Peace Day 2010

 

Story of ... more stuff

Its been almost a year since I wrote a blog post about a wonderful initiative started by Annie Leonard called ‘The Story of Stuff project’. I’m sure many of you are familiar with these names by now but may be many of you still aren’t. So I thought of taking this opportunity of writing a follow up post about this project today. A lot has happened since the last post and Annie has managed to really expand her little story into something fairly widespread and influential.

‘The story of stuff’ (SoS for short, released Dec 2007) was a 20 minute, well-researched and well-presented documentary that showed us the real picture behind our consumerist lifestyle and how it eventually affects us, or more correctly, our children and grandchildren. As the name suggests, it is the story about all the ‘stuff’ that we buy, use and throw away from its cradle to its grave. I will not go into its details here as I have already done so in my earlier post and I strongly recommend you read that post. After SoS got an overwhelmingly positive response from the people world over Annie decided to expand on her more than 10 years worth of research.

To the day she has written a book with the same title as her first documentary SoS and has produced 2 more hard-hitting documentaries, Story of bottled water and Story of Cap-n-Trade. To further enlighten us of our irresponsible behaviour and of our responsibilities she’s coming up with Story of cosmetics in July 2010 and Story of electronics in Fall 2010. Even though all these documentaries focus mainly on trends and statistics in the US I believe they’re globally applicable as every country is trying to imitate US in their lifestyle. Also it does feature the third world countries as they’re the ones that suffer from the waste produced by materialistic living in the developed countries and their own. So it is a must watch for everyone. And the best part about all these wonderfully informative and thought-provoking documentaries is that they’re all available online for free for everyone to watch! However I will go ahead and say that they’re definitely worth buying the DVDs so you can have them in your homes to show others and educate them.

‘The story of bottled water’ (released March 2010) tells us how the whole world has been fooled into thinking the tap water is not good for drinking and that the bottled water is a better option. It is a great example of ‘manufactured demand’, one of the bigger devils in our consumerist culture. It turns out that not only all bottled water isn't of better quality than tap water but its also much more expensive, tastes worse and its manufacture is one of environmentally most damaging processes. Hardly any of the bottled water comes from those pristine mountains and waterfalls that the labels show. Most of it (if not all) is just plain old filtered tap water. Recycling of those bottles is another scam that just throws your won garbage into someone else’s backyard. Annie found out that the plastic bottles thrown in recycle bins in the US ended up in huge mountains of them in India only to be ‘downcycled’ into some other product that will later end up in landfill anyway. Another interesting fact that the documentary brings forth is the reason why the local water gets polluted in the first place. It is the industries like the bottle water manufacture that are the culprit.

‘The story of Cap-n-Trade’ (released Dec 2009) is meant specifically to explain what the so called solution for climate change involves. This documentary was made around the time of the much hyped COP15 summit. I think it does a good job at explaining in layman terms what Cap-n-Trade means, not just on the paper but for the common folk around the globe and for the capitalists and industrialists. It becomes very clear why this is being touted as the best solution to the climate change when it is not. As usual the rich people who govern all the big businesses in the world have much at stake if the real measures are taken. Stopping the use of fossil fuel and finding alternatives is the only way to reduce the ppm of CO2 in the atmosphere from current 387ppm to the required, safe 350ppm. However Cap-n-Trade is being used as a mere quick-fix distraction from these real, long term solutions. As with anything else in consumer goods and services the devil is in the details in this case as well. Annie explains the 3 biggest ones in her documentary. A similar system has already been employed and has failed in the EU. So why would we want to think it will work anywhere else in the world?

The upcoming ‘story of cosmetics’ looks at how we’re never given a choice of buying safe products as everything that is on the supermarket shelves is unsafe. And we as consumers are never given any say in the decision of what should go on these shelves. I will simply copy and paste what the website itself says about ‘The story of electronics’.

A few documentaries that open our eyes to our own devils but don’t just do the finger pointing. They also give some solutions. And mainly, they show us how we all are part of the problem AND of the solution.

The Story of Electronics (working title), expected in Fall 2010, employs the Story of Stuff style to explore the high-tech revolution’s collateral damage—6 billion tons of e-waste and counting, poisoned workers and a public left holding the bill. Host Annie Leonard takes viewers from the mines and factories where our gadgets begin to the horrific backyard recycling shops in China where many end up. The film concludes with a call for a green ‘race to the top’ where designers compete to make long-lasting, toxic-free products that are fully and easily recyclable.

A few documentaries that open our eyes to our own devils but don’t just do the finger pointing. They also give some solutions. And mainly, they show us how we all are part of the problem AND of the solution.

L'Arche: Spreading compassion

Guest post generously contributed by Rebecca Happy, a long time dedicated and active member of L'Arche, Canada.

 

Founding Story

 

L'Arche is an international community of people with and without developmental disabilities who share life together in a family-like setting of a home. We were founded inadvertently, so to speak, by a philosopher and thought leader from Canada, who was the son of Canada’s first francophone Governor General (the Queen’s representative in Canada) George Vanier.

 

In 1964, Jean Vanier was in France visiting a Dominican priest who was the chaplain of an institution that used to warehouse people with developmental disabilities. The institution was shutting its doors and the keys were “handed over” to them. Jean invited 3 men to live with him in a small house he called L’Arche in reference to Noah’s Arc. He knew it was a long term commitment but had no idea how big it would grow. Today, there are over 130 L'Arche communities in 34 countries and on six continents. These communities are all part of the International Federation of L'Arche Communities.

 

Vision

 

L’Arche is committed to helping create an open, inclusive and compassionate society where every person is valued and can make a contribution. L’Arche has a unique vision of care-giving in that it fosters inclusion, understanding and belonging. L’Arche believes that people with developmental disabilities have gifts of the heart that are unique and powerful in their ability to change society. When we let go of our stereotypes of people and ourselves, we can be surprised by what people with developmental disabilities can offer us. At the core of the human experience we are all spiritual beings with the same basic needs and desires. To belong, and to love and be loved are certainly amongst the crucial factors that make up our hearts. In spite of the pretence and fictitious rules and regulations we create for ourselves, when pared all away we can receive our common humanity.

 

Life Transformation

 

L’Arche members, with and without disabilities, share in decision making in all aspects of their lives. L’Arche believes that meaningful activities whether for work, play or spirit are important for the dignity of all members of society. Every year L’Arche attracts hundreds of young people from around the world to come and share life with people with developmental disabilities. Entering into intimate life-sharing with people with developmental disabilities is transformative and life changing.

 

I have been in L’Arche since the late 80’s. Initially I went to a community in France to learn about community and belonging, about faith, to learn to speak French, and to learn about people with developmental disabilities. I never imagined staying for so long.

 

I was welcomed unabashedly with open arms into people’s hearts. Most people with developmental disabilities have lived with so much rejection, abandonment and abuse, it is surprising they are not closed and cold hearted. The stats on abuse for people with developmental disabilities is 85% if not more. When people go to L’Arche, they think they are going to help the “poor” and look after “those people”. After you have been there a while you realize that it is the people with developmental disabilities that are actually training you to be more human. They see so many people come and go they have to adapt continually and they do it with amazing grace.

 

They have to adapt to people who do not speak their language, who are young or old, who can or cannot cook, who impose their beliefs and culture via food, music, clothing and expected behaviours and it goes on and on. People with developmental disabilities have a huge capacity to overlook and forgive. They accept who they are and thus can accept who you are. There is no attempt to be anything other than themselves. This is very powerful for people when they allow themselves to enter this kind of relationship. This video called “I AM” illustrates will this capacity. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYA6OjG_E4k

 

Transferable Skills

 

When I first came online a couple of years ago on the social platforms, I was surprised to hear all the discussions around community building and how the world is changing through the use of technology. A lot of the concepts and verbiage being used, like: “transparency, authenticity, adding value, sharing your gifts, everyone has a place, being grateful, story telling, creating relationships and building community” were things we have been living and discovering and exploring at l’Arche for 40 years. I was excited.

 

In learning about social media marketing, I found that creating relationships of mutuality and trust seemed to be a key factor to online success. The very, very first blog I put out on social media was about people-skills learned from a person with a developmental disability. You can read it here: http://www.rebeccahappy.com/getting-connected-in-the-new-mediascape-with-social-media/

 

I presently co-ordinate a very small seniors club of retired members of the L’Arche community I belong to. Here is an interview we did with a local news site http://www.ottawatonite.com/2009/11/larche-artists-art-and-smiles-in-a-thriving-community/ that gives you an excellent sneak peak into the heart of l’Arche.

• For more info on the teachings of the founder Jean Vanier go here http://www.jean-vanier.org/home.en-gb.116.0.index.htm
• For more information about communities near you http://www.larche.org/home.en-gb.1.0.index.htm
• To hear about communities in Haiti read here http://www.larchenetwork.org/en/

This time, DON'T vote for "change"

Climate change is real ... and climate change effects are long term. I want to focus on these two aspects of climate change today. In the past I’ve written about global warming, the tipping points of weather patterns to look out for, importance of replanting the rainforests and many other subjects relating to changing ecology of this planet ... changing for worse.

I hope that I do not need to harp too much on the first aspect that the climate change is real. I believe, whether you openly accept it or not, each one of us have realised this by now through our own experiences. There is a debate over whether it is caused by humans or nature. I think the point is moot. Whatever the reason, as the most intelligent and technologically advanced Earthlings, we humans CAN and need to do something about it. If it is caused by us, we definitely need to negate the effects of our deeds on the planet and fellow Earthlings. And for a second if we believe it is natural, as Earthizens (technologically and socially advanced Earthlings) we bear the responsibility of changing the course of this natural phenomenon. After all, it is not going to be the first for us, is it?

The second aspect, however, needs more voice given to it. I do not think enough people realise that climate change is not instantaneous. The results of whatever substances released in the ecosystem that cause these changes are evident only decades later. I believe common people and policy makers alike do not understand this very well. Or the policy makers can mislead common Earthizens due to their ignorance of this fact. The “funny weather” we all are experiencing globally now is caused by emissions 25-30 years ago. And if we cut the emissions now, the effects will show a couple decades later. So we need to be patient and not short-sighted. By the way, ‘emissions’ don’t only mean gases (Green house gases have become synonymous with climate change) but also the liquid and solid forms which are sometimes more detrimental. This is another point on which the general public of the Earth needs to be educated.

To end this post I would say this. We need to do something about climate change because it is real. Whatever the cause the Earthizens have to try their best to slow and possibly revert it, either because we’re responsible for it or because we’re the only ones capable of doing so on Earth. The masses need to be educated about the long term effects of climate change and the power to act lies in their hands rather than a few policy makers.

Take action: http://www.blogactionday.org/en/takeaction

Related articles by Zemanta

• CO2 is not the only cause of climate change (guardian.co.uk)
• Climate Study: Human Beings Pushing Earth's 'Boundaries' (time.com)
• Life Style and Global Warming (slideshare.net)

Sunday Spotlight: The Age of Stupid

The Age of Stupid: Promote and win!

“'The Age of Stupid' is the new cinema documentary from the Director of 'McLibel' and the Producer of the Oscar-winning 'One Day in September'. This enormously ambitious drama-documentary-animation hybrid stars Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite as an old man living in the devastated world of 2055, watching 'archive' footage from 2008 and asking: why didn't we stop climate change while we had the chance?”, says the synopsis of the film on its official website.

“The Age of Stupid is a 90-minute film about climate change, set in the future, which had its world premiere in London on March 15th 2009 and was released in UK cinemas on March 20th 2009. The film will be released in Australia & New Zealand on August 19th, the global premiere will be live from New York to 45 countries on September 21st 2009.
Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite (In The Name of the Father, Brassed Off) stars as a man living alone in the devasted world of 2055, looking back at archive footage from 2007 and asking: why didnt we stop climate change when we had the chance?”, says the YouTube channel of Spanner Films that is responsible for making of this documentary.

As you would have read above, the documentary is being premiered globally on the 21st (in US) and 22nd (in rest of the world) September, 2009. That’s next Monday/Tuesday. Hence I thought this was an appropriate time for me to focus the spotlight on it. Even though the documentary has been premiered in Australia in August, I haven’t yet gotten a chance to see it. I’m hoping to catch the live online broadcast from NY during the global premier. However, from the trailers I’ve watched and reviews I’ve read it seems like a very different take on the climate change issue. It weaves together 6 stories recorded in present day to make a fabric of human psyche. These are real people and not actors posing as someone. Fernand Pareau, 82-year old French mountain guide; Jeh Wadia, starting a low-cost airline in India; Alvin DuVernay, Shell oil man who rescued 100 people after Hurricane Katrina; Layefa Malemi, living in Shell’s most profitable oil region in Nigeria; Jamila and Adnan Bayyoud, two Iraqi refugee kids trying to find their brother and Piers Guy, a windfarm developer fighting the anti windfarm lobby in England ... all show us different aspects of human mentality. The documentary does not set out to show us what we’ve already done to the planet because the assumption is we already know that. It, however, gives us a peak into the future that will be if we continue on our merry (?) way.

Another difference of this documentary from many others is that £450,000 of its budget was raised by “crowd-funding” - selling shares to individuals and groups. Film is therefore completely independent. The people’s contribution does not stop here. Even for the global premier people from various participating countries have organised their own “Indie screenings” to make it truly global. So for me this documentary also serves as a great example of how one can make a difference on a shoestring budget with support of other people who’re probably living on a shoestring budget themselves. I would strongly recommend all my readers to spread the word about The age of stupid and try to get as many people as you can to watch it. You can do your bit in many ways, organising your own screening, spread the word on social media, write a blog or at least watch it yourself.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Movie Review 'The Age of Stupid': An Alarm From 2055: Act Now to Save the Earth (movies.nytimes.com)
• Franny Armstrong: The Age of Stupid Gives a Coin-Flip Chance of Avoiding Climate Catastrophe (huffingtonpost.com)
• The Bill: Hard-Hitting German Eco-Humor (Video) (treehugger.com)

TED Tuesday: Walking the Earth

For almost three decades, John Francis has been a planetwalker, traveling the globe by foot and sail with a message of environmental respect and responsibility (for 17 of those years without speaking). A funny, thoughtful talk with occasional banjo.

Sunday Spotlight: Story of Stuff

SOS is a long used and recognised distress call in Morse code which consists of “... --- ...” (3 dots, 3 dashes, 3 dots) and is used in a serious crisis situation that needs immediate attention. The SOS that I’m going to write about today is also a distress call but it is meant for entire population of this planet. The Story of Stuff (or SOS) is a web-based documentary about the life-cycle of goods and services. The documentary, released online on 4 December 2007, is narrated by Annie Leonard who is an activist who has spent the past 10 years travelling the globe tracking down the path that consumer goods take from their cradle to grave.

As described on the SOS website, “From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.” Well, it certainly taught me a few things and also made me glad about a few things I do, knowing that they matter to the planet.

Even though SOS is mainly focused on the materialist and consumerist lifestyle in the US, rest of the world definitely has a lot to learn from it. Especially given that majority of the nations want to follow in US’s footsteps and want to live like Americans! The best thing about the documentary is that Annie explains everything is layman terms. Someone like me, not very knowledgeable in world economy, commerce, consumerism etc., can easily understand the crux of the matter. The explanation is also well-supported by animated illustrations. The documentary very easily achieves the difficult goal of explaining the “story of stuff” to its audience successfully in 20 minutes. That’s very commendable! It explains the “fine print” of the extraction – production – distribution – consumption – disposal cycle that has become the story of our life..... without us even knowing it. The story describes how we’ve used up 1/3rd of Earth’s natural resources in past decade, how erosion of these ecosystems pushes the natives towards cities for livelihood, how they (and all of us) get exposed to the synthetic, toxic chemicals used in production, how the distributors afford to sell us goods real cheap by “externalising the costs”, how the goods are designed for obsolescence to keep the “golden arrow of consumption” afloat and eventually, how 99% of goods end up in landfills or as super-toxins in air within 6 months of purchase! Yes, SOS holds a lot of shocking revelations for you and me.

There is a lot more I could go on writing about the documentary and about what I learnt from it, what it made me think etc. But I will leave you with a few key points.
· It turns out that breast milk, ideally the first “meal” of a newborn, is the most toxic one a human can ever get. Because it is loaded with all toxins the mother has inhaled, ingested and absorbed in her body in her lifetime. So the most basic right of the youngest members of our race has become a threat to its life! But as a species, we have an escape route. Cleverly, human mothers can switch to formula milk. What about the babies of other mammals on this planet whose parents didn’t even make and release all these toxins in the environment? Why should they pay the price for the actions of some really “intelligent” but equally ignorant species they co-habit the planet with?
· I loved the bit where Annie talks about a $4.95 radio from Radioshack and how she thought how can it be so cheap? “I didn’t pay the full price of the radio. The kids from Congo paid it with their future!”
· Some things have become so much a way of life for us that when the con is clarified, it is utterly shocking. SOS describes how the goods are “designed for dumps” to keep us buying new things. The stuff becomes obsolete in two ways; planned obsolescence (PC chips are designed in different shape each year so when earlier becomes obsolete, you have to throw out entire CPU and buy a new one. You can’t just buy the chip because it will not fit in the old CPU/motherboard.) and perceived obsolescence (Why do women’s shoes go from thin heel to thick heel to thin heel again and again? So every fashion “season” you have to buy a new one to fit in!)

Well yeah, there are a lot more “enlightening” things about SOS so I’d suggest you go and watch it for yourself. 20 minutes is worth giving for the future of your children and grandchildren. Also, the website has lot of information and resources for those interested in “clicking around and joining in”, as Annie says.

Update: New York Times ran a front page story about SoS on 10th May, 2009 about the ways the film is supplementing and expanding sustainability education!!!

P.S. Join SoS on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and WiserEarth.

Related articles by Zemanta

• The Dynamics Of Social Influence: A New Perspective and Agenda (socialmediatoday.com)
• Wiser Earth: A (free) Platform for Networks of Networks and Communities of Action (beth.typepad.com)
• Google Invites You To Take Part In The U.N. Climate Summit (takepart.com)

Oldest surface on Earth

This is a quick post to share with my readers something that I found fascinating. An article in LiveScience by Robert Roy Britt on 5th May 2009 tells us,

A new study of ancient "desert pavement" in Israel's Negev Desert finds a vast region that's been sitting there exposed, pretty much as-is, for about 1.8 million years, according to Ari Matmon and colleagues at Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

I was trying to imagine how those scientists must have felt to stand on that desert pavement and realise that they were standing on the most primitve Earth we could find today. I don't know about them but I would find it very exhilerating!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Largest-ever collection of coins from Bar-Kokhba revolt found (scienceblog.com)
• Bustan Builds a Model of Desert Sustainability (treehugger.com)
• Ephraim Katzir, Former Israeli President, Dies at 93 (nytimes.com)

Me = 2.7 Earths!!!

I just used the WWF Australia's Ecological footprint calculator (US folks can use this) and here are my results (the image is a screenshot of the webpage, click on it to see bigger image),

• If everyone lived like me, we'd need 2.7 Earths to support us all.
• It takes 4.8 global hectares of productive area (11.6 tonnes of carbon) to support my lifestyle.
• Breakdown of my ecological footprint is, mobility: 32%, food: 26%, shelter: 18%, services: 13% and goods: 12%.

So..... I'd like to see you take the quiz and share your results with me! The purpose is not to make you feel good or bad about your lifestyle but to make you aware of your impact on the planet. After that if you chose to change your lifestyle, for better or worse of the Earth, it will be your decision.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Australia Now the World's Largest Per Capita Carbon Emitter (treehugger.com)
• World Goes Into Eco-Debt As Resources Vanish (news.sky.com)
• Costa Rica greenest, happiest country (guardian.co.uk)

Sunday Spotlight: Home

It seems like there has been sudden upsurge of consciousness among the humans in last couple years of what we have been doing and are still doing to the planet Earth. As the signs of deprivation of natural resources and treasures on Earth become more and more alarming, at least some of us have started taking the warnings seriously. There have been various projects and research and acts from the people, the scientists and the governments to try and decrease our impact on the environment. Advances in communication and mass media have been used to educate and convince people that we need to change our ways. I have written before about couple of such documentaries, Story of Stuff and Earthlings, which try to show us the uncomfortable facts that we chose to ignore otherwise. Today I’m focusing the spotlight on another such endeavour, Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s ‘Home’. Yann is not your average film producer or director. He’s the creator and chair of an environmental non-profit organisation, Good Planet and this documentary is only a part of the big picture.

Yann’s talk at the TED conference that showcases Home as well as his other interesting project, 6 billion others, was featured on my blog in this week’s TED Tuesday. He mentions in it that Home is not meant to make money and hence is available free for anyone to download from YouTube or iTunes and show it to whoever they want to. The purpose is to get as many of us 7 billion as possible to watch it. I watched Home for the first time about 3 weeks back (and 5 more times since then). Yesterday I watched it again with the intention of writing a blog post on it and took copious notes while watching. However, I later realised that rather than me giving all the info in it to my readers, I should make my post a teaser for Home. And make sure as many of my readers as possible watch it themselves and show others.

A couple of interesting facts about the documentary that might convince you to go watch it (if you don’t care about the Earth, that is) are that it is supported by big brands like Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Balencia etc. and it has been narrated (very effectively) by Glenn Close. The movie was shot in 54 countries in 217 days and includes some absolutely stunning wide angle footage of our planet’s not-so-famous regions. The music (by Armand Amar) and narration script (by Yann and Isabelle Dellanoy) couldn’t have done more justice to the fascinating cinematography. The diverse and raw, native vocals from around the world suit perfectly to the gentle story-telling style primer on the natural history of primeval Earth and the advent of humans 200 thousand years ago.

Engine of life is ‘linkage’. Nothing is self-sufficient. Sharing is everything [...] Our Earth relies on a balance in which every being has a role to play and exists only through the existence of another being; subtle, fragile harmony that is easily shattered.

The music picks up pace and tempo about half way through as the story is now about the advent of fossil fuels and industrialisation and the “facelift” of Earth by us humans has begun.

You benefit from the fabulous 4 billion year legacy bequeathed by Earth. You’re only 200 thousand years old. But you’ve changed the face of the world. Despite your vulnerability, you’ve taken possession of all habitats like no other species before you.

The movie details our reckless consumption of fossil fuel, minerals, trees, fish, water, marshlands. The statistics of our proliferation in last 50 years are mind boggling. Faster and faster our cities grow, more and more we snatch from Earth, farther and farther we go from nature.

Nothing seem farther removed from nature than Dubai. But nothing depends more on nature than Dubai. It is sort of a culmination of the western model. We haven’t understood that we’re depleting what nature provides.

The movie delivers the final blow by making us aware of Methane, a green house gas 20 times powerful than carbon monoxide, that is buried under the permafrost of Siberia. If this permafrost melts due to global warming and releases the Methane, no one knows what the Earth will look like then. Home ends on a positive note summarising the initiatives around the globe in attempt to slow down climate change.

We must believe what we know [...] We have shaped the Earth in our image [...] it is too late to be a pessimist [...] it is up to us to write what happens next ... together.

Related articles by Zemanta

• HOME by Yann Arthus-Bertrand (neatorama.com)
• Can artists save the world? (guardian.co.uk)
• Rising Oceans (slideshare.net)

TED Tuesday: Earth's fragility captured

I couldn't have found this talk at more appropriate time than now. Today's TED Tuesday is going to be linked with this week's Sunday Spotlight where I will be writing about one of the works of the speaker, Home. So this talk is bit of a teaser for my readers for the Sunday's post.

In this image-filled talk, Yann Arthus-Bertrand displays his three most recent projects on humanity and our habitat -- stunning aerial photographs in his series "The Earth From Above," personal interviews from around the globe featured in his web project "6 billion Others," and his soon-to-be-released movie, "Home," which documents human impact on the environment through breathtaking video.

Sunday Spotlight: Connect2Earth

While on YouTube some time back I came across this video uploaded by WWF on their channel. The advertisement of the competition seemed interesting and so I Googled the website. The website appeared very informative. The idea of being able to voice my opinions and vote for the ideas I feel are best for my planet attracted me to click on the 'sign up' and become registered on Connect2Earth. In their own words,

Connect2earth is your green online community, where you can tell the world why you care about the environment and why it should be protected. You care about the world around you; you marvel at a beautiful clean stream in the mountains; you worry when you read about species disappearing and you get angry when you see reckless abuse of our planet. You know that if we don’t do something now, your children will not enjoy the natural world you enjoyed.
We do too at connect2earth. And we’d like to hear your voice. Because together we can make a difference. On connect2earth you can say what you think and you can add your voice to existing debates on the environment. You can upload your films, images, or words, you can comment on other people entries, you can vote for what catches your eyes. Most of all, you can learn, connect and share.
From time to time we organize contests that give our community and our concerns more visibility on a worldwide level. The current contest gives you the chance to be part of COP 15 in Copenhagen in December 09.

Instead of saying anything more about what we can do for our planet through this great platform, I'll leave you to do some clicking around. But, I'll leave you with this promotional video from Connect2Earth which seems pretty apt to get the point through to us humans.

Sunday Spotlight: Earthlings

Nature, animals, humankind ... make the connection. That is the tagline of this award-winning documentary film (@EarthlingsMovie on Twitter) about the suffering of animals for food, fashion, pets, entertainment and medical research. I would like to share a few lines from their homepage that describe the documentary, its impact and its making.

“Considered the most persuasive documentary ever made, EARTHLINGS is nicknamed “the Vegan maker” for its sensitive footage shot at animal shelters, pet stores, puppy mills, factory farms, slaughterhouses, the leather and fur trades, sporting events, circuses and research labs. The film is narrated by Academy Award® nominee Joaquin Phoenix and features music by platinum-selling recording artist Moby. Initially ignored by distributors, today EARTHLINGS is considered the definitive animal rights film by organizations around the world. ..... Nation Earth was established to produce documentary films on socially urgent issues. EARTHLINGS, released in 2005, was the company's first feature film and is the first of a documentary trilogy. The company is currently at work on the second instalment, UNITY, which will explore the unifying force of consciousness found in nature, animals and humankind. UNITY is scheduled to be completed in 2009.”

Now I must warn my readers, as does the trailer of the documentary at the start, the footage in the documentary is very graphic. I had to stop watching the trailer half way through. But that is exactly the kind of “shock treatment” impact needed to get anything past our thick skulls. I’d say it is appropriately named “the Vegan maker” as it will not be surprising if you feel squeamish eating any kind of meat after you’ve watched this documentary. However, my view about this whole issue is very different from most people (as it is on many other topics like human history).

If we look around, we see that food chains exist on our planet, one species being dependent on the other for their dietary needs. Plants don’t consume any other species but simply CO2 and use sunlight. But from there upwards, someone consumes someone else, be it the herbivores, carnivores or omnivores. Nature has designed us all to consume one or the other of our fellow earthlings. So then how are us humans different? We should not feel bad about eating other earthlings for our nutrition. However, there IS a difference between us and all the other species that we have morals. The lion doesn’t think of the deer’s suffering before digging his sharp teeth into its tender flesh. But nature has given the ability to understand other earthlings’ suffering. Shouldn’t we be using that ability when dealing with other earthlings?

I know what you are thinking. You’re thinking, “So you’re telling me, it is OK to kill the animals only if we do it in a way that they don’t suffer?” Yes, that’s exactly what I am saying. One species killing and consuming the other is a law of nature. Because if you say I don’t want any killing to be done at all for my needs, then you’d have to stop eating! Now you’ll say, “I’ll turn vegan/vegetarian/herbivore.” So my question is, just because you don’t see blood pouring out of a tomato or a banana doesn’t scream and protest when you detach them from the plant, you categorise that as “not killing” them? Think about it. Aren’t we being biased in our definition of violence and killing? So I don’t get this whole point of being Vegan. You are still eating someone ... they’re just not as animate as some others whom us omnivores eat. Being herbivore or carnivore or omnivore is everyone’s choice. But no one should fool themselves in thinking they’re helping the planet by choosing to be herbivores. You're still using plants and animals for other purposes than food. If you really want to help the planet, strike a balance. Us humans have made this mistake too many times. We go all out in doing something and then when the ecosystem is out of balance due to it, we chose to completely stop doing it and feel proud of ourselves for stopping. No, that’s not how the Earth works. She wants a balance of everything. And all we’ve given here over and over again are extremes.

Because of our inherent intelligence, we have worked out ways of using our fellow earthlings for more than just nutrition. We make everything, from all sorts of basic commodities to absolutely unnecessary embellishments out of these species, plants and animals. So using these earthlings for food is only a part of our reckless consumption. What needs to stop is being reckless, not the consumption. What needs to stop is cramming of cows and pigs and chickens into “inhumanly” small spaces because we just need more of them. What needs to stop is making their life hell when they’re alive even if we are eventually going to kill them. What needs to stop is killing of snakes and seals and whales and tigers for the use of their respective body parts till only the last few of them remain on this planet. What needs to stop is capturing of animals from the wild and their confinement into cages for our entertainment, their abuse while being trained to do “acts” that nature never intended them to do. We need to acknowledge the right of other species to flourish on this planet and be able to live a good life. There are 6 billion of us on this planet. That’s a big number when it comes to making a difference ... only if we chose the right direction.

Update (12 Jun '09): Two of my blogger friends, Linda MB Hughes and Sandip Sen, got inspired by my blog post and have written their own posts about the movie and their feelings after watching it. Must reads!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Ottawa won't bar imports of cat, dog fur (thestar.com)
• FireBull - stop the burning of live Bulls (thepetitionsite.com)
• The death of Marcus the sheep was a lesson to us all (telegraph.co.uk)

World Environment Day

World Environment Day (WED), commemorated each year on 5 June, is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action. I wanted to do a quick little post today to share a few important things with my readers on this occasion.

• Click the link above to visit the incredibly informative website for WED and find out what people are doing around the world and what you can do.
• If you use Twitter, follow UNEPandYou and help them reach 10,000 followers today (they need about 3ooo more). UNEP is committed to plant one tree per follower. So the more followers we get them, more trees we help plant. So tweet and re-tweet them on #followfriday today.
• I also wanted to remind my readers of the "green alert" our planet is on and our responsibility in lessening the devastating impact of the disaster we have initiated.

Further reading:

Extinction 101

Mix, don't mess, with nature

Trash to treasure: biochar/agrichar

What's your green idea?

... and there's more I've written. Click on any tag at the end of the post to read more posts under the same tag. Happy World Environment Day! Think green, live green, keep the Earth green.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Catastrophic Climate Change (talkingpointsmemo.com)
• Planned Emission Cuts Still Mean Far Hotter Earth (usnews.com)
• Wired About World Environment Day (treehugger.com)

ESA's "Earth suite" spacefracts

[Artist's impression of Goce, image source: ESA]

Most of the spacecrafts launched from our planet are aimed at studying other planets in and outside of our solar system, the outer space, deep space and astronomical bodies and phenomena therein. The ones that enter into a geo-centric orbit are mostly used for communication purposes between various parts of the planet. Very few have been used to study the Earth, the home of these spacecrafts and its creators.

However, European Space Agency's (ESA) launch of Goce gravity mapping satellite in March 2009 marked a beginning of a "geo-centric" space programme. The satellite is part of an armada of European spacecraft being sent up to study the planet. The BBC News reports,

"We have 24 satellites funded and ready to be launched over the next decade; something over a billion [euros] in expenditure per year," said Stephen Briggs, the head of Earth observation science at ESA. "This allows us to take a major role worldwide in providing a global system for the observation of the Earth and for a better understanding of the processes which survive thereon," he told BBC News.

Goce will map the subtle variations in Earth's gravity field
Smos will study ocean salinity and soil moisture
Cryosat-2 is designed to map the Earth's ice cover
Aeolus will use an innovative laser to measure winds
Swarm is a trio of satellites to map the Earth's magnetism
Earthcare will examine the formation and effects of clouds
A.N.Other will emerge from a current selection competition

Related articles by Zemanta

• Satellite to begin gravity quest (news.bbc.co.uk)
• 'Ice explorer' ready for launch (news.bbc.co.uk)
• Planck Telescope Snaps First Images (space.com)

Sunday spotlight: The Land of No Horizon

A few months back I read the book 'The land of no horizon' (ISBN: 978-0-646-41057-9, 2001) written by Kevin J. Taylor and Matthew J. Taylor, a father and son team, who researched on this project for 12 years before authoring this very logical and greatly explanatory (with numerous simple illustrations) book. This book marries two controversial and now almost-discredited theories, 'expanding Earth' (vs. universally accepted theory of plate tectonics) and 'hollow Earth' (vs. the universally accepted inner core-outer core-mantle-crust model). These two theories have been shown to have severe flaws in them when considered by themselves. However, this book does a fantastic job of entwining these two theories to produce a logically sound hypothesis of "expanding hollow Earth" with its inner Sun. I am not a geologist to give an expert opinion on whether this hypothesis can be considered as a valid theory. However, as a scientist who thinks logically, most of the arguments, explanations and examples that are put forth in this book seem very plausible.

The authors don't just stop at proposing this new model for Earth's geology. What impressed me most about this book is the fact that using this theory, the authors have successfully (in my humble opinion) explained historical/mythical and scientific phenomena. They show us (through simple text and illustrations) how the imbalance between inner and out atmosphere and oceans would cause (and thus explain) the ancient, cataclysmic deluge mentioned in various religious texts that wiped out the mankind from the face of Earth. In fact, going back a step, they explain how the life on inside of the Earth would progress more rapidly than the outside and therefore, how WE could be the hybrid between primitive apes on the outside and intelligent beings on the inside. The name of the book is what the inside Earth would be, the land of no horizon! The authors also go on to explain (and are reasonably successful at) some astronomical observations such as the "red spot on Jupiter" with help of the same "expanding hollow planet" hypothesis applied to gas planets (like Jupiter, Saturn etc.).

The upside of the book is its simple, layman language and absence of unnecessary scientific and technological jargon. In addition, large number of simple and neat illustrations would make this book very readable and understandable to anyone who is able to think logically and ready to face unconventional, new ideas without prejudice. One downside of the book, I thought, was that it starts out in a fashion which leads you to believe its going to explain much more (e.g.: UFO observations) than it actually ends up doing. However, what it does explain is definitely significant.

The authors (following the new age trend) have started their own website to further promote and continue research on this topic. The website is very informative as well, with the blog having articles about earlier (and failed) hollow Earth theories, information about the authors, overview of the book, Expanding Earth animation etc. This is what the website has to say about the theory/book, "The Expanding Earth idea has been around for a long time, but science has not considered it worthy of genuine investigation because a driving force was missing. This is where the Hollow Earth theory comes in. A new understanding of Gravity gives rise to an expanding, hollow Earth and once and for all neatly solves the drifting continent phenomenon." All in all, whether it survives the serious scientific scrutiny in the end or not, the Expanding Hollow Earth theory is definitely something worth reading (and considering).

Related articles by Zemanta

• Five Successfully Proven Predictions of Creation Scientists (codybateman.org)
• Asteroid Impact Craters on Earth, Seen From Space (wired.com)
• First complete image created of Himalayan fault, subduction zone (scienceblog.com)

Mass extinction with a difference?

[Image source: PhysOrg.com]

Mass Extinctions, Ancient Viruses May Hold Clues to Life’s Origins

(PhysOrg.com) -- Mass extinctions occur repeatedly, though irregularly, throughout Earth’s history, and occasionally these extinctions have been devastating to life on our planet - or have they? Extinction events have sometimes accelerated the evolution of life on earth by eliminating old dominating species and making room for new ones. A new study takes this idea a step further, showing that life may have never achieved the complexity necessary for the development of advanced multi-cellular organisms without recurring extinction events.

I found the above article very interesting because of the concept that mass extinctions are not always "bad" for the life on this planet. However, as far as we know, all previous mass extinctions have taken place due to natural causes. Right now the planet is undergoing the sixth mass extinction which is very greately influenced by humans, it is not natural. So would this one have the same impact on life as all others before? Will it open up an opportunity for new life forms to flourish on this planet? Or will there be only one major species remaining, the homo sapiens? Or rather, like Juan Enriquez contemplates, we'll become homo evolutis?

Related articles by Zemanta

• When genes tell species to go extinct (scienceblog.com)
• Onset of the "Great Dying" extinctions linked to volcanism (arstechnica.com)
• Five essential things to know about evolution (arstechnica.com)