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A Tour for What Ails Ya

Charles Munn, a pioneer of S. American ecotourism, answers Grist‘s questions Charles Munn says that much rainforest ecotourism is a “buggy disappointment,” and not very “eco” to boot. As leader of Tropical Nature, a conservation group that specializes in truly green eco-trips with top-notch wildlife viewing, he’s raising the bar. The group’s network of lodges […]

I’m Wreckin’ It

Greenpeace investigation links European fast food to Amazon destruction Which came first, Chicken McNuggets or deforestation? A recent Greenpeace investigation has uncovered the depressing answer: the McDonald’s supply chain begins with felled rainforest. Much of the chicken gobbled at European Mickey D’s is supplied by a subsidiary of American agri-biz behemoth Cargill. For the last […]

Won’t someone think of the chicks?

A family drama is unfolding in an eagle's nest near Washington D.C.'s Woodrow Wilson Bridge. A male bald eagle, nicknamed "George," has been left alone in the care of a nest of near-hatchlings. His mate, nicknamed "Martha," is recovering at a wildlife rehabilitation center after she was attacked by another female bald eagle (who was apparently not given a nickname, so I'll call her "J. Lo").

Smells like french fries

From an article in E Magazine:

According to Kathryn Phillips, manager of Environmental Defense's California Clean Air for Life campaign, it [biodiesel] actually increases nitrous oxide (NOX) emissions, which react with other chemicals to create ground-level ozone, or smog, significantly impacting lung development in children.

After glossing over the problem by telling us that "the biodiesel industry is working on methods to reduce NOX via an additive or catalyst," the author then spends the next 1,310 words telling everyone they should burn it not only in their cars but also in their furnaces.

An Inconvenient Truth: A preview

Moviefone has a trailer ... looks good.

Bush wants to drop nukes on Iran

This isn't strictly environmental, but everybody who has any audience -- even just family and friends -- should be making sure the news gets out.

The Bush administration is seriously considering -- nay, already planning -- air strikes on Iran, possibly involving nuclear weapons:

Harry Taylor

A gentleman named Harry Taylor became instantly famous when he stood up at one of President Bush's notoriously scripted "town hall" events and said, among other things, this:

You never stop talking about freedom, and I appreciate that. But while I listen to you talk about freedom, I see you assert your right to tap my telephone, to arrest me and hold me without charges, to try to preclude me from breathing clean air and drinking clean water and eating safe food. If I were a woman, you’d like to restrict my opportunity to make a choice and decision about whether I can abort a pregnancy on my own behalf.

...

... in my lifetime, I have never felt more ashamed of, nor more frightened by my leadership in Washington, including the presidency, by the Senate, and ... I feel like despite your rhetoric, that compassion and common sense have been left far behind during your administration, and I would hope from time to time that you have the humility and the grace to be ashamed of yourself inside yourself.

Taylor is also a member of the Sierra Club. According to Carl Pope, Taylor had this to say when asked about the event by club staff:

Cape Wind, R.I.P.

The much-debated Cape Wind project off the coast of Cape Cod has effectively been killed by an amendment to the Coast Guard budget bill.

After all that debate among the locals, it was a parliamentary gimmick in Washington, D.C., that put to rest what would have been the first offshore wind farm in the U.S., and one of the biggest wind farms in the world.

(Amanda wrote about Cape Wind here.)

Edens Lost & Found

Check out Edens Lost & Found, a four-part PBS series (and book, and newsletter, and curriculum) about how four cities -- Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Seattle -- are working to transform urban environments to integrate nature and improve quality of life. Apparently the first two episodes have already aired; Los Angeles and Seattle are coming up this Spring. Sounds interesting. Check your local listings.

Current TV: Make your own Yaris TV ad, and more

So you think you've got the chops to produce a television commercial after making your own Chevy Tahoe ad? Well, let's see how well you do when you have to shoot and edit it yourself! Still up to the challenge? If so, head on over to Current TV where they're seeking submissions for viewer-created ads for the Toyota Yaris.

What would you do with your Yaris? Now, you don't have to own a Yaris to take on this project. Just make a V-Cam commercial about what you would do with your Toyota Yaris. The operative word here is "you." Make it personal, engaging and compelling. Where would you go? Who would you take? What would you take with you? Whatever you do, have fun and let your freak-flag-fly. There. Now go make something.

Now, before you get all subversive, check this out: the Yaris supposedly gets up to 40 mpg on the highway, according to the Toyota website. Oh yeah, if your piece airs, you earn $1,000.

If you'd rather watch than create, Current has added several new enviro pieces to their Earth pod: