Pacific Environment is proud to present some of Russia's top environmentalists in two Bay Area events, on March 6th and March 8th.

Please join us!

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Tuesday, March 6, 2007
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The World Affairs Council of Northern California COSPONSORED BY
PACIFIC ENVIRONMENT AND GLOBAL EXCHANGE
Presents:

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Russia's Sakhalin Island: Environmental Politics and Oil
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with

Dmitry Lisitsyn, Board President, Sakhalin Environment Watch, from
Sakhalin Island, Russia, and

Irina Bogdan, Board President, Ecodal,
a Russian Far Eastern environmental community organization.

In September 2006 the Kremlin wrested majority control of Sakhalin II,
the world's largest oil and gas project, from Royal Dutch Shell and
gave it to Russia's gas monopoly Gazprom, citing environmental
violations among other reasons. In the wake of these changes Dmitry
Lisitsyn and Irina Bogdan, internationally recognized environmental
leaders of the campaign to improve Sakhalin II, will offer their
perspectives on the domestic and international implications of
Russia's shifting energy policy, and ways to ensure that the Kremlin
addresses the negative environmental impacts of Sakhalin II and other
oil and gas projects.

Registration 5:30 PM, Program 6:00 PM
World Affairs Council Auditorium
312 Sutter St., 2nd floor, San Francisco
Nonmembers $15 Student Nonmembers $5, World Affairs Council Members FREE

To buy tickets please visit here.




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Thursday, March 8, 2007
International Women's Day
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PACIFIC ENVIRONMENT PRESENTS:

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An Intimate Reception with four of
Russia's most renowned environmental activists
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Please join Pacific Environment for appetizers and wine to honor four
leaders of Russia's environmental movement.

Guests of honor include:

Dmitry Lisitsyn, Board President of Sakhalin Environment Watch. Leader
of the campaign to improve the largest integrated oil and gas project
in the world, Sakhalin II.  Winner of a 2006 Whitley Award for salmon
and forest conservation efforts on the island of Sakhalin.  The
Sakhalin II Campaign also won a Business Ethics Network award in 2006.

Irina Bogdan, Board President of Ecodal. One of Russia's top
environmental lawyers.  Involved in a number of legal cases that are
seeking an end to illegal actions by Russian and foreign operators of
resource-extraction projects in Siberia and the Russian Far East.
Irina was a Runner-Up for the 2004 Conde Nast Traveler's Environmental
Award.

Marina Rikhvanova, Co-Founder and Co-Chair of Baikal Environmental
Wave. In 2006 she won the Conde Nast Traveler's Environmental Award
for her outstanding work defending Lake Baikal against the massive
Siberia-Pacific oil pipeline.

Sergei Bereznuk, Director of the Phoenix Fund. In 2006 he celebrated
the re-routing of the terminal for the gargantuan Siberia-Pacific oil
pipeline away from sensitive Amur Leopard habitat, a result of a
campaign that he helped coordinate in Primorye, along the eastern
coast of Russia. Winner of a 2006 Whitley Award for his efforts to
save the endangered Amur Tigers and Leopards in Russia's Far East.

6:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Delancey Street Restaurant
600 Embarcadero Street, San Francisco
$30 - $100 sliding scale donation

Appetizers and wine provided.

Space Limited: RSVP recommended.
RSVP to Sarah Kagan at skagan@pacificenvironment.org or 415 399 8850 x 309, or visit here.

Orange snow in West Siberia not toxic (RIA Novosti, 02/02/07)

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070202/60081891.html

The yellow-orange snow that fell in a West Siberian region Wednesday contains no toxic substances, experts said Friday. "Experts have established that the substances in the snow are not toxic, but the iron content in the snow samples was four times above the norm," the press service of the local emergencies situations department said.

A priceless but creepy headline.

Russia probes smelly orange snow