A Million Solar Roofs!

United Nations - In his June 26 address to the UN Special Session on Environment and Development in New York, President Clinton announced the "Million Solar Roofs Initiative," the world's largest market-oriented solar technology campaign. If Congress approves, existing federal resources - including consumer loans and subsidies - would be shifted to promote solar power conversion at the state and local level. In addition to building and installing 1 million residential and commercial solar systems by the year 2010, the Department of Energy would equip federal buildings with solar energy systems. The plan is expected to create manufacturing plants in 20 states, create 100,000 high-tech jobs and reduce CO₂ emissions by 19 million tons. Many states and utilities are already preparing plans to become partners in the federal initiative.

What You Can Do: Ask your elected representatives to support the program. Encourage your state energy officials and local utilities to participate.

Life Patents in Yellowstone

US - On August 15, the Edmonds Institute and the International Center for Technology Assessment filed a legal petition to take the National Park Service (NPS) and the Department of the Interior to court "to prevent commercial exploitation of park resources."

The legal challenge stems from the government's decision to allow private corporations to expropriate the unique microorganisms that populate Yellowstone's acidic thermal pools and geysers. The park's tiny life forms have been used to produce meat tenderizers, pharmaceuticals, paper products and beer.

Thermus aquaticus, a microorganism taken from Yellowstone by Hoffman-LaRouche, was used to create - and then patent - an enzyme that lead to DNA fingerprinting. The Swiss drug giant make more than $100 million a year from this patent but neither the parks service nor the public receives any royalties.

Other corporate prospectors are seeking similar lucrative licensing agreements with the NPS, which strikes these deals without public hearings.

"Closed door commercialization of life in Yellowstone is a theft of our national heritage," stated Edmonds Institute Director Beth Burrows. "We didn't preserve Yellowstone for corporate purposes."

The Best Fare in the Air

Switzerland - Swissair recently became the first major airline to serve organic cuisine on all flights leaving Switzerland. Within three years, all Swissair flights will feature organically grown foods - including beer, wine, coffee and baby food - in all classes.

Labor Pains Hit Brits

UK - Each year, 270,000 acres of British countryside are converted into housing developments. To house its expanding population, Britain needs to construct 4.4 million new homes by 2016. While the toppled Tory government planned to build homes on "brownfield" sites (reclaimed urban industrial lands), The Sunday Times reveals that Prime Minister Tony Blair's new Labor government is "preparing to relax restrictions on building up to 2 million new homes in the countryside." Fierce protests are likely if Labor tries to hand over the countryside to developers. "Labor has already begun destroying its green promises," said Simon Festing of Friends of the Earth, UK.

Save a Forest: Save a World

The week of October 18-26 will be celebrated around the globe as World Rainforest Week. "A lot of people are going to change their buying habits and they're going to write letters and be heard," predicts Randy Hayes, president of Rainforest Action Network [221 Pine St., San Francisco, CA 94104, (415) 398-4404] .

Mole Kiss: Earth-Talk Radio, hosted by Annie Griffin, now broadcasts alternate Sundays at 1 p.m. on KNRY, the CBS affiliate in Monterey, California. Earth-Talk plans to expand to 400 stations nationwide and is looking for story ideas, interview subjects and environmental sponsors. For details, contact Griffin at KNRY 1240 AM, (408) 373-1234, fax -1255.