Actor, Harrison Ford, speaking at a press conference. Photo by Haja Nirina via flickr
The past two weeks have been a great one for biodiversity lovers and conservationalists alike. The Convention on Biological Diversity, which began in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, met in Nagoya, Japan in October and made the most progress we’ve seen in terms of political will to preserve biodiversity to date – potentially.
As the one and only time of year that you can put on just about anything you want and act completely out of character, Halloween is the paramount time for sending eco-inspired messages about the perils of the planet without saying a word. Think about it: You are free to create any festive persona or character your mind desires; why not make it something eco-themed or create a costume from used, recycled, or found materials and get your party-going friends talking — and thinking?
Photo by ac.beck via flickr
In 2008 the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company announced its plan to build an entire city called Masdar City outside the desert of Abu Dhabi, housing over 50,000 residents and 1,500 businesses, with zero-carbon, zero-waste, and fully sustainable. The projected target for completion for this $22B project was originally 2016, but has now been pushed back as far as 2025, due to some revisions in the plan.
Photo by wanto99 via flickr
We often associate Sharks with violent attacks and fear, however this species is slowly being fished into extinction. With the EU closing loopholes this week on their shark finning ban that was put into action in 2003, the unethical and malicious practices of shark finning are once again put into the spotlight.
Photo by jordan_in_alaska via flickr
A group of walruses, which generally make their home on the sea floor and surrounding sea ice, have been pushed out due to melting ice and forced to take up residence on the shore of a foreign Alaskan island called Point Lay.
Photo by eyestudio via flickr
I’ve been researching plastic bag alternatives to use on my weekly trips to the grocery store and came across some startling statistics. It has been found that the world consumption of plastic bags has reached over 500 billion annually, which when calculated out adds up to be 1 million used per minute. That’s a lot of bags! People use, over the course of a year’s time, between 300-700 bags.
Photo by Dimitri N. via flickr
A new initiative at Starbucks has been initiated to encourage all employees to focus efforts on making the various aspects of the corporation green. By the end of 2010, they hope to reduce their energy use in new stores by 25% and to obtain 50% of their renewable sources in all company-owned stores. This pledge was manifested in late 2009 with the first LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design) certified store located at 1st & Pike in Seattle. The new build took all factors into consideration from the paint on the walls, which boasts low VOC to no VOC (volatile organic compounds) to the floors and tables being made of recycled materials. This pilot store is a prototype for all new Starbucks builds in which the company hopes to achieve LEED certification for all new company-owned stores worldwide beginning in late 2010.
Photo by avlxyz via flickr
If you take a look back at the classic shark horror film, Jaws, you might actually find yourself laughing more than anything (the special effects in today’s films make older films look like amateur work). Some would even call it silly to be afraid of sharks – after all, they’re the ones who should be afraid of us.
Photo via Agropolis
It’s hard to imagine our current agricultural system evolving progressively, considering the regression we’re in, but a presentation given at the Nordic Exceptional Trendshop last week by NASA-inspired individuals could give it the push it needs. The idea is called Agropolis – an urban agricultural venue with a grocery store, restaurant and farm, all under the same roof.
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Pumpkin: The Superfood of the Season
This time of year you’ll see them everywhere. In patches on the side of the road, guarding porches in the suburbs, and taking up residence in local Farmer’s Markets. The pumpkin, which is a fruit indigenous to North America, has become a ubiquitous part of the fall season across the U.S., as well as parts of Europe.
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