2010 Year of International Biodiversity

Now that I am in school at MIIS, in the International Environmental Policy program, I will be sharing tidbits that I learn at school.

Yesterday, for instance, I learned that 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity. Did you know that? It was a date set out by the UN back when they thought, "sure, by 2010, we should have a lot of the biodiversity issues that we've created slowed or on the mend." In almost all the ways they measured success, the world has failed--it's just as bad, and often worse off than when they put forth the proposition that 2010 be the International Year of Biodiversity. A sobering example: 1/3 of amphibian species are threatened or endangered. I actually knew that, but what I didn't realize is that a whopping 70% of plant species are threatened or endangered. WTF! That's outrageous.

image from Prof. Langholz's lecture slides

The Uniform Project

One really excellent way to reduce waste is to buy into timelessness in your wardrobe. Rather than buying a bunch of the newest trends each season, wearing them a few times and then kissing them goodbye, what about relying on a few tried and true buddies and just sprucing them up by pairing them with different accessories?
One woman has done just that, in epic proportions, in order to raise money to send children to school in India.
Her name is Sheena Matheikan, and today is the last day of her year-long project to wear a single dress (well, she has 5 of the same dress) all year long, but show that it doesn't have to be boring to do so. I love the creativity of this project. Enjoy watching the year, and feel free to donate during her last day!

Uniform Project Picture Book from The Uniform Project on Vimeo.

TED: Dan Barber "How I fell in love with a fish"

I could easily link to nearly every TED talk, there are so many green-featured and inspirational talks. But today I watched one that really lifted my spirits. It's such a broad-reaching topic: food, agriculture, ecology, biology, environment, business....and I feel like I have or have had a hand in each of these topics. It resonates with me very personally, and because it IS so broad-reaching, I imagine it will resonate with you as well. Enjoy.

Best Wax Options

A handy chart letting you know which waxes are the greenest, regarding many criteria. I use this information to help me know which candles are the best. Do you use wax for other purposes?

What would you do to combat climate change?

To follow the last post, howsabout a little oomph.

This video made me cry! I have been really lazy this year, not riding my bike much because of the 3 stories between where my bike is stored and the road. One of my new years resolutions will be to ride my bike to work as much as possible. All it means is getting up a little bit earlier, but it also means less carbon emitted, I'll be more in shape, we'll spend less $ on gas.

What will YOU do to combat climate change?

Copenhagen: Ouch

From the full text of the White House, the agreement made in Copenhagen is "not sufficient to combat the threat of climate change". Ouch. That was the whole point of the meetings. Earth as we know it is done for, because we, collectively, as humans are extremely self-centered and short-sighted. What a blow. One of the reasons mentioned for these disappointing results are that we are in a time of "significant differences between countries." I'm sorry, don't differences between countries go by the wayside when we're talking about LIFE ON EARTH!? What petty creatures humans can be.

Here's a great sum of what we are left with, from Friends of Earth:
"Climate negotiations in Copenhagen have yielded a sham agreement with no real requirements for any countries. This is not a strong deal or a just one -- it isn't even a real one. It's just repackaging old positions and pretending they're new. The actions it suggests for the rich countries that caused the climate crisis are extraordinarily inadequate. This is a disastrous outcome for people around the world who face increasingly dire impacts from a destabilizing climate." from

I am not so naive to believe that this would be an easy process, and of course I recognize the huge differences between countries, and the problems that arise diplomatically for these reasons. However, my eternal optimism hoped for some legitimate and real agreements being made at this summit. *depressed sigh*

There have been papers leaked from the UN that indicate that the whole shebang was Greenwashed from start to finish--these papers indicate that no agreement was ever to be reached at this summit, and that, in fact, the only agreement was to be to allow increases in global temperature even MORE. (What!? Who thinks this is a good idea? For real!?)

From National Geographic's photos of the top 10 environmental losses in 2009, number one is climate, and Pimm, a conservation biologist at Duke University says, "I think [global warming] would probably be my pick for the gloomiest story" of 2009.


Update: Kofi Annan writes a much more eloquent article than mine entitled "Climate Change Puts Us All In The Same Boat. One Hole Will Sink Us All"

Anti-chemical cleaner commercial.

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