Pop Goes Green

Death Cab for Cutie’s New “Grapevine Fires” Video

Trish — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:38:07 +0000

I’m a huge Death Cab for Cutie fan, and apparently the boys in the band are huge admirers of artist Walter Robot, who likes to blend live action and animation in music videos and film. So the two teamed up to create the animated video called “Grapevine Fires,” which was inspired by vocalist/guitarist Ben Gibbard’s personal encounter with 2007’s California wildfires.

Check it out:

Just Do It: Nike and WWF Want YOU to Fight Climate Change

Trish — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 12:18:23 +0000

Yes, Nike is a HUGE global corporation that makes money from athletes promoting their products and from selling shoes for $100. But the company does have a different “green” interest: the environment.

Here’s a very creative commercial about climate change that was promoted by Nike and WWF:

Nigerians Take a Stand Against New Helmet Law by Wearing Fruit on Their Heads

Trish — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 20:31:38 +0000

On January 1 of this year a new law was enacted by police in Nigeria. The law stated that everyone who drives a motorcycle, whether they are an “Okada” taxi driver or a regular biker, must wear a helmet for their safety.

Many people, like Nigerian construction workers, saw the new law as a way to make money by renting out their safety helmets for about 500 naira ($3 US) a day.

Almost everyone else thought that this new law was unfair, and they saw it as just another exercise of power executed by the corrupt Nigerian traffic police.

So what did many of these angry drivers do? Instead of buying the helmets for 800 naira (about $6 US) they put everything from pots and plates to pumpkin-sized fruit bowls known as calabashes on their heads.

Apparently the Nigerian police didn’t like people wearing fruit helmets, so they arrested 28 people in the city of Kano.

The police said they gave the Nigerian public a six month heads-up to purchase helmets before the law came into play, so they are not being lenient with arrests. And they are impounding the motorcycles until the drivers purchase helmets.

But people are still refusing to buy the helmets, not only because they just can’t afford them, but also because they believe the helmets could be laced with evil magic spells and infectious diseases.

So what do you think of the Nigerian helmet law?

Do the police really care about the safety of the people, or are they just making it harder for the poor citizens to lead their daily lives?

Source: Yahoo! New s.

Jay Leno and His Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Trish — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:27:30 +0000

I had no idea that Jay Leno was into the green movement, but after watching this video I am now convinced that he is a pretty cool person who cares about the environment:

German City Uses Cell Phones to Turn on Street Lights and Save Energy

Trish — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 18:38:11 +0000

Last week I was watching BBC News and I came across an amazing story about a city in Germany that saves energy and money in a clever way: using cell phones.

New Dutch Invention Makes it Possible for Plants to Grow Just About Anywhere

Trish — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 15:17:15 +0000

Did you ever think that a tree could survive in the hot Sahara Desert for a few months on its own?

It’s not very likely since there is little or no rainfall to keep it alive, but a new Dutch invention that looks like a bucket from outer space might just make plant survival in any type of condition possible.

It’s called the WaterBoxx (not to be confused with Outkast’s album Speakerboxxx), and it provides water to plants by collecting condensation and rainfall and slowly distributing it to the roots. The protective outer layer protects the roots from animals, the sun and other weather conditions, allowing the plant to germinate and grow.

After a year…voila, the plant is healthy and ready to plant into the ground!

Inventor Pieter Hoff will have the WaterBoxx available in July of 2009, and he’s hoping that people will be interested in purchasing the product to help repopulate the Earth’s diminishing trees and plants.

If this works I think that it will be useful for every country around the world. It will give them a chance to give back to the Earth instead of taking away as usual.

The EPA’s Most-Wanted Environmental Fugitives

Trish — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:31:18 +0000

We’ve always been a society that is fascinated with criminals and the crimes that they commit. Whether it’s the absurdity of Cops or the intensity of America’s Most Wanted we love to see the bad guy get caught.

That’s why the FBI list of most-wanted criminals for environmental crimes is so amazing! Those of us who care about crimes committed against the environment get to see the mugshots of these criminals and read about what they did. Then we can do our part to get them apprehended.

Here are a few of the baddest of the bad guys:

Raul Chavez-Beltran

Illegally transported stored and disposed of mercury contaminated soil in Texas.

Carlos Girodano and Alessandro Giordano

Father and son who illegally imported automobiles into California that did not meet U.S. emissions standards.

John Karayannides

Illegally discharged tons of oil-contaminated grain from his ship into the ocean.

Mauro Valenzuela

Valenzuela allowed cabin oxygen generators to be delivered and loaded on VALUJET flight 592 without proper markings, capping, packaging and other safety measures. The plane crashed into the Everglades and killed all 110 passengers and crew onboard.

That’s just a few of the fugitives. Here’s the complete EPA list.

Now I don’t know about you, but I think these guys need to get caught and instead of jail they should be forced to work in a greenhouse for the rest of their lives. If any plants die or grow poorly they will have to suffer the consequences from their warden:

Canadian Scientists Discover How to Reduce Methane Emissions of Cows

Trish — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 21:33:58 +0000

Every day more people in our nation are learning about “the green movement” thanks to a newly elected President who pushes for environmental education and an old President who ruined many people’s environments.

But this learning is not just happening in the US: it’s also happening to our neighbors in Canada. Scientists at the University of Manatoba in Winnipeg have figured out how to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions emitted by cows every day…by up to 200 litres!

Let’s face it: cows like to belch. And they belch out about 600 to 700 litres of methane gas a day. And that methane gas is a greenhouse gas, which pollutes the environment.

So, scientists wanted to see if a cow’s diet had anything to do with its constant belching and releasing of gases. If it did, they could find a way to reduce the belching by changing the feed. They tested two diets: one diet consisting of only traditional grass feed and one diet consisting of grass feed mixed with grain.

The results: the mixed feed produced less greenhouse gas emissions. Plus, the cattle who ate it produced more milk!

Here’s the story from ENN.

I think that this is a great find for the people of Canada, and it could benefit other countries on their quest to save the environment.

And I think this find will make the cows very happy, just like these guys:

Chinese Earthquake Victims Get Subway Train Shelters

Trish — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:11:32 +0000

Last May an earthquake measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale killed more than 70,000 people in the Sichuan province of China. The terrible tragedy left many people homeless , and they are still homeless 8 months later.

A Presidential Pardon for a Puppy!

Trish — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 16:51:02 +0000

Everyone knows that soon-to-be President Barack Obama is looking to add a puppy to his family. The puppy might just add a little ray of sunshine to the gloomy job of economic restoration that Obama faces in the next 4 years to come.

Watch Obama endorse pet adoption:

The only drawback of puppy adoption for Obama is that he thinks dogs from shelters might not be the best bet for his daughter’s allergies.

But we want Obama to know that there are millions dogs from shelters that are hypoallergenic and can be wonderful pets for him…or anyone!

So how about joining me and others in persuading Obama to sign a Presidential pardon for shelter dogs. With his pardon he may just get other Americans to realize the importance of adopting shelter animals, and these animals will get the loving home they deserve.

Just click on the image to sign the petition.

Please pass the word to family and friends!