Cartoons have a wonderful way of stripping technicalities and exceptions from an issue and revealing core–and often blatant–evidence. Take an issue as hot as hydropower reform and suddenly your cartoon message hits a population that may not otherwise understand the conflict.

The folks over at Hydropower Reform Coalition are not entirely against hydropower. In our world of oil lust and with the increased devastation necessary to satisfy this craving, it is hard to oppose any form of renewable energy. However, “rivers aren’t renewable,” claims the Coalition. Choke off any region’s primary form of life (water) and see what kinds of additional problems arise, each with a hefty price. This group of hydropower experts, drawn from over 150 different organizations, helps dam owners make educated decisions. Through proper hydropower management–or even decommissioning– the health of a river and a community can greatly increase.

For now, do yourself a favor and check out everything that could (and often does) go wrong with harvesting power from a river. Equipped with this knowledge, our approach to energy acquisition might just move closer to sustainable.

From Grist:

“While you gotta appreciate that these guys are inspired to get EXTREME!!! with alternative energy, we’re pretty sure dude-splatter qualifies as pollution.”

The trip is intended to shed light on deficiencies in two of the nation’s most valuable and important systems: food and transportation. The adventurous three will explore alternative transportation options while trying to eat only locally grown and and produced food. Preston-Townsend, Bertoncelj and Boslett believe you are what you eat, and in a nation where quality, not quantity is not the norm, the bikers feel it will be easy for them to point out why Americans have an obesity problem.

The trip will continue through July and August, and will take the threesome through Yellowstone National Park, northern Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, West Virginia and Virginia before they reach their ultimate destination, Washington D.C. Here the bikers plan to make a political statement. If you’re interested in getting involved with this venture, the group has invited anyone to join them on any section of the ride or at markets along the way.

[Via: Bozeman Daily Chronicle]

[Photo Via: Ron1478]

The organization receives mats from people and studios in more than 40 states and has successfully kept more than 10,000 pounds of yoga mats from being dumped in landfills. The program collaborates with U.S.-based manufacturers by providing the recycled materials for new sustainable product production.

Recycle Your Mat is a resource to help studios as well as yogis live a more sustainable life by providing a socially responsible recycling, upcycling and reuse services for all used yoga mats. The program makes the process of recycling more seamless and allows yogis to not only think green but also practice it through the philosophy of reduce, reuse and recycle your mat.

[Via: Recycle Your Mat]

[Photo Via: lululemon athletica]

These extra blazes–used to clear regrowing trees and undergrowth and add nutrients to the soil–release large amounts of greenhouse gases stored in vegetation, which counteract the climate benefits of stopping deforestation. Satellite images show fire occurrence has increased in 59 percent of the area that has experienced reduced deforestation rates.

The United Nations estimates that deforestation accounts for up to one fifth of all greenhouse gases released by human activities, led by the burning of fossil fuels. Plants soak up heat-trapping carbon as they grow and release it when they rot or are burned.

Climate negotiators from 185 nations are meeting in Bonn (Germany) from May 31 – June 11 to work on a U. N. deal to slow global warming. Specifically, they will talk about a project known as REDD–Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation.

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has meant a loss of 7,300 square miles of forest every year from 1998 – 2007, releasing 280 million tons of carbon per year. In recent years, extra fires probably emitted as much carbon as the deliberate clearing of trees.

[Via: Reuters]

[Photo Via: Threat to Democracy]

Both in their 60s, the couple is hoping to set a health/fitness/aging example for a generation of baby boomers. But it seems they will do far more than that. Along the way they are conducting research for three faculty members at Michigan Technological University–Alex Mayer, Rolf Peterson and Bill Rose–as well as researchers from a number of other universities in the U.S. and Canada. They are working to raise public awareness of fresh water issues, handing out surveys wherever they walk to determine what people know and think about Lake Superior and its watershed. Researchers will analyze the results and make recommendations for more effective school and public education programs. The results will be posted on Link and Crowley’s web site, Minnesota Sea Grant, the Natural Resources Research Institute of the University of Minnesota Duluth and other related sites.

The duo’s Great Lake adventure began on April 29th and so far they have been walking an average 15 miles per day and collecting data of plants, animals and signs of human disturbance as they go.

They try to stick as close to the lake’s shoreline as possible, but sometimes have to divert to nearby trails or bushwack their own way through. Rivers are one of the major challenges to the walkers’ goal, and when they can’t walk through them they hitch a boat ride or drive around before resuming their journey. Their family friend drives the RV and meets the couple at a designated place in the evenings. They usually sleep in the RV.

The couple is aiming to walk back into Duluth in mid-September, leaving a lot of people along the way more aware and concerned about the future of the greatest Great Lake, Lake Superior.

[Via: GLITR]

[Photo Via: Ben+Sam]

On May 22, 2010, the University of California San Diego Triathlon Team will host the 2nd annual Grove Run, a 100 percent Sustainable 5k Run and Walk. In 2009 the Grove Run was honored to be one of the most sustainable races ever documented, and was also the first certified sustainable race in Southern California and the first sustainable race hosted by a collegiate triathlon team.

USCD has been focused on sustainability issues for decades, dating back to the late 1950s when UCSD researcher Dr. Charles David Keeling developed a tool to measure carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. They continue this dedication with this “all green” race, which features a sustainable clothing exchange, Greenest Athlete Competition, scenic course through the UCSD eucalyptus grove, renewable energy power and local organic food.

The Triathlon Team is aware that global warming, resource exploitation and short-term thinking are endangering our lifestyle and our communities, and that most organized sporting events are not planned with long-term impacts in mind. The Grove Run changes how these types of races will be run in the future. (Read up here on some other races that aim to be eco-friendly as well.)

To help contribute to a more sustainable world by participating in the Grove Run at UCSD’s Spanos Track, register here, and do your body–and the environment–good.

[Via: Global Patriot]

[Photo Via: MajoraCarterGroup]

Events have been planned in 50 states and organizers expect the campaign to collect more than 50,000 hand-signed postcards addressed to President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder asking them to end the outdated ban on hemp farming. Since the federal policy was enacted in 1970, which confuses non-drug industrial hemp with drug varieties of Cannabis, American companies making hemp products have no choice but to import their raw materials.

Sustainable hemp seed, fiber and oil are already used in nutritious food, textiles, body care and auto-parts. If the ban was lifted, U.S. farmers would be better able to manage costs, promote sustainable agriculture in the U.S., support local farming and fuel the economy.

In celebration of this effort to promote the many benefits of hemp here are five outdoor apparel companies that produce hemp products:

Patagonia Women’s Island Hemp Pants: These wide-leg pants are made from a blend of hemp and organic cotton and have a linen-like drape. With roomy front pockets, back pockets with button closures and belt loops with the convenience of drawcord adjustability, these pants are comfortable, stylish and are recyclable through the Common Threads Recycling program.

Soma Hemp Cycling Bags: Soma shows their support for hemp with their roomy Folsom Messenger Bag. The hemp canvas bag is water-proofed inside and out and has more pockets then you could know what to do with. Adjustable straps make this bag comfortable and the options of black or khaki green make the bag a seamless integration into any cyclist’s wardrobe.

Saucony Jazz Low Pro Vegan: Men and women alike can support the use of hemp with these Saucony sneakers of classic design. The shoes contain no animal products, by-products or derivatives and come in a variety of color combinations for both men and women. Be comfortable and Vegan friendly in these original kicks.

Hemp IPath: These shoes are unparalleled when it comes to their originality and diversity of design. All made from hemp, there is a shoe for every male looking to make a fashion-forward, environmentally-conscious footprint. From high tops to low tops, to purple and rasta-inspired, supporting hemp never looked so good.

Sixteen states have passed pro-hemp farming legislation to date. Get involved with Hemp History Week to support the cause and help influence significant policy changes at the federal level.

[Via: Vote Hemp]

[Photo Via: jetalone]

Click here to view the Re:Session trailer.

[Via: Teton Gravity]

A couple decades later, I still look back on that night as my first real adventure. And ever since, I’ve been hooked on wilderness, on learning about the animals and plants that make up this world. That’s why I set out to visit our nation’s forests: 193 million acres of woods, mountains, lakes, rivers and grasslands across the states. And there are few better places than our national forests to hike, camp, canoe or kayak, and to catch a glimpse of black bears, alligators, bald eagles, elk or deer living in the wild.

National forests also buffer us against the effects of global warming and provide millions of Americans with clean drinking water. But these lands are also used for timber, cattle grazing, and oil and gas development.

How we use these lands is the topic of a series of over 30 nationwide town hall meetings now being hosted by the Obama administration and the U.S. Forest Service. The Obama administration is seeking the public’s input on the future of our nation’s forests. One of the first will be held in Portland tomorrow.

The Forest Service should ensure that our nation’s forests stay healthy, so that they also provide enough food and habitat to support sustainable populations of fish and wildlife. Historically, timber, grazing and energy have dominated decisions on how to use these lands, while wildlife has tended to get short shrift. You can help change that.

If you live nearby and are a fan of wildlife and public lands, speak out for our nation’s forests and let the Obama administration know that you want the Forest Service “to maintain sustainable populations of wildlife.” Might sound a little wonky, but when in Rome, do like the Romans… right?

Portland is a pretty “green” city and a lot folks might turn out, so you may want to let the Forest Service know you’re coming by RSVPing at their Web site.

“Since Greenpeace started the campaign, Trader Joe’s has stopped selling orange roughy and red snapper — both “red list” fish that environmental groups urge consumers to avoid… To that end, Trader Joe’s will develop greener buying policies and better label its seafood to reflect the exact type of fish, its origin, and catch or production method. With those efforts, Trader Joe’s will likely receive a passing grade in Greenpeace’s next report, Carting Away the Oceans, which rates supermarkets based on sustainable seafood policies.”

[Via: Mother Nature Network]

Follow me on Twitter @SustainablYours

Woolpower is also ISO 14001:2004 certified, a standard set by the Environmental Management System. “An EMS gives an organization a systematic approach for managing their environmental impact (the consequences of their operations). The objective is for ISO 14001 to control environmental impact of the organization’s actions and continually increase the environmental performance as measured against objectives.” Because Woolpower is ISO 14001 certified, this both demonstrates and documents its commitment to sound environmental practices.

In addition, Woolpower garments are all certified in accordance with Ökotex Standard 100, a stamp that ensures that there are no dangerous or potentially poisonous chemicals in any of the clothing’s materials.

Together, these rigorously met standards, as well as the fundamental ethics and environmental care that Woolpower works by, contribute to a company whose clothing is not only exceptional in terms of its actual garments, but also in terms of its environmental standards. This makes for warm wool clothes that you can buy and feel good about wearing.

Follow me on Twitter @SustainablYours

The annual emissions inspection began in 2005 in order to keep tailpipe gasses and pollution under regulated standards. Sate officials say this is the first time they have seen machines that simulate the inspection, and will fine the repair shops anywhere from $375 to $$15,000 for the first offense, as well as $22,500 for any repeated offenses.

[Via: The New York Times]

Follow me on Twitter @SustainablYours

[Via: Paw Nation]

Follow me on Twitter @SustainablYours

This Thursday, environmental advocates in New York made began a court battle, demanding that big-time companies such as Procter & Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive reveal the make-up of common household products (Ajax, Ivory and Tide, to name a few). Currently, Federal Environmental laws do not require most household cleaning products to reveal any of their ingredients. But if environmental advocacy groups win the case, companies will have to at least reveal their ingredients to the state. The hope is that this will spark nationwide chemical regulation (full ingredient disclosure) and reform.

Although the cleanser industry claims that the case is unwarranted, and that concerns about health risks are “misinformed,” a Senate subcommittee in Washington recently examined current science on people’s exposure to toxic chemicals and found that some studies “link cleaning product components to asthma, antibiotic resistance, hormone changes and other health problems.” The Soap and Detergent Association says “the research is flawed.”

Regardless of such claims, until full disclosure of chemicals is legally required, we can’t really know what kinds of chemicals we’re spraying around. And if we can’t even know that, how are we supposed to know if they’re safe or healthy? As a Buffalo Sierra Club member stated, until we know the chemical make-up of common household items, “We must be careful about exposures for all household chemicals.”

[Via:msnbc]

Follow me on Twitter @SustainablYours

[Via: CNN]

Follow me on Twitter @SustainablYours

The native Hawaiians understood reusing and recycling more than most Americans today ever will. And the importance of using every plant, animal, flower, etc. for what it’s worth has been passed down along ancestral lines for centuries. I was fortunate enough to experience traditional Lau Lau making at the Hawaii Island Retreat with two local Hawaiians who have been doing this their entire lives — Uncle Earl and Auntie Audrey (in the video above and the photos below).

The Hawaii Island Retreat, where we made the Lau Lau’s, is an eco-resort that runs entirely on locally-generated solar power and that provides all of its food from the on-site organic farm and garden. Its owners, Jeanne Sunderland and her husband Robert Watkins live in complete harmony with the earth, using only what they need, and providing guests with what they desire within the limits of their property.

For Lau Lau-making, no trip to the store was even considered — a staff member brought out chicken, pork, bananas, sweet potatoes and carrots, as well as the traditional taro and ti leaves. All of the veggies were plucked from the ground (the bananas from a nearby tree). And the meat was raised from birth on the farm, without hormones or antibiotics of any kind. For me, the ability to literally see where every ingredient I was going to eat came from was not only a first, but something I seriously treasured. Just as the ancient Hawaiians, we used what the earth had to offer — leaves, fruit, vegetables — and the animals that also live off the land, ones that were treated humanely their entire lives. The fact that Hawaiians today are still doing some things, such as this, the same way their ancestors did proves to me that there is a sense of pride in using, but not taking advantage of the land.

[Photos Via: Deston Nokes]

My adventures in Hawaii are a result of an awesome press trip that I got to take thanks to the Big Island Visitor’s Bureau.

Follow me on Twitter @SustainablYours

[Via: Mother Nature Network]

I’m not overly fond of digital cameras. Sure, I know they’re perfect for taking thirty images with the intention of keeping one. I understand that they’ve changed the way we view photography due to the fact that digital file space is approaching free. I’m aware that they’ve opened up many new ways to share images… instantly… with friends and family from anywhere on the globe. I know all these things.

But look at the images in this post.

Ryan Tatar’s images deliver so much more than a digital image can. They bring me in.

We’re used to seeing a photograph of Dane Reynolds flying above a wave with every drop perfectly in place. Everything is in focus, the foreground and the background, the subject and the meaningless details. It’s all there with so much clarity it seems too good to be true. That’s because it IS too good to be true. Very few people surf like Dane, the human eye can only put one thing in focus at a time and we don’t have auto-fill flashes to make every scene of our lives appear almost manufactured. Digital cameras have done these things. Digital cameras deliver so much perfection that they rob our imagination.

Now look at the image at the top of the post. You can feel what it’s like to be paddling out behind this guy. The water is 68 degrees. Pretty sunny day. The waves are just ok. Yet, being in the ocean is absolutely glorious. I can feel it. I feel it because Ryan captured it.

Take me back to the sixties. Mod hotel on the horizon. Above-the-knee boardshorts. Weber hatchet fin. Light leaks galore. This photo is like your favorite pair of jeans. The ones you’ve had forever… no, not the ones you bought semi-distressed… the ones you distressed because you’ve worn them into the ground.

These images can’t be dismissed as “retro” (thus insignificant) because of the fact that they deliver emotion better than most modern, digital images. Tech is a tool, not an end in itself. Ryan embraces cross processing and tweaking images until they look like something you haven’t seen in a while… maybe ever.

Look at this last photograph. The image itself is almost a throw away. It’s a nondescript board, nothing special fin and some cloth. But then mash that up with large color fields, some odd shadows and you’ve got an stunning image that holds your attention. Ron Stoner meets Mark Rothko. Images like this last one, for me, solidifies Ryan’s value. Artists like Picasso painted goats. Van Gogh painted random bales of hay. They took what was around them and transformed them into something notable, something amazing.

I dig Ryan Tatar’s eye. I love his composition. I’m blown away with how much he embraces color. He brings me straight into the mission of Surfrider Foundation… the “enjoyment of oceans, waves and beaches” part. I like that part… we all do.

For more on Ryan Tatar go here.

more

photo courtesy of CraigCoppola.com

Look out! The carnivores are coming! This week, Denver is playing host to a very unique event: The Carnivore’s Conference. What the heck do people do at a carnivore’s conference…eat a lot of meat? Possibly.

But they also talk about carnivores. Beyond the traditional top predators such as wolves and bears that you think of when you think of meat eaters, this conference will focus on animals big and small, from panthers and wolverines to fishers and ferrets.

And these critters are in trouble. Melting sea ice, huge wild fires, widespread infestation of pests such as the pine bark beetles, and a steady up-tick of record-high temperatures over the past half-century are making it tougher on people as well as animals.

Expert carnivore researchers from across the world will come together in Denver from November 15-18 to highlight the challenges facing the conservation of the planet’s top predators. Several sessions will feature discussions about lesser-known animals such as the lynx, fisher and wolverine, which are now more threatened than ever because of a global warming. The conference will examine the ways that protecting and restoring predators can also help other wildlife survive in a changing climate.

“What other event brings hawks, wolves, a national geographic photographer and 200 scientists all together under one roof?” asked Defenders of Wildlife’s executive vice president Jamie Rappaport Clark, who will also attend the conference.

The conference comes at a highly active year for predator conservation with the hotly contested delisting of wolves from the endangered species list in Idaho and Montana, and a proposal to protect 200,000 acres of polar bear habitat in Alaska by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

“The work that gets done at this conference goes a long way in helping us understand the important role our planet’s top predators play in the ecosystem,” Clark said. “Global warming is changing the way we approach wildlife conservation. And there’s no better place to start than at the top.”

Flaming oil rig off the coast of Australia

Remember that oil spill off the coast of Australia? Remember how it started spilling 71 days ago? Remember how it was the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island two months ago? Remember how it’s brand-new technology? Remember how they tried to stop the spill at least four times?

Well, now it’s on fire.

[Via: OilOnTheBeach]

Underwater videographer, underwater photographer, and author, Annie Crawley joined Scripps Institute of Oceanography and Project Kaisei aboard the New Horizon on a 3 week long expedition to the North Pacific Gyre. They collected data to help find a solution to the “Plastic Vortex” forming in our Ocean.

[Via: Living the Scientific Life]

Here are a few more photos of what sea bird deaths look like. These photos were taken by Chris Jordan, who’s been profiled on this blog before and is known for his visually-jarring works that reflect where our consumerist culture is out of whack. The photos are from his most recent trip to the Garbage Patch.

Some of our choices regarding leading a smaller-footprint lifestyle are more challenging than others. The drastic reduction of single-use plastics, at least from my perspective, is one of the easier ones. It’s much less expensive to use a water filter and re-usable bottles to drink water. It’s pretty darn easy to take reusable bags (which seem to be ubiquitous at the moment) into a grocery store rather than use plastic ones for ten minutes and then throw them away.

If you’ve already done those things and you’re still looking for ways to engage on this topic, turn to your family, friends and co-workers. Educate them on the issues surrounding this topic. Enable them to become part of the movement that brings things back into some semblance of environmental balance.

From the Seattle Times:

As climate changes threaten to wreak havoc on some of the world’s most-famous wine regions — France’s Burgundy, Australia, parts of California — experts say the cool-climate Puget Sound region might shape up to be one of the few beneficiaries.

“In the 1970s, the Willamette Valley (in Oregon) was at the cool-climate fringe for wine; it was one of the coolest places you could go and reliably ripen the fruit,” said Gregory V. Jones, a climate scientist and wine expert at Southern Oregon University. But as temperatures warm in northern latitudes, “today Puget Sound is becoming that place.”

Certainly technology and a growing thirst for boutique wines have helped drive where and how grapes are grown. But experts say it’s increasingly possible to track the subtle ways climate change is altering landscapes by looking to vineyards around the globe.

Read the rest of the story on the Seattle Times website.

[PHOTO]

I’m serious.

He caught MRSA, a multi-resistant staph infection and… almost died. That story was the hook that made me want to podcast this story. That story is a cliff-hanger with, thank God, a positive ending. But the truth is that I was overdue for a podcast with Rory independent of that story. Listen in and hear the rest of his story…hear how he’s been hip-deep in the
coastal environmental movement since before it was event called “environmental.” Hear his advice for upcoming surfers.

Other podcasts are here. Subscribe to podcasts via itunes here. And if you’re wondering why I create podcasts like these, that answer is here

This past weekend a bevy of celebs came out to support Surfrider at the Celebrity Expression Session; Jason Mraz, Sal Masekela, Chris Shiflett of the Foo Fighters, actors David Chokachi, Eric Balfour, and Leonor Varela, musician and composer Peter DiStefano from Porno For Pyros, Martyn LeNoble, and Jane’s Addiction’s bassist Eric Avery.

more.

For years now, federal agencies — most recently under the direction of the Bush administration — have done and said some pretty absurd things when it comes to restoring salmon in the Pacific Northwest’s Columbia-Snake River Basin.  Instead of taking a hard look at the science, the law, and the economics, these agencies have bent over backwards to protect the anti-salmon status quo — all at the expense of real salmon recovery and real salmon jobs

Below are the Top 10 Most Ridiculous Things that federal agencies do in the name of salmon “recovery.” But let’s not kid ourselves, things aren’t working in this watershed — for salmon or for people. The question remains, will the Obama Administration opt to follow in its predecessors’ footsteps by continuing to do and say these ten ridiculous things, or will they take seriously the challenge to bring salmon back to our rivers and oceans?

From the Seattle Times:

Bumblebees assiduously comb the purple blooms of thistles, seeking nectar.

Native pollinators such as these fat, fuzzy bumblebees, once an overlooked sideshow in the insect world, are gaining widespread appreciation among everyone from backyard gardeners to big-time farmers. That’s because European honeybees, the pollination mainstay of commercial agriculture, continue to struggle, with bee keepers routinely losing 30 percent of their bees every winter. Yet farmers count on those bees to pollinate some $15 billion in crops annually.

The European honeybee is the solo act of industrial agriculture. But in natural landscapes, there has always been a diversity of pollinators busily at work: bumblebees, moths, flies, beetles, butterflies, birds, and bats, just to name a few. There are 4,000 native bees in the U.S. alone, and at least 17,000 species known on the planet. And some of them make European honeybees look like slugabeds: Bumblebees will work when it’s cool and cloudy and honeybees refuse to fly.

Read the rest of the story.

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