All posts in Environmental

Earth Hour 2011

By On March 15, 2011 In Environmental With No Comments Permanent Link to Earth Hour 2011Permalink

Earth Hour 2011 is a global call to action to every individual, every business and every community throughout the world. It is a call to stand up, to take responsibility, to get involved and lead the way towards a sustainable future. Iconic buildings and landmarks from Europe to Asia to the Americas will stand in darkness. People across the world from all walks of life will turn off their lights and join together in celebration and contemplation of the one thing we all have in common – our planet.

Check it out: www.earthhour.org

Gasland The Movie

By On February 28, 2011 In Environmental With No Comments Permanent Link to Gasland The MoviePermalink

GASLAND – (2010) Directed by Josh Fox. Winner of Special Jury Prize – Best US Documentary Feature – Sundance 2010. Screening at Cannes 2010.

It is happening all across America and now in Europe and Africa as well – rural landowners wake up one day to find a lucrative offer from a multinational energy conglomerate wanting to lease their property. The Reason? In America, the company hopes to tap into a huge natural gas reservoir dubbed the Saudi Arabia of natural gas. Halliburton developed a way to get the gas out of the ground—a hydraulic drilling process called fracking—and suddenly America finds itself on the precipice of becoming an energy superpower.

But what comes out of the ground with that natural gas? How does it affect our air and drinking water? GASLAND is a powerful personal documentary that confronts these questions with spirit, strength, and a sense of humor. When filmmaker Josh Fox receives his cash offer in the mail, he travels across 32 states to meet other rural residents on the front lines of fracking. He discovers toxic streams, ruined aquifers, dying livestock, brutal illnesses, and kitchen sinks that burst into flame. He learns that all water is connected and perhaps some things are more valuable than money.

Check them out: http://gaslandthemovie.com/

The Story of Electronics

By On January 10, 2011 In Environmental With No Comments Permanent Link to The Story of ElectronicsPermalink

When it comes to gadgets, I tend to be a late adopter, usually due to a combination of (1) being too cheap to spend money on the newest gizmo and (2) being overwhelmed with the number of options when it comes to gizmos and succumbing to analysis paralysis and putting off the decision. I finally bought a used Xbox (original) on eBay shortly before the X360 was released. I bought myself a shiny new iMac … three years ago. That was also about the time I last purchased a cell phone, a Motorola RAZR which was already outdated. One of these days I want to get a DSLR camera, an iPad, maybe upgrade my computer.

I tell you this to explain that my reasons for not having lots of gadgets isn’t always—or even usually—altruistic. Yes, I’m all for conservation and being green, which gets on the nerves of many of my Midwestern neighbors who don’t understand why I would choose to ride my bike when I have a perfectly good minivan. Let’s face it—environmental concerns aren’t really the reason I don’t own an X360 yet.

But maybe they should be.

Annie Leonard of the Story of Stuff Project has a new cartoon on the Story of Electronics. The Story of Stuff isn’t all environemental, but it talks about the lifecycle of products—where things come from and where they go, how companies lower prices by externalizing costs (i.e., passing costs along to the cheap labor and exploited nations where we get resources). It’s a thought-provoking story and if you haven’t seen the original I encourage you to visit the site and check it out. Watch it with your kids!

For those of us who deal with gadget lust, though, this new entry is particularly significant. Yeah, maybe it’ll make you feel a little guilty but that’s a good thing from time to time, right? While I think the problems Leonard raises don’t have any easy solutions, it is certainly worth considering and starting a conversation about these issues.

Or, at the very least, you can use this next time your teenagers ask why you won’t buy them new cell phones.

[pro-player]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW_7i6T_H78&feature=player_embedded[/pro-player]

* source TreeHugger

Message From Earth: Organic Matters

By On October 20, 2010 In Environmental With No Comments Permanent Link to Message From Earth: Organic MattersPermalink

Anvil Knitwear premiered a digital short at Farm Aid 25: Growing Hope for America Concert on October 2. The thought provoking video educates consumers about the impact of pesticide use on the environment and farmers and encourages consumers to support organic farmers.

“The Message from Earth: Organic Matters digital short unveiled this weekend at Farm Aid is our latest initiative to reach both farmers and consumers and educate on the benefits of organic farming,” said Anthony Corsano, Anvil Knitwear CEO. “We believe that if farmers and consumers alike understand the impact of organic farming practices, they will make better choices.”

[pro-player]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCqvl8xykO0&feature=player_embedded[/pro-player]

Source obtained from: prana.com.

Force of Nature – The David Suzuki Movie Trailer

By On September 20, 2010 In Environmental With 2 Comments Permanent Link to Force of Nature – The David Suzuki Movie TrailerPermalink

Watch the trailer for Force of Nature, Sturla Gunnarsson’s movie about the David Suzuki you don’t see on CBC. Follow his personal journey through his past, and what he hopes for everyone in the future.

Source obtained by: The David Suzuki Foundation

[pro-player]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMKQBjgE0Tw[/pro-player]

Happy Earthday 2010

By On April 22, 2010 In Environmental With No Comments Permanent Link to Happy Earthday 2010Permalink

Happy Earthday … enjoy this beautiful world we live in! :)

Disneynature – Oceans

By On April 14, 2010 In Environmental With No Comments Permanent Link to Disneynature – OceansPermalink

Disneynature, the studio that presented the record—breaking film “Earth,” brings OCEANS to the big screen on Earth Day, 2010. Nearly three—quarters of the Earth’s surface is covered by water and OCEANS boldly chronicles the mysteries that lie beneath. Directors Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud dive deep into the very waters that sustain all of mankind—exploring the harsh reality and the amazing creatures that live within. Narrated by Pierce Brosnan and featuring spectacular never—before—seen imagery captured by the latest underwater technologies, OCEANS offers an unprecedented look beneath the sea in a powerful motion picture that unfolds on April 22, 2010.

[pro-player]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JnZ7Ym6sss&feature=related[/pro-player]

Read more of this film at http://disney.go.com.

Earth Hour 2010

By On March 26, 2010 In Environmental With No Comments Permanent Link to Earth Hour 2010Permalink

On March 27 at 8:30 pm, hundreds of millions of people around the world will turn off their lights for an hour to demand action on climate change. But that’s just the beginning. Every hour, Canadians are taking small steps to lessen their impact on the environment. From hanging your clothes to dry to taking transit to work, those small steps add up to huge changes for the better.

[pro-player]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FclcMfzjwug[/pro-player]

The Story of Bottle Water

By On March 22, 2010 In Environmental With No Comments Permanent Link to The Story of Bottle WaterPermalink

Today is World Water Day – a day to celebrate and become ever more savvy about this incredibly finite resource that we all have to have access to in order to survive. Annie Leonard and crew are also on their game today, releasing a new “Story of…” video, this time on bottled water. The 7-minute animated film The Story of Bottled Water, debunks myths and clarifies just what kind of strategy goes into conning Americans into buying more than half a billion bottles of water every week, when it’s a fraction of the cost if you just go to your faucet. Watch the full video after the jump.

The Story of Bottled Water is co-produced with five leading sustainability advocacy organizations, including Corporate Accountability International, Environmental Working Group, Food & Water Watch, Polaris Institute and Pacific Institute.

[pro-player]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se12y9hSOM0[/pro-player]

Fortunately, more people are becoming aware about how ridiculous it is to buy plastic bottled water. A Harris Poll found that 29% of the people surveyed switched back to the tap this year. That’s a great sign. But it doesn’t stop at just the average consumer. It also has to happen in restaurants, at conferences and events, and even among government bodies.

“Cities and states are spending hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on bottled water, and that’s not to mention what’s spent to deal with all the plastic bottles that are thrown out,” said Leslie Samuelrich of Corporate Accountability International. “It sends the wrong message about the quality of the tap. What if we instead spent that money supporting public water systems or preventing water pollution in the first place?”

And it’s not only the US who is guilty of such a bad habit. Just last summer we noted that the BBC is spending about $670,000 a year Not only does the BBC spend nearly half a million pounds a year on bottled water for coolers, it also spends an undisclosed amount on bottled water for hospitality events – of which it held 103,000 last year alone – and staffers are allowed to order bottled water for any meetings lasting longer than two hours. That’s a lot of bottled water!

“Bottled water usage is in decline in the United States for the first time in three decades, thanks in part to the hard work of our partners on this film. We hope this film helps to drive the final nail in this huge rip off,” said Annie Leonard.

Source obtained from: www.treehugger.com

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