Well we are landlocked in Tucson and missing the water.  Raven is sold (read about it here) and our new FPB64 won’t be ready for us until at least March of 2010.

So today when I ran across the theatrical trailer for Disneynature’s new full-length movie OCEANS, a follow up to Disney’s awesome EARTH, I thought I’d share it with you all.  OCEANS will be released on Earth Day 2010 (April 22, 2010) with a portion of the film’s proceeds going to ocean conservation.  See OCEANS during opening week, and Disneynature will make a donation in your honor to save our coral reefs.

Enjoy the stunning videography in the trailer – can’t wait to get back to the real thing! For more info and video direct from Disney’s website click HERE

“Online Museum for Fashion House Ferragamo” (Times)

Italian fashion house Salvatore Ferragamo has taken a museum detailing its history and culture online, allowing young designers to add their creative touch to its shoe models. The website, www.museoferragamo.com, is dedicated to its “shoemaker to the stars” founder and includes pictures, vintage films relating to the Florence-based maison, which is known for its shoes, silk ties and scarves as well as handbags.

“Sephora Drives Referral Sales With Facebook Promo” (ClickZ)

Executives at beauty retailer Sephora are pleased with the results of an Earth Day-related Facebook campaign it launched back in April. Orders and referral traffic to Sephora.com more than doubled during the campaign, which also yielded it more than 10,000 new Facebook “friends,” according to the company.

“SocNet Experiments Bode Well for Holiday Season” (MarketingVOX)

Inspired by the results of experimental social media campaigns, some major retailers are gearing up to roll out more elaborate social networking campaigns than they did last year. Though overall online ad spending among retailers is expected to increase this holiday season, details have emerged over the last several weeks that indicate merchants plan to use more of this money on sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

“The Last Campaign: How Experiences Are Becoming the New Advertising” (AdAge)

Is advertising dying? It’s certainly fashionable to say so. Conventional wisdom holds that traditional media’s grip on consumers continues to slip as they increasingly turn to the internet and their peers for entertainment and purchasing recommendations.

Involving youth is a monumental equalizer in the eco-green effort…it teaches respect on all levels and encourages teamwork. But to put our mess on young people’s backs is not fair. As long as the adults do not set an exemplary example, youth remain the brunt of poor role-modeling. Double messages “do as I say and not as I do” is passé and not effectual.

John Kerry comparing his experience back in the day believes that youth can step up and make a difference in the energy crisis. His campaign centers on how youth had formed bedrock of activism and helped to initiate the first ‘Earth Day’. Citing the example- 24 million young people,  ages of 18-29 voted in the last election, he sees critical mass in the unprecedented numbers.

The global shifts of rising sea waters, drought, and global warming require action now. The planet is at a tipping point and Kerry is challenging the Millennial generation to Voice their concerns through the efforts of the green group, ”Organize to Be Heard”.  Referring to our planets very existence being at stake Kerry sent out a plea: “I need your help for America to seize control of our energy, economic and security future, and the future of generations to come.” His solutions include reducing foreign oil dependence, creating clean energy jobs and eliminating harmful pollution.

Not a new platform, but one that needs support not only from every American and our government, but a global educational effort to shift how modern man/woman lives.  We have contributed to 25% of the world’s polluting, but that is changing rapidly with overpopulation in India and China, their expanding economy, and pollution contribution.

  “Live Green Dream”, an ongoing segment on “MerrieWay Day” TV rally’s all people to be more vigilant in the products they buy, saving gas and electricity, recycling, refurbishing, reuse, composting, car-pooling and… YOU NAME IT.

MerrieWay Day puts out a Call…. YOU NAME IT!  SHARE IT WITH US… what you are doing to live green?  We can learn and grow togethe.  We can put forth a vital effort to live sensibly, responsibly and with concious awareness.  Every day that goes by, if we ignore our individual part, we are willfully sabotaging our future and generations to come.     YOU NAME IT… YOUR ACTIONS COUNT!   Please respond –  your input could jumpstart new ways to positive green-action.

 www.merrieway.com                                  www.livegreendream.com

Software used:

• Adobe Photoshop

• Adobe Illustrator

Subject: And you think George W. Bush was a dummy?

Really. forget Democrat or Republican for a minute and think about this.

You Obama supporters, be honest now . Read the following and tell me how you would have reacted:

If George W. Bush had made a joke at the expense of the Special Olympics, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had given Gordon Brown a set of inexpensive and incorrectly formatted DVDs, when Gordon Brown had given him a thoughtful and historically significant gift, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had given the Queen of England an iPod containing videos of his speeches, would you have thought this embarrassingly narcissistic and tacky?

If George W. Bush had bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had visited Austria and made reference to the nonexistent “Austrian language,” would you have brushed it off as a minor slip?

If George W. Bush had filled his cabinet and circle of advisers with people who cannot seem to keep current on their income taxes, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had been so Spanish illiterate as to refer to “Cinco de Cuatro” in front of the Mexican ambassador when it was the fourth of May (Cuatro de Mayo), and continued to flub it when he tried again, would you have winced in embarrassment?

If George W. Bush had misspelled the word advice would you have hammered him for it for years like Dan Quayle and potatoe as “proof” of what a dunce he is?

If George W. Bush had burned 9,000 gallons of jet fuel to go plant a single tree on “Earth Day”, would you have concluded he’s a hypocrite?

If George W. Bush’s administration had okayed Air Force One flying low over millions of people followed by a jet fighter in downtown Manhattan causing widespread panic, would you have wondered whether they actually “get” what happened on 9-11?

If George W. Bush had been the first President to need a teleprompter installed to be able to get through a press conference, would you have laughed and said this is more proof of how inept he is on his own and is really controlled by smarter men behind the scenes?

If George W. Bush had failed to send relief aid to flood victims throughout the Midwest with more people killed or made homeless than in New Orleans, would you want it made into a major ongoing political issue with claims of racism and incompetence?

If George W. Bush had ordered the firing of the CEO of a major corporation, even though he had no constitutional authority to do so, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had proposed to double the national debt, which had taken more than two centuries to accumulate, in one year, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had then proposed to double the debt again 10 times within years, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had reduced your retirement plan’s holdings of GM stock by 90% and given the unions a majority stake in GM, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to take Laura Bush to a play in NYC, would you have approved ?

So, tell me again, what is it about Obama that makes him so brilliant and impressive? Can’t think of anything? Don’t worry. He’s done all the above in just 7 months — so be patient — you’ve still got three years and five months to come up with an answer.

As the year is slowly ticking down many people start to think about what they resolve to change, give up, or quit for the upcoming year. I’m not sure the exact percentage of these that fall short just weeks after all the Champagne has been drunk, tinsel shaken off, and unwanted gifts returned but is scary high something around 86%.

It seems that people take the same approach toward Earth Day (April 22 in North America) that they won’t eat meat for the day – which is just odd because it isn’t a holy day, or they will plant a tree; which they will forget to water and it will die a slow painful death, or maybe they will even arrange a carpool for the day… who knows “not sure if there is enough time”.

http://www.good.is/post/whats-your-earth-day-pledge/

But with all of these days; World AIDS Day, Earth Day, Father’s Day, May Day, Take your daughter to work Day; I understand that people get dizzy just thinking about what to support. Because you have to support something, or drive a prius, not eat meat, own a small dog (or are we past that now), have a baby, conquered Everest… something! My dad likes to call it “keeping up with the Jones’” which is becoming increasingly difficult these days.

Maybe instead of keeping up with these amazing Jones’ we should just keep it simple and try not to waste. Try not to waste what? Try not to waste everything! Buy less of everything, you would be amazed at what you don’t wear, use, or eat over the course of a year. For example try only to buy what you will consume in the next few days and make the most of the remnants that are left if the fridge. I realize this might mean throwing together some interesting dishes once in a while, but see it as an exercise in creativity. Or when you see that amazing plastic do-hickey that is on sale for 19.99 think about if you really need it or if you have something just as good already tucked so far in the back of the drawer you forgot about it. If you decide not to by that super awesome do-hickey you have saved 19.99, reduced your carbon footprint, reduced your household clutter, and eventually down-the-line your waste (because even though plastic lasts forever we don’t).

So relax, take some pressure off, and start little-by-little maybe one day with some hard work and perseverance you won’t have to make a pledge for Earth Day because your daily life already reflects your hard work.

Oh, and recycle because even monkeys can sort!

Good morning all!

Last Friday I attended PLANET’s Awards Banquet in Louisville, Kentucky where they present their Association Awards, Safety Awards and Environmental Improvement Awards.

The Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association received TWO awards that night. I am very proud of the work MNLA does for our industry. We received on for Association Partner of the Year for creating the website landlovers.org and another for Association Executive of the Year for MNLA’s involvement in PLANET’S Day of Service.

Great job to Bob Fitch and the MNLA staff along with all the organizations involved with MNLA!

Have a wonderful day!

Brad

I know, I know. Earth Day 2009 has long passed, having been celebrated by the Tree Huggers in the United States on April 22nd. Believers in the New World Order celebrated Earth Day with the rest of the United Nations on the vernal equinox, March 20^th of this year.

We Paid How Much for This Cheezy Logo?

But for those of you who believe in the inerrant Word of God or Whomever, today is Earth Day, more or less. According to the Bible the earth is 6,013 years old today—October 24^th, 2009. Or was it yesterday, or maybe tomorrow? Biblical scholars can’t seem to agree on the exact time, date, or even year of Creation but they’ve all come so close that, what the hell, what’s a few years one way or another. Their research and sources for this information are, of course, faultless and we’re sure the differences result from minor matters of interpretation and, of course, the sinister red herrings regularly thrown in by Godless scientists.

Most Judeo-Christian fundamentalists seem to agree that the earth was created in about the year 4004 BCE. They cite the ever-authoritative Old Testament to support their calculations. The Koran takes a somewhat more liberal (!!!) position, making no claims as to the exact year of creation.

Christian apologists John Lightfoot and Bishop Ussher seem to agree that the earth was created sometime during the evening of October 23. Ussher nailed it down to 4004 BCE, stealing liberally from other scholars and apparently ignoring evidence to the contrary. Lightfoot got a little confused about the Julian calendar (and apparently a lot of other things) and calculated the earth’s birth year as 3929 BCE.

But both seem to agree that the earth was created sometime during the evening of October 23th, or maybe it was the 24th or the 25^th. So we’ll ignore the precise year and just take the average of the dates.

Why is all this important? Well, according to the Gallup Poll, 47% of you believe the earth was created by God less than 10,000 years ago and that he managed to pull it off in just seven days (or six; the Bible is not entirely clear on this).

And if you believe this shit, you’ve also got to believe that the end is near. For one or two thousand years the Bible and the Koran have predicted that Jesus and Muhammad are coming soon to judge the quick and the dead. When? Well we have it on good authority (the Mayans) that the Apocalypse is just around the corner: December 21, 2012. And if you can’t trust the Mayans to keep an accurate calendar, who can you trust? The Bible, Jesus, Paul, the Apostles, and generations of religionists have missed the mark by centuries if not millenia. (Even Jesus himself said “Verily I say unto you, That there be some that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.”) Either there’s someone in that crowd who’s lived a long time or Jesus managed to miss the mark by a couple of millenia. So much for omniscience.

So what does all this mean to you, the True Believer? Or, for that matter, the non-believers. Looks like we’re all going to die in the next few years anyway. Most of us will fry, a select few will get front row seats to the agonies of the non-believers. But we all can prepare for the big event. Here are a few helpful suggestions.

Preparing for the Apocalypse

Max out your credit cards
Cancel Your Cowboys Season Tickets
Bet Big on the Lions
Don’t Bother Cleaning the Septic Tank
Celebrate Christmas 2012 a Week or Two Early
Forget About Trans-fats and All That Shit
Give Up Jogging – You Know You’ve Always Loathed It
Give Mexican Speedballs a Try
Cruise the Adult Section on Craig’s List – (You’ll be dead long before AIDS catches up with you)
Let Your Spouse Know How You Really Feel

]]> http://drawforjoy.wordpress.com/2009/10/22/frozen/ Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:06:16 +0000 drawforjoy http://drawforjoy.wordpress.com/2009/10/22/frozen/

“Frozen” for Illustration Friday

Here is the frozen sun

With a frozen smile

And everything around is frozen.

Now I kept asking myself… “If you really need to find water on the moon, why wouldn’t you just bring state-of-the-art drilling equipment? Aren’t bombs used for war?” hmmm… (Link)- UnderprivilegedMediaNetwork contributor Truth Revealed

Successful manufacturers will those who take full advantage of the shift toward sustainability as fast and efficiently as possible.  Companies practicing sustainability strategies can improve both their top and bottom lines, creating significant stakeholder and shareholder value.

Titled The eco-SMART Manufacturing Program, the services have been designed to meet the U.S. Department of Commerce’s definition for sustainable manufacturing as, “…the creation of manufactured products that:

* use processes that minimize negative environmental impacts
* conserve energy and natural resources
* are safe for employees, communities and consumers
* are economically sound.”

Programs exist that can help manufacturers learn and develop strategies to benefit from the rapidly growing sustainability marketplace.  Find out much more at www.ecosmartmanufacturing.org

Summarized and edited from Plain Dealer Op/Ed by Greg Krizman, Cleveland, Ohio September 2009.

Faste har ofte blitt brukt som politisk protest. På jordens dag / Earth day, 22. April 2010, arrangerer en gruppe abolisjonister en faste for avskaffing av dyreslaveriet. Den skal holdes sentralt i Sydney (Australia).

Fasten er til støtte for de milliarder av ikkemenneskelige dyr som hvert år utnyttes, tortureres og drepes for å gi mennesker kjøtt, og andre animalske produkter. Anledningen skal brukes til å sette offentlig søkelys på dette, konsekvensene det har for naturødeleggelser og global oppvarming, og promotering av veganisme.

Fasten skal strekke seg over tre, fem eller syv dager. Det er snakk om vannfaste, det vil si at en kun inntar vann i løpet av perioden. Alle vegetarianere, helst veganere, er velkommen til å delta. Det satses på å gjøre det til en årlig begivenhet, som kan spres til flere land.

Hvorfor faste? Jeg har aldri fastet før, men syns det virker som en spennende innfallsvinkling til offentlige markeringer. Det blir veldig politisk og personlig på en gang. Det er så klart ingen som forventer at dyreindustriene skal gi seg grunnet bekymring for at aktivistene nekter å spise, men det er en aksjon som skal vekke oppsikt og bevissthet om dyreutnytting og veganisme.

Mer kan leses om begivenheten på nettsiden LiveVegan.net hvor det også er en introduksjonsvideo. På Facebook er det lagd en gruppe hvor en kan holde seg oppdatert og diskutere.

I found this fascinating article today:

WASHINGTON – The status of motorcoaches as the undisputed greenest way to travel make every day Earth Day for the members of the American Bus Association.“When you go by motorcoach, you’re traveling on the greenest travel option,” said ABA President & CEO Peter J. Pantuso. “Earth Day is April 22nd. But buses are the eco-friendly choice any day. So at ABA, every day of the year is one to celebrate reducing our carbon footprints, cutting energy use and saving fuel.”The Union of Concerned Scientists, an activist group known for its environmental advocacy, recently released a report titled “Getting There Greener: The Guide To Your Lower Carbon Vacation” in which they recommended going by bus. “A couple traveling on a motorcoach will generate nearly 50 percent less global warming pollution than they would driving a hybrid car,” the scientists concurred.A recently updated study from DePaul University found that more bus travel cuts CO2. “The growth of new bus operators … over the past year has reduced the carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 36,000 tons,” DePaul researchers reported, citing “… the proportional shift in travel from less fuel-efficient modes” to more efficient bus travel.Motorcoaches lead every other travel mode in terms of their fuel efficiency on a per-passenger basis, averaging more than 200 passenger miles per gallon, according to an updated study by MJ Bradley & Associates, “Updated Comparison of Energy Use & Emissions From Different Transportation Modes,” which looked at 14 travel modes.“Independent scientific and academic third parties are corroborating that buses are the greenest way to travel,” Pantuso added. “Motorcoaches are part of America’s energy solution. For buses, every day of the year is Earth Day. April 22nd is only one of 365.”waynechecker.net, waynechecker.net, Sep 2009

You should read the whole article.

Looking back on the previous year I realized that the travel world has changed me.

After decades of showing up 1 hour before my flight (and that’s for international flights, mind you) now I end up showing up so early – I have 2 hours at the gate.

I credit that to ElAl.

A good friend of mine showed up 2+ hours before his flight to Madrid and made it to check in with plenty of time to spare. Unfortunately for him, the flight was overbooked. Rather than bump a happy bumpee, they dug up the fine print and informed my friend that he did not show up on time. Don’t worry – the story has a happy ending.

For ElAl. Not for my friend, who was shipped to Barcelona and had to find his own way to Madrid. Cost – 1/2 day of vacation and at least $500. So, now I get there 3 hours before the flight. I am a changed man.

Second big change was reported in the New York Times.

Not about me, personally, but about the average traveller is ditching the web and booking flights through their travel agent. For the first time, I called a travel agent and had them do all the work. Changed flights ten times, paid later, speak to a human – it was all new for me and quite refreshing. (Kind of like my 8 year old kid discovering the VCR – you just put the tape in and press play. What a great idea! No menu! No scratched disk! No Estonian subtitles! – Just play the movie.) I actually had a good travel agent honest enough to tell me if I could get it cheaper online. But, I must admit that I still enjoy using the Western Union hold from time to time in online bookings.

And of course, if you need to decide where to do your Hannukah shopping on Long Island – at Roosevelt Field Mall or at Smithhaven Mall – you need the web. Or for conditions at Mt Baldy Ski Resort. If you just like reading blogs – try this travel blog and this vacation blog.

I guess this is a good place to introduce my readers to Josh Herst – blogger and Web entrepreneur, founder of TripHub. For our Canadian readers – check out this post with a rabbi’s experiences in the Canadian tundra (that’s a bit north of Hampstead, eh?).

• Restaurants Blog
• Shopping Blog
• Lloyd Center Mall Portland
• Pearlridge Shopping Center
• Potomac Mills Outlet Mall

The Kent County Humane Society, the Town of Chestertown, and the Center for Environment & Society at Washington College collaborated on this year’s Mutt Strut and Earth Day Festival in downtown Chestertown on April 25.
There was live music in the Park, eco-friendly exhibitors and vendors on Memorial Row, a petting zoo, and a variety of pet and Earth Day activities on both lawns of the Kent County Courthouse. Washington College students featured face-painting, t-shirt tie-dye, and a coloring contest with frogs, fishes, and butterflies. Downtown merchants and eateries were open, the Chestertown Elks #2474 grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, and Rose Greene of Church Hill fired up the griddles for funnel cake and fried fish.
The popular Farmers’ Market was also underway that morning, as was the Town’s “green window” and meter decorating contests. As part of its Chestertown Goes Green campaign, the Town arranged free services for paper shredding and recycling of fluorescent bulbs and tubes that Saturday.
The Mutt Strut and Pet Fair is the spring fund-raiser for the local Humane Society. “Proceeds go toward the animal shelter and the care of the animals waiting for new homes,” says Dr. David Newell, chair of the board of trustees.

Heron Point also celebrated Earth Day earlier in the week, educating residents on composting and other green activities.

To view more photos, visit the Center for Environment & Society website.

Heron Point residents explore different methods for composting food scraps and coffee grinds.

Resident Kent Kerbel discusses Earth Day activities at Heron Point with Briggs Cunningham, Climate Action Coordinator at the Center for Environment & Society at Washington College.

Mayor Margo Bailey and Heron point dining staff review the compost operation at Heron Point.

Every now and then Life is Savage likes to show some support for the environment and its stuff like this that gets my eco-friendly juices flowing.

If you happened to catch a screening of “Earth” then the followup by Disney called “Oceans” is gonna blow your socks off, especially if you’re the treehugger type or just enjoy watching incredible cinematography.

As the title suggests its all about the ocean and it looks pretty spectacular if you ask me..

Its only being released 2010 on Earth Day..but hey we live near the ocean so i might as well throw this in there right.

Good times

by Everett Carll Ladd and Harlyn H. Bowman

This cursory assessment of the public mood conceals a fascinating story of public opinion about the environment.  A wealth of survey questions asked over the past quarter century provides a clear picture of how this issue emerged, rose to prominence, and matured in the public mind.

Download Attitudes Toward the Environment: Twenty-five Years after Earth Day

62 pages (PDF)

COP15 Dec 7th – Dec 18th

 

 

In three weeks the United Nations Climate Change Conference takes place in Denmark. This is the successor summit to that which was held in Kyoto (1997), and also can be traced back to the Earth Summit in Rio (1992).

It is hoped that nations will be able to agree on a new set of policies that will succeed the Kyoto Protocol in establishing real cuts in global carbon emissions.

In order for COP15 to be a success we need to put pressure on the UK government: On the 5th December there will be a march in London for people to demonstrate their support for action to take place on a reduction in world carbon emissions.

Check out the WAVE:  http://www.stopclimatechaos.org/the-wave

Members of the GB Team will be attending!