Environmentalism

Swept Away

/ Organikos / 2 Comments

The “Three C’s” on our banner are more than words. They solidify into reality and action when people with similar views and interests reach out to us after reading them. This is what happened recently when Jennifer Harrington, a Toronto-based illustrator, writer and graphic designer introduced herself to us. Her collaboration with illustrator Michael Arnott on an eBook and animated short film versions of the The Spirit Bear and other stories is aimed at educating children about conservation while entertaining them at the same time.

Although sounding like a character out of Native American legend, the ghost or spirit bear actually

come from a small community of bears called Kermodes, which are a subspecies of black bears. Kermode bears may be black or white, but they all carry the recessive gene for white fur. 10% of Kermodes will fully express the recessive gene, and will be born with white or cream-coloured fur. Continue reading →

If You Happen To Be In Ithaca

/ Organikos / 1 Comment

Not sure what to do this upcoming Earth Day?  If you happen to attend Cornell University here’s a suggestion: If “Nature never stands still”, taking an interdisciplinary approach toward her recovery and restoration seems like a logical step.

We especially like the circular nature of choosing Dr. Kareiva to give the 2013 Iscol Distinguished Environmental Lecture. Kareiva received his PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Cornell University in 1981 and after serving on the faculties of Brown University and University of Washington he is now the Chief Scientist for The Nature Conservancy. Continue reading →

Earth Day In Historical Context

/ Organikos / 2 Comments
Earth Day began as a minimally organized teach-in.

Earth Day began as a minimally organized teach-in.

Those who do not know their environmental history may or may not be doomed, but they are missing something. Knowing the history is a pleasure in itself, as this article in the current issue of the New Yorker demonstrates.  Know this:

…Earth Day’s success was partly a matter of timing: it took place at the moment when years of slowly building environmental awareness were coming to a head, and when the energy of the sixties was ready to be directed somewhere besides the Vietnam War and the civil-rights movement. A coterie of celebrated environmental prophets—Rachel Carson, David Brower, Barry Commoner, Paul Ehrlich—had already established themselves, and Rome reminds us of  Continue reading →

Washington D.C.’s Green Carpet

/ Amie Inman / 1 Comment

When our new contributor ÉA Marzate wrote about a recent film festival it had the added benefit of providing the incentive to explore similar festivals worldwide. I’d nearly missed the DC Environmental Film Fest, which boasted documentaries that overlapped with those screened in Paris as well as some that touch a direct personal chord with RAXA Collective. (As I live in India, I use the word “missed” figuratively of course!)

I’m referring to the U.S. Premier of the 2012 BBC film Lonesome George and the Battle for the Galapagos. Continue reading →

International Environmental Film Festival of Paris: Prize List and Small Gems

/ Allegra / 3 Comments

The 30th edition of the International Environmental Film Festival closed in Paris a few weeks ago. The selection of rare, beautiful and eye-opening films was a treat so I wanted to share some of the goodness with you.

Grand Prix: The Fruit hunters by Yung Chang

Inspired by Adam Leith Gollner’s book of the same name -that also inspired a post in these pages – Canadian director Yung Chang (Up the Yangtze) enters the world of fans of rare varieties of fruits.  As he follows fruit hunters’ travels and meet-ups, he finds the tree of an almost extinct mango, comes across actor Bill Pullman and interviews many of these unsung heroes of biodiversity. The aesthetics of the cinematography makes those fruits and those characters irresistible. Continue reading →

Sharks As Charismatic Megafauna

/ Organikos / 1 Comment

If you are like most people, the words shark and trust do not normally work well together in the same sentence. Sharks are predators, and predators predate. So unless you are a professional you should not take anything for granted when in their waters. But the two words work together well in a sentence about this organization, and the project they have launched to help sharks is intriguing. Entrepreneurial, even.  Click the image above to read more about this initiative:

With over 600 species of skate and ray worldwide, at least 16 species have been regularly recorded in UK coastal waters; most of these species reproduce by laying tough leathery eggcases on the seabed. Of more than 30 species of British sharks, only two species lay eggcases that are commonly found on our beaches; the Smallspotted Catshark and the Nursehound. Continue reading →

Happy Birthday, Douglas Adams

/ Crist Inman / 1 Comment

One year ago today I posted this to make sure that anyone who loves this author would be aware that there are still opportunities to celebrate his life in tangible, meaningful ways that he would have appreciated.  I encourage anyone and everyone to continue to do so because the conservation needs have grown rather than diminished.  You might also enjoy his final public appearance above, which will give you 90 minutes of intense amusement and learning.   Continue reading →

Happy Birthday Ansel!

/ Amie Inman / 2 Comments
Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite national park, California, about 1937

Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite national park, California, about 1937

Ansel Adams has become almost synonymous with the environmental movement in general and Yosemite National Park in particular. He first visited the park when he was 14 and the impression he had at that age would last a lifetime. His photographs played a seminal role in convincing Congress to place that amazing landscape under federal protection.

Yosemite Valley, to me, is always a sunrise, a glitter of green and golden wonder in a vast edifice of stone and space. I know of no sculpture, painting or music that exceeds the compelling spiritual command of the soaring shape of granite cliff and dome, of patina of light on rock and forest, and of the thunder and whispering of the falling, flowing waters…

— Ansel Adams, The Portfolios Of Ansel Adams Continue reading →

Good Conservation Personified

/ Organikos / 5 Comments
DougTompkins

Doug Tompkins, Co-Founder, North Face

Click the image to the left for a podcast interview worth listening to. If you are a fan of this man, chances are you are also a fan of this man, who has carried out more tangible action for deep ecology than anyone, perhaps ever:

Entrepreneur, conservation philanthropist, and documentary filmmaker are some of the titles that Doug Tompkins has possessed over his career. Doug’s love of mountaineering led him to start North Face, the outdoor apparel company. He then cofounded the international clothing giant, Esprit, which he later sold. Doug has spent the last few decades focusing his energies on sustainable farming, land conservation and biodiversity preservation in Chile and Argentina. With the purchase of more than 2 million acres of land in South America, Doug has pioneered one of the largest private conservation efforts in the world.

Doug speaks to Jessica about his journey from selling dresses out of a van to conserving South America’s natural environment, from scratch.

Opposition to Arctic Drilling

/ Organikos / 1 Comment
Illustration by Aisha Franz

Illustration by Aisha Franz

Click on the image above to read an open letter from two influential policy insiders:

Why We Now Oppose Drilling in the Arctic

By Carol Browner & John Podesta Jan 18, 2013
The Arctic Ocean is subject to some of the most volatile weather patterns on the planet. Geologists believe it also contains vast undersea oil and gas reserves. Continue reading →

Tell Them It Cannot Be So

/ Organikos / Leave a comment

The Guardian and New York Times are the two newspapers of record in the English language that have invested well in coverage of environmental issues.  This news below is not welcome and we hope it is not final.  Why did we learn this news in the Guardian?  Can we influence the reversal of this decision?

The New York Times will close its environment desk in the next few weeks and assign its seven reporters and two editors to other departments. The positions of environment editor and deputy environment editor are being eliminated. No decision has been made about the fate of the Green Blog, which is edited from the environment desk. Continue reading →

5 Reasons I See India’s Potential to Produce A Stararchitect

/ Chi-Chi Lin / 1 Comment

“Stararchitect” conjures up a cloud of thoughts (Star architecture. Star power. Architecture as a symbol. The North Star for architectural design. Brand. Design. Fame. Architecture prowess. Household name.), but above all, I think of The Pritzker Prize. I feel like the weather channel for  announcing the next “big thing” in architecture is The Pritzker Prize. The weather channel is telling you “you better keep this in mind ’cause you’ll need that umbrella!” The Pritzker Prize is telling you “you better keep this name in mind ’cause you’ll need that knowledge to understand the state of the world you live in.”

Ningbo History Museum by architect Wang Shu

Ningbo History Museum by architect Wang Shu

2012’s Pritzker Prize Laureate was Wang Shu, a Chinese architect famed for his re-use of building rubble in his designs. Expansive facades feature roof tiles and bricks from the demolished village that previously existed on that very site. The Pritzker Prize choice of Wang Shu tells us:

1.) Sustainability is important. The reappropriated construction refuse reminds us of the Three Four Rs: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. It also reminds us that sustaining heritage and history is important.

2.) China is a powerful country with a powerful new identity. This is the first time a Chinese architect has been named. The closest the Pritzker has ever gone to a Chinese architect before was when I.M. Pei was recognized as a Chinese-American architect.

Detail of reused rubble in the facade of the Ningbo History Museum by architect Wang Shu

Detail of reused rubble in the facade of the Ningbo History Museum by architect Wang Shu

It’s rare to see a non-western architect. So I thought, has there been an Indian Pritzker Prize winner before?

The answer is no. (But I wouldn’t be surprised if Indian architecte Charles Correa is a nominee soon!)

While it may still be a long time before we see an Indian Pritzker Prize winner, I feel that India has the potential will definitely produce a stararchitect in the future. Here are 5 reasons why I see India’s potential to produce a starachitect.

Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown in Lisbon, Portugal by Charles Correa Architects, photographed by José Campos of arqf architectural photography

Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown in Lisbon, Portugal by Charles Correa Architects, photographed by José Campos of arqf architectural photography

5 Reasons I See India’s Potential to Produce A Stararchitect
Continue reading →

Foxes, Henhouses And Old Watchdogs Learning New Tricks

/ Organikos / Leave a comment

We believe governments and NGOs, supported by research in academia and elsewhere, are the institutions best designed to establish, enforce and monitor environmental protection schemes.  NGOs can also play a philanthropic role.  Enterprises such as ours have evolved in the last couple decades to approach conservation challenges better suited for market solutions.  Now, another random variation in this never-ending evolution of ideas.

What is the implication of conservation NGOs getting into business deals with the very businesses that are causing environmental problems?  We favor innovation, but also evaluation of those new approaches.  We have only recently been paying attention to this relatively new phenomenon, so do not have the answers, but each time we see questions being raised we take note (and will share them here).  This, from the excellent Yale Environment 360 site:

Like plastic bags, coal, and SUVs, beef has few friends in the environmental community. Most environmentalists would point to beef — in particular, beef cattle that spend their final days in confined feedlots — as being responsible for an array of ills — the greenhouse gas emissions that the cattle generate; the groundwater pollution from their manure; the use of antibiotics in animal feed; the vast quantities of monoculture corn grown to feed the cattle; and the enormous amount of chemical fertilizers and water needed to grow the corn. As advocacy group Food and Water Watch put it in a 2010 report, “The significant growth in industrial-scale, factory-farmed livestock has contributed to a host of environmental, public health, food safety and animal welfare problems.” Continue reading →

Mangrove Forests

/ Salim.E.I / Leave a comment

Mangroves are an essential element of healthy coastal environment. They provide excellent habitat for migratory birds, serve as breeding ground for many species of fishes, control pollution through natural filtration and protect the shoreline from heavy waves. The important Mangroves plants are Acanthus cillicifolious, Acrostichum aurem and Avicennia officinalis, several of which are found in Kerala. Mangroves are salt-tolerant plants found in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Continue reading →

From the 2012 Net Impact Conference, Part 2

/ Timothy Chen / 3 Comments

Continuing on my previous post about the 2012 Net Impact Conference, I want to address some of the interesting and debatable issues that several company panelists spoke about during the conference. I dedicate this post to addressing Monsanto’s climate change adaptation strategies. A very interesting discussion on how businesses have been approaching climate change adaptation included panelists from the World Resources Institute, AT&T, Monsanto, and a few universities. Monsanto’s strategies related to increased crop yield, and its view was that higher production was the clear answer to climate change risk and food insecurity.

Monsanto has experienced a haunted past (and continues to suffer from a poor reputation among environmentalists) with activist groups protesting its GMO seeds and its aggressive litigation against farmers.

Continue reading →

Brute Force Technology

/ Seth Inman / 3 Comments

https://i0.wp.com/i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n498/raxacollective/josephson_industrialized-nature_fc.jpgIn my last book review sourced from the course I’m taking on environmental history, I hinted that some of the authors we read were very keen to list our failures of the past and quantify the damage we’ve done. Paul R. Josephson, in his Industrialized Nature, does just this, seeking to demonstrate how large-scale resource management systems almost always ensure environmental degradation and long-term losses in different ways. Dubbing these systems “brute force technologies,” Josephson studies how they were employed by varied combinations of diverse political systems, social groups, and economic goals on different types of raw materials in several countries. All led to similarly disastrous results for the ecosystems in question, but, the author argues, man’s hubris is strong enough to convince political and scientific spheres that further innovation can solve problems and maintain profitable advances in the future. While describing the ecological damage caused by brute force technologies, Josephson makes sure to include social stresses inflicted upon local communities, such as native tribes and other underrepresented groups directly affected by the overwhelmingly negative changes.

Continue reading →

Famed Photographer Goes With The Floe

/ Organikos / Leave a comment

Thanks to the Guardian, click above to go to the audio slide show of Daniel Beltra in which the

Prix Pictet-shortlisted photographer discusses his recent expedition to the frontline of climate change, on board the Arctic Sunrise along with John Vidal, documenting the lowest sea-ice level ever recorded

Did Rachel And David Ever Meet?

/ Organikos / 4 Comments

This particular question clearly does not matter, but if we celebrate Rachel Carson’s contributions and their longevity (not to mention their impact on the next generation) and David Attenborough’s contributions over roughly the same period, it seems reasonable to wonder whether they ever met considering they shared common interest in the wonders of the earth and concern for the its health: Continue reading →

Rachel’s Place In The Eco-Pantheon

/ Organikos / 2 Comments

Illustration by Valero Doval

Click the illustration above to go to a great article in this past Sunday’s New York Times Magazine by Eliza Griswold about the historic significance of Rachel Carson’s book:

“Silent Spring” was published 50 years ago this month. Though she did not set out to do so, Carson influenced the environmental movement as no one had since the 19th century’s most celebrated hermit, Henry David Thoreau, wrote about Walden Pond.

Novel Approaches To Environmental Concern

/ Organikos / 2 Comments

Click the image below to go to the interview, in two parts, with one of the English language’s best living writers, who with this other great writer shares a deep concern for issues facing our planet’s environment and that writer’s uncanny ability to personalize it, as he talks about

the inspiration for Michael Beard, the anti-hero in his comic novel Solar about climate change. The idea came to McEwan when he attended a gathering of 35 Nobel prizewinners, all men of a certain age, ‘big beasts’ in the scientific world who were nevertheless ‘living in their own shadow’ with their most creative years behind them.