WATERSPIRIT's Summer Solstice Celebration Wednesday, June 20th 7:00pm - 8:30pm

Two important climate events in Central NJ - 1/20 and 1/27

KEEP FRACKING WASTE OUT OF MONMOUTH COUNTY

Neptune Township's Environmental Commission, Food & Water Watch, Bayshore Regional Watershed Council, WATERSPIRIT, Coastal Monmouth Democrats, and others are teaming up to bring together an event about oil & gas fracking wastes on Wednesday, January 20, 2016 at 6 p.m. that elected officials, environmental commissions, health commissions, and community leaders are all invited to. This event will take place at 25 Neptune Blvd., Neptune, New Jersey on the 2nd floor in the Township of Neptune Committee Room.

The January 20th event will discuss the issue of dangerous wastes from oil & gas drilling currently finding its way in to New Jersey. Please join us to learn about the pathways of exposure to fracking wastes and loopholes that allow this waste to be mismanaged. Also hear from local elected officials who have passed legislation to protect their communities and learn about how you can safeguard your community from fracking wastes.

Fracking is a dangerous process to extract oil or natural gas, and while it's not happening in the state, the impact of fracking goes far beyond the well pad and we're feeling the effects. The contaminants in fracking waste, including radium-226 and a slew of hazardous drilling chemicals, are linked to cancer and birth defects and are extremely difficult to remove once they have permeated drinking water supplies. Fracking waste is even sometimes spread on roads and can run off into school playgrounds, residential properties, and farmland, and can ultimately contaminate rivers, streams, and underground aquifers that feed local drinking water supplies. This could hurt our health, as well as tourism and our local economy.

For more information:

Rita Yelda of Food &Water Watch, ryelda@fwwatch.org or 732-993-8966.

Invite your friends on Facebook!: https://www.facebook.com/events/674916705978415/

Menendez and Pallone Announce Legislation to Ban Offshore Drilling in the Atlantic

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 20, 2015


LONG BRANCH, NJ – Today, on the five-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Congressman Frank Pallone (D NJ-06), Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, announced they will introduce a bill to ban offshore drilling in the Atlantic Ocean.

"Imagine the devastation an oil spill in the Atlantic would cause – not just to our home state of New Jersey, but to states up and down the East Coast,” said Sen. Menendez. “I am looking forward to re-introducing this Senate bill to ban Atlantic offshore drilling in an effort to not only protect the Garden State’s economy, but to guarantee a healthier and happier future for all East Coast citizens. We cannot stand by and allow our coastline and our marine life to be endangered in order to inflate Big Oil’s already inflated profits.”

“We don’t need the anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon disaster to know that offshore drilling in the Atlantic should be completely off the table,” said Congressman Pallone. “However, it does remind us of the detrimental and lasting environmental and economic damage that can be done by an oil spill, and that the technology does not exist to safely drill for oil offshore. Now, with the Administration’s dangerous proposal to permit drilling off the Atlantic Coast, we must step up our efforts to protect the Jersey Shore’s environmental and economic health.”

The Clean Ocean and Safe Tourism (COAST) Anti-Drilling Act prohibits the Department of the Interior from issuing any lease for the exploration, development, or production of oil or gas in the North, Mid-, or South Atlantic Planning Areas. There are planned introductions this week in the House by Pallone with thirteen co-sponsors and in the Senate by Menendez with seven co-sponsors.

The Obama Administration earlier this year included areas from Virginia to Georgia in its Draft 2017-2022 Five-Year Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program. As the Deepwater Horizon spill clearly showed, oil spills do not respect state borders, and the proposed drilling would be a direct threat to New Jersey’s coastal communities and industries. The Jersey Shore’s tourism industry generates $38 billion a year and directly supports almost half a million jobs – nearly ten percent of New Jersey’s entire workforce. New Jersey’s commercial fishing industry alone generates over $7.9 billion annually and supports over 50,000 jobs, while the state also has one of the largest saltwater recreational fishing industries in the nation.

Congressman Pallone discussed the legislation today in Long Branch, NJ at a press conference to commemorate the anniversary of the spill and to oppose the new proposal to open the Atlantic to drilling. He was joined by Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, and representatives from Clean Ocean Action and Waterspirit.

"Chasing Ice" Documentary April 29th

Dear Friends of WATERSPIRIT,

Come and see Chasing Ice, an award winning documentary of the story of National Geographic photographer James Balog's mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of climate change. Using time-lapse cameras, his videos compress years into seconds and capture ancient mountains of ice in motion as they disappear at a breathtaking rate. With a band of young adventurers in tow, Balog deploys revolutionary time-lapse cameras across the brutal Arctic to capture a multi-year record of the world’s changing glaciers. Chasing Ice depicts a photographer trying to deliver evidence and hope to our carbon-powered planet. Enjoy the beauty of the photography and see the reality of the effects of climate change. Ice cream will be served!

April 29, 2014, 2:00 and 7:00 PM

Stella Maris Retreat Center, 981 Ocean Avenue, Elberon, NJ 07740.

Action Alert - Deadline August 22nd to Make Your Comments Against LNG Port Ambrose

Dear WATERSPIRIT Friends,

As you may know, Liberty LNG has again applied to build a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facility off the coast of New York and New Jersey. The project, called “Port Ambrose”, would host massive natural gas tankers that will lead to an acceleration of hydraulic fracturing in the northeast by opening up a gateway for LNG exports. This project is the same project previously vetoed by Governor Christie in 2011; it may have a new name, but it is in the same place, and has the same impacts, dangers, and drawbacks. The public comment deadline is quickly approaching. August 22nd is the last day to submit public comments.

Please help protect the waters off New York and New Jersey by submitting comments, and urging friends and family to do the same!

Submit your comments NOW online at: http://www.regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=USCG-2013-0363-

For helpful information in submitting comments, you can go to Clean Ocean Action’s Port Ambrose Public Comment Templates: http://cleanoceanaction.blogspot.com/2013/08/oppose-offshore-lng-public-comment.html

Three other actions you can take:

1. Sign Surfrider's petition to tell Governor Christie to say NO to Port Ambrose: http://action.surfrider.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=8182

Sign the Catskills Citizens for Safe Energy's letters against LNG: http://org2.salsalabs.com/o/5952/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=14865

Sign Food and Water Watch's petition to stop Port Ambrose: https://secure3.convio.net/fww/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=821

Thank you for your continued spirit and action to protect water!

The WATERSPIRIT Team

WaterSpirit - "Summer Heat" Action this Sunday, July 28th Asbury Park - Street Theatre Performance

350NJ and Food & Water Watch are partnering on a late July action to turn up the "Summer Heat" on the fossil fuel industry and their political puppets in New Jersey, and they need your help!

Join them on Sunday, July 28th for the debut of "Governor Christie, which side are you on?”, a creative street theatre performance telling the story of New Jersey's ongoing struggle for a clean energy future:

Summer Heat street theatre performance on the Jersey Shore
Asbury Park Boardwalk (Ocean Avenue between Asbury and Sunset Ave) 
Sunday, July 28th, 11am-1pm


"Governor Christie, which side are you on?" will use creative story-telling, original song and creative props including a pipeline and drill derrick, as well as windmills, solar panels and giant sunflowers, all to draw attention to the issues of shale gas development and climate change here in New Jersey, and how these issues are impacting communities throughout our state right now. Activists will gather on the Asbury Park boardwalk and engage beach visitors in this creative and fun street theatre performance. All are welcome to participate and or watch this family friendly action!

Please RSVP for the event here: http://local.350.org/events/363/

By taking action in solidarity with communities throughout the country this July, we'll turn up the heat on the fossil fuel industry and their political supporters wherever they are, and continue to build the big, bold and beautiful movement we need to win.

WATERSPIRIT Action Alert - Say No LNG

There is an application before the US Maritime Administration for a Liquid Natural Gas facility, “Port Ambrose”, off of Long Branch, NJ and 17 nautical miles south of Jones Beach, NY. Clean Ocean Action asserts that this is the same proposal that was vetoed by Governor Christie in 2011, but with a different name. This port license can be for both import and export, which can potentially lead the proposed port to being the region’s hub for exports for natural gas, leading to more pipelines throughout NJ, accelerated hydraulic fracturing in the region, even more toxic radioactive waste, and increased energy costs. This is a real threat to the pubic health, ecosystems, and clean safe water.

If you are a concerned citizens, a homeowner, a business owner,a member of a civic or community organization, swimmer, diver, fisherman, boater, beachgoer or anyone who will be adversely affected on the Jersey Shore, please come to the public hearing in Sea Bright on Thursday, July 11th and bring your friends, this effects all of us!

Thursday, July 11
Citizen’s Hearing on the Jersey Shore
Sea Bright Public Beach, Sea Bright, NJ
Open House: 4:30-5:30pm
Public Comments: 6pm-8pm

And be sure to sign the Surfrider’s Online Petition to Governor Christie

Join Food & Water Watch for a panel discussion featuring experts on energy policy and our food system to understand how the rush for natural gas development and our food system are intricately linked together.

Thursday, April 4th @ 6 PM

Two River Theater Company

21 Bridge Ave, Red Bank NJ

PANELISTS
Wenonah Hauter • Executive Director, Food & Water Watch and Foodopoly author
Dean Nelson • Dean’s Natural Food Market
J. Stephen Cleghorn, PhD • Paradise Gardens and Farm, LLC
Cindy Zipf • Executive Director of Clean Ocean Action

~Reception with light hors d’oeuvres begins at 6 PM~
~Panel Discussion begins at 7 PM~

Free and open to the public! Thanks to our Host Committee: Rosemary Parish, Robert Scardapane, WATERSPIRIT, and Tina Weishaus.

For more information, contact Emily Reuman at 978.844.2164 ereuman@fwwatch.org.

To purchase your copy of Foodopoly in advance through River Road Books and pick it up at the Theater, visit www.riverroadbooks.net/special_order.html. You’ll also have a chance to buy a signed copy of Foodopoly at the event (while supplies last).

Limited Seating: Register here to reserve your seat: http://bit.ly/FrackingFoodopolyFuture

Fracking, the Foodopoly and Our Future in Red Bank, NJ Two River Theater

Please join us for

FRACKING, THE FOODOPOLY AND OUR FUTURE

Thursday, April 4 at 7 PM

Reception with light hors d’oeuvres begins at 6 PM

Two River Theater • 21 Bridge Avenue • Red Bank, NJ 07701

Join Food & Water Watch for a panel discussion featuring experts on energy policy and our food system to understand how the rush for natural gas development and the deterioration of our food system are intricately linked together.

PANELISTS

Wenonah Hauter • Executive Director, Food & Water Watch and Foodopoly author 

Dean Nelson • Dean’s Natural Food Market 

J. Stephen Cleghorn, PhD • Paradise Gardens and Farm, LLC

 Cindy Zipf • Executive Director of Clean Ocean Action

Free and open to the public!

 Register at http://bit.ly/foodopolyredbank. For more information, 

contact Emily Reuman at 978.844.2164 or e-mail ereuman@fwwatch.org.

_____________________________________________________________

Thanks to our Host Committee:

Rosemary Parish, Robert Scardapane, WATERSPIRIT, and Tina Weishaus.

______________________________________________________________

To purchase your copy of Foodopoly in advance through River Road Books and pick it up at the Theater, visit www.riverroadbooks.net/special_order.html. You’ll also have a chance to buy a signed copy of Foodopoly at the event (while supplies last).

WATERSPIRIT Event For Tour Of The Shore And The "Clean Ocean Zone" 8/14/12

Elberon, NJ - On Tuesday, August 14, WATERSPIRIT is hosting an event in support of the Tour for the Shore and the "Clean Ocean Zone". A pot-luck lunch will be held at 1:00pm, followed by a drumming session by the ocean at 2:00pm at Stella Maris Retreat Center, 981 Ocean Avenue, Elberon NJ 07740. At approximately 2:30pm the cyclists and paddlers from the Tour for the Shore will be passing by or stopping into Stella Maris for refreshments and positive drumming energy. All are invited to share a dish and drum for the ocean - extra drums will be available.

The Tour for the Shore is sponsored by Clean Ocean Action and is an effort to help raise public awareness and participation for the "Clean Ocean Zone". Traveling by outrigger canoe and bicycle at the peak of the summer season, Margo Pellegrino and Sean Dixon will journey concurrently from Cape May, New Jersey to Montauk, New York from August 10-24, 2012. The "Clean Ocean Zone" is a federal initiative drafted by citizens who care about the quality of the ocean and its future. Making the NY/NJ Bight the nation's first "Clean Ocean Zone" would lock-out harmful, polluting, industrial activities off our coast, and lock-in permanent protection for future generations.

"Clean safe water is essential to all life. Water is sometimes called the arterial system of Earth, and all life on Earth is interconnected with the ocean. We are thrilled to host this event and invite people to join with us in support of Clean Ocean Action, the Tour for the Shore and the citizens' proposed federal legislation the "Clean Ocean Zone", which would protect life, ecosytems, and water.", says Suzanne Golas, csjp, Director of WATERSPIRIT.

For more information contact waterspirit@stellamaris.comcastbiz.net or
call 732-923-9788