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Arsenic, cadmium, lead, beryllium: industrial byproducts so toxic it is illegal to dump them into the air or water. Yet, through a loophole in "the crazy semantics of waste disposal," these same hazardous wastes are being applied to the food we eat. And until a small-town mayor from a farming community in Washington State became suspicious, nobody knew. Mayor Patty Martin is a whistleblower as extraordinary as Karen Silkwood and Erin Brockovich--smart, persistent, courageous, and overwhelmingly dedicated to her cause even when the town that elected her turned against her. Martin's obsession with hazardous waste in fertilizer began when she met Dennis DeYoung, a local farmer whose land was rendered infertile after the Cenex/Land O'Lakes company paid him to spread the residue from their fertilizer rinse pond on his land. But there was more than fertilizer residue there--it was a witches' brew of hazardous metals, cancer-causing chemicals, and even radioactive materials that hadn't been produced by the company itself. DeYoung and Martin wanted to know how they got there and why.
Duff Wilson, an investigative journalist for the Seattle Times, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for his series "Fear in the Fields--How Hazardous Wastes Become Fertilizer," which formed the basis of this book. While the articles prompted a modicum of action in Washington State and elsewhere, complacency allows the practice to continue even now. Expanded into book form, this impassioned exposé about an alarming trend takes on even more power as Wilson and Martin ask questions the EPA has been unwilling to answer: Why should there be a limit on the amount of lead in paint and dioxin in cement but not in the fertilizer spread over farmlands and gardens? And is there a correlation between the widespread use of toxins in fertilizers and the phenomenal rise in childhood illnesses and cancers since the early 1980s? --Lesley Reed
Book Description
I see soil in a new light, and I wonder about my own lawn and garden. What have I sprinkled on my backyard? Is somebody using my home, my food, to recycle toxic waste? It seems unbelievable, outlandish -- but what if it's true?
A riveting exposÉ, Fateful Harvest tells the story of Patty Martin -- the mayor of a small Washington town called Quincy -- who discovers American industries are dumping toxic waste into farmers' fields and home gardens by labeling it "fertilizer." She becomes outraged at the failed crops, sick horses, and rare diseases in her town, as well as the threats to her children's health. Yet, when she blows the whistle on a nationwide problem, Patty Martin is nearly run out of town.
Duff Wilson, whose Seattle Times series on this story was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, provides the definitive account of a new and alarming environmental scandal. Fateful Harvest is a gripping study of corruption and courage, of recklessness and reckoning. It is a story that speaks to the greatest fears -- and ultimate hope -- in us all.
Customer Reviews:
Whats in your food?.......2006-07-06
The answer is who knows? In this impressive work of muckracking journalism, the author tells the story of Patty Martin, Dennis DeYoung, and the various other protagonists and antagonists set in Quincy, Washington. Mayor Martin begins to notice in the 1990s that some of the farmers in her town are suffering sudden, catastrophic failurs of crops and livestock deaths. Many of these failures share similar symptoms. She and some others in this small town also notice that individuals within their community are falling sick and dying from rare diseases and cancers. Thru hard work, personal charisma, patience, and a bit of paranoia, the mayor and some friends begin to piece together a picture of how companies sell toxic waste to fertilizer companies, which in turn sell them to farmers. In essence, they hope that the solution to pollution is dilution. And it is all entirely legal according to federal and many state laws. Mayor Martin and her friends; who call themselves the Water Group, start to publicize this knowledge and challenge the practices. In return, they get ostracized by their fellow citizens, their former friends, even their own family members.
In steps Duff Wilson of the Seattle Times. Suddenly this story picks up traction in the national press and government regulators come calling. The ensuing revelations show that this practice is actually well-known within the EPA and government circles, but they in effect obey industry. The amount of money saved by companies, both the fertilizer companies and the original generators of the toxic waste, are too much to turn down for many companies.
Because of the press, some charges are filed and some fines are levied. A happy ending you suppose? No, Mayor Martin loses re-election; her allies in Quincy suffer bankrupties, social isolation, some move away to other states, and others just plain give up the struggle. Cenex is the primary culprit in the case of Quincy, but there is enough blame to go around. Many of the locals don't want to hear any word of this because they fear it will damage their livelihoods as farmers. Some get retribution in return. Several of Martin's critics and enemies and some of the primary defenders of Cenex within the community start falling sick from rare illnesses and die. All in all, this is the most incredible story of how greed has corrupted America that I have ever read. I recommend it to everyone.
Why aren't you outraged?.......2005-09-02
It wil amaze you the lengths that those in power will go to to cover up and legitimize an outright crime against human health. This story will anger and inspire you. I flew through it in a couple of nights and couldn't believe that Patty Martin, like Erin Brockovich, is not a household name. What courage! I just wonder what it will take for those in power to see the error in their ways-perhaps their own child getting leukemia or idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a disease rampant in Quincy, where the book takes place.
Excellent book and about time.......2003-05-10
When this book talks about how the effects of heavy metals are not seen right away, I know this to be very true. Look at the autism epidemic and look at the amount of heavy metals that are in these autistic children. They don't just have too much mercury, they also are showing excessive levels of lead, arsenic, antimony, aluminum, etc. So is this how the effects of hazardous waste in fertilizer are showing up?
Nowhere to turn........2002-12-11
"Fateful Harvest" was easy to read but the facts presented left me outraged and saddened. Read the book and learn of the magic trick of turning toxic waste with costly disposal fees into a product to sell, fertilizer. Fertilizer which is laced with heavy metals that will end up in our food in increasing amounts as the accumulation in the soil increases. Learn how the average citizen, small town mayor and farmer have zero ability to impact business practices which are supported by the government despite years of heroic effort and the expose of this book. Despite minimal cosmetic changes, the practice goes on, and is apparently unstoppable, leaving nowhere to turn.
Excellent.......2002-07-08
This book is excellent. Everyone should read it and find out what is in our food.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from World Watch, published by Worldwatch Institute on May 1, 2002. The length of the article is 4754 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Fateful Harvest: The True Story of a Small Town, a Global Industry, and a Toxic Secret. (New and Noteworthy). (book review)
Author: Vanessa Larson
Publication:
World Watch (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 1, 2002
Publisher: Worldwatch Institute
Volume: 15
Issue: 3
Page: 17(1)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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Biodiverity and the Ecosystem Approach in Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Food and Agriculture Organization of the
Manufacturer: Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN (FA
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 9251049173 |
Book Description
This document contains the proceedings of a meeting of the Food and Agricultural Organization's Inter-Departmental Working Group on Biological Diversity for Food and Agriculture, held in October 2002, in Rome. The meeting aimed to improve awareness of the importance of biological diversity and to support the ecosystem approach to all types of production systems. Presentations and discussions covered grasslands in South Africa, mahogany forests in Mexico, rice ecology in Asia and organic agriculture systems around the world.
Book Description
This book addresses the Chesapeake Bay as a political problem and reveals how the political process has worked against the interests of science, the public, and environmental advocates all at once. Visit our website for sample chapters!
Customer Reviews:
Finally, a study of what really will "Save the Bay".......2003-08-10
Chesapeake Bay Blues, a book that addresses the Bay as a political problem and reveals how the political process has worked against the interests of science, the public, and environmental advocates all at once. Author Howard Ernst provides a political roadmap for the future, suggesting how a different course of policy action is needed to "Save the Bay."[]
essential reading for those interested in the Bay.......2003-05-24
This book is a must-read for those concerned about the Chesapeake Bay and those interested in environmental politics. Highly recommended.
Book Description
As the twenty-first century dawns, public land policy is entering a new era. This timely book examines the historical, scientific, political, legal, and institutional developments that are changing management priorities and policies-developments that compel us to view the public lands as an integrated ecological entity and a key biodiversity stronghold. Once the background is set, each chapter opens with a specific natural resource controversy, ranging from the Pacific Northwest's spotted owl imbroglio to the struggle over southern Utah's Colorado Plateau country. Robert Keiter uses these case histories to analyze the ideas, forces, and institutions that are both fomenting and retarding change. Although Congress has the final say in how the public domain is managed, the public land agencies, federal courts, and western communities are each playing important roles in the transformation to an ecological management regime. At the same time, a newly emergent and homegrown collaborative process movement has given the public land constituencies a greater role in administering these lands. Arguing that we must integrate the new imperatives of ecosystem science with our devolutionary political tendencies, Keiter outlines a coherent new approach to natural resources policy.
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Sustaining Rocky Mountain Landscapes: Science, Policy, and Management for the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem (RFF Press) (RFF Press)
Manufacturer: RFF Press
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ASIN: 1933115467 |
Book Description
Tony Prato and Dan Fagre offer the first systematic, multidisciplinary assessment of the challenges involved in managing the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem (CCE), an area of the Rocky Mountains that includes northwestern Montana, southwestern Alberta, and southeastern British Columbia. The spectacular landscapes, extensive recreational options, and broad employment opportunities of the CCE have made it one of the fastest-growing regions in the United States and Canada. They have also led to a shift in its economic base from extractive resource industries to service-oriented recreation and tourism industries. In the process, however, the amenities and attributes that draw people to this "New West" are under threat. Pastoral scenes are disappearing as agricultural lands and other open spaces are converted to residential uses, biodiversity is endangered by the fragmentation of fish and wildlife habitats, and many areas are experiencing a decline in air and water quality.
Sustaining Rocky Mountain Landscapes provides a scientific basis for communities to develop policies for managing the growth and economic transformation of the CCE without sacrificing the quality of life and environment for which the land is renowned. The book begins with a natural and economic history of the CCE, followed by an assessment of current physical and biological conditions. The contributors then explore how social, economic, demographic, and environmental forces are transforming ecosystem structure and function. They consider ecosystem change in response to changing patterns of land use, pollution, and drought; the increasing risk of wildfire to wildlife and to human life and property; and the implications of global climate change on the CCE. A final, policy-focused section of the book looks at transboundary issues in ecosystem management and evaluates the potential of community-based and adaptive approaches in ecosystem management.
Book Description
Resource management in the United States is undergoing a fundamental change. Traditional sustained-yield approaches that focus on commodity-production and human resource use are steadily giving way to ecological approaches, often referred to as ecosystem management, that have long-term ecological sustainability as their primary goal. To achieve that goal, ecosystem management emphasizes socially defined goals and objectives, integrated and holistic science, collaborative decision making, and adaptable institutions. Political considerations are an essential component of ecosystem management, yet its socio-political context has been largely ignored by those studying and writing on the subject.
The Politics of Ecosystem Management is the first book to focus entirely on the political challenges facing ecosystem management as it moves from theory to practice.
The authors examine:
- the history of natural resource management in the United States
- the theory behind ecosystem management
- potential inconsistencies and contradictions in the themes of ecosystem management
- political philosophies that undergird traditional resource management
- alternative political principles inherent in ecosystem management
- opportunities and barriers for achieving collaborative ecosystem management
The Politics of Ecosystem Management considers the sweeping and profound changes that will be required of the American governance system-its political philosophy, institutions, notions of citizenship, and politics, as well its resource management practices-if the shift to ecosystem management is to be realized. It is a lucid and accessible volume that represents a vital contribution to the literature for students, researchers, and professionals involved with any aspect of developing and implementing ecosystem-based approaches to resource management.
Customer Reviews:
Good read, accessible and covers a lot.......2002-12-15
I found this book to pretty well cover the issues without being overwhelming. It is intended to be an overview and the authors provide plenty of cited material for those wishing to delve deeper. I was not familiar with ecosystem management and the book gives a good presentation of the basic tenets, challenges, and suggested prescriptives in a well-organized fashion. I do not believe the authors meant the book to be anything more than a introductory text--it fills this purpose well.
The Politics of Ecosystem Management.......2000-11-30
This book provides a lot of information for a person not familar with politics and natural resources. Unfortunately, I do not think that this was the authors' intent. For a person familar with this subject, the book just repeats ideas you probably are currently familiar with in a choppy fashion. On top of this, the book seems biased with statements such as "traditional resource managemetn is pragmatic, seeing in nature a collection of resources that can be manipulated and harvested, with humans in control" while ecosystem management "views nature with some reverence and respect for the awsome complexity with which its components are interwoven." Overall, the book is an easy read, but does not provide the reader with much thought or new ideas.
Product Description
Killing the Natives: Has the American Dream Become a Nightmare? thoroughly describes how our indefatigable pursuit of the American Dream - "live long and prosper" - threatens the world's native cultures, languages, and species and ultimately our own civilization. This critical, scholarly assessment is rooted in history, shaped by culture, and bounded by a broad and optimistic vision. It contains pragmatic solutions to important, timely problems.
Killing the Natives connects the world of economics, the government, and social justice--three enterprises that are inextricably linked despite the appearance given by laissez-faire economic policies. The intersection of environmental protection, social justice, and the human economy represents rich but essentially uncharted territory. Author Guy R. McPherson explains, in readily accessible language, how we can "wake up" from our self-induced nightmare and stop the massacre.
Book Description
Using the experience of the Parks in Peril program-a wide-ranging project instituted by The Nature Conservancy and its partner organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean to foster better park management-this book presents a broad analysis of current trends in park management and the implications for biodiversity conservation. It examines the context of current park management and challenges many commonly held views from social, political, and ecological perspectives. The book argues that.
- biodiversity conservation is inherently political
- sustainable use has limitations as a primary tool for biodiversity conservation
- effective park protection requires understanding the social context at varying scales of analysis
- actions to protect parks need a level of conceptual rigor that has been absent from recent programs built around slogans and stereotypes
Nine case studies highlight the interaction of ecosystems, local peoples, and policy in park management, and describe the context of field-based conservation from the perspective of those actually implementing the programs. Parks in Peril builds from the case studies and specific park-level concerns to a synthesis of findings from the sites. The editors draw on the case studies to challenge popular conceptions about parks and describe future directions that can ensure long-term biodiversity conservation.
Throughout, contributors argue that protected areas are extremely important for the protection of biodiversity, yet such areas cannot be expected to serve as the sole means of biodiversity conservation. Requiring them to carry the entire burden of conservation is a recipe for ecological and social disaster.
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Collaborative and Community-Based Management of Coral Reefs: Lessons from Experience (Kumarian Press Library of Management for Development)
Lynne Zeitlin Hale , and
Yves Renard
Manufacturer: Kumarian Press
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1565490320 |
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Deforestation: Social Dynamics in Watersheds and Mountains Ecosystems
J. Ives
Manufacturer: Croom Helm Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 041500456X |
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Dispute Settlement Reports 1998: Vi (World Trade Organization Dispute Settlement Reports)
WTO
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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ASIN: 0521805023 |
Book Description
The Dispute Settlement Reports of the World Trade Organization (WTO) include Panel and Appellate Body reports, as well as arbitration awards, in disputes concerning the rights and obligations of WTO members under the provisions of the Marrakesh Agreement. These are the WTO authorized and paginated reports in English. An essential addition to the library of all practising and academic trade lawyers, and needed by students worldwide taking courses in international economic or trade law. DSR 1998: VI contains two cases. Firstly, there is the Report of the Panel concerning Indonesian measures affecting the automobile industry. Secondly, this volume contains the Panel report on patent protection for pharmaceutical and agricultural chemical products in response to the European Communities' complaint against India. The form of citation for this volume recommended by the WTO is DSR 1998: VI.
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- Hillary Clinton Nude: Naked Ambition, Hillary Clinton And America's Demise
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
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