Hollywood Glam Goes Green

February 20, 2012 · Filed under Environmental Movement · Tagged , , ,

With some eco-conscious celebrities arriving at the 84th Academy Awards this year in hybrid cars, one lucky diva will walk the red carpet wearing a winning-designed dress made completely from eco-friendly materials.

Suzy Amis-Cameron, wife of famed ’Titanic’ director James Cameron, is founder of  ‘The Red Carpet Green Dress’ contest. The dress design contest concept began in 2005 because enviornmental advocate Amis-Cameron believes that beautiful red carpet worthy gowns can be organically chic, created by using only sustainable and renewable materials. With the goal of bringing eco-awareness to the fashion industry, gown designers have the opportunity to consider sustainable, alternative materials.

The mother of five children, Amis-Cameron started the Red Carpet Green Dress contest to benefit Muse School in Calabasas, which she co-founded with her sister Rebecca. The antithesis of the traditional classroom setting, the child-centered school focuses on a healthy community and enviornment.

With hundreds of entries from all over the world, contest participants must design and make a gown completely from eco-friendly,  sustainable materials. Once the winner is chosen, the gown will then be worn by an actress on the red carpet at the Academy Awards February 26th.

In order to reduce consumption of new raw materials, some gown designers have started using eco-friendly, biodegradable and sustainable materials that are enviornmentally friendly.

Using recycled or reclaimed fibers, eco-friendly fashions are made using organic silk, bamboo, hemp and cotton that are produced without the use of pesticides, harsh chemicals or bleach.

With the fashion industry working towards a better and cleaner enviornment, eco-fashions began in 2005 during the prestigious New York Fashion Week, bringing eco-awareness to sustainable couture.

For more information, visit: http://www.redcarpetgreendress.com/home/

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New Orleans’ Mardi Gras Thinks Green

February 19, 2012 · Filed under Environmental Movement, Uncategorized · Tagged , , ,

A volunteer from 'Arc of Greater New Orleans' picks up discarded carnival beads

It’s party nirvana once again in the Crescent City.

Often referred to as “America’s biggest party,” Mardi Gras is celebrated annually in the birthplace of jazz- New Orleans.

This year, the party is Tuesday, February 21.

A time of merriment, Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday,” which refers to the tradition of eating rich, fatty foods on Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of Lent.

With its infectious sound of marching bands, the streets are awash with party revelers spilling on to the streets of New Orleans with the tradition of watching parades, as large decorative floats with riders dressed in colorful and wacky costumes fling an estimated 25 million pounds of plastic beads to the crowds below.

But the non-profit, Arc of Greater New Orleans will have their hands full after the party revelers retreat and the annual celebration ends, when eco-conscious volunteers take to the streets of New Orleans and begin collecting millions of decorative beads that have found their way on to the streets and sidewalks of the various parade routes.

Typically, the discarded petroleum-based plastic beads eventually land in overburdened landfills.

Because traditional recycling centers do not accept the beads, the Metarie, Louisiana based non-profit rounds up the beads, recycles and resells them for next year’s carnival, with the profits going towards the larger mission of helping those people who are mentally challenged.

With the goal of keeping the beads out of landfills, the program which is growing in popularity, sold 100,000 pounds of recycled beads last year.

Jumping on the eco-conscious bandwagon, other bead recycling efforts in recent years have been made, such as setting out bead collection bins along the various parade routes.

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Breathing Dirty In California

April 27, 2011 · Filed under Environmental Justice, Green Living, Transportation, Vanessa Vazquez · Tagged , , , ,

Do you live in California? Did you know that residents in California cities breath in the worst air? The Golden State currently has the most cities with the worst air pollution.

According to a report by HealthDay News, CA topped the list of U.S. cities with the worst air pollution. A study on air quality was conducted by American Lung Association.

They also found that 48% of Americans live where smog is too high, 20% live where there are short-term spikes of pollution, and 6% live where there is harmful, year-round soot.

But wait. There’s more. The article reports that about 17 million Americans affected by three types of hazardous pollution. Exposure to pollution can lead to low birth weights, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. (Those were just some on the list).

How do you think Californians can help decrease air pollution?
To learn more, visit the California Environmental Protection Agency website.

Air pollution in Los Angeles. A layer of smog hovers over the city.

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Deforestation Encouraged By Demand For Gold, Other Materials

April 26, 2011 · Filed under Environmental Justice, Vanessa Vazquez · Tagged , , , , , , , ,

In Peru, the demand for gold has resulted in illegal and destructive mining that in turn, has increased deforestation in the Madre de Dios region.

According to Mongabay.com, an environmental science and conservation news site, the loss of forests in Peru is only the beginning. Mining has detrimental effects such as an increase of mercury which contaminates the air and soil.

In addition, according to the article, social problems like drug trafficking, indentured labor, and child prostitution, have arisen from the illegal gold trade.

But Peru is not the only country facing this issue. Three years ago, officials in Tibet planned to ban gold mining to protect the environment.

According to an article by the Associated Press, many parts of China are polluted and water supplies are contaminated because of illegal mining. In parts of Tibet, water is used as a source for China.

What will the push for gold and other precious materials eventually cost us?
Deforestation in Peru. Photo by Mongabay.com

To learn 5 ways you can help stop deforestation, read the article by Mother Nature Network.

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Earth Day 2011

April 25, 2011 · Filed under Energy conservation, Environmental Justice, Green Economy, Green Living, Recycling, Transportation, Vanessa Vazquez, Water Conservation, Water Shortage · Tagged , , ,

This year, Earth Day landed on April 22nd and provided people opportunities to take action and participate in helping to preserve the planet.

Earth Day Network gave people the opportunity to register and pledge an act of green for their “A Billion Acts of Green” campaign on their website. EDN is trying to prove that real change can occur if millions of people commit to their actions. So far, a little over a million people have made a pledge.

“Our family will use less water, plant a tree and grow a food garden,” “I pledge to use less styrofoam, as well as recycle all paper and plastic products…,” and “I will bring my own reusable shopping bags to the store,” are all examples of pledges people have proposed.

Pledges range by topic from advocacy, energy, transportation, and water. EDN’s reasoning behind this campaign helps raise awareness on the way we treat our planet. It is true, also, that if millions commit to their actions, then maybe a big difference can be made. What do you pledge?

Earth Day photo from space. Photo from National Geographic.

To learn more about Earth Day or how to make a contribution, visit Earth Day Network.

To view more photos of Earth Day, visit National Geographic.

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Plight of The Honey Bees

April 13, 2011 · Filed under Environmental Justice, Uncategorized, Vanessa Vazquez · Tagged , , , , , , ,

Without honey bees, many of the fruits and vegetables we consume would not be pollinated. If they aren’t pollinated, we simply can’t enjoy them and we would lose the majority of our food supply that feeds the world’s growing population.

But honey bees are disappearing. What in the environment is causing this to happen? Could it be pesticides? Global Warming?

According to an article by Associated Press, scientists believe that pesticides, disappearing habitats, wet weather, and a particular parasite are to blame.

In addition, United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP, has estimated that 70 species of bees pollinate 100 crop species that provides 90 percent of the world’s food.

UNEP also warns that if honey bees aren’t protected, their decline will continue to rise.

There remains hope however, that honey bee populations can be conserved and restored. For example, farmers and landowners are being provided incentives to help restore them.

In addition, popular ice cream makers, Haagen Daz has created a site where people can learn more information on helping save the honey bee population. On their interactive website, www.helpthehoneybees.com, Haagen Daz provides information on the honey bee crisis, what they are doing to help, and how you can help.

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Earth Hour Allows Clear View of Night Sky

March 31, 2011 · Filed under Vanessa Vazquez · Tagged , , , ,

On March 26th 2011, at exactly 8:30p.m., hundreds of people in cities around the world switched off their lights in honor of “Earth Hour,” allowing spectators to see the night sky clearly. In 2007, the World Wildlife Fund began this campaign as an international statement towards climate change.

According to WWF, participants send a powerful and visual message demanding action. Since its inception, Earth Hour has become a global movement including 4,000 cities in 87 countries.

In addition, according to National Geographic, this year’s record breaking Earth Hour had more participants than ever. However, despite efforts, light pollution continues to remain as a major form of pollution. Light pollution, or photopollution, is excessive artificial light.

From National Geographic. Hong Kong during Earth Hour, March 26th 2011, 8:30p.m.



View more photos of Earth Hour from National Geographic.

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Japan Quake Environmental Effects

March 16, 2011 · Filed under Japan Earthquake, Radiation, Tsunami, Vanessa Vazquez

The earthquake in Japan induced numerous environmental concerns and issues. According to an article by Los Angeles Times, officials are concerned about the dangerous levels radiation coming from the power plants. Attempts at dumping water on the power plants via helicopters were abandoned. Instead, police are using water cannons originally meant for dispersing riots.

In addition, it is feared that plutonium and uranium will leak into the environment because they are highly carcinogenic and can be detrimental to humans. Unfortunately, power plant workers are exposed to these dangers as they work to minimize damages. However, they are equipped with full protective gear and only work short shifts.

The tsunami, generated by the earthquake, is also at fault for having killed thousands of birds. According to the Associated Press, approximately 1,000 Layson albatross were drowned or buried by the onslaught of debris brought by the tsunami.

An 8.9 earthquake struck Japan on March 11, 2011. Short-term affects are being noticed. However, long term affects to the environment remain to be seen.

From Associated Press: A Laysan albatross chick washed ashore by the tsunami.

Find out what you can do to help Japan here.

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The Eastern Cougar is Now Extinct

March 3, 2011 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , ,

U.S. officials said the eastern cougar is now extinct. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service made this announcement on Wednesday. The cougar prowled around in 21 states and for many years its existence had been questioned. Researchers found that the eastern cougar which was on the protected species list since 1973 may have been extinct since the 1930s.

Researchers did not find evidence of the cougars existence.  Now members of FWS are working to remove the eastern cougar from the protected species list, since extinct animals are not eligible for protection by the U.S. Endangered Animals Act.  This move will not affect other animals on the list.

Another animal part of the cougar family is the Florida panther, which is not extinct but is in endangered status.  The MSNBC article explains the eastern cougar’s extinction.

In an article, Julia Whitty describes how we presently live in the sixth great extinction also known as the Holocene event and what that fate holds for our lives.  Whitty says that in different ways we all depend on the fragile membrane of organisms that are disappearing.

Biodiversity includes an area’s genes, species, and ecosystems.  The more biodiversity around us the tougher the earth’s immune system is.

Whitty describes animals and other life forms as the “body” of the desert, each species represents a different body part that functions to keep the whole body living.  She says that the loss of even one species changes that body of desert.

This clearly shows that we all are connected to each other and that conservation efforts as well as endangered animal protection does affect our lives.

Below is a video the organization Big Cat Rescue and some of the cougars they have in captivity.  Big Cat Rescue’s mission statement:

To provide the best home we can for the animals in our care and to reduce the number of cats that suffer the fate of  abuse,  abandonment or extinction by teaching people about the plight of the cats, both in the wild and in captivity, and how they can help through their behavior and support of better laws to protect the cats.

 

 

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Water Shortage From Local to Global

March 3, 2011 · Filed under Canada Water Network, Vanessa Vazquez, Water Conservation, Water Shortage

As global water supplies are diminishing, demand is rising in energy and agriculture production. However, scientists warn that demands for water will spike, while catastrophic floods and droughts will occur within the next 40 years.

In Michael Comte’s article, “Scientists Warn of Water Woes,” the amount of money spent on water consumption, flood damage, improvements in infrastructure and distribution, and water in agriculture is expected to rise to a trillion dollars annually by 2020.

This means that by 2020, approximately $10,000,000,000 will have been spent on water.

This year, water experts and stakeholders are meeting in Canada for the Canada Water Resources 2011 conference to share ideas and tools on how to help other countries face the uncertain future of water.

According to the Canada Water Network site, while water demand will exceed supply in many countries by 40%, one-third of humanity will only have half the water they need for life’s basics.

CWN director, Margaret Catley-Carlson warns that we need to brace for one of humanity’s greatest shortages.

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