Bluewater quiets waters
Personal watercraft (jetskis) are no longer welcome in the waters of Marin County, the peninsula on the northern side of San Francisco's Golden Gate. County supervisors voted to ban the whiny two-stroke polluters after getting a raise in consciousness from a campaign led by EII's Bluewater Network (BWN). The campaign involved more than 20 environmental organizations, businesses and recreational groups. The Marin County ordinance follows a flood of similar jetski bans in San Francisco, San Juan County, Washington and Monroe County, Florida. BWN Executive Director Russell Long praised Marin's action, calling jetskis "disasters on the water for the countless birds, fish, seals, sea lions and other wild life."

A jet-ski-free US?
A coalition of environmental groups has proposed legislation to restrict the use of jetskis nationwide. The Personal Watercraft Responsible Use Act (HR3141) would address growing concerns about the environmental and safety risks posed by jetskis. The legislation is supported by BWN, Friends of the Earth, the American Canoe Association, and the National Parks and Conservation Association, among others.

Shawls of shame
A November 1999 article in Vanity Fair ("OK, Lady, Drop That Shawl!") cited the Tibetan Plateau Project for its campaign to protect the Tibetan chiru - a rare antelope whose fine undercoat is prized by poachers and clothing manufacturers who use it to produce expensive shahtoosh scarves (see story in this issue).

Not-so-Royal treatment
Cruise ships plying Alaska's Inside Passage routinely dump polluted water in dump sites called "doughnut holes" lying just three miles offshore. A dumpsite at the mouth of Glacier Bay lies near Point Adolphus, one of the region's most productive feeding grounds for humpback whales. Some of these floating cities generate more than 11 million gallons of waste water a day. Cruise ships are allowed to dump "gray water" (runoff from showers, sinks and drains that often contains cleaning agents, disinfectants and other chemicals) anywhere they want. "Black water" (i.e., sewage) must go through a sanitation system before being dumped. Black water must be dumped at least three miles offshore.

Last October, Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCC), pled guilty to engaging in a "fleet-wide conspiracy" to dump hazardous wastes into Alaskan and Caribbean waters. According to the Campaign to Safeguard America's Waters [C-SAW, PO Box 956, Haines, Alaska 99827, (907) 723-4121, gershon@seaknet.alaska.edu] RCC's liners routinely dumped untreated photographic chemicals, dry-cleaning solvents and oily bilgewater directly into the Alaska's Inland Passage. With profits of $1 million per day, RCC's $6.5 million fine was relatively insignificant, but its ships will be barred from entering Alaska's Glacier Bay for the next five years. "They're regulated under antiquated Coast Guard rules," C-SAW's Gershon Cohen told the Alaska Daily News. "There are more people on those boats than there are in the town of Haines, and they don't need a permit to pollute." Ideally, the ships wouldn't be allowed to dump anywhere in the Inside Passage but many cruise ships are foreign-flagged vessels and, as such, are not subject the US Clean Water Act.

Internet Eco-Activism
Earthinfo.org, one of Earth Island's newest projects, hopes to use the power of the Internet to promote eco-activism and sustainable living. Earthinfo.org aspires to become the most comprehensive environmental resource on the web. Earthinfo.org users will be able to:

• Contact local environmental groups working in particular areas of interest
• Research the history and current conditions of natural resources in every state and community
• Locate local recycling, hazardous waste and salvage centers
• Access information on pending environmental legislation
• Link to relevant decision-makers
• Order tree-free paper, compost bins, and other environment-friendly products
• Receive updates on eco-events
• Volunteer for tree-plantings, beach-cleanups and other local initiatives
• Invest in environmentally screened mutual funds
• Learn about all sides of boycotts and other controversial issues
• Make cybercash donations to any nonprofit eco-organization in the US

Visit Earthinfo's online survey at http://www.earthisland.org/earthinfo/survey.html and let us know what you think. [Amy Norquist or Diana Zock, EII, 300 Broadway, Suite 28, San Francisco, CA 94113, (415) 788-3666 ext. 116, amynorquist@earthisland.org.]

Confronting the WTO
Earth Island Institute was on the frontlines in Seattle during the World Trade Organization protests. The Marine Mammal Project's 22-foot-long inflated blue dolphin was prominent in the marches. In addition to EII Founder David Brower, EII participants included Mikhail Davis (Brower Fund), Mark Berman (IMMP), Henry Holmes (Sustainable Alternatives to the Global Economy), Aaron Lehmer (EII webmaster), Alfredo Quarto (Mangrove Action Project), Rhys Roth and Paul Horton (Climate Solutions) and Lisa Wallace (project support). Click here to view our "Special Section on the WTO" featuring articles by Paul Hawken and other Earth Islanders along with links to resources for further information.

Back by popular demand
If your dentifrice is fluoridated, you could be over- exposing yourself to a chemical that has been linked to mottled teeth, hip fractures, bone cancer and Down Syndrome. Due to popular demand, Earth Island Journal's 16-page full-color report, "Fluorides and the Environment," has been reissued in a second printing. The collection contains eight candid essays by EPA scientists, medical doctors, chemical researchers and award-winning journalists from Britain and the US. The reprint includes a resource list of relevant organizations, websites, books, and a list of fluoride-free toothpastes. Click here to view the web version of this special section. Copies are also available by mail for 50 cents (includes postage). Send requests to the Journal at 300 Broadway, Suite 28, San Francisco, CA 94133, (415) 788-3666 ext. 119.

Banff for BAWT
The Banff Mountain Film Festival's April 10 showing at the College of Notre Dame in San Carlos, California, will be a benefit for EII's Bay Area Wilderness Program. Award-winning films on ice-climbing, paragliding and more! Tickets are $12 at the door. For info, call BAWT [(415) 788-3666 ext. 125].

A real asset!
Over the last three months of 1999, Working Assets, the progressive phone company, distributed $1 million in profits to scores of environmental organizations. Working Assets provided matching funds for every $25 given to a listed organization up to a cap of $10,000. EII's projects all benefited from this support, for which we are extremely grateful.