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:
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….
It’s a crisis in story telling. Most main stream media sources are not effectively communicating the importance or relevance of the Copenhagen Climate Talks. It might also be a crisis in marketing: since the general terms being used to describe the most important climate talks in history (to date) are being referred to as Copenhagen (makes me think of beer and vacation) and cop15 (makes me think of… well…nothing).
But do not fear!! The internet video is here!!!
I have two favorites at the moment that I want to share. I think this one (just released by Do The Green Thing) does a great job of giving explainer about what is going to happen at Copenhagen climate talks:
Then there is this video. Frankly, it didn’t do much for me, but it touches on one the most important issues that is under communicated: By the time Copenhagen rolls around, the negotiators will already have their marching orders. If you want to enjoy any idea of hope of influencing the potential outcome of the talks…NOW IS THE TIME.
And then there is this video produced by tcktcktck. It’s got star power and drama and makes me think back to Live Aid when I was a sweet young teen and believed anything was possible…that we actually can change the momentum of the way things are headed and save the problems of the planet. I enjoy living in that moment: I hope you do too and enjoy this video.
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
The Internet connection in Hawaii is very much like the general mentality of Hawaii: easy going, chill, not in any rush to get going. So with that said, I’m going to give you a sneak peek into a few of the good people I have met over the course of the last week at the [re]think Hawaii conference. Couldn’t help but notice and enjoy a refreshing perspective that gamers are bringing to the “so, how are we going to deal with these environmental problems?” conversation. Thinking outside the box and the pixels.
The first is Henk Rogers, you may know him as the founder of Tetris, I now know him as the guy who speaks about passion, purpose, and big ideas about saving the planet with Blue Planet Foundation.
The second introduction is to Jill Buck of the Go Green Initiative who shared about an inspiring collaboration that blossomed over the weekend (with another gamer no-less, @adamontherun):
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. 
