Water Day in LA
Natural History Museum
900 Exposition Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90007
March 14, 2010

I hope to see you there,
Mary Ngo

Chinook Salmon in Dry Creek, Cow Creek and Sacramento River

maryngo — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:01:34 +0000

Here is a good argument to help Salmon along the Sacramento River and its tributaries:

Link Dry Creek to the lake

Trucking salmon fry to Lake Shasta is a fine idea, until the logistics and viability come to mind. However, I would like to see a study by the National Marine Fisheries Service to consider the connection of Dry Creek, via a tunnel and a floating inlet on Lake Shasta to create a year-round stream.

Dry Creek flows into Cow Creek and then to the Sacramento River near Anderson. Salmon have historically traveled up both streams to spawn in the past and the above-mentioned route would provide a direct access for the fish while completely avoiding all the hazards and complexities of the existing dams at Redding, Keswick and Shasta Dam itself.

Perhaps this method would finally, and naturally, return the salmon, steelhead and other spawning fish back to hundreds of miles of rivers and streams above the man-made obstructions.

William Parker of Shasta Lake to the Editor of Redding-Searchlight

A message from the Coalition for Clean & Safe Ports

maryngo — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:04:41 +0000

Hope you’re all doing well. I wanted to share with you with what I’m sharing with other teachers, parents, students and other community leaders from Long Beach, Wilmington, and San Pedro.

The Coalition for Clean & Safe Ports recently found out that congress will be doing a congressional hearing on port pollution, community input, and port trucking jobs in Washington D.C. We are planning to send community and drivers, from Los Angeles, Long Beach, Seattle, New York, New Jersey, Tacoma, and Miami to speak to congressional leaders.

However, we want people in their respective communities to write letters, email, fax, call, twitter, facebook, and mail their local congressional leaders to support amending the Federal Aviation Authorization Administration Act (F4A). Our ports have no real power to set standards on trucks, from environmental to safety to working conditions. Industry polluters, like the American Trucking Association are using loopholes to avoid the responsibility of buying and maintaining these Clean Trucks. We need to close the loopholes and hold industry accountable for polluting our communities.

We want to incorporate the youth, CSULB, teachers, PTA, and community organizations to send a message to congress to finally allow us to have a Clean Trucks Program, a permanent Clean Trucks Program.

Please join us:

Coalition for Clean and Safe Ports
Thursday February 25, 2010
1447 Santa Fe Ave
Long Beach, CA 90813
6:00pm – 7:20pm
We want your voice and ideas.

This is a really exciting time! Congress needs to hear the voices from those being impacted by poverty and pollution in Long Beach. Feel free to invite others. This is our only chance left. Thank you!

Alberto Ramirez
Community Organizer

Solar Farms in the Central Valley will be water intensive

maryngo — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:03:50 +0000

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 27, 2009 at 7:42 am (http://aquafornia.com/archives/14215)

From the New York Times Green, Inc. blog:

“The West’s water wars are likely to intensify with Pacific Gas and Electric’s announcement Monday that the utility will buy 500 megawatts of electricity from two solar power plant projects to be built in the California desert.

The Genesis Solar Energy Project would consume an estimated 536 million gallons of water a year while the Mojave Solar Project would pump 705 million gallons annually for power plant cooling, according to applications filed with the California Energy Commission.

With 35 big solar farm projects undergoing licensing or planned for arid regions of California alone, water is emerging as a contentious issue.

The Genesis and Mojave projects will use solar trough technology that deploys long rows of parabolic mirrors to heat a fluid to create steam that drives an electricity-generating turbine. The steam must be condensed back into water and cooled for re-use. …”

Read more from the New York Times Green, Inc. by clicking here.

Los Angeles Clean Trucks Program sets the standard for other cities to follow

maryngo — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:14:25 +0000

If only Long Beach Mayor Foster created a Clean Trucks Program like Los Angeles and became a leading example nationwide instead of the “one” who cuts deals and bears burdens on low-income port truckers.

More info: http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS79671+19-Oct-2009+PRN20091019

Nestle Water (Arrowhead Water) overdrafting springs

maryngo — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 06:57:26 +0000

Bottled water has been successfully marketed as the primary drinking water for consumers. Many people don’t realize that companies such as Nestle aka Arrowhead are overdrafting springs such as the ones located in McCloud, CA, causing natural springs within the area to go dry and diminishing the water sources of creeks, streams, and rivers. Bottled water is not heavily regulated like tap water, which is much more safe to drink and affordable.

Small donations please?

maryngo — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:36:34 +0000

My sister is in Paraguay and there aren’t many funds.

Would you or anyone you know be willing to donate just $10 online to each of the following causes we here are working on:
(1) a library workshop for Paraguayan librarians that are working diligently with Peace Corps volunteers to bring books and literacy activities to children, teens and adults. There are very few libraries that have books and also librarian with the motivation and skills necessary to inspire reading in the community.
(2) a leadership camp that will bring together 50 youth from all over Paraguay for 3 days to educate them about democracy, political participation, community service, and a variety of other topics that will prepare them to become strong leaders in this newly formed democracy.

I know a lot of people on low on money, but if you could find at least 3 people that would be willing to give $20 total to help out, please let me know. Peace Corps has experienced severe budget cuts and there is very little money to initiate projects.

If you’re able, please let me know: mngo2(AT)csulb.edu

democracy.

maryngo — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 22:06:38 +0000

Voting matters and watching those within your district, city, county, state and nation matters to make sure they are positively affecting our lives.
I currently reside in Long Beach, California.
- Current 3rd District City Councilmember: Gary DeLong (http://www.longbeach.gov/district3/)
- Current Long Beach Mayor: Bob Foster (http://www.longbeach.gov/mayor/default.asp)

- Curent Long Beach District School Board Members are listed:
(http://www.lbschools.net/Main_Offices/Board_of_Education/)

- Current Los Angeles County Board Members are listed:
(http://bos.co.la.ca.us/Categories/BoardOffices.htm)

- Current State Senator, 27th District: Alan Lowenthal (http://dist27.casen.govoffice.com/)
- Current Assemblymember, 54th District: Bonnie Lowenthal
(http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a54/)
- Current California Governor: Arnold Schwarzenegger (http://gov.ca.gov/)

- Current US Senators: Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer
(http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=CA)
- Current US President: Barack Obama (http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/)