thanks threadbanger!

Thanks to my Halloween post, Threadbanger featured my blog on one of their videos.




Be sure to check out Threadbanger's fun Halloween costume ideas. (I think the bat is my fave.)

banksy dolittle

Instead of talking to the animals, he talks for them. Today, I took a look at British street artist Banksy's latest statement at The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill (7th Ave South btwn West 4th and Bleecker). Animal testing, commodity meat, fur, and general animal exploitation all demonstrated in a fun animatronic medium. Now through October 31st.




Baby McNuggets



Cat? No coat.


Fishy sticks


Thirsty dog


Monkey pawrn


Bunny beauty
(I found it interesting that he chose Orly nail polish, which is NOT tested on animals. Though there is also a Revlon polish on that bunny's bureau.)

bcue: introducing third thursday public forums

The Brooklyn Center for the Urban Environment (BCUE) launched their series of Third Thursday public forums yesterday, October 16th at 6pm. The series will explore the economic challenges facing the borough in greater detail.

I couldn't make it to yesterday's forum (and sorry I'm just announcing it now!), but I hope to attend future events. Stay tuned to BCUE's website, or sign up to receive their announcements.

“Being Your Own Pied Piper: How the Song of Local Business Will Save NYC’s Economy,” will feature leaders in NYC’s local economy and discuss how our locally owned and operated industries are weathering the recent and ongoing storms on Wall Street. From manufacturing and construction to the food and event planning sectors, learn who and what the anchors of the new “local living economy” are —and how they can benefit businesses and local communities. Join us at our first “Third Thursday” forum to learn more about how strong community relations and environmentally responsible practices serve as capital to support and strengthen your portfolio and neighborhood economy.

Panelists include: Carl Hum, President, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce; Max Carey, CEO, CRD Analytics; Jennifer Stokes, Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership; and Catherine Bohne, Owner, Park Slope Community Bookstore.

Check here for details.

the lost 8 years

Many in the environmental community consider the past 8 years of Bush Administration Policy as the lost 8 years. Here, Environmental Defense Fund shows us some of the devastation that ensued under the watch of our careless rulers.


Lost Eight Years by the Numbers

Over the last eight years, global warming took its toll on the world.

While climate scientists confirmed that it is undoubtedly a man-made phenomenon and predicted its disastrous future effects, the Bush Administration worked with various members of U.S. industry to bury this evidence and block action.

Check out our 10 Facts About the Lost Eight Years to learn more.

150,000
The number of people who died in 2000 due to debilitating diseases caused by climate change in 2000, according to a 2003 study by the World Health Organization.

20 billion
The net tons of water oceans gain each year through melting glaciers and ice caps, according to a 2006 study by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

1,260
Square miles in area of the Larsen B ice shelf that collapsed off the Antarctic Peninsula in 2002 – this area is roughly the size of Rhode Island.

2050
Year by which polar bears could be at or near extinction according to the U.S. Geological Survey in conjunction with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

4.5 feet
The amount the seas could rise by the end of the century, according to scientists at the University of Arizona.

928
Number of peer reviewed papers used in a study that found there were no serious challenges to the global warming consensus that the phenomena was real and largely man made.

385 ppm
The concentration of CO2 in the earth's atmosphere in 2008 - the highest level in at least the past 800,000 years and 37% higher than CO2 concentrations at the start of the Industrial Revolution.

$200 billion
The amount of economic losses resulting from the intensity of climate change through the year 2005, according to the reinsurance company Munich Re.

0
Number of global warming bills passed by the Senate.

0
Number of global warming bills passed by the House.

Sources:

• McMichael, Anthony J., ed. Climate Change and Human Health: Risks and Responses. World Health Organization. 2003.
• "NASA Finds Arctic Replenished Very Little Thick Sea Ice in 2005." The Earth Observer. Volume 19, Issue 3. May/June 2007.
• National Snow and Ice Data Center. “Larsen B Ice Shelf Collapses in Antarctica.” March 18, 2002.
• Roach, John. "Most Polar Bears Gone By 2050, Studies Say." National Geographic News. September 10, 2007.
• Borenstein, Seth. "Global warming's rising seas projected to overtake unique U.S. coastal spots in 100 years." Associated Press. September 22, 2007.
• Oreskes, Naomi "Beyond the Ivory Tower: The Scientific Consensus on Climate Change" for Science December 4, 2004.
• Hansen, James. "Twenty Years Later: Tipping Points Near on Global Warming." The Huffington Post, June 23, 2008.
• Faust, Ebhard. "Climate Change impact on the (re-) Insurance Industry and Munich Re's Response." Global Roundtable on Climate Change Session II at Columbia University. November 14-15, 2005.

What do you think?

Leave your answer to the following questions posed by Environmental Defense Fund:

With a new administration only months away and a significantly new Congress just around the corner, do you think the United States will finally give environmental concerns the priority they deserve? Or will we end up falling into the pitfalls of the past, with political disagreements hindering progress?

apple day, this sunday

Eat some apples in the big apple while learning simple ways to go green, this Sunday on the Lower East Side. It's New York City Apple Day!

Sunday, October 19
11am to 4:30pm
Orchard St btwn Broome and Grand

• Apple Tastings - Apple Pie to Chicken Apple Sausage to Chocolate Apple Truffles and Apples and Honey for Sukkot

• Face painting and Family Activities for kids

• Free giveaways! Toys, 500 Energy Efficient Light Bulbs, T-Shirts

• Live Entertainment

• Learn the best way to recycle

• Learn how to save energy and money

• Learn the simplest things to do in your home to Go Green

It's true what they say, "an apple a day..."

I just read this fitting little tidbit from Yoga Journal editor Andrea Kowalski:

According to Ayurvedic medicine, apples help draw out of the body the heat that accumulates over the summer—heat that can dry out and cause digestive distress in the winter season. The pectin in apples also helps to clean and heal digestive mucosa, according to Ayurvedic doctor John Douillard.

Love apples? Share your favorite apple recipes here.


Honeycrisp, one of my favorites

an open letter to the new president

[Image source: 7x7]

Michael Pollan challenges the future president to take a serious look at revolutionizing the current state of the food industry in a recent NY Times article. An excerpt:

After cars, the food system uses more fossil fuel than any other sector of the economy — 19 percent. And while the experts disagree about the exact amount, the way we feed ourselves contributes more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere than anything else we do — as much as 37 percent, according to one study. Whenever farmers clear land for crops and till the soil, large quantities of carbon are released into the air. But the 20th-century industrialization of agriculture has increased the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by the food system by an order of magnitude; chemical fertilizers (made from natural gas), pesticides (made from petroleum), farm machinery, modern food processing and packaging and transportation have together transformed a system that in 1940 produced 2.3 calories of food energy for every calorie of fossil-fuel energy it used into one that now takes 10 calories of fossil-fuel energy to produce a single calorie of modern supermarket food. Put another way, when we eat from the industrial-food system, we are eating oil and spewing greenhouse gases. This state of affairs appears all the more absurd when you recall that every calorie we eat is ultimately the product of photosynthesis — a process based on making food energy from sunshine. There is hope and possibility in that simple fact.

Read the rest. [NY Times]

meet the new macs

Apple makes some advancements in sustainability with their new MacBook and MacBook Pro. Both MacBooks achieve EPEAT Gold status, which means that they met all of the 23 required criteria and at least 75 percent of the optional criteria under their gold certification standards.

Below, some of the eco-friendly features of the new laptops.


MacBook and MacBook Pro 15"

• Meet EPEAT Gold status
  
• Arsenic free
• Brominated fire retardant (BFR) free
• Mercury free
• PVC free
• Recyclable
• Energy efficient LED-backlit display
• Meet Energy Star 4.0 requirements
• Ship in a a 37% smaller packaging

Get all of the tech specs at Gizmodo.

bill niman and his goats (!!!)

Bill Niman is going back to his roots. He walked away from Niman Ranch -- and even his name -- after disagreements with new management over protocols in animal treatment. (I'm not sure I'll be able to eat Niman Ranch anymore, I'll have to do some more research on this one.)


[Image: Chad Case for The New York Times]

This time, he's focusing on goats. I love goats, but I'm not sure I can eat one. They're almost like dogs in my mind. But if they're humanely raised (ie, able to live a healthy life, doing the things that goats like to do) I guess the practice of farming them for meat is okay with me. I don't know Mr. Niman, but I think I can trust that he takes good care of his goats. And his vegetarian wife probably wouldn't have it any other way.

Read the NY Times article about Niman and his goats.

Check out some picture I took recently at the Central Park Zoo:

Dr. Michael Oppenheimer on the Colbert Report

Okay, it's from February of last year. But it's just as relevant today.

learning events @ AMNH

Some great opportunities to learn more about the world that's changing around us are coming up at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), in conjunction with the new Climate Change exhibit.



Future events @ AMNH

The museum plans to host several programs related to the exhibit including:

• International Polar Weekend celebration (February 7-8, 2009)
• World Water Day celebration (March 21, 2009)
• A series of interactive exhibits introducing kids ages 9-12 to the science of climate change and possible solutions to global warming
• A series of panel discussions bringing together world experts to discuss and debate the implications of climate change for our future (starting in January)
• Additional programs focusing on the effects of global warming on the wine and coffee industries

Upcoming programs for adults

These selected programs examine both personal and industrial responsibilities regarding sustainability.

FutureFashion: Connecting an Industry to Sustainable Practices
Thursday, October 23, 6:30pm
$15 ($13.50 Members)

Industry experts, Julie Gilhart, Fashion Director of Barneys; Scott Hahn, President of Loomstate; and others, participate in a discussion with Leslie Hoffman, executive director, Earth Pledge, and Greg Loosvelt, Earth Pledge’s carbon footprint assessment expert, about ways the fashion industry is working to reduce its environmental footprint. Learn about Earth Pledge's FutureFashion initiative, which encourages sustainability by working within the fashion industry to promote renewable, reusable, and nonpolluting materials and processes. On exhibit will be one-of-a-kind creations made as part of this collaboration by a few top designers, including Stella McCartney, Calvin Klein, and Rodarte.


Global Kitchen: Wine and Climate Change
Tuesday, October 28, 6:30 pm
$20

What consequences will global warming have on the wine industry? In this discussion and wine tasting, climatologist Gregory V. Jones, Southern Oregon University; author and blogger Tyler Colman, DrVino.com and Wine Politics; and Evan Spingarn, wine importer and distributor, will address such topics as redrawing the wine map, wines and their cultural identities, and calculating wine’s carbon footprint.


Margaret Mead Film & Video Festival
Friday-Saturday, November 14-16
$10 ($9 Members)

This sidebar to the international documentary film festival will include two sessions on climate change and global culture. Post-screening discussions with filmmakers and specialists will follow these films. Selected works will circulate in the Traveling Film Series domestically and internationally.

Peace with Seals
Saturday, November 15
Directed by Miloslav Novak. Peace with Seals (Mir s Tuleni) tells the story of biologist Emanuele Coppola’s hunt for the Mediterranean monk seal. Conversations with marine biologists and philosophers, as well as the beachgoers on the Mediterranean shores, who have supplanted the seals, lead him to believe that the only monk seals left are those preserved in Coppola’s extensive collection of archival footage. (U.S. Premiere)

Recipes for Disaster
Sunday, November 16
Directed by John Webster. Recipes for Disaster features the filmmaker and his family in a quest to reduce their carbon footprints by going one year without using oil-based byproducts. Their goal of “green living” seems manageable at first, but surviving without everyday essentials, like goods packaged in plastic, becomes increasingly challenging. (U.S. Premiere)

March Point
Sunday, November 16
Filmmaker and producer in person
Directed by Annie Silverstein. Intent on finding solutions to the pollution caused by two oil refineries in their native land, three teenage members of the Swinomish Tribe arm themselves with cameras and travel across the country to meet the politicians who can help. Following the screening will be a discussion with the filmmaker and producer. (NY premiere)
Co-presenter: National Museum of the American Indian

Upcoming programs for kids and families

Adventures In Science: Climate Change Sundays
11 am–12:30 pm
(for 4th and 5th graders)
1:30–3 pm
(for 6th and 7th graders)
$30 each; $75 for all three

In conjunction with our new exhibition, these hands-on workshops introduce young audiences to the science of climate change and potential solutions. Participate in all three sessions and earn a certificate.


What Is the Difference Between Climate and Weather?
AS101908
Sunday, October 19

When people ask about the weather, we know what they mean: is it sunny, rainy, or hot? But what does climate mean, and how is it different from weather? In this workshop, we’ll use fun activities to compare their differences and similarities and learn why climate is so important.


What Is Climate Change?
AS102608
Sunday, October 26

Is Earth really getting hotter? Will a polar bear one day be your neighbor? Using the new exhibition Climate Change: The Threat to Life and A New Energy Future, we will examine the elements of climate change, its impact on Earth, and what that means for animals like polar bears, penguins—and us!


What Can We Do about Climate Change?
AS110208
Sunday, November 2

We know that Earth’s climate is changing—but what can you do about it? Is recycling enough? What exactly are greenhouse gases? Discover just how much energy you use in your daily life, and learn ways you can reduce your personal impact on the planet and help others to do the same.


To register for these programs, call 212-769-5200 or visit www.amnh.org.

climate change exhibit @ AMNH

This past Tuesday, I had the opportunity to get a sneak preview of the new exhibit Climate Change: The Threat to Life and a New Energy Future that opens this Saturday, October 18th, at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH).

The day started in the Hall of Northwest Coast Indians with opening remarks from the primary contributors,* which in hindsight seems apropos, considering the culture of native people in this region is being threatened by climate change.

From there we were led to the 3rd floor for the big show, on the way passing through the Warburg Hall of New York State Environment (I love the retro decor of wood paneling and white script lettering that surrounds the dioramas -- I hope they never renovate!), North American Forests, and the Hall of Biodiversity.

The exhibit

I don't want to give away the full show, because I think you should all see it for yourselves (it's in NYC until next August, then it moves on to Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Mexico, and South America). To give you a sense of the importance and comprehensiveness of the event, Dr. Michael Oppenheimer, professor of Geosciences at Princeton, basically said that in lieu of his intro to climate change course, his students should just come to the museum to observe the exhibit.




The beginning of the end

The overwhelming theme of the entrance to the exhibit is black, perhaps signifying the dark descent into our addiction with black gold (in this case coal). On the wall, a fiery red LED line overlaid on a black and white collage demonstrates the rise in world population, economic growth, fossil fuel use and correlating atmospheric carbon dioxide.


This image only represents recent history. The line starts well below the knees and during the last century skyrockets to well about your head. ©AMNH/D. Finnin


Back in 1550, the great forest of Europe were vastly diminished, wood being the primary source of energy. Reluctantly, people took to burning coal for energy.

Here's a comparison between world conditions in 1600 (when coal use was gaining momentum) and 2000 (8 years ago):

In 1600
estimated world population: 545 to 579 million
estimated size of world economy: $77 billion
estimated atmospheric CO2: 274 parts per million

In 2000
estimated world population: 6.07 billion
estimated size of world economy: $41 trillion
estimated atmospheric CO2: 369 parts per million

If my math is correct, in 400 years, the world population increased to about 12 times its size and atmostpheric carbon dioxide increased by 35%! How could anyone refute that humans have greatly contributed to the warming of our planet?


[Click image to read text]


Ellen V. Futter, president, AMNH


Hey kids, coal is not cool!


Theresa Maher, age 9, and Brian Maher, age 11, from Massachusetts, examine a model of one metric ton of coal in the Climate Change exhibition—a dramatic icon of human energy consumption that represents the amount of coal needed to power an average home for two months, emitting about 2.5 metric tons of CO2. ©AMNH/D. Finnin


Goodbye downtown Manhattan


This model of lower Manhattan demonstrates what will happen when sea levels rise. ©AMNH/D. Finnin

Some alarming facts

• Earth’s average temperature has risen about 1.8°F over the past 100 years and it will rise much more as long as CO2 emissions continue to increase at current rates

• Even if emissions were to stabilize today, temperature would continue to rise for several decades due to the delayed response of the climate system

• Sea level has risen about 7 inches over the last 100 years, mostly due to the expansion of water as it warms. Every foot of sea-level rise translates to 100 feet of shoreline loss on the Eastern U.S. coast. Predictions vary, but future sea-level rise could range from 7 inches to more than 40 inches by 2100

• The primary effects of sea-level rise are increased flooding during storm surges and coastal erosion and submergence. Some of the world’s largest, most densely populated cities are located in these regions; indeed, 634 million people live within 33 vertical feet of sea level

Look on the bright side

The exhibit is only about 88% doom and gloom. Okay, I'm exaggerating -- it struck a balance between human contribution to the problem, the science of climate change, the ecosystems affected, and potential solutions to slow down the process.



Cleaner energy options are examined, and each resource (solar, wind, nuclear, geothermal) was allotted a percentage of the full energy pie. Other solutions offered were individual ways we can reduce our carbon footprint. There's even an interactive pledge wall where you can join others in committing to specific actions to improve your ecological impact.




Visit the exhibit

Timed tickets to the exhibit -- which is on view until August 16, 2009 -- include museum admission. Prices are $24 for adults, $18 for students and seniors, and $14 for children. Tickets can be reserved in advance by calling 212-769-5200 or visiting www.amnh.org. (Service charge may apply.)


*Ellen V. Futter, president of AMNH; Michael Novacek, SVP/provost of Science/curator of the Paleontology division; Edmond Mathez, curator of the exhibition; and Michael Oppenheimer, professor of Geosciences and International Affairs (an abbreviated title) at Princeton University.

(Thanks again, Andre & Jenni!)

support fair trade to help end poverty

Another way to help people in impoverished places is to support fair trade practices.



According to the Fair Trade Federation:

Fair trade is a system of exchange that seeks to create greater equity and partnership in the international trading system by

• Providing fair wages in the local context,
• Supporting safe, healthy, and participatory workplaces,
• Supplying financial and technical support to build capacity,
• Promoting environmental sustainability,
• Respecting cultural identity,
• Offering public accountability and transparency,
• Building direct and long-term relationships, and
• Educating consumers.

FTF members foster partnerships with producers, because they know these connections are a highly effective way to help producers help themselves. Fair trade is not about charity. It is a holistic approach to trade and development that aims to alter the ways in which commerce is conducted, so that trade can empower the poorest of the poor. Fair Trade Organizations seek to create sustainable and positive change in developing and developed countries.

October happens to be Fair Trade Month (of course, we should support it year round!). You can purchase fair trade certified goods at the following shops:

• Global Exchange
• World of Good
• Ten Thousand Villages