Sierra Club
The Editor on April 20th, 2008
Movie Review Friday -- Lewis & Clark
This Ken Burns documentary is a classic, blending history and remarkable scenery together in two disks. Burns accurately traces the Corps of Discovery as they make their way across the uncharted wilderness of the western United States to the Pacific coast and back, subsequent to President Jefferson's purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803. Burns' sources include the journals of the men who participated in the expedition, and interviews of historians, authors and native Americans with knowledge of this remarkable exploration. (read more)Be EcoChic Event and Campaign
We've posted tips this week on how to green your wardrobe by washing clothes in cold water and giving new life to unwanted clothes and jewelry. If you've been bitten by the eco fashion bug and want more tips on this topic--or more environmental responsibility in the fashion industry--consider visiting BeEcoChic.com. It's the just-launched web site for a new campaign sponsored by the Sierra Club to promote environmental awareness through fashion and in the fashion industry itself. Lest you think this is vapor-wear (all talk and no green clothes), the campaign kicks off tonight with a bang: Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope will hit the red carpet at a runway show featuring designs from Tierra Del Forte of Del Forte Denim (which uses organic cotton), Donna Karan of DKNY, and others using recycled or otherwise low-impact fabrics. It all starts tonight at 7pm at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. (read more)Eco Fashion Week -- Ethical Jewelry
Determined to declutter? Mad about mining? Then the nonprofit Ethical Metalsmiths has a project for you: A Radical Jewelry Makeover, in which artists recycle donated jewelry into new designs--eliminating the pollution-heavy step of mining for new metals. The group has asked San Francisco Bay Area residents to "mine" their homes for unwanted gold, silver, and other jewelry and drop off or mail the pieces to collection sites before September 11. Students learning the art of designing jewelry with alternative materials will then handcraft new pieces for a fall gallery exhibit, where donors can use discount coupons to buy the madeover metals. Those who buy the jewelry will help support Ethical Metalsmiths' mining reform efforts. (read more)Big Time Recycling
It's a snap to recycle small things, like cans and clothes. But what about those really big items, like planes and trains? Here's what happens when the retired giants of air, land, and sea take on new careers: Grounded jets make great "staycation" destinations: Airplanes can be revamped into houses, libraries, pavilions, and hostels, while an entrepreneur in India uses a retired airplane to give "virtual journeys" to locals who can't afford a real plane ticket. Even retired trains can get you where you're going: A Montana-based construction company turns flat railroad cars into bridges. Trains cars also make charming cabins and cafes. Old ships are at home in the water: Retired aircraft carriers (and subway cars) have been intentionally sunk to create artificial underwater reefs. While freighters might be reincarnated as marine habitats, the shipping containers they once carried remain on shore as houses for land-dwellers. (read more)Eco Fashion Week -- Recycled Clothing
An average American throws away 68 pounds of clothing and textiles every year, according to the Council for Textile Recycling. Local second-hand shops, Goodwill, and the Salvation Army make it easy to keep your share out of landfills--so why the waste? If you think an item is too worn to warrant donation, think again: A professor of textile and apparel management at the University of Missouri-Columbia tells E Magazine that even scraps can find new life in products ranging from paper to blankets and fencing. If you would rather give your beloved but outgrown items directly to a new wearer, try listing giveaways on a site like freecycle.org, which can help you connect with people in your city who will make use of your fashion finds. (read more)Campus Car Ban
Incoming freshmen at the University of Miami can bring their laptops, dorm room decorations, and fall fashions to campus, but they'll have to leave their car keys at home. As part of their Green U initiative, the UM has banned cars for all freshmen. (Maine's Boudwin College plans to enact a similar ban in 2009.) To handle any transportation withdrawal, the university sells bikes at low cost and provides access to ZipCars. UM's vehicle ban will remove about 500 rides from the road. There's no exam involved, but these students could learn a life-altering lesson in low-emissions living. How does your school rate? Check out Sierra's "Cool Schools" roundup to find out. (read more)Eco Fashion Week -- Chill Out
With hundreds of new designs hitting more runways in New York City this week, you can give your style a fashionably green flair with these tips--no catwalk required. Tip #1: Chill out The environmental impact of an item of clothing lasts long after the fibers have been harvested, woven, dyed and shipped. So without making a single new purchase, you can begin to green your fashion by reducing the energy used to clean and maintain your current wardrobe. First step? Rethink your laundry. Heating water accounts for 90 percent of the energy used to wash a typical load. Yet with the exception of bed linens and grease-stained fabrics, most items don't need to be washed in simmering hot temperatures and too-hot water can reduce their longevity. To cut back on energy use, consider choosing clothes labeled for washing in cold water, turning your water heater down to 120 degrees, and using the cold setting whenever possible. If you're not ready to go whole hog, you can cut energy use in half by simply switching the temperature setting from hot to warm. (read more)Slow Food Nation Thinkers
Marion Nestle, author of What to Eat and a professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at NYU, lives in what she calls Junk Food City. More commonly known as Manhattan, the city has some competition for the title, but Nestle today used her experiences in the Big Apple to illustrate for attendees of a Slow Food Nation forum how she sees nutrition and public health connecting with waste and the environment. (read more)Taste of Slow Food Nation
Slow Food Nation, a celebration of flavorful American foods from small-scale producers, took over San Francisco's Civic Center Plaza this morning. Hundreds of foodies, hungry downtown office workers, environmental activists, and others lined up at booths run by more than 50 California farmers and artisans to sample and purchase fresh organic peaches, handmade pickles, heirloom tomatoes, and dozens of other carefully cultivated foods around city hall's new "victory garden." (read more)Movie Review Friday -- Medicine Man
Escape to the movies with one of our Movie Friday selections. Each week we review a film with environmentally or socially-responsible themes that’s currently in theaters or available on DVD. Seen a good eco-flick lately? Send us a review of 100 words or less and look for your review in the next Movie Friday! Medicine Man (1992) Available on DVD Amidst the magnificent greenery of the Amazon, Dr. Rae Crane (Lorraine Bracco)--a Bronx-bred scientist with impressive credentials and scant field experience--is transformed from fish-out-of-water to impassioned jungle girl. The motifs are dated, but if you can get past Bracco's histrionics, the movie examines very real, serious threats to the Amazon and its indigenous inhabitants. The "Crocodile Dundee" to Bracco's damsel is Dr. Robert Campbell (Sean Connery), a cantankerous and eccentric scientist who thinks he's found a cure for cancer among the native flora and fauna. When I first watched this movie over sixteen years ago, I felt an overwhelming sadness which developed into a desire to advocate for the rainforest. During a more recent viewing, Bracco's overacting and a few exaggerated plot elements distracted me from strong emotion. Nevertheless, the rainforest still stole the show. --Review by Della Watson (read more)Subscribe to this blog's RSS feed
Green Peace
The Editor on April 20th, 2008
A week of bad news about the global climate crisis points up need for real solutions
Last week brought us a series of disturbing news stories that point up the severity of the climate crisis we’re facing: nine polar bears were spotted swimming in open waters; one of Greenland's largest glaciers cracked, and further disintegration is feared by experts; and Fay flooded Florida with more than two feet of rain. (read more)
Wall*E + Kleenex = Iron*E
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In what must surely be the absolute height of tragic irony, Kimberly-Clark is using a movie about conservation to sell Kleenex, a disposable paper product containing absolutely no recycled content. (read more)
Greenpeace activists keep the pressure on Kimberly-Clark
Several Greenpeace activists locked down the main entrance to Kimberly-Clark’s global administrative headquarters in Knoxville, TN today as part of their ongoing effort to pressure the company into adopting business practices that protect rather than devastate North America’s remaining Boreal forests. While the lockdown was under way, another group of activists deployed a 30 ft. by 20 ft. banner from the facility’s parking garage that read: “Kleenex: Wiping away ancient forests.” (read more)
Kimberly-Clark can't hide environmental devastation
Several Greenpeace activists visited the Kimberly-Clark (KC) offices in Roswell, Georgia today to show the company’s officials that they can’t hide from the devastation they have wrought on the North American Boreal Forest. (read more)
Green Olympics? Lessons from Beijing
China made big promises to clean up Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games. How well did they do? Greenpeace’s new Olympic report has the answers. (read more)High tech toxic trash causing horrendous pollution in Ghana
The latest place where we have discovered high tech toxic trash causing horrendous pollution is in Ghana. Our analysis of samples taken from two electronic waste (e-waste) scrap yards in Ghana has revealed severe contamination with hazardous chemicals. (read more)Offshore Drilling – It’s NOT the Answer to High Gas Prices at the Pump
Record high gas prices have been making the news headlines for the past few months. Each week gas prices top the previous week, resulting in a new all-time high. Unless you are fortunate enough to live, work and play within walking distance from your home, you have been affected by these high gas prices like the rest of the nation.
While the public continues to be outraged about gas prices, some politicians (McCain, Bush, and Gingrich) are taking advantage of the dire situation by organizing a push to drill for oil along our coastlines and lift a 27-year moratorium. (read more)
Major Supermarkets Pull Unsustainable Seafood!
Two large supermarket chains – Stop & Shop and Giant Food - are going to stop selling shark, orange roughy and Chilean sea bass until their populations rebound. It's a huge victory for the oceans! (read more)Congress Announces Ban on Toxic Chemicals
In an exciting victory for children in the United States, President Bush signed into law national product-safety legislation that will ban certain chemicals from being used when producing toys. In an agreement announced on July 28th, Congress proposed legislation that will ban the use of six toxic chemicals, called phthalates, that are added to vinyl plastic to make it flexible. Thank you to the 8,000 Greenpeace activists who took action and wrote their members of Congress on this very issue. Your support helped over come heavy lobbying by ExxonMobil who manufactures phthalates. (read more)Kleercut activists lock down Kimberly-Clark Kleenex mill in Fullerton, CA
Greenpeace's Kleercut campaigners continued their efforts to stop Kimberly-Clark from destroying ancient forests to make its disposable products today by locking down a Kleenex factory in Fullerton, CA. Activists blockaded the entrance to the facility by chaining themselves to toilets with trees protruding from them, while a 40-foot banner that read "Stop flushing forests" was unfurled on Fullerton’s busy Orangethorpe Blvd. (read more)Take action: Contact the Prosecutor about the real whaling scandal
What would happen if Japan's Supreme Public Prosecutor's office was inundated by letters calling for the whale meat investigation to be re-opened? Join us to find out!
On this page we've prepared a card you can print, stick and post yourself, and a list of talking points you could use if you prefer to write a personal letter instead. Be creative! (read more)Where Are Presidential Candidates & Congress on Chemical Security Legislation?
After eight years of the Bush Administration’s environmental record – or lack thereof – it’s time for a breath of fresh air. But how fresh will the air be under a new administration? And how healthy will our oceans be? How safe will you and your family be from toxins? We wanted answers to these burning questions, so we took them directly to the candidates and have their answers to share with you. (read more)Whale meat scandal: Many questions
Why would we believe the whaling industry when it says it is innocent? The institutions behind the Japanese whaling operation have apparently now investigated themselves and cleared themselves of any wrongdoing over the whale meat embezzlement scandal exposed by Greenpeace in May. (read more)Activists charged for exposing whale meat scandal
Our Japanese activists Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki were charged with theft and trespass today by the prosecutor in Aomori after they exposed a major scandal around the embezzlement of whale meat from the Japanese government-sponsored Southern Ocean whaling programme.Junichi and Toru continue to be held in detention in Aomori, where they have been since their arrest on June 10th, despite widespread international protest. (read more)
Greenpeace sues to protect rare Islands wolf
Greenpeace and Cascadia Wildlands Project filed a federal lawsuit today against the U.S. Forest Service for violating environmental laws in its planning of four logging projects in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest. The federal agency has not only deliberately under-reported the effects of logging ancient forests in its environmental impact statements on the logging projects over the past decade, but has also continually refused to disclose or even consider legitimate criticisms of the projects. (read more)
G8 - Environment Nil!
When you're in the business of saving the future - and you give yourself a specific deadline, such as 2050 - you need to make sure that every single day between then and now counts. Unfortunately, the G8 Summit was a waste of three whole days. Gathering in Toyako, Japan, G8 leaders offered nothing new on the food crisis, gave the wrong answer to rising oil prices and deferred climate action. (read more)Mediterranean pirates busted by Greenpeace
Activists aboard our ship Arctic Sunrise confronted an illegal vessel, the Luna Rossa, fishing with a driftnet this morning in international waters west of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea. The Luna Rossa’s crew immediately cut the net and fled from our ship at high speed. (read more)Mr. Splashy Pants Rescue
Mister Splashy Pants just heard that two of his Greenpeace pals have been arrested. He, too, is amazed that they've been locked up for exposing the truth -- and he's going to do something about it. Are you? (read more)Kimberly Clark Receives a 2-Ply Confrontation by Greenpeace
Greenpeace activists showed up at Kimberly-Clark offices in Chicago, Illinois and Franklin, Massachusetts to confront the giant tissue maker about its continued use of non-recycled materials that contribute to the destruction of the ancient boreal forests in Canada. (read more)Greenpeace Holds Peaceful Protest Outside Japanese Embassy
Update: The court has ruled Junichi and Toru will spend the maximum time in custody without charge permissible under Japanese law - 23 days. In a message to supporters, sent via their lawyers, Junichi and Toru welcomed the outpouring of efforts from people all over the world, adding: "We still need your help. We have been ordered to remain in custody for ten more days without charge. Please encourage your friends to send an email to the Japanese government, if they have not already." (read more)National Geographic
The Editor on April 20th, 2008
WEEK IN PHOTOS: Virgins Gather, Freak Hailstorm, More
 | Hurricane Gustav inspired a bit of bathing, virgins awaited a king in Africa, hail spurred "snowball fights" in Kenya, and more. |
Florida Keys Evacuation Ordered for Hurricane Ike
 | Hurricane Ike is forecast to hit the islands early next week as a major hurricane. Given the limited escape routes, officials have ordered evacuations to begin Saturday. |
Some Congo Troops Leave Troubled Wildlife Park
 | An agreement between the country's wildlife authority and the army to move troops may help preservation efforts at Virunga National Park, home to rare mountain gorillas. |
Phallic Figurines Found in Israel Stone Age Burials
 | The prehistoric site near Nazerat (Nazareth) is unusual in its lack of female symbolism and oddly arranged skeletons, archaeologists say. |
Supercontinent Pangaea Pushed, Not Sucked, Into Place
 | A plume of superheated rock from deep in Earth's crust welled up between the ancient continents, pushing them apart until they collided to form Pangaea, a new study proposes. |
Oldest Skeleton in Americas Found in Underwater Cave?
 | Found near Cancun, Mexico, "Eve of Naharon" may be 13,600 years old—and she's not alone. She and three other skeletons could change how we think the Americas were first populated. |
PHOTOS: River Changes Course; Deadly Floods Hit S. Asia
 | The deluge, caused by a dam break in Nepal, has destroyed more than 250,000 acres of farmland, killed at least 90 people, and left at least a million people homeless. |
Siberian Woolly Mammoths Had North American Blood
 | Siberia's last woolly mammoths, which died out about 10,000 years ago, descended from North American stock, according to new research. But others question the conclusion. |
THE ROUNDUP: Science and Nature News Around the Web
 | Gulls set pollution record; thinking maks us pig out; and more. |
Strong Hurricanes Getting Stronger; Warming Is Blamed
 | Global warming is making the most powerful hurricanes even stronger by warming the oceans, a new study says. |
Bird Duets Are "Aggressive Audio Warfare"
 | The intertwining songs of tropical wrens serve as weapons and help males and females find each other in dense forests, a new study says. |
