A refreshing take
I stumbled across this on YouTube today. I was definitely ready for something slightly cheerful on this topic, with all this dark news. Ok, the first act, the seafood parade, could be slightly shorter. Granted. But stay with it, cause the animation that follows is not only cute, it’s on the money with the facts. […]
Sustainable filmmaking–discussion begins
Before production, Barbara Ettinger,Sven Husby, and Ben Kalina talk about how to go about green filmmaking.From the paper in the printer to lights on the set: we can’t takeanything for granted any more. Especially not if we’re going to make afilm about the consequences of excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As we got started […]
A Sea Change–Alaska vignette
Click to Play In which we start to get a sense of the deep economic and social implications of ocean acidification. The Exxon Valdez catatrosphe gives us a hint of what could happen. Includes comments from Verner Wilson, III, Alaska native and youth activist. Formats available: Quicktime (.mov), Flash Video (.flv)
Al Gore
We found this originally on EcoGeek but went back to the source, TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design), an organization devoted to bringing together "the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes)." Al Gore was invited to deliver one of those talks this past March […]
Climate change & the ocean
Dr. Richard Feely, Director of NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Lab, spoke at Northwestern University last February, part of their Global Warming: A Threat to Biodiversity program for the public.
EPA admits climate change a human health problem
Well, the EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency) has acknowledged that climate change poses health and lifestyle risks. In a Reuters report filed last week, Joel Scheraga, agency representative is quoted as saying ""Climate change poses real risk to human health and the human systemsthat support our way of life in the United States." Possible risks […]
Portland becomes a perennial food forest
We’re hearing a lot about eating local as one of the best ways to reduce your carbon footprint. So increasing the amount of food grown in urban areas seems to make sense. In this video, depave.org instigates the conversion of a disused parking lot in Portland, OR, into a community garden and gathering place. The […]
The Eur-Oceans Project offers ocean acidification 101
A short video intro to the basics of ocean acidification, courtesy of the Eur-Oceans Project, a network of research teams co-funded by the European Union. A bit dry but some nice graphics. Also available in French for our francophone friends.
The Gore 10-Year Challenge
Al Gore threw down the gauntlet yesterday, challenging the U.S. to go completely carbon-free in its energy sources within ten years. We have the technology to do it, he claimed, speaking in DC to an enthusiastic crowd. The 50-year goals politicians have been setting, eg, at the recent G8 meetings, just don’t cut it: they’re […]
A win-win
Do you wonder what the quickest way to get to work might be? Here’s the 7th annual Commuter Challenge in New York City sponsored by Transportation Alternatives. Car, mass transit, and bike go up against each other: we check travel time, carbon footprint, and cost. Elizabeth Press of Streetfilms produced this. She’s also dabbling in […]
ABC News Covers Ocean Acidification
We were glad to stumble upon this report filed by Clayton Sandell for ABC News. The basics on ocean acidification in less than two minutes. Also amused to see corrosive becoming a meme, vis a vis seawater, hitting the mainstream.
Al Gore’s green energy challenge
Here’s Al Gore’s complete speech of July 17, in which he challenges the US to attain sustainable energy goals by 2018, courtesy EnergyEnvironmentTV.
Champagne anyone? CO2 vents provide a glimpse of the future
Natural CO2 vents on the floor of the ocean cause increased acidity in their neighborhood. Examining these microcosms gives a suggestion of what the sea floor could look like in 2100: a nice, green lawn. This particular locale features cool CO2 vents, so is particularly interesting. One researcher described diving at the site as "swimming […]
Olivia Chantecaille at the Oceans Pavilion in Barcelona
Olivia Chantecaille attended the roll-out of a gorgeous booklet called Gems of the High Seas at the Oceans Pavilion. Chantecaille Cosmetics, of which she is creative director, sponsored the booklet’s publication.Gems of the High Seas focuses on six beautiful and endangered regions of the ocean. Ms. Chantecaille said: "The strongest message that I’ve gotten from […]
Our green aspirations
Click to Play Ben Kalina speaks briefly about our plans to produce a film with a small carbon footprint and a big educational footprint, while making art in the process. Yes, and when we’re finished with that, we’ll be balancing the U.S. budget and drinking to world peace. Thanks to Cameron Hickey from Pattern Films […]
Reunion Island Students at the IUCN Sailing to Barcelona Intiative
Click to Play Two charming students from Reunion Island talk about the importance of maintaining biodiversity. They were generous enough to speak with me in English; of course, they were much more comfortable in their native language (French, in case you didn’t know). I hope to post their commentary for the francophones among us soon. […]
Summer Streets in New York City
Regular readers know we don’t limit ourselves to direct reporting on climate change and ocean acidification. No, we gotta take ourselves into the open air sometimes and perk up. Here’s a great carbon-free option for doing just that. Courtesy Streetfilms.
Greening your filmmaking
Click to Play Marie-France Cote headed up a green filmmaking panel at Silverdocs 2007. Both a film producer and co-founder of the Green Code Project, Marie-France spoke about the expanding, international assortment of people who are part of Green Code (Greencoders!) and what they are doing to come up with practical steps to give filmmaking […]
Sylvie Chantecaille at the IUCN World Conservation Congress
The Chantecaille family was well represented in Barcelona, with both mother (Sylvie) and daughters (Alex and Olivia) attending as delegates for the Marine Conservation Biology Institute (MCBI). Mrs. Chantecaille has led the way in leveraging the family’s international cosmetics business into a means of letting women know about marine conservation issues. She said: "We have […]
The ocean before & after acidification
Let’s hope the outcome’s not quite so dire as this animation suggests. (Courtesy IoMidorihana.)
New species found in Australian reefs
Remember that tongue-eating fish we mentioned? And the dozens of other new species? See them in living color in this story from NTDTV. The species were discovered by an expedition mounted by the Australian Institute of Marine Science. Scientist JulianCaley says they never expected to find so many new species.It’ll take years just to name […]
Fuel
We’d definitely like to see this: star power (Julia Roberts, Woody Harrelson, Sheryl Crow) plus humor (how many french fries does it take to run that thing?) plus scary facts plus solutions. We do wonder about biodiesel as the cure-all, but we don’t know if that’s what he’s proposing. We’ll just bide our time, see […]
Global Day of Action for the Climate
Effective use of people as graphic elements to make the "Big Ask" forGlobal Day of Action for the Climate on December 06, 2008.The Big Ask unites Friends of the Earth groups across Europe in a call for governments to commit to cutting emissions. We do wonder a bit where all the people of color are; […]
Jeff Ardron explains ocean acidification
A simple, straightforward explanation of ocean acidification, thechange in ocean chemistry caused by excess carbon dioxide in the air,which in turn comes from the burning of fossil fuels. (Just in case you’re new here: welcome, if so.) Jeff Ardron is a conservation oceanographer with the Marine Conservation Biology Institute (MCBI), and director of their High […]
McKenzy Haber Eco Drives at IUCN World Conservation Congress
He may be only 12 years old, but McKenzy Haber held first place atthe Toyota Eco Drive exhibit in Barcelona. Here he explains and testdrives for us. Turns out he’s also in third, fifth, seventh &eighth places. What’s that about "and a little child shall lead them?"Mind you, in two years McKenzy can drive legally […]