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June 7, 2003, Atlanta,
Walking On Wheat
Atlanta-based Romanoff Floor Covering, one of the largest flooring installation companies in the U.S., is switching almost exclusively from a tropical plywood-based subflooring to one made from Canadian wheat straw. (more)

June 3, 2003, New York, (GreenBiz)
Vinyl Industry Concedes PVC is not Green!
In a victory for the growing movement of environmentalists, local governments and companies working to avoid the use of hazardous vinyl plastic (also known as polyvinyl chloride or PVC), the vinyl industry have dropped their lawsuit contesting New York State's refusal to recognize vinyl flooring as a "green" building material. (more)

6/26/03 Maine (Maine Today)
Historic "Climate Change Action Plan" becomes Law!
While members of Maine's congressional delegation call for federal measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Gov. John Baldacci on Thursday will sign a state law - the first in the nation - to set specific goals and a timeline to reduce carbon dioxide pollution.
(more)

6/19/03 Berkeley
Good Bio-Diesel Transportation

ADPSR member starts petition to bring the 99MPG VW Lupo diesel to the US market. (more)

4/22/2003, Tokyo, Japan (Solarbuzz)
Sharp boosts PV Efficiency
Sharp introduces 17.4% efficient single crystal PV module into the japanese market.
(more)

6/29/2003, Davis, CA (SacBee)
UC Davis increases funding for sustainable agriculture teaching and research

Despite looming budget cuts, officials at the university's top-ranked agriculture college say they plan a new undergraduate degree in sustainable farming and a center to synthesize related research and to generate publicity. (more)

6/28/03, Berkeley, CA (ADPSR National)
2003 Lewis Mumford Award for Development
Donna Baranski-Walker, Rebuilding Homes Campaign Manager accepted accepted the 2003 Development Award for their compassionate and brave work in strife-torn Palestine developing positive relations between Palestinians and Israelis through a hands-with-hands process of rebuilding homes together. http://www.rebuildinghomes.org/

6/28/03, Berkeley, CA (ADPSR National)
2003 Lewis Mumford Award for Environment
Michael Green, Executive Director of the Center for Environmental Health accepted the 2003 Environment Award for protecting the public from environmental and consumer health hazards. Employing education, litigation, and advocacy, CEH changes corporate behavior to reduce the use of toxic chemicals. http://www.cehca.org/

6/26/03 New York (Reuters)
Junk Food Banned from School Vending Machines
School officials are getting rid of junk food vending machines and many cafeteria menu items, in response to an obesity epidemic among youth. (more)

6/19/03, (Science News)
McDonald’s Cutback in Antibiotics Use Could Reduce Drug-Resistant Bacteria
The fast-food chain McDonald's announced on June 19 that it will stop its farms under contract from feeding chicken, cattle, and pigs certain antibiotics intended to accelerate the animals' growth. (more)

8/28/03, Washington, D.C. (Wash Post)
A federal court has just handed down its decision in the NRDC case against the U.S. Navy. In a resounding victory for whales and other marine mammals, the court ruled that it will bar the Navy from deploying its high-intensity LFA sonar system across most of the world's oceans. The LFA (Low Frequency Active) sonar system would have blasted hundreds of thousands of square miles of ocean habitat with noise so intense it can maim, deafen and even kill whales. In her historic ruling, Judge LaPorte agreed with NRDC that the sonar's booming noise could "irreparably harm" the marine environment and threaten the very survival of endangered populations of whales, sea turtles and other marine species. Judge LaPorte has ordered the Navy to begin negotiations with NRDC on a plan for safely testing the sonar system in a limited area. (more)

6/28/03, Berkeley, CA (ADPSR National)
2003 Lewis Mumford Award for Peace
Wes Boyd and Joan Blades founders of MoveOn.org PAC accepted the 2003 Peace Award for their intelligent and tireless work promoting peace and democratic process. Through use of the Internet, MoveOn has been informing and organizing citizens to speak out against war, military build up, erosion of civil liberties and related issues. http://www.moveon.org/
At the same ceremony Rep. Barbara Lee accepted the 2002 award for peace for her courageous vote against the war in Iraq.

6/27/03, Washington, DC, (Newsday)
Gay Rights Victory!
In a sweeping decision declaring that homosexuals as well as heterosexuals have a right of privacy in their own homes, the Supreme Court ruled yesterday that states may not criminalize private, consensual sexual behavior. (more)

6/24/2003, Sacramento, CA (SacBee)
Activists Protest Genetic Engineering, Attendees Concerned about Water at World Food Conference

(more)

6/10/2003, Bagdad, Iraq (MSNBC)
At Least 3240 Civilian War Dead in Iraq!
Even if hospital records were complete, they would not tell the full story for this nation of 24 million people. Many dead were never taken to hospitals. They were either buried quickly by their families in accordance with Islamic custom, or lost under rubble.
(more)