Encouraging responsible stewardship of our forests is the directive of the non-profit (FSC)Forest Stewardship Council. The organization has become the kind of "gold standard" that can ensure timber harvesting worldwide has been practiced sustainably to prevent habitat destruction, water pollution, displacement of indigenous peoples and passed through a chain-of-custody from local harvesting to end retailer.
However, what seems to be a bigger threat to the Brazillian Amazon according to a plethora of reports beyond just a recent 3-year Greenpeace study, is not flooring or soybeans, it's cattle. According to the recent Greenpeace study, illegal deforestation by thousands of cattle farmers is worse than illegal deforestation by logging. Most of the meat is canned and processed and sold as convenience food to Europe. More on the story here at the Guardian. More about FSC at their website here.

The Alachua County Health Department is hosting an Open House Meeting to discuss the offsite soil sampling results near the Koppers facility. The meeting is June 11th, 2009 from 4pm to 8pm at Stephen Foster Elementary School Cafeteria (3800 NW 6th Street, Gainesville). The purpose of the meeting is to address issues and questions related to the recent soil sampling around the pole-treatment facility that showed elevated ammounts of arsenic and other dangerous chemicals within the vacinity of homes and businesses.
Representatives from the Alachua County Health Department, Florida Department of Health Toxicologists, The US EPA, Fl. Department of Environmental Protection, Beazer East (former owners and polluters of the Koppers Site) and the Alachua County EPD will all be on hand to answer and get pounded by questions.
Please go and learn about the perpetually polluting Superfund site in our own backyard.

If you're following along, you'll see a pattern here. The latest news on the Bishpenol A ban-along is that Chicago has followed Minnesota and Suffolk County, NY in banning children's products that contain BPA. But this should just be the tip of the iceberg and we will see many more states banning it, and eventually the FDA might see fit to listen to scientific evidence that is not sponsored by the chemical lobbyists.
Unfortuantely, there is much more to BPA than baby bottles and there is still many more products to be looked at.
Read more of the story here.