Another Part of Reality

I thought I would single out one more piece of Al Gore's 24 Hours of Reality. This one looks at the efforts to question the science that studies global warming. Such efforts have eerie similarities to the campaign that sought to reassure the public that cigarettes pose no threat to human health.

 Watch:


DOUBT from The Climate Reality Project on Vimeo.

Parts of Reality

As I already blogged about, Al Gore's 24 Hours of Reality took place last week. I don't expect you to consume all 24 hours of the coverage, but if you didn't get a chance to watch it a week ago, you can check out a few pieces below. And for more pieces of the coverage, click here.

Here is the introduction to the coverage. It is done by Bill Nye, aka the Science Guy, and offers a great overview of global warming:


CLIMATE 101 from The Climate Reality Project on Vimeo.


Also, here are the highlights from Hour 2, which featured a presentation from Boulder, Colorado, and a panel discussion that included Gore and actor Mark Ruffalo:

Solar Decathlon

Tomorrow, the US Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon begins in Washington, DC.

The decathlon challenges college students to design and build energy-efficient homes that can be used right now. You can get more information about the event by clicking here, and you can watch a video about it below:

Remember Big Moves

Two months ago, I talked about two big events planned for late September. Today, I am just posting a reminder that September 22 is World Carfree Day and September 24 is the day for Moving Planet.

If you can, make plans not to use a car for transportation on those days, and if you feel like it, participate in a Moving Planet event near you.

Right now, a lot of efforts (like Al Gore's 24 Hours of Reality, which wraps up today) are being made to push for better environmental policies and practices, so it's a great time to get involved and help maintain the momentum.

Love Birds

The last few entries have focused on resources that give us the chance to be active participants in nature-related programs and communities. Today, I'll introduce another of those communities.

The Natural Resources Defense Council and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology have partnered up to create We Love Birds, which is the Web site for a membership community dedicated to birds. You have to join to interact with the other members, but joining is free, and if you're into birds, it might be something to check out.

The Web site allows members to share bird pictures and videos, ask birding questions, and read and comment on stories in various bird blogs. Some of the photos (like the one of the common nighthawk in this entry) are simply spectacular. For more information, use the link above, or go directly to the site's About page by clicking here.

Share and Share a Bird

Yesterday, I blogged about the National Wildlife Federation's Wildlife Watch program, which includes a chance to share wildlife photographs on Flickr. Well, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a Flickr site for sharing pictures of birds.

The site is called Birdshare, and you can find it here.

Are You Watching?

Here's another opportunity for citizen science. People of all ages can participate in this one.

The National Wildlife Federation's Wildlife Watch program combines getting out into nature with citizen science and photography. It allows people to report findings and tell stories from their experiences in nature. Also, participants can share nature photos on the program's Flickr page.

Reality Reminder

Just a reminder: As I blogged about in July, September 14 is the beginning of Al Gore's "24 Hours of Reality."

Larry Schweiger, the president of the National Wildlife Federation, is one of the presenters. Check out his pre-presentation interview by clicking here. For more information about the event in general, click here.

Teaching Sleuths

For teachers interested in citizen science curriculum, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a program called BirdSleuth. It is linked to the lab's Citizen Science projects, and currently, it offers curriculum for grades 1-10 (something for older students is being tested now).

This looks like a great way to combine learning and an experience of nature. Follow the link above for more information. Below, you can watch the lab's promotional video about children learning bird-watching skills and becoming citizen scientists.

Kids and Energy

The US Department of Energy and the National Science Teachers Association have team up on a program designed to engage students in energy issues. Along the way, the children get to serve as citizen scientists and possibly earn their school money.

America's Home Energy Education Challenge is for children in grades 3-8. Some of the ways to participate include the collection, analysis, and sharing of home energy use data, the creation of energy use savings plans, and entering a poster contest. The choice of participation option is up to each individual class.

For more information, start here.