Filed under: Activism, Climate Change

All around the world, people are celebrating the 40th anniversary of Earth Day this Thursday, April 22nd. A lot has changed since the first Earth Day in 1970, from the political atmosphere, to public awareness, to the environmental threats facing the world.

But one important part is the same: it's a day dedicated to individual and collective actions -- get out there and get involved!

Wherever you live, there will be Earth Day activities and events all week, and into the weekend. On Sunday, April 25th, the Earth Day Network is holding an Earth Day Climate Rally on the Mall in Washington D.C. with performances by Sting, The Roots, Jimmy Cliff, John Legend, Bob Weir, Joss Stone, and many more eco-entertainers!

The goal is to raise awareness and demand a comprehensive climate legislation. There were 20 million people in attendance at the original Earth Day, and the Climate Rally organizers certainly hope to match that number.

You can also find local events on the Earth Day Network site -- you can even search by state and zip code. There will be events on school campuses, zoos, and even tree planting ceremonies at U.S. Air Force bases!

If you're more of a homebody, or want to find some ways to incorporate Earth-friendly activities into your daily life, the US Environmental Protection Agency has a very cool Pick 5 for the Environment interactive pledge on their site. You can select activities from a full range of categories including: water, air, land, energy, waste and advocacy. You know there's at least one you can do!

And if you need some inspiration, check out Earth Days, a film by Robert Stone, which documents the story of the first Earth Day. It includes interviews with:

• Earth Day organizer Denis Hayes
• Whole Earth Catalog founder Stewart Brand
• Apollo Nine astronaut Rusty Schweickart

Remember, even if you just do one small thing -- bringing your reusable bags to the grocery store, or your own mug to the coffee shop, or picking the recycled toilet paper -- you'll be participating and contributing to the success of Earth Day!

Earth Day Events Near You! originally appeared on Green Daily on Wed, 21 Apr 2010 12:02:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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Filed under: Climate Change, Plants and Wildlife

You've probably seen those ads for the 2010 Census, starring Ed Begley Jr and a bunch of other funny folks. But you may not know that this is also the year that the Census of Marine Life will be released. Although this is the culmination of many years of work, it does not have a reality star (yet) to help promote it.

The results of the multi-year effort are due to be released in October, and the lead researchers have just released a fascinating preview of the results.

Their findings? Good news (new species!), bad news (declines in biodiversity), and a few calls to action (acidity will continue to rise unless we do something).
Researchers found over 5,000 new marine creatures, many of them in the most remote areas of the oceans. The new species include squid, octopuses and jellyfish, plus a crazy crab with long, hairy claws called a Yeti Crab.

They found a huge variety of life under Antarctica, which seems inhospitable, but actually supports over 8,000 species, including a fish that literally has antifreeze in its blood.

In other parts of the underwater world, they found several underwater "mountains" that support a wide range of life, and an ancient underwater coral reef.

They also witnessed the results of ocean acidification as a result of global warming. Some species, like algae, are thriving, while others, like the newly discovered coral reef are literally dissolving in the acid.

"There is a 30 percent reduction in biodiversity when you get to pH 7.8, which is predicted by the end of this century," One researcher explained in Discovery News. "All of the calcifiers (organisms with hard outer skeletons or shells) are either dissolving or dead."

More than 80 nations are participating in this global research program, which has been conducted over the past 10 years. It's the world's first comprehensive census of marine life, and includes data on past, present and future trends. One important goal is to provide this information to governments and policymakers to help them create protected marine areas by 2012.

Sneak Peak at the Census of Marine Life originally appeared on Green Daily on Mon, 22 Feb 2010 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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Filed under: Activism, Alternative Energy, Climate Change

Watching the Olympics on Sunday night, I was shocked, amazed and dismayed to see a "clean coal" ad, apparently part of a new campaign to capitalize on recent political gains. Even more outrageous? The star of the ad, a personable young coal worker, made a connection between working in the coal industry and his brother serving overseas.

What does his brother, who is a soldier, have to do with clean coal? Oh, nothing. That was just another dirty emotional blackmail trick to try to make you think it's patriotic to support strip mining, black lung and air pollution.

It's bad enough that they are flat-out lying about clean coal. The technology does not exist, and if they can even figure out how to burn coal without the poisonous emissions, there is still the problem of how destructive it is to get it out of the ground. To drag our troops into it too? That's just disgraceful.
As I have said many times (Gillian Caldwell, the head of 1Sky.org even used my line with President Obama!) clean coal is a Unicorn. A nifty idea but merely a figment of an energy company executive's imagination.

Besides the dirty facts about burning coal -- like greenhouse gases and mercury emissions -- and the sad truth that the number of coal mining related jobs declines each year as the process is mechanized and automated, and that it's still incredibly dangerous for the brave workers who descend into those shafts, there is the environmental devastation that comes from getting it out of the ground.

Mountain top removal is the "cost-effective" method of coal mining where you blow the top off a mountain (literally, with dynamite) to get to the coal seam underneath it. Negative impact includes deforestation, water pollution, and destruction of wildlife habitat. Even coal miners think it's a bad idea!

I know we can't just switch to solar, wind and geothermal power, but if we want to create jobs, protect the environment, reduce our global emissions, and create a sustainable energy system for future generations, it's counter-productive to put any resources into the outdated and flawed coal industry.

And by the way: I have several family members in the service, who have done multiple tours of duty overseas. I support them wholeheartedly. And their service has nothing to do with clean coal! It's offensive that the coal industry -- or some manipulative shill at their ad agency -- is trying ride on the coattails of their sacrifice to trick patriotic Americans into agreeing with a bad idea. During the Olympics! I can't believe anyone was cynical enough to think it was a good idea to include that in the final cut of that ad!

To summarize: Alternative energy: yes. Clean coal: no. Our troops: seriously, don't bring them into this.

Clean Coal Runs Manipulative Ads During the Olympics originally appeared on Green Daily on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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