The Wilderness Act turns 50 this year, but rather than celebrate in a way befitting of middle age, The Wilderness Society plans to get a little wild.
Signed by President Lyndon Johnson on September 3, 1964, the Wilderness Act legally defined wilderness and started a process that preserved 109.5 million acres in the United States over the last 50 years. Its legacy and environmental benefits are immeasurable.
Such a powerful piece of legislation deserves a special golden anniversary, and The Wilderness Society has come up with a fitting way to celebrate. The organization's "We are the Wild" campaign lets everyone mark the occasion by sharing a story about an experience in nature and/or uploading a picture of the moment at We are the Wild. After making the post, share it on social media with the hashtag, #WeAreTheWild.
Protecting natural ecosystems through legislation isn't all work and policy negotiations. It comes with the reward of having great places to celebrate. "We are the Wild" both recognizes the hard work that brought about the Wilderness Act 50 years ago and says, "Let the celebration begin."
Connecting with wild friends, taking lots of pictures, and doing some live tweeting: Sounds like a party.
11 July 2014
03 July 2014
Source of Death
The problem of pesticides, especially the deadly neonicotinoids, killing off bees continues to grow.
Gardeners hoping to protect bees by not directly using neonicotinoids can end up unwittingly killing bees simply with their purchase of plants. Many plants are grown using these and other pesticides, which remain in the plant and continue to pose a risk to bees. Popular gardening stores carry the pesticide-laced plants but don't label them as containing the toxins. The following video from Friends of the Earth offers more explanation of the problem:
Neonicotinoids' prevalence stands out in the video. With 51 percent of plants tested containing these pesticides, gardeners who buy from stores like Walmart, Home Depot, and Lowe's have a good chance of planting gardens deadly to bees.
Despite the fact that neonicotinoids are in so many plants without warning labels, gardeners can empower themselves in the fight to keep bees alive. By applying pressure to stores and elected officials, we can work for the banning of neonicotinoids, encourage stores not to carry plants treated with them, or, at least, make sure the plants are labeled as containing these particular pesticides.
Plants symbolize life; they shouldn't represent death for bees.
Gardeners hoping to protect bees by not directly using neonicotinoids can end up unwittingly killing bees simply with their purchase of plants. Many plants are grown using these and other pesticides, which remain in the plant and continue to pose a risk to bees. Popular gardening stores carry the pesticide-laced plants but don't label them as containing the toxins. The following video from Friends of the Earth offers more explanation of the problem:
Neonicotinoids' prevalence stands out in the video. With 51 percent of plants tested containing these pesticides, gardeners who buy from stores like Walmart, Home Depot, and Lowe's have a good chance of planting gardens deadly to bees.
Despite the fact that neonicotinoids are in so many plants without warning labels, gardeners can empower themselves in the fight to keep bees alive. By applying pressure to stores and elected officials, we can work for the banning of neonicotinoids, encourage stores not to carry plants treated with them, or, at least, make sure the plants are labeled as containing these particular pesticides.
Plants symbolize life; they shouldn't represent death for bees.
01 July 2014
Social Scientists
The scientific revolution will be tweeted.
Scientists struggle to find the right ways of communicating their research directly to the general public. For years, they actively avoided doing so, letting their work speak for itself. The approach created challenges for the public's understanding of science, and some participants in the public forum took advantage of scientists' silence, attacking and seeking to discredit science as a discipline. The expanding number of media outlets and social media has also increased the challenges scientists face in communicating their work.
Today's communication landscape contains some useful tools for scientists, however. The same social media that flood public discourse with competing voices can give scientists an outlet and an opportunity to build relationships with the public. Rebecca Searles, a science journalist and editorial director of Experiment.com, which fosters crowdfunding for scientific research, offers some useful ideas for scientists considering engaging with social media. Check out her video below:
In recent years, scientists have seen the need for more active communication and interaction with the general public. For example, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye have prominently defended and advocated for science. Other scientists seem to be following their lead even if many are reluctant to do so. With social media to help them, they can take an important step in connecting everyone with science.
What we need now is for some scientist to take a selfie with a species previously unknown to science.
Scientists struggle to find the right ways of communicating their research directly to the general public. For years, they actively avoided doing so, letting their work speak for itself. The approach created challenges for the public's understanding of science, and some participants in the public forum took advantage of scientists' silence, attacking and seeking to discredit science as a discipline. The expanding number of media outlets and social media has also increased the challenges scientists face in communicating their work.
Today's communication landscape contains some useful tools for scientists, however. The same social media that flood public discourse with competing voices can give scientists an outlet and an opportunity to build relationships with the public. Rebecca Searles, a science journalist and editorial director of Experiment.com, which fosters crowdfunding for scientific research, offers some useful ideas for scientists considering engaging with social media. Check out her video below:
In recent years, scientists have seen the need for more active communication and interaction with the general public. For example, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye have prominently defended and advocated for science. Other scientists seem to be following their lead even if many are reluctant to do so. With social media to help them, they can take an important step in connecting everyone with science.
What we need now is for some scientist to take a selfie with a species previously unknown to science.
27 June 2014
Positive Energy
I got a little charged up when the batteries in my calculator recently ran out of juice.
The calculator is one of the few things I have been running with traditional alkaline batteries, and it usually goes three to four years on one set. When the batteries ran out this time, I took it as an opportunity to switch to rechargeable batteries.
Making the move to rechargeables was just as exciting as the company I bought them from. Responsible Energy Corporation promotes the use of reusable energy. It sells rechargeable batteries, chargers, and solar-energy devices at greenbatteries.com. The company has focused on rechargeable batteries and solar devices to foster a more sustainable use of resources. It is accredited by the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating.
Leaving single-use batteries behind feels good. I'm also encouraged that companies like Responsible Energy Corporation are helping make sustainability more of a focus and more accessible.
Even small changes can be powerful.
The calculator is one of the few things I have been running with traditional alkaline batteries, and it usually goes three to four years on one set. When the batteries ran out this time, I took it as an opportunity to switch to rechargeable batteries.
Making the move to rechargeables was just as exciting as the company I bought them from. Responsible Energy Corporation promotes the use of reusable energy. It sells rechargeable batteries, chargers, and solar-energy devices at greenbatteries.com. The company has focused on rechargeable batteries and solar devices to foster a more sustainable use of resources. It is accredited by the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating.
Leaving single-use batteries behind feels good. I'm also encouraged that companies like Responsible Energy Corporation are helping make sustainability more of a focus and more accessible.
Even small changes can be powerful.
23 June 2014
Playing the Hero
Heroes usually possess special powers, and the heroes of bird-watching have the ability to make identifications without actually seeing birds.
While identifying birds by sight takes a degree of skill, some of the best birders know each species by its songs and calls. Such identification is far from easy, but it brings with it the superpower of seeing the bird world through sound.
Luckily, the special power doesn't come from radioactive spider bites or the gods. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has developed a game that helps in matching birds with their songs. Bird Song Hero uses visual representations to break down species' songs and asks the person playing the game to select the correct source of the sound. To see a demonstration, watch the video below:
Bird Song Hero truly makes sound a second sight. When sight fails to help, birders must turn to sounds, and the Cornell Lab's game gives those sounds a visual quality. Here's the link to more information about it.
Now, go become a hero.
While identifying birds by sight takes a degree of skill, some of the best birders know each species by its songs and calls. Such identification is far from easy, but it brings with it the superpower of seeing the bird world through sound.
Luckily, the special power doesn't come from radioactive spider bites or the gods. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has developed a game that helps in matching birds with their songs. Bird Song Hero uses visual representations to break down species' songs and asks the person playing the game to select the correct source of the sound. To see a demonstration, watch the video below:
Bird Song Hero truly makes sound a second sight. When sight fails to help, birders must turn to sounds, and the Cornell Lab's game gives those sounds a visual quality. Here's the link to more information about it.
Now, go become a hero.
21 June 2014
Turning the Camera Around
We have plenty of nature television shows told from the human perspective, but animals might just host their own shows soon.
The United State Geological Survey (USGS) recently released footage of polar bear activities taken from the point of view of a bear. Check it out below:
The video provides important insight into polar bears' lives. As the text at the end of the video says, the USGS plans to use such videos to learn about polar bears and record how they are adjusting to the impacts of global warming. The video also gives the general public a sense of the experiences polar bears have on a daily basis.
Also, Animal-POV videos like this possess the ability to improve the relationship between humans and nature. By using the technology with a variety of species, we can better understand the larger picture of life on Earth. Additionally, in contrast to traditional nature shows, which record the animals' actions from a distance and interpret them through a host or narrator, the POV videos let the other species tell their own stories.
Now, that's some reality TV I can get into.
The United State Geological Survey (USGS) recently released footage of polar bear activities taken from the point of view of a bear. Check it out below:
The video provides important insight into polar bears' lives. As the text at the end of the video says, the USGS plans to use such videos to learn about polar bears and record how they are adjusting to the impacts of global warming. The video also gives the general public a sense of the experiences polar bears have on a daily basis.
Also, Animal-POV videos like this possess the ability to improve the relationship between humans and nature. By using the technology with a variety of species, we can better understand the larger picture of life on Earth. Additionally, in contrast to traditional nature shows, which record the animals' actions from a distance and interpret them through a host or narrator, the POV videos let the other species tell their own stories.
Now, that's some reality TV I can get into.
17 June 2014
A Goal for Iran
Along with playing in this year's World Cup, Iran's national soccer team took on an important conservation concern. In an unprecedented move, FIFA, the governing body for international soccer, agreed to allow the Iranian team to wear jerseys displaying the image of an Asiatic cheetah.
With the jersey image, Iran hopes to enlist international help in a movement that has mobilized the country's conservationists. The world has fewer than 75 Asiatic cheetahs left (all are thought to live in Iran), but the declining numbers have inspired Iranians to study and protect the cats, and the country's government has taken steps to stabilize the cheetah population. To strengthen its cheetah-conservation efforts with international support, Iran successfully petitioned FIFA to make an exception regarding rules for jersey features. For more details on this story, click here.
When a species' population drops to numbers as small as those of the Asiatic cheetah, keeping it from extinction becomes a major challenge. It's the kind of project that requires much work, constant attention, and international cooperation. Sharing the message about Iran's cheetahs at the World Cup will hopefully bring the resources needed to protect these cats.
The Iranian soccer players may not be able to use their hands on the field, but they are lending one to the preservation of their country's cheetahs.
08 June 2014
College Material
Colleges and universities produce a lot of waste, but they also generate many great ideas, so it was only a matter of time before someone came up with a way to address all that waste.
Last year, Brett Chamberlin and Alex Freid, two recent graduates, started the Post-Landfill Action Network (PLAN) to help institutions of higher education better manage their waste. What began as a concern about the trash generated when students move in and out for the school year has spread into a movement aimed at minimizing waste across higher ed. To hear Freid discuss the idea and how it's grown, watch the video below:
PLAN ingrains sustainability and waste reduction into the fabric of institutions. Through its consulting, the organization allows each participating college or university to respond to its respective waste problems. Also, the approach accounts for an institution's entire impact. Finally, PLAN employs communication for outreach and education programs to ensure the campus community takes full advantage of the sustainability initiatives.
Chamberlin and Freid see the big picture. They understand that individual impacts add up, and they realize what this means for the future of a planet already taxed by the human population. For more information about PLAN, click here.
College has expanded the perspective of many individuals, but Chamberlin and Freid demonstrate the potential for students to turn the tables (or couches or whatever).
Last year, Brett Chamberlin and Alex Freid, two recent graduates, started the Post-Landfill Action Network (PLAN) to help institutions of higher education better manage their waste. What began as a concern about the trash generated when students move in and out for the school year has spread into a movement aimed at minimizing waste across higher ed. To hear Freid discuss the idea and how it's grown, watch the video below:
PLAN ingrains sustainability and waste reduction into the fabric of institutions. Through its consulting, the organization allows each participating college or university to respond to its respective waste problems. Also, the approach accounts for an institution's entire impact. Finally, PLAN employs communication for outreach and education programs to ensure the campus community takes full advantage of the sustainability initiatives.
Chamberlin and Freid see the big picture. They understand that individual impacts add up, and they realize what this means for the future of a planet already taxed by the human population. For more information about PLAN, click here.
College has expanded the perspective of many individuals, but Chamberlin and Freid demonstrate the potential for students to turn the tables (or couches or whatever).
05 June 2014
Now the Story
We don't have to go to a galaxy far, far away in a time long ago to find epic stories of planets.
The Story Group, an independent journalism company that combines multimedia with an emphasis on storytelling, has a new video series covering the current impacts of global warming. Revolving around the release of the National Climate Assessment, which I blogged about last month, the videos focus on the ways global warming already affects the planet. For example, one of the episodes looks at how global warming is changing our coasts. Watch it below:
National Climate Assessment: Coasts chapter from The Story Group on Vimeo.
Through the use of stories and video, The Story Group adds to the impressive collection of tools communicating the National Climate Assessment's findings. Where the government leaves off with its interactive Web site, The Story Group's series picks up, adding vivid detail and personal testimony about the changes occurring on this planet. For more information about The Story Group and its current project, click here.
The story of global warming is already in its first few chapters, and The Story Group is helping us get caught up on our reading.
National Climate Assessment: Coasts chapter from The Story Group on Vimeo.
Through the use of stories and video, The Story Group adds to the impressive collection of tools communicating the National Climate Assessment's findings. Where the government leaves off with its interactive Web site, The Story Group's series picks up, adding vivid detail and personal testimony about the changes occurring on this planet. For more information about The Story Group and its current project, click here.
The story of global warming is already in its first few chapters, and The Story Group is helping us get caught up on our reading.
01 June 2014
Pure Poetry
Poetry often describes the qualities of air, but a new poem improves air quality.
At the University of Sheffield, the humanities and the sciences combined forces to both say and do something about air pollution. One of the buildings on campus has a wall covered by a banner displaying In Praise of Air, a poem by Professor of Poetry Simon Armitage.
While the poem communicates the importance of air, it does something no other poem about this subject has done: It actually cleans the air. The banner the university printed the poem on has a special coating that removes nitrogen oxide from the air, reducing smog. To see the unfurling of the banner, watch the video below, and to learn more about the poem, click here:
In Praise of Air and its medium represent a great development in environmental messaging. As we attempt to address the challenging environmental issues facing us, we'll need to communicate and act at the same time. The work by the University of Sheffield provides an example for such multitasking.
Good poetry moves us; the best poetry moves us to act.
At the University of Sheffield, the humanities and the sciences combined forces to both say and do something about air pollution. One of the buildings on campus has a wall covered by a banner displaying In Praise of Air, a poem by Professor of Poetry Simon Armitage.
While the poem communicates the importance of air, it does something no other poem about this subject has done: It actually cleans the air. The banner the university printed the poem on has a special coating that removes nitrogen oxide from the air, reducing smog. To see the unfurling of the banner, watch the video below, and to learn more about the poem, click here:
In Praise of Air and its medium represent a great development in environmental messaging. As we attempt to address the challenging environmental issues facing us, we'll need to communicate and act at the same time. The work by the University of Sheffield provides an example for such multitasking.
Good poetry moves us; the best poetry moves us to act.
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