Hey folks. So truth be told, I like asking questions, but tomorrow Jill Buck, founder of the Go Green Initiative (a program designed to create a culture of environmental responsibility on school campuses across the nation) will be asking me the questions during her live radio show, “Go Green Radio”. (That would be Thursday, October 20th, at 9am-10am PST)
We’ll be chatting about the role of the media in the sustainability movement, going green (it is the name of her show and all), and what goes on behind the scenes of Current Green.
You can do something CARAZY and actually call in at 866-472-5788 and ask a question if you so desire, and/or you can listen live at the Voice of America.
Meanwhile…I’ll be memorizing my answers…. In all seriousness, hope you can join, it would be fun to have your voices and your thoughts in the conversation!
I know it seems ridiculous, but a light went off in my head about the connection between the modern day Vampire character (you know the one, the guy vamp that falls in love with a mortal, and then changes his ways so he can be with her) and the sustainability movement.
Copenhagen has been referred to as the most important diplomatic gathering in the world’s history. In preparation for the climate talks in December, Current Green is going to bring you a slew of interviews from a a range of perspectives and locations from around the world. Today we caught up with Jim Hogan, co-founder of www.desmogblog.com, and author of Climate cover up: The crusade to deny global warming.
Other video interviews in 360 Degrees of Copenhagen series:
This guest post comes via Daniel J Kessler, Media officer at Green Peace.
On November 17th, two Greenpeace activists from Germany and Italy and two members of the press from India and Italy, all of whom were traveling on valid business and journalist visas, were picked up and detained by Indonesian police. They were on their way to meet the villagers of Teluk Meranti, who have been supporting Greenpeace in its efforts to highlight rainforest and peatland destruction in the Kampar Peninsula–ground zero for climate change. The police also took into custody an activist from Belgium who had been working at our Climate Defenders Camp there.
Despite the validity of their travel documents and the absence of any wrongdoing, two of the activists and both journalists are now being deported by immigration authorities on questionable and seemingly contrived grounds, even though no formal deportation permits have been issued. Just a few days before, immigration authorities deported eleven other international Greenpeace activists who participated in a non-violent direct action on November 12th, in a concession where APRIL, one of Indonesia’s largest pulp and paper companies, is clearing rainforest and draining peatland on the Peninsula.
We set up the Climate Defenders Camp to bring attention to role of deforestation as a major driver of greenhouse gas emissions in advance of December’s Copenhagen climate negotiations. If we are stop climate change, we must end global deforestation by 2020 and bring it to zero in priority areas like Indonesia by 2015. A drive through the Kampar Peninsula reveals acre after acre of forest conversion from healthy rainforest to palm oil plantations. There is no sign of animal life or biodiversity — just row after row of palm. The destruction of the peatlands helps to make Indonesia the world’s 3rd largest emitter go greenhouse gases, just after the US and China.
In the interest of the environment and human rights, Greenpeace is calling upon world leaders and concerned citizens to contact Indonesia’s President Yudhoyono to ask him to stop these repressive actions by the Indonesian Police and Immigration authorities. The tactics currently being used by the authorities are likely to adversely impact upon the Indonesian government’s international reputation as well as the country’s reputation as a vibrant democracy.
It is not Greenpeace activists or journalists who should be the focus of the authorities, but the companies who are responsible for this forest destruction. We are working to make President Yudhoyono’s recent commitment to reduce Indonesia’s greenhouse gas emissions a reality and the journalists are telling that story.
Visiting the green festival is a truly fulfilling experience, except when it isn’t.
I’ll admit it: after eight years straight, I recognize myself to be a Green Fest junkie. Economy be damned, the masses are pouring into the gates of the Green Festival, destined for wisdom and business opportunities and green smoothies. And I can’t resist jumping in with them.
So there I am, I was fueling up with Clif Bar samples, Pouring over the schedule, dodging the sense of overwhelm: there’s just too much to experience in one day. I start by taking it slow. I check out the aquaponics: fish feeding gardens feeding us. I check out the new and improved version of the t.p.-saving bidet (next year, I swear), and the ever-expanding representation of Livity hats.
I connect with old friends and inquire about sustainable kitsch, like paper made from Sri Lankan elephant poo. I discuss new sites and applications that will help us barter better. I communicate in 140 characters or less, flinging #’s and @’s at will, tweeting while facing a Green Festival monitor filled with Green Festival tweets. I pause to share the requisite Sambazon Acai icee with a friend who’s been globetrotting (why don’t I have a house in Lebanon?). While people rush to hear Gavin Newsom (The Mayor’s here! The Mayor’s here!) I sink into a presentation from Mallika Chopra speaking of her site Intent.com, which is an exciting take at using the web to help make dreams come true.
A couple of hours in, I’m flying high, uplifted, smushed happily into the world of green. I’m tweeting, high five-ing, doing the GF-jig. Yes I even buy a hemp shirt. Oh great Green Festival.
But then it begins to slip. I feel information overload mixed with caffeine-driven nausea, followed by a ‘what the hell difference do organic sheets and goji berries make’ disorientation. Then there’s the twitch, the same twitch I used to get around 3am at the craps table at the Barbary Coast, stacks waning, tide turning, gin suddenly sour and I’ve got the desire to turn and run, to race down Brannan Street until there’s no chance I’ll be tempted into lying down and getting Breema’d or hitting up another shot of Fair Trade anything or smelling another variation on geranium. And that none of it matters.
I have officially lost my bearings. Just like in Vegas, the exits seem all turned around, I’m inevitably far from any door, there’s thirty more things I’m tempted to learn more about in any direction, and it’s nearly impossible I’ll get to a place safely out of hemp’s way.
I breathe. Then I remember I forgot to have lunch. I have that lunch. Yes, the combination of some form of actual nutrients helps a lot.
As I sit down it occurs to me that for all of it’s benefits, the problem with Green Festival is this: while admirably supporting a paradigm of green living and commerce, the format and timing of it parallels the world of 500 channels and 500 brands of crackers that it’s trying to get away from. The result is too many choices of where to put my energy. I sit down at the speakers and have to get up, feeling like I might be missing something. We talk to each other with one eyeball wandering the floor.
While it’s true that the Green Festival inspires me and in a way represents a rising green economy, the fact that I always seem dissatisfied upon departure may be the best statement of support for Global Exchange co-founder Kevin Danaher’s vision: to have a green festival that runs all the time in one place.
I begin to muster enough energy to make my way to the door and get the hell out of there, and into the San Francisco night. I vow never ever to return, until next year.
Where do you get your news about Copenhagen? You wouldn’t be alone if you were turning to your fav a la fav social network and joining groups and lists.
Facebook has the following fan pages you can join:
Facebook Go Green Cop 15: To be honest, I’m not exactly sure who is running this page, and the purpose seems to have something to do with encouraging the conference to go green, or be green, or do the green thing…or the right thing…anyhoo, it has over 3 thousand members.
And then there is the: U.S. Department of State – COP15 UN Climate Change Conference 2009. The content is dry, but there is something endearing about the state department making a Facebook page (rumor has it this page sees more activity with their 284 fans than any other page they have created).
There are a slew of people on Twitter sharing news and opinions about all things Copenhagen. Your safest bet to find a voice you want to listen is to hang out on Twitter Search and watch the terms “copenhagen” and #cop15
Ok~ and now for a shameless plug from your sponsor: Current Green has our own little group (it was birthed 5 minutes ago) on Copenhagen. When you join the group you will get a weekly digest of news related to the topic, and I will send along the latest and greatest videos in our series, 360 degrees (or perspectives) of Copenhagen.
Ok~ so where do you go to get your Copenhagen fix? Do you have a favorite list on twitter? A favorite journalist? Inquiring minds want to know….
Ever wanted to know which lobby group is doing the most to sabotage effective action on climate change? Well…ATTAC Denmark, Corporate Europe Observatory, Focus on the Global South, Friends of the Earth International and Spinwatch have created a campaign to make it known to the world, and they’ve even decided to make learning fun via their Angry Mermaid Contest. You have until December 13 to vote, when their winners will be placed on the world’s biggest losers reality show (just kidding..but you do need to cast your vote by December 13th if you want to play).
From the creators of the Angry Mermaid campaign:
Crucial UN climate talks take place in Copenhagen this December. While people, organizations and social movements around the world are calling for strong action to prevent climate change and ensure climate justice, big business has been lobbying to block effective action to tackle the problem, while also seeking to benefit from it. Lobbying is defined as attempting to influence the decision-making process.
The Angry Mermaid Award has been set up to recognize the perverse role of corporate lobbyists, and highlight those business groups and companies that have made the greatest effort to sabotage the climate talks, and other climate measures, while promoting, often profitable, false solutions.
It was another hard decision, but we decided to go with: “Nautica? C’mon, I specifically asked for North Face!” – by BYoung
Runner up is: “This jacket with my color fur? What a fashion faux paw!” – by keithjoforever.
Every Friday we’ll announce the next weeks “Name this Picture”! We have already picked it out and can’t wait to throw it up on the blog to see what you all come up with! And remember, if you see a photo you’d like to see in this contest, send us a link in the comments section and you just might see it on our blog in the coming weeks.
When you first hop on Twitter, it can feel like a wild world of the west. People are shooting information from every direction, and it’s hard to know when to duck and when to catch. Twilight Earth was one of the first accounts I learned to trust and follow, and I still remember the giddy feeling I had when they first RT’ed us (it was like being asked to dance at the prom). So needless to say, we consider it a great honor to be one of the featured video providers in their new Sustainable Video TV News initiative. The videos will feature information on green living and will come from a variety of sources, including our good friends at elephant journal.
I was actually in a local bookstore a couple of weeks ago and I noticed the Twilight movie and book shrine they had set up. (The popular teen vampire movie) It was incredible. They had books, magazine, t-shirts, ball caps and everywhere I looked, all I saw was TWILIGHT. They even had posters on the wall behind the checkouts.
The next day, the author of the vampire book sent a Tweet out on Twitter, thanking me for being a fan. Of course I tweeted back that @TwilightEarth has nothing to do with her franchise and that we have been around since long before the movie even came out. We are about the environment and people.
Twilight Earth stands for a brighter future. Video, movies and new social media are just a few ways to help bring about that brighter future. That’s how I came up with the idea for TwilighTV.
We’ve always been about collaborating with other great websites and writers, and this is one of the reasons for our success. Current TV is one our favorite sources for video news and we thought this would be a natural fit.
Adam isn’t one to lounge about, and recently announced the launch of Simple Earth Media:
What makes Simple Earth Media different from other environmental blog networks is that each one of the channels are already established and have their own social media followers. As an example, Twilight Earth has over 20,000 Twitter followers, but as a group, Simple Earth Media can claim almost 50,000, making it one of the single largest environmental forces for change on Twitter.
Combined with Facebook pages, StumbleUpon accounts, freelance Digg experts and almost a dozen of the Internets best environmental writers and experts, Simple Earth Media is ready to take New Media to the next level through writing, podcasting and even videocasting. We are ready to make a difference as a combined force for good.
The Green Festival is here! The Green festival is here! (Picture thousands of people jumping for joy in San Francisco and not a red coat in sight.) It’s affordable, informative, and filled to the brim with inspired people (seriously, it’s crowded) talking about the new green economy. When I first moved here my friend Greg said to me, “I don’t know Leah, I don’t think it’s your thing. It’s really crowed and it’s all about buying.” Little did he know that it is designed to “showcase organizations and businesses, programs and products that restore the planet and all that inhabit it.”
Green Festival is the largest sustainability event in the world and continues to grow year after year. Click here to learn more.
Green Festival is the only green event that screens exhibitors for their commitment to sustainability, ecological balance and social justice using Green America’s green business standards. Click here to learn more.
Green Festival offsets 100% of its electricity emissions with clean, renewable energy. Click here to learn more.
Green Festival walks its talk: each year it gets closer to being a zero-waste event. Click here to learn more.
Green Festival TV is busy uploading their videos with thought leaders on Current Green as we speak (yay). Check out a few of the videos they shared with us today~
Lester Brown: President of the Earth Policy Institute and author of Plan B 3.0
Amy Goodman: acclaimed journalist and host of Democracy Now!
Meet William McDonough: author of the “bible” of the sustainability movement
Van Jones: author, activist and founder of Green For Al
When you first hop on Twitter, it can feel like a wild world of the west. People are shooting information from every direction, and it’s hard to know when to duck and when to catch. 
