Remember This Time

I came across an interesting article about lessons from the Great Depression. Take a look for yourself by clicking here. 

A number of points in the article stuck with me. For instance, the idea that advertising creates needs addresses the engine that drives consumerism.

What stood out most, however, was the underlying message of how closely environmental issues are tied to our everyday activities. Of course, the author didn't mention the environment directly, but buying products that last and/or serve multiple functions benefits the planet as well as ourselves by reducing need. Additionally, along with giving people greater satisfaction and fiscal security, improving your house slowly (rather than wanting everything at once) can help lessen the impacts of consumerism; and of course, energy-efficient appliances reduce the consumption of natural resources.

Clearly, we can align our well-being with that of the planet, but doing so means remembering lessons from the past. As the article also shows, we sometimes forget our mistakes and have to relive them.

Picture This

Searching for a new look from your computer? Quickly naturize your computer desktop by visiting The Nature Conservancy's wallpaper page.

The page contains great photos of animals and natural settings. (See the example below.) That makes it a cool way to experience nature even when you have to sit in front of your computer screen.

Explore the many options. You'll likely find something that fits your interests.

More from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Today, I wanted to provide more of an indication of what's available on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's YouTube channel.

Below, you will find an informative, straightforward, and totally cool description of the Northern cardinal's song. Also, to learn about the many mimicked calls of the catbird, click here. It really is amazing to hear the sounds of other birds and animals in the catbird's song, and the video helps you find them. Finally, the common nighthawk is one of the most unique birds, so it's worth it to watch the video on that bird as well. Click here for that.

Hopefully, after all that, you'll want to spend a little more time on the channel. It has a great collection of information on the avian world around us.

From Computer to Nature

My last post talked about projects from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This post looks at another great resource provided by the lab: its YouTube channel. Below, you will find an example of the page's offerings: a video about the Eastern screech owl. In addition, if you want to view the lab's full video collection, which has lately featured white-tailed ptarmigans, frigate birds, and cardinals, click here.

By letting you connect with and learn about nature, tools like these make the World Wide Web useful and cool.

Let Your Perspective Count

As members of the environmental community known as Earth, we all have a lot to add to the general understanding of it.

Some people work in nature all the time, and the rest of us often wonder how we can increase our interactions with it. If you fall into either of those two categories (and let's face, rhetorically, I didn't leave much chance that you wouldn't), the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has some great opportunities for you.

Citizen Science features a number of projects, including bird counting and bird identification, that let you contribute to science. Remember how much fun we had playing scientists and investigating our world when we were growing up? These projects let have that experience once again, and now, the findings are for keeps.

One of the projects created by the lab is called Project FeederWatch. This involves setting up a feeder during the winter months, counting the types and number of birds that visit, and sharing your information with the scientists at the lab. Those who are educators can turn this into learning opportunities for their students. Along with counting and identifying the birds, students can study writing through journal keeping, physics through bird's flight patterns, history, art inspired by birds, and music influenced by bird songs.

We all have a lot we can bring to science's exploration of our world. If you would like to get more involved with this learning process, check out the links above.

Green Screen

A couple of environmentalists/actors have teamed up for a new movie, which opens this week. Rachel McAdams, whose Green is Sexy site has already been discussed on this blog, and Harrison Ford, who has worked with Conservation International and EarthShare, are starring with Diane Keaton in Morning Glory.

The film follows the experiences of a young television producer as she tries to breathe new life into a failing morning show.

If you are looking for a movie to see, this might be a good one. It's not about the environment, but McAdams and Ford have championed environmental causes, and it looks funny.

You can watch a preview at Apple iTunes Trailers.

Click if You Like the Rainforest

Small gestures can have a big impact on the world and on your day.

If you are looking for a way to make a difference and have warm, fuzzy feeling, consider making it a habit to visit The Rainforest Site, which gives you a chance to help preserve rainforest acreage just by clicking a button. The site is part of the GreaterGood Network, and every time you click the button, GreaterGood.org makes a donation to rainforest preservation. Don't abuse the button though: Only click it once a day. However, if one click is not enough for you, visit the tabs at the top of The Rainforest Site to have GreaterGood donate to causes like animal rescue, literacy, hunger, child health, and breast cancer.

After making these little acts part of my Web routine, I have found that they give me a moment of peace and satisfaction in an otherwise hectic schedule. It feels nice to do something to make a difference--even if it's a small difference.

Happy clicking.

First-rate

I've talked about reducing the number of things we buy, but sometimes, we need things. When these situations pop up, the best option is finding what has the least impact on the environment. 

Eco-rate can help you determine what products are the most environmentally friendly. Along with showing you the product's environmental impact, the site can rank it by energy consumption, toxicity, price, and cost of ownership over its life cycle. The site rates numerous products, including cars, bathroom faucets, computers, dishwashers, dryers, light bulbs, paint, refrigerators, shower heads, tankless water heaters, televisions, toilets, and washers. 

Finally, after seeing what Eco-rate has to say, remember to keep in mind where the item might end up after you are done with it. Ask yourself what option is most recyclable.

A True Breath of Fresh Air

I grew up playing and watching sports. Anyone who knows me can attest to my rabid loyalty to National Football League legend Dan Marino. However, the luster of many pro sports, especially the NFL, has faded for me.

For the last decade at least, the NFL has garnered as much infamy as fame through its players. The story of Michael Vick's dogfighting ring nearly broke my heart, and it sickens me to know he is playing again.

Today, though, I found a nice story about an NFL player--in fact, a member of the Atlanta Falcons (the team Vick was playing for when his scandal broke).

Ovie Mughelli, a fullback for the Falcons, has teamed up with the Sierra Club on a campaign to encourage the Environmental Protection Agency to address the air pollution created coal ash.

After watching the ad, I decided to learn a little more about this athlete, and as it turns out, this isn't his only venture into helping the environment. Mughelli has started a football camp for underprivileged children, and part of the camp involves discussions about environmental issues.

It made me quite happy to learn about Mughelli's work. With him as one of its players, the NFL has at least one good story.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Green Fish

As we move into fall in earnest, the weather cools but the salmon fishing in the Northwest heats up, and now might be a good time to give that tackle box and environmentally friendly update.

Fishing gives us a great chance to get out and experience the workings of nature. In fact, for many of those who fish, taking advantage of this opportunity represents the true reason for fishing (although it is nice to hook into a big one too).

Because we love this chance to touch nature so strongly, we should make sure it's a mutually positive touch, and that brings me back to our tackle boxes. Many lures and sinkers contain lead, which contaminants the environment and poisons wildlife when the tackle is lost. Additionally, monofilament line and leader can take more than 500 years to break down in the environment.

If you fish and would like to cut back on the amount of tackle that might end up making such a negative impact on the world you love, check out Green Tackle, a Portland, Oregon, company that sells environmentally friendly alternatives, including lead-free sinkers and lures and biodegradable line and leader. The company even has recycled waders.

Finally, fall also brings hunting season. If you hunt, please consider switching to lead-free ammunition. As with lead sinkers and lures, spent ammunition with lead in it can be consumed by animals, especially birds, who mistake it for food or grit. Birds of prey often get lead-poisoning when they eat carcasses of animals that have been shot but never located by the hunter. However the lead is consumed, once it has made its way into the animal's digestive track, the animal is agonizingly poisoned to death unless someone happens to find and save it. As outdoorspeople, this kind of impact is not what we want our interaction with nature to be marked by.

Most major ammunition makers now provide lead-free alternatives. Check them out if you haven't already.