Please sign the petition to help stop slaughter of dolphins

A very cool widget has been created to help raise awareness of the plight of dolphins in Japan. Each September the killing season begins and the quiet coastal town of Taiji, Japan hides a terrible secret. With more than 20,000 dolphins slaughtered each year The Cove Movie documents the massacre of dolphins. It also reveals that the Japanese people are unaware  they are eating dolphin ‘meat’ which contains high levels of mercury.

The widget allows you to sign the petition, watch a trailer and share this important campaign amongst your friends. I encourage you to takepart.

GG

US anticipates The Cove

It’s deeply disturbing that the slaughter of dolphins will commence again in Japan this coming September. There’s not yet enough talk about what we can do to save the dolphins before the slaughter begins or how to inform the Japanese people that the high levels of mercury present in dolphin ‘meat’ is dangerous to their health.

I have started a Twitter page for the exact purpose of rallying attention and possibly organising some protests. If, you have any suggestions or ideas please follow @dolphindays and keep informed of the activities of the filmmakers and follow @thecovemovie.

Any groups or individuals who love animals will want to get involved. I am also putting a call out to surfers and waterbabies who want to help protect the world’s oceans and also continue to petition Japan of their treatment of whales, dolphins and all cetaceans.

I also lashed out tonight on Twitter because I often find the vapid, mundane and banal tweets absolutely irritating and frustrating. As a tool for social engagement it can be used for a lot more than it currently is or does.

GG.

B’eau-Pal water

“B’EAU-PAL” WATER SCARES DOW EXECS INTO HIDING. Plans to contribute to climate action in lead-up to Copenhagen begin to take shape.

Photos

London – A new, beautifully-designed line of bottled water – this time not from the melting Alps, nor from faraway, clean-water-deprived Fiji, but rather from the contaminated ground near the site of the 1984 Bhopal catastrophe – scared Dow Chemical’s London management team into hiding.

Twenty Bhopal activists, including  Sathyu Sarangi of the Sambhavna Clinic in Bhopal, showed up at Dow headquarters near London to find that the entire building had been vacated.

Had they not fled, Dow employees could have read on the bottles’ elegant labels:

B’eau-Pal: Our Story
The unique qualities of our water come from 25 years of slow-leaching toxins at the site of the world’s  largest industrial accident. To this day, Dow Chemical (who bought Union Carbide) has refused to clean up, and whole new generations have been poisoned. For more information, please visit http://www.bhopal.org.

The launch of “B’eau-Pal” water came as Bhopal prepares to mark the 25th anniversary of the Bhopal catastrophe, and coincides with the release of an official report by the Sambhavna Trust showing that local groundwater, vegetables, and breast milk are contaminated by toxic quantities of nickel, chromium, mercury, lead, and volatile organic compounds. The report describes how a majority of children in one nearby community are born with serious medical problems traceable to the contamination.

The attractive yet toxic product, developed by the Bhopal Medical Appeal and the Yes Men with pro-bono help from top London creative design firm Kennedy Monk, highlights Dow’s continued refusal to take responsibility for the disaster. (Five years ago, the Yes Men impersonated Dow Chemical live on BBC World Television and announced that after 20 years, the company was finally going to clean up its mess in Bhopal. That hoax, which temporarily knocked two billion dollars off Dow’s share price, is featured in the Yes Men’s new movie, The Yes Men Fix The World)

* B’eau-Pal water: http://www.bhopalwater.com
http://theyesmen.org/

Melbourne Liquid Architecture at Westspace

Expect a wondrous world of automated contraptions, supermagnets, long wires, ping pong balls, multi-speaker sculptures, cellular automata and electronics. They will be creating an exhibition of constantly transforming kinetic sculptures that explore the chaotic interplay between sound, light, air, water and electricity.

runs until ­ 25 July
West Space, 1st Floor, 15-19 Anthony Street, Melbourne
More details at  www.westspace.org.au

ECOS Magazine # 148

Old buildings take the green lead

Improving the energy efficiency of Australia’s existing commercial buildings is one of the fastest, most effective ways to reduce the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, reports the April-May edition of ECOS magazine.

The everyday electrical services of both residential and commercial buildings – such as lighting, air-conditioning, lifts and hot water – account for close to one-quarter of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Projects encouraging the industry to upgrade existing buildings in preference to constructing ‘green’ buildings from scratch – thus avoiding massive hidden ‘embodied’ emissions from construction, materials, and waste – are springing up in the nation’s capitals, involving government agencies and key players such as the Green Building Council of Australia.

Next-gen cars: they’re almost here

After our decades-long love affair with petrol and diesel-powered vehicles, the era of greener cars and trucks is almost here, thanks to escalating environmental concerns, the recent oil-price spike and the global financial crisis.

Around 15 per cent of Australia’s total greenhouse gas emissions are generated from transport, although a 20 per cent decline in new car sales over the past year and a growing buyer preference for smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles are motivating car-makers to develop products that reduce our reliance on oil.

ECOS reports that electric cars in particular are becoming more attractive as consumers realise that fully charged batteries have more than enough ‘range’ to cover the 120km daily distance travelled by the average driver.

And watch out for the ‘air car’ – compact compressed-air-driven commuter vehicles that can seat four and travel as far as 300km on one tank of compressed air.

Sea-level rise: the view from ground zero

According to the World Bank, tens of millions of people in 84 developing countries, including Vietnam, Bangladesh, Jamaica and the Maldives, will likely be displaced by rising sea levels over this century.

In our region, a rise of one metre would effectively put the small Pacific Island nations of Kiribati and Tuvalu at or below sea level, a prospect that raises issues not just for the people of these islands, but for their larger and wealthier neighbours, Australia and New Zealand.

ECOS talks to scientists and aid agencies about their respective concerns: Is the increased flooding experienced by Pacific Islands due to sea level rise? How can Australia best help? And what are the options for these seafaring nations if sea levels do rise?

Further Information:
ECOS 148 online
http://www.ecosmagazine.com/

Thousands of dolphins block Somali pirates

Thousands of dolphins are reported to have blocked the suspected Somali pirate ships when they were trying to attack Chinese merchant ships passing the Gulf of Aden, the China Radio International has reported.

The Chinese merchant ships escorted by a China’s fleet sailed on the Gulf of Aden when they met some suspected pirate ships. Thousands of dolphins suddenly leaped out of water between pirates and merchants when the pirate ships headed for the China’s.

The suspected pirates ships stopped and then turned away. The pirates could only lament their littleness befor the vast number of dolphins. The spectacular scene continued for a while.

Read the complete article at Xinhuanet

Add your whale tale

This is a big bold whale of a tale (tail) site. Go check it out, it becomes pretty obvious quickly that you upload a pic of yourself and by adding a description of your whale tale you get to help protect whales around the world.

Safari did hers at http://wdn08.meetweaver.com/#/2423

You can do your tail http://wdn08.meetweaver.com/

Become a Sea Guardian

Marine conservation is a paramount activity of the Australian Marine Conservation Society. However, they need individuals to become Sea Guardians to help protect our precious sea pals. Watch the video and get involved!

Yes, Bernard Fanning makes an appearance along with other treasured Sea Guardians!

Watch the Marine Conservation Video.

Sydney Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef

In the interest of contributing to the world wide phenomenon initiated by The Institute for Figuring (http://www.theiff.org), In Stitches Collective is facilitating the creation of the ‘Sydney Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef’ to be presented in a public exhibition in August 2009.

Learn to crochet and be part of this inclusive collaboration that builds environmental awareness and links communities through science, mathematics, art and craft.

Bring a crochet hook and some materials to crochet (limited hooks and yarn available on the day). We encourage the use of recycled materials.

For more information about the project check out http://sydneyreef.blogspot.com/

Workshop being held:
21 February 2009
2-4pm
44 Little Oxford Street (behind Taylor Square on the Surry Hills side)
Sydney, Darlinghurst, Australia

Jon Dee and Bayer-UNEP begin search for Australia’s “eco” students

Australian university students with something “eco” on their minds are being asked to step forward with their ideas on sustainable energy solutions for the 2009 Bayer-UNEP Eco-Minds Forum, and be in with a chance to represent Australia at an International Forum in Auckland, New Zealand.

In partnership with the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), the Bayer Eco-Minds program aims to foster awareness, thirst and passion for the environment amongst students from across the Asia Pacific region. In return, the winning students receive an all expenses paid trip to Auckland for the opportunity to present their ideas and participate in solution-orientated group work, cross-cultural activities and knowledge sharing in a bid to tackle real-life sustainable development issues.

In Australia, the initiative is being supported by leading environmentalist Jon Dee who believes the Eco-Minds Forum is an ideal opportunity for students to put their passion to good use. 
 
“What better way for young Aussie students to get their suggestions for sustainable energy solutions out there,” says Dee. “Eco-Minds provides the perfect forum for tomorrow’s leaders to exchange ideas with each other in a proactive, pan-Asia effort to make a very real difference to the future of our environment, today.”

The 2009 Eco-Minds Youth Forum will focus on a topic that is of growing importance to the world -Sustainable Energy Systems: Challenges and Opportunities. As part of the week-long event, participants will look at some of the challenges around energy supply, including climate change, and the practical solutions that can overcome such challenges with a visit to New Zealand’s hydro and geothermal supply systems.

The Bayer-UNEP Eco-Minds is open to all university students aged 18-24 years with delegates from Singapore, Thailand, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, India, Indonesia and China attending.

For entry details and application forms, students can log on to www.eco-minds.bayer.com, or contact the Australian Eco-Minds Co-ordinator on Australia # (02) 4736 0892. Entries close on 28 March 2009.

Watch the YouTube video