Archive for the ‘Environment’ Category

Happy Earth Day

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010

Earth Day

Earth Day

For me Earth Day is both a day of celebration of our beautiful planet, realizing all it does for us… and a time to raise awareness that we aren’t living in a void. We are a part of an amazingly intricate system that sustains our very lives…. and that environment has become seriously out of balance through our disregard of the impacts of our actions on it.

Our planet has existed for billions of years, and will continue to exist no matter how much pollution we create…. its actually our survival that is at risk…. the survival of the human race. Strong words, I know, but many people don’t realize the severity of the state we have put ourselves in, and still resist making the change to start reversing the process. It really struck home today that it isn’t the planet we need to save…. we need to save ourselves.

The good news is that we have the technology, solutions are available… we just need to raise awareness from local communities to the government level, and start making those changes happen. There are Green Guides out there to help: whether you are switching to compact fluorescent lights, using non-toxic cleaning products, installing solar panels, or calling your senator about the upcoming legislation on clean energy and climate legislation…. there’s a lot you can do, but the change begins with you :-)

On April 22 1970, 40 years ago today the first Earth Day was celebrated across America, as millions of demonstrators, schools and local communities participated in a ‘teach-in on the environment’ that marked the beginning of the modern environmental movement. Its the only planet we have, won’t you join in today?

Carbon Offsets: A Change in Perspective

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009

As more of us are now aware, there is a climate crisis occurring on our planet as a result of an over-abundance of carbon in our atmosphere…. in no small part caused by emissions such as carbon dioxide from our cars, power plants etc. Films like An Inconvenient Truth, or Home that I mentioned in my last post go into much more detail in outlining this global issue.

I just discovered this site: carbonfund.org, which provides really easy to use online calculators to help you calculate your carbon footprint, and offset it through a donation to them. They work with agencies to put your donation to work in off-setting the carbon you emitted through you actions, by planting trees or investing in renewable energy. A carbon offset represents a reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) somewhere else, like a wind farm in Texas or a reforestation project in Nicaragua, to balance out the emissions you cannot reduce.

I put my cross-country flight into their carbon calculator….. and it was only about $8 to offset, didn’t seem like much…. but then I included radiative forcing, which includes the fact that impacts are more at higher altitude… it took it to $25! I’m not shocked at the numbers, just the real impacts that are hidden to my normal perspective…..

And then I took the opportunity to offset all of my car driving for the year…. only $27.  The crazy thing is that one trip in an airplane across the US was almost the same amount as all my driving for the whole year! Well, admittedly there’s a lot of miles in my flight, although still less than I drive in a year…. but because it only takes a matter of hours to fly, I never realized just how big my impact was!! Simply using my default measure of time, I completely underestimated my impact on the planet, and everyone on it….

I’m really grateful for this eye-opener on our true planetary impacts in daily life……. I really suggest checking the site out… and maybe taking a little corrective action now to help our beautiful planet get back on track :-)

HOME - A stunning visual portrayal of Earth

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009

Award-winning aerial photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand and narrator Glenn Close take you on a spectacular voyage around the world in Home. Spanning 54 countries and 120 locations, this film captures the Earth’s most amazing landscapes, showcasing its incomparable beauty and acknowledging its vulnerability to change…. in a way that puts our world - and our place in it - into true perspective.

HOME - A stunning visual portrayal of Earth

“We are living in exceptional times. Scientists tell us that we have 10 years to change the way we live, avert the depletion of natural resources and the catastrophic evolution of the Earth’s climate. The stakes are high for us and our children. Everyone should take part in the effort, and HOME has been conceived to take a message of mobilization out to every human being. For this purpose, HOME needs to be free. A patron, the PPR Group, made this possible. EuropaCorp, the distributor, also pledged not to make any profit because Home is a non-profit film. HOME has been made for you : share it! And act for the planet.”
- Yann Arthus-Bertrand, GoodPlanet Fundation President