EarthJustice

EarthJustice. Yeah, baby. As a superhero buff, I've so got to dig that name! Makes me feel like joining will make me a part of my favourite superhero group (Alpha Flight, for the record, and for fairly obvious reasons)...

Here's how EarthJustice describe themselves:

"Earthjustice is the nonprofit law firm for the environment, representing - without charge - hundreds of public interest clients, large and small. Earthjustice works through the courts to safeguard public lands, national forests, parks, and wilderness areas; to reduce air and water pollution; to prevent toxic contamination; and to preserve endangered species and wildlife habitat."

Sounds good to me but, as previously stated, I tend to be reluctant to shell out my hard-earned bling (I sound even older when I try to talk like that...I really should stop) to charities (regardless of the heavenly tax benefits that they always sell you on when you're considering it) that I've just learned about.

So for EarthJustice, like I do with many such endeavours (Bullfrog Power, Green Party of Canada, International Fund for Animal Welfare), I decided I'd keep an eye on them. I set up a Google Alert so that whenever they made the news, I'd get a link to the story. Great little tool, that.

It took all of two days for them to show a blip on my radar screen.

"An environmental group waited too long to seek a ban on fishermen who sometimes catch birds and turtles with swordfish lines, a federal appeals court said yesterday in dismissing the case.

Upholding a lower court's ruling, three judges with the 9th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals found that EarthJustice missed a 30-day deadline to challenge the National Marine Fisheries Service for reopening commercial longlines fishing for swordfish from Hawai'i."

Dudes! Granted, whatever little coin I can provide won't make a major difference, but I'm not willing to provide it for you to be going around missing deadlines!

No doubt EarthJustice does a lot of good, and I'll continue to track them, but this wasn't a great way to make a first impression. I like the idea on paper, I just want to see a better execution.

Listening to: "Love Spreads" by the Stone Roses.