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A Historic Moment for New England: A Marine National Monument in the Atlantic!

With Marine National Monument designation in the Atlantic, President Obama seals environmental legacy

President Obama is making history today, announcing the designation of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, which will become the only fully protected large marine area in the U.S. Atlantic Ocean. Until today, zero miles of the U.S. Atlantic were fully protected from the imminent threats of climate change and increasing industrial activity.

The announcement comes just as the third annual Our Ocean Conference is held in Washington, DC, hosted by the U.S. State Department. Thanks to the president's use of the century-old Antiquities Act, ancient coral formations will no longer face potential ruin from commercial fishing activity, and diverse and pristine habitats will allow an abundance of marine life to thrive.

It is a good day to be a New Englander. So much of our region's history is rooted in the ocean; so much of our economic success depends on a healthy ocean off our coast. Unlike our impressive conservation efforts on land, however, the ocean's critical ecosystems beneath the surface have been overlooked. With the impacts of climate change already upon us, little action has been taken to protect these ecosystems and allow them to build resilience to changing conditions. With President Obama's two recent marine monument designations, that may no longer be the case.

Monument Momentum

Today's announcement comes on the heels of the President's expansion of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument off the coast of Hawaii, creating the largest marine preserve in the world. And a week prior, President Obama designated the Katahdin Woods and Waters Monument, safeguarding pristine forested wilderness right in our own backyard in the North Woods of Maine.

The canyons and seamounts marine monument designation is especially timely and important for New England, where the ocean has the compounding threats of climate change, overfishing, and proposed extraction of oil, gas, and other resources. The Gulf of Maine is warming at a rate faster than almost any other ocean area in the world, and this monument will provide areas where biodiversity and marine life can continue to thrive; it will also provide an area for scientists to study climate change and possible strategies to better protect the ocean's living resources against climate impacts.

With the announcement made surrounding the third annual Our Ocean Conference - a gathering of international leaders on ocean issues - President Obama sets a high global and local precedent; he has now protected more acres of lands and waters than any president in U.S. history.

Conservation Law Foundation is proud to have been a leader among a coalition of groups in the campaign to permanently protect the canyons and seamounts, helping to translate compelling science into a broad public advocacy to bring about permanent protection of the resource.

Working with the New England Aquarium, leading marine scientists presented a body of research in March that made it emphatically clear that the New England Canyons and Seamounts, along with the Gulf of Maine's Cashes Ledge, deserve and require permanent protection.

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More than 300 scientists and 300,000 supporters signed petitions urging a marine monument in the Atlantic, and a summer poll showed that an incredible 80 percent of New England residents want permanent protection of important ocean areas.

Then, Senator Richard Blumenthal led the entire Connecticut congressional delegation in calling upon President Obama to designate the Canyons and Seamounts as a Marine National Monument, introducing a formal proposal for consideration by the Administration. Regional congressional leaders like Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey, Rhode Island Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed, and Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo then helped the White House shape the final proposal, including thoughtful efforts by Senator Markey to strike a balance between the conservation imperative and the need to sustain New England's iconic commercial fisheries. The designation just announced serves both, because research has shown that fully protected marine areas are more resilient to the negative effects of climate change.

President Obama's designation of the Atlantic's first marine monument has cemented his legacy on both conservation and climate change, while demonstrating the continued importance of the venerable Antiquities Act, first used by President Theodore Roosevelt, in protecting natural resources at risk.

Celebrate with us: Send a message to President Obama to say "Thank You!" for designating the Coral Canyons and Seamounts as a Marine National Monument!

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

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FDA Finds Monsanto's Weed Killer in U.S. Honey

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The Food and Drug Administration, under public pressure to start testing samples of U.S. food for the presence of a pesticide that has been linked to cancer, has some early findings that are not so sweet.

In examining honey samples from various locations in the United States, the FDA has found fresh evidence that residues of the weed killer called glyphosate can be pervasive - found even in a food that is not produced with the use of glyphosate. All of the samples the FDA tested in a recent examination contained glyphosate residues, and some of the honey showed residue levels double the limit allowed in the European Union, according to documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. There is no legal tolerance level for glyphosate in honey in the United States.

Glyphosate, which is the key ingredient in Monsanto Co.'s Roundup herbicide, is the most widely used weed killer in the world, and concerns about glyphosate residues in food spiked after the World Health Organization in 2015 said its cancer experts determined glyphosate is a probable human carcinogen. Other international scientists have raised concerns about how heavy use of glyphosate is impacting human health and the environment.

Records obtained from the FDA, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, detail a range of revelations about the federal government's efforts to get a handle on these rising concerns. In addition to honey, the records show government residue experts discussing glyphosate found in soybean and wheat samples, "glyphosate controversies," and the belief that there could be "a lot of violation for glyphosate" residues in U.S. crops.

Even though the FDA annually examines foods for residues of many pesticides, it has skipped testing for glyphosate residues for decades. It was only in February of this year that the agency said it would start some glyphosate residues analysis. That came after many independent researchers started conducting their own testing and found glyphosate in an array of food products, including flour, cereal, and oatmeal. The government and Monsanto have maintained that any glyphosate residues in food would be minimal enough to be safe. But critics say without robust testing, glyphosate levels in food are not known. And they say that even trace amounts may be harmful because they are likely consumed so regularly in many foods.

The residue issues are coming into the spotlight at the same time that the EPA is completing a risk assessment to determine if use of this top-selling herbicide should be limited. The agency has scheduled public meetings on the matter Oct. 18-21 in Washington. The EPA's risk assessment report was initially due out in 2015, but still has not been finalized. The agency now says it will be completed in "spring 2017."

In the records released by the FDA, one internal email describes trouble locating honey that doesn't contain glyphosate: "It is difficult to find blank honey that does not contain residue. I collect about 10 samples of honey in the market and they all contain glyphosate," states an FDA researcher. Even "organic mountain honey" contained low concentrations of glyphosate, the FDA documents show.

According to the FDA records, samples tested by FDA chemist Narong Chamkasem showed residue levels at 107 ppb in samples the FDA associated with Louisiana-based Carmichael's Honey; 22 ppb in honey the FDA linked to Leighton's Orange Blossom Honey in Florida and residues at 41 ppb in samples the FDA associated with Iowa-based Sue Bee Honey, which is marketed by a cooperative of American beekeepers as "pure, all-natural" and "America's Honey." Customers "can be assured that Sue Bee Honey is 100% pure, 100% all-natural and 100% American," the Sioux Honey Association states.

In a Jan. 8, 2016 email Chamkasem pointed out to fellow FDA scientists that the EU tolerance level is 50 ppb and there is no amount of glyphosate allowed at all in honey in the United States. But Chris Sack, an FDA chemist who oversees the agency's pesticide residue testing, responded by reassuring Chamkasem and the others that the glyphosate residues discovered are only "technically a violation."

"The bee farmers are not breaking any laws; rather glyphosate is being introduced by the bees," Sack wrote in response. "While the presence of glyphosate in honey is technically a violation, it is not a safety issue."

Sack said the EPA had been "made aware of the problem" and was expected to set tolerance levels for honey. Once tolerance levels are set by EPA - if they are set high enough - the residues would no longer be a violation. When contacted this week, the EPA said there are currently no pending requests to set tolerance levels for glyphosate in honey. But, the agency also said: "there is no dietary risk concern from exposure to glyphosate residues in honey at this time."

Sioux Honey Vice President Bill Huser said glyphosate is commonly used on farm fields frequented by bees, and the pesticide travels back with the bees to the hives where the honey is produced.

"The industry doesn't have any control over environmental impacts like this," Huser said. Most of Sue Bee's honey comes from bees located near clover and alfalfa in the upper Midwest, he said. Beekeepers located in the South would have honeybees close to cotton and soybean fields. Alfalfa, soybeans and cotton are all genetically engineered to be sprayed directly with glyphosate.

The FDA results are not the first to find glyphosate in honey. Sampling done in early 2015 by the scientific research company Abraxis found glyphosate residues in 41 of 69 honey samples with glyphosate levels between 17 and 163 ppb, with the mean average being 64 ppb.

Bee keepers say they are innocent victims who see their honey products contaminated simply because they might be located within a few miles of farms where glyphosate is used.

"I don't understand how I'm supposed to control the level of glyphosate in my honey when I'm not the one using Roundup," one honey company operator said. "It's all around me. It's unfair."

The FDA did not respond to a question about the extent of its communications with Monsanto regarding residue testing, but the records released show that Monsanto has had at least some interaction with the FDA on this issue. In April of this year, Monsanto's international regulatory affairs manager Amelia Jackson-Gheissari emailed FDA asking to set up a time to talk about "enforcement of residue levels in the USA, particularly glyphosate."

The FDA routinely looks for residues of a number of commonly used pesticides but not glyphosate. The look for glyphosate this year is considered a "special assignment" and came after the agency was criticized by the U.S. Government Accountability Office in 2014 for failing to test for glyphosate.

The FDA has not released formal results of its testing plans or the findings, but Sack made a presentation in June to the California Specialty Crops Council that said the agency was analyzing 300 samples of corn; 300 samples of soy; and 120 samples each of milk and eggs. He described some partial results achieved through April that showed glyphosate levels found in 52 samples of corn and 44 samples of soybeans but not above legally allowed levels. The presentation did not mention honey. The presentation also stated that glyphosate testing at the FDA will be expanded to "routine screening."

The USDA also will start testing for glyphosate, but not until next year, according to information the agency gave to the nonprofit group Beyond Pesticides in a meeting in Washington in January. Documents obtained through FOIA show a plan to test in syrups and oils in 2017.

Soybeans and Wheat

Like the FDA, the USDA has dragged its feet on testing. Only one time, in 2011, has the USDA tested for glyphosate residues despite the fact that the agency does widespread testing for residues of other less-used pesticides. In what the USDA called a "special project" the agency tested 300 soybean samples for glyphosate and found more than 90 percent - 271 of the samples - carried the weed killer residues. The agency said then that further testing for glyphosate was "not a high priority" because glyphosate is considered so safe. It also said that while residues levels in some samples came close to the very high levels of glyphosate "tolerance" established by EPA, they did not exceed those levels.

Both the USDA and the FDA have long said it is too expensive and is unnecessary to test for glyphosate residues. Yet the division within the USDA known as the Grain Inspection, Packers & Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) has been testing wheat for glyphosate residues for years because many foreign buyers have strong concerns about glyphosate residues. GIPSA's testing is part of an "export cargo sampling program," documents obtained from GIPSA show. Those tests showed glyphosate residues detected in more than 40 percent of hundreds of wheat samples examined in fiscal 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. The levels vary, the data shows. GIPSA has also been helping FDA access soybeans to test. In a May 2015 email, GIPSA chemist Gary Hinshaw told an FDA food safety official that "it isn't difficult to find soybeans containing glyphosate." In a December 7, 2015 email from FDA chemist Terry Councell to Lauren Robin, also a chemist and an FDA consumer safety officer, Councell said that glyphosate was present even in processed commodities, though "way below tolerance."

The fact that the government is aware of glyphosate residues in food, but has dragged its feet on testing for so long, frustrates many who are concerned about the pesticide.

"There is no sense of urgency around these exposures that we live with day in and day out," said Jay Feldman, executive director of Beyond Pesticides.

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Will this be the decade of ocean protection?

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I am attending the Our Ocean, One Future conference organized by the US State Department under the leadership of US Secretary of State, John Kerry. A number of major announcements are anticipated as States are expected to come to the table with specific ocean initiatives and achievements to share with their peers and the world.

Only a few days ago, some of the world's largest carbon emitters, including the United States China and Brazil, announced they will formally join the Paris Agreement, bringing the crucial climate deal a step closer to commencement. This should trigger far more ambitious action for the climate both nationally and internationally; action that will have a direct impact on the future of our oceans.

According to an IUCN's (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) report on ocean warming published last week at the World Conservation Congress, we have only seen a small fraction of the likely impacts of ocean warming on key marine and coastal organisms and ecosystems. And while the cost of the ocean crisis is being felt by those people in coastal nations and communities who rely on the oceans for food and their livelihoods, the impacts are starting to become evident on a global scale.

Many of us have seen the heartbreaking images of beautiful coral reefs turning white and dying after temperature driven bleaching episodes. What is less well known is that in addition to urgent action on climate change and ocean acidification, protecting coral reefs from other stressors, such as overfishing, destructive fishing and pollution, can have a huge effect on their ability to cope with increasing ocean temperatures.

Creating large scale networks of ocean sanctuaries - "no-take" havens for marine life - increases ocean resilience against the impacts of climate change and ocean acidification, protects vital ecosystems and supports food security by rebuilding fish stocks. Ocean sanctuaries can also help to preserve important carbon sinks.

Greenpeace has supported the scientific community's call for a global network of ocean sanctuaries covering 40% of the oceans. At one time this target was seen as too ambitious, but today more and more scientists and governments are calling for at least 30% of the ocean to be set aside as no-take areas. Just last week, a resolution at the IUCN World Conservation Congress called for governments to protect at least 30% of the world's oceans by 2030. This was adopted by a landslide vote.

The sooner we change the way we treat our Blue Planet the greater chance we have to safeguard key habitats and species, along with the livelihoods of the millions of people who depend on healthy oceans. There is much the governments attending the Our Ocean, One Future conference must do to kick-start this change.

Last week, U.S. President Obama announced the expansion of the Papahanaumokuakea sanctuary around Hawaii, now the largest no-take area in the world. A number of other countries including the UK, France and Palau have taken similar initiatives. However, only 2.1% of the world's oceans are under some form of protection - and far less than 1% of the high seas is protected. This is far below existing global targets, and sensitive and pristine marine environments such as the High Arctic and the Ross Sea are currently left open for business.

We will never achieve the protection levels science tells us are needed if the high seas, which cover two thirds of the ocean, are left unprotected. We will never secure a sustainable future for all if governments and corporations simply continue exploiting the ocean to meet short term economic interests.

"There are no more natural ocean sanctuaries. It is up to us to create them," said Oscar- winning actor, writer and activist Emma Thompson. Her plea was delivered from the Arctic where she joined Greenpeace Canada and the Inuit community of Clyde River in pushing back against destructive seismic blasting (prospecting for oil and gas) in their home, to the nations represented at the plenary. Outside the conference room it reached more than four million people online who have united their voices for ocean protection.

Since 2014 the US has become a more constructive player in the UN negotiations. Today the need to take action is no less urgent and we are asking the US and other leaders currently gathered in Washington DC to show strong leadership in moving 'our ocean', including waters beyond national boundaries, to the top of the global political agenda.

We need bold political action now to avoid tipping points that will cause ecological, economic and humanitarian devastation.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

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London Design Festival preview: London Design Fair

To coincide with its tenth anniversary, this year Tent London and Super Brands London have been brought together under the new umbrella brand, London Design Fair.

It has also taken on an additional 3,500m² space on the third floor of the Old Truman Brewery in east London, and will continue to run alongside London Design Festival as one of its design destinations.

One of several large trade shows to be found at London Design Festival, what is now London Design Fair will host the work of hundreds of product and furniture designers, with big brands and small outfits displaying side-by-side at the same venue. There are also some special projects and launches to be found…

Installations

Kit Miles and Moooi Carpets have designed the entrance to the foyer of the Old Truman Brewery this year, which will feature a colourful 150m² carpet.

The carpet design is based on the “interplay of shadows and light”, and inspired by both Mediterranean and London architecture, according to the designers.

Tent London

At 10 at Tent, ten now-established designers will show the pieces they originally debuted at Tent London, alongside their latest collections.

“This is a chance to take a moment and appreciate how far we've all come. Both the designers and the fair itself we've grown up together,' says London Design Fair founder and director, Jimmy MacDonald.

For another of this year's most promising new installations, the fair was invited to propose a project by the trade commission of the Trentino region of Italy. The result is Trentino Collaborations, which matches four British designers with Trentino-based manufacturers to create new retail products.

Max Lamb is working with a quarry company to produce granite furniture, Sebastian Cox is using a weaving technique from Trentino, Lucy Kurrein is designing leather upholstery and Giles Miller is making his first foray into natural stone tiles.

Guest country pavilion

This year, India has been selected to host the first annual guest country pavilion. Co-curated by MacDonald, alongside London-based consultancy Tiipoi's founder, Spandana Gopal, This is India is designed to showcase a “renewed but intimate perspective on established and emerging design practices from India today”, according to the event organisers.

On the lineup are textile designers Leah Singh, Injiri and Safomasi, as well as industrial studio and manufacturers, Taama.

Look out for exhibition designer, Kangan Arora's installation too, featuring more than 500 hand-painted terracotta pots stacked into various colonnades and towers.

Other countries

100% Norway will be returning to the London Design Fair for its 13th edition, curated by Max Fraser. It will include projects from a number of Norwegian designers, including Anderssen & Voll, Andreas Bergsaker and Vera & Kyte.

Other confirmed countries showing this year are China, Scotland Craft & Design, Swedish Design Pavilion, Nordic Design Collective, Portugal, Galicia and the Crafts Council of Italy.

London Design Fair takes place in the Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, E1 6QL from 22-25 September. For more information, head here.

The post London Design Festival preview: London Design Fair appeared first on Design Week.

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Natural History Museum and Google launch virtual gallery app

The Natural History Museum has worked with Google to create an online visitor experience allowing people to virtually walk round galleries and see exhibits.

The new online platform is available at g.co/naturalhistory and uses Google indoor street view to enable virtual visitors to “walk through” galleries such as Hintze Hall, the Treasures gallery, Dinosaurs and others.

The project has been brought to life by the Google Cultural institute, a sub-organisation of Google which has so far created online archival resources for more than 1000 museums worldwide.

Nine virtual exhibitions and 300,000 specimens

Amit Sood, director of the Google Cultural Institute, says: “Technology can be used not only to make museums' treasures accessible to people around the world, but also to create new experiences for museum-goers.”

The National History Museum platform contains nine virtual exhibitions, and more than 300,000 digital specimens such as the first T-Rex fossil ever found, a narwhal's skull and visuals of extinct mammoths.

High resolution images and 360° video

It also includes an interactive timeline spanning natural history, and more than 80 million living creatures.

The street view uses gigapixel technology which allows for high resolution photography and video, and also incorporates Google Cardboard and YouTube 360 to provide viewers with virtual reality and 360° video experiences.

The platform also has a learning resource for teachers and students: Google Expeditions uses 360° panorama and 3D images to create interactive imagery, with annotations and descriptions for educational use.

The new online exhibition < g.co/naturalhistory > can be viewed for free on the web, and through the new Google Arts & Culture mobile app available on iOS and Android.

The post Natural History Museum and Google launch virtual gallery app appeared first on Design Week.

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What are you most looking forward to seeing at London Design Festival?

"jayosgerby2" — Jay Osgerby, co-founder, Barber and Osgerby

“The London Design Festival has grown so much in its international importance; it is now one of the most important design events globally.

This year I am happy that my own area, south east London is represented with South East Makers club where I'm particularly looking forward to Ben Chatfield's talk on Saturday 24 September.

Tord Boontje, our neighbour on Charlotte Road and also at home in Brockley has organised Electro Craft. Made up of new and existing work, this show is about the craft of electronics and electronics made as craft.”

"Katie — Katie Treggiden, design journalist

“19 Greek Street was the highlight of my London Design Festival last year, so I am really looking forward to this year's exhibition. In the midst of what can feel like a tsunami of consumerism, a gallery that champions the role of art and design to create a more ethical and sustainable future is a breath of fresh air.

From 24 September until 1 October 2016, this Soho townhouse will host “a multisensory experience [that] explores our connection with nature, with ourselves and our surroundings.” Events include design, art, books, tea, meditation and talks. I wouldn't miss it for the world.”

"Sam — Sam Bompas, co-founder, Bompas & Parr (photo Charlie Surbey)

“LDF is a brilliant goad to exploring London, in particular seeing familiar spaces in a fresh guise. The one project currently on my list is the RIBA Regent Street Windows where artists, designers and visionaries transform the windows of iconic Regent Street shops.

It's not a part of London I'd regularly visit, but the promise of Design Haus Liberty's elegantly dangling light installations at Kate Spade is more than enough to get me there.

Their beads of light have the curious effect of being so sensual and luxurious that the formal architecture of Regent Street now provokes an erotic response!”

The post What are you most looking forward to seeing at London Design Festival? appeared first on Design Week.

design

Monument Momentum

Madeira cake, Madeira cake, Madeira cake!

Installations

Tent London

Guest country pavilion

Other countries

Nine virtual exhibitions and 300,000 specimens

High resolution images and 360° video