Live Earth Concerts
February 19th, 2007
Mark your calendar for July 7th, 2007 — you’ve got a date with Al Gore!
Al and about 100 of his most high profile musical artist friends are putting on Live Earth 2007. The LiveAid of the new millenium (yes, I am that old), a powerhouse lineup of music stars has agreed to participate in 24 hours of seven concerts, on seven continents.
Live Earth hopes to engage an audience of more than 2 billion people through concert attendance and broadcasts.
According to CBC News,
The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Snoop Dogg, Bon Jovi, the Foo Fighters, Lenny Kravitz, Sheryl Crow, John Mayer, Duran Duran, Korn, Pharrell, the Black Eyed Peas and Faith Hill are among the performers who will take part.
The 24-hour event is part of Gore’s Save Our Selves — The Campaign for a Climate in Crisis, which aims to bring attention to the need to move away from fossil fuels to prevent catastrophic climate change.
I wonder who agreed to play Antartica?
Terra Pass: Balance the Scales
February 19th, 2007
Did you know that one round trip flight between San Francisco and Newark Liberty International Airport dumps no less than 1,994 lbs of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere?
If you want to try living carbon neutral, check out TerraPass — an innovative way to counterbalance the global warming impact of your flying, your driving or even your every day living!
It works like this — plug your activity into the TerraPass calculator tool to figure out your carbon dioxide emissions. Once you know how much carbon you’re dumping, purchase the TerraPass card that balances out the scales.
Your purchase of a TerraPass results in a guaranteed reduction in carbon dioxide emissions elsewhere, by funding three types of leading-edge projects: clean energy such as wind and biodiesel; biomass such as dairy farm methane; and industrial efficiency.
Worrying about your bathroom scale is so last century! Get with the program and start living carbon neutral!
Office Desks Haven for Bacteria
February 15th, 2007
According to a recent study comissioned by the Clorox Co., your office desk harbors far more bacteria than your workplace restroom, and if you’re a woman, chances are your workspace has more germs than your male co-workers’.
The Associated Press reports that women have three to four times the number of bacteria in, on and around their desks, phones, computers, keyboards, drawers and personal items as men do, largely due to the large amount of food and cosmetics kept in their desk drawers.
But the study found the worst overall office germ offender is actually men’s wallets. “It’s in your back pocket where it’s nice and warm, it’s a great incubator for bacteria,” Gerba said.
The solution? Surprise! Clorox, the sponsor of the study, just happens to make a bunch of disinfectant wipes that help to clean up all of those nasty little critters. But the truth is that your body does an amazing job of keeping the nasty bacteria outside, where it belongs. Wash your hands frequently, avoid sick people, and don’t touch your face and you should be fine!
What’s Happening Nau?
February 14th, 2007
Does the world need another outdoor clothing company? Not unless you can do it with a different philosophy.
The people at Nau decided to do it with a commitment to positive, lasting and substantial change. By combining beautiful design with sustainable materials, and adding a 5% contribution to select earth-friendly charities, I think they’re on the right track!
The clothing line isn’t quite available yet, but you can get a sneak peek at the 2007 line on Flickr. Sign up for the newsletter and secure your spot in line!
Continuing Violence in Beirut
February 14th, 2007
In case you missed it in the media deluge surrounding the death of Anna Nicole Smith, there has been a rising level of violence in Lebanon that is setting the Middle East on edge.
Here’s what graffiti looks like in Beirut:
According to reports by IRIN,
Leaders of the Lebanese pro-government ‘March 14’ group warned that the country was sliding towards Iraq-style sectarian violence after at least three people were killed in explosions that hit two buses travelling through a Christian-majority mountain town outside Beirut.
“This was a new form of terrorism for Lebanon. We are all afraid that it will push Lebanon towards the kind of violence that we see in Iraq,� Michel Khoury, a member of the Christian Phalangist Party and of the March 14 committee, told IRIN.
The bombing came a day ahead of a planned mass rally by the March 14 group to commemorate the second anniversary of the assassination of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
IRIN (Integrated Regional Information Networks) is an editorially independent part of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
To help be part of the solution, why not check out SOS Children’s Villages in Lebanon and consider sponsoring a Lebanese orphan?