Eco-Chick · The modern girl's guide to living green & fabulous.

Swimming With Dolphins: The Reality

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by Kimberly Jordan Allen · 11/06/07

This video shows what goes on in the dolphin hunts and includes Hayden Panettiere (of the TV show ‘Heroes’) and a team of surfers who tried to protest and protect the mammals.

Some think swimming with dolphins, or going to see animals/mammals in captivity, is somehow “environmental” or serving some sense of naturalism. While I understand there are marine biologists that nurse creatures back to health, or keep them in captivity because they would die otherwise, the enslavement of healthy animals has never made sense to me.

I read several blog posts on this video; some people feel it is just a photo op for a Hollywood starlet, or they mention so many other important environmental issues not being covered. And what about all the other animals that are near extinction or that have already become extinct that we should focus on? At some point, you have to choose your activism. I have always been fond of aquatic life, growing up with Jacques Cousteau and all things National Geographic, so for me, this video had resonance.

I heard someone talking about swimming with dolphins recently and they discussed what a ‘spiritual experience’ it was and it made me cringe. This video, of the dolphin slaughters that occur in Japan for six months out of the year, shows where some of the dolphins are harvested and the massacre that ensues. The prime specimens are sent for captivity, while others are used for food. Here is more information on the dolphins and how the multi-million dollar industries that support captivity perpetuate the slaughters. The World Society for the Protection of Animals also discusses why swimming with dolphins is wrong, especially for anyone who claims to care for wildlife.

Thanks to Perez Hilton for the initial post on this.

activism, Animals, autos, car, Food, health, Hollywood, media, spa, Tea, tv, video, Wildlife, wood

One Person's Crapola is Another's Lifesaver

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by Starre Vartan · 11/01/07

Reusing your stuff is a cheap, planet-friendly move, and now you no longer have to hold a giant yardsale to find a good home for your favorite but ill-fitting ski helmet or that extra garden hose you never seem to use. Swapping or borrowing saves resources because less stuff has to be made (fewer cds or dvds to press for example), less shipping of materials around the world producing greenhouse gases and eventually less crap clogging our landfills or using energy to incinerate. And it’s really just awesome to be able to get something you want (the latest Leo DiCaprio flick) in exchange for something you want to get rid of anyway!

And don’t forget that the holidays are coming up….save your wallet and go lighter on the Earth by swapping stuff you want to get rid of and get gifts for your family at the same time!

Swaptree is a national service, only in the US for now, where you list what you want to get rid of and list what you want (cd’s, books and movies only). The site’s software does the rest, finding matches among people. It’s really sleek and super easy to use even if you’ve never done anything like it before. It does get a little addicting seeing what you can get for what you already have!

Swaptree is a site where you can trade books, music, movies and video games that you don’t want, for the books, CDs, DVDs, video games that you do want, for free.

Unlike auction sites or other used item sites where you can sell or purchase items, on swaptree your items will only cost you the price of shipping. So if you don’t really see the point in selling a book online for $3, just so you can then go out and buy a new book for $15, then swaptree is for you!

The best part is that once you get an item from someone and you finish reading, listening or viewing it, you can just list it on swaptree and get something else for it!

On Neighborrow you can borrow, trade or recycle locally (though they do have a mailing option, the site encourages near-by borrowing).

Borrow: Neighborrow enables you to borrow things that you want to use but do not want to pay for (books, movies, music, tools, household items, baby items, etc). You can also borrow things that you only need once in a while or things that you only need to use a single time. It makes “no cents” to purchase or even to rent certain things, especially if you do not have to. Once you borrow something, we keep track of where it is, where it has been, and when it is due back.

Trade: If you do not want the item back, but do not just want to give it away or throw it out, you can trade it for neighborrow-bucks. This “currency system” means that you do not have to find a counter party that has something you want. You can then use your neigborrow-bucks for anything on the site that someone else doesn’t want.

Recycle: Get rid of items you do not use anymore. We make it easy to find someone who wants it so it won’t go to waste

Baby, book, books, Energy, farm, garden, gas, holiday, Holidays, Home, local, movies, Music, party, recycle, resources, tools, video, waste

Gotta Keep on Top of the Bills!

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by Starre Vartan · 10/30/07

Yeesh! There’s a flurry of activity surrounding environmental issues in Congress and it’s all I can do to keep up! Here’s what’s going on:

TOMORROW, on Halloween, the House is set to vote on HR 2262, which updates the incredibly outdated (and super destructive) Mining Act of 1872. That’s right, this puppy was last updated over 130 years ago!

WHAT: We want our Congresspeople to vote YES on HR 2262, the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2007, which updates the act and makes environmental provisions as well as making sure Native Americans have a say in what’s done on their lands. Also, it forces profit-making companies to pay for the right to mine on public lands.

It would help clean up western waters contaminated by tens of thousands of abandoned mines, ensure that new mines do not become perpetual water polluters, and give federal land managers and local elected officials more say in balancing mining with other important public land values, such as for drinking water, wildlife habitat, and places to hunt, fish, hike, and camp.

WHY: “[The old act] allows foreign and domestic companies to take valuable minerals from public lands without paying any royalties, and it still allows public land to be purchased at the 1872 price of less than $5.00 an acre.

The 1872 Mining Law contains no environmental provisions, allowing hardrock mines to wreak havoc on western water supplies, wildlife and landscapes. Mining has polluted 40 percent of the headwaters of Western watersheds, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. ”

OR….you can just watch the video about it!

HOW: You can call or email your representative. DO IT NOW!!!!

ALSO:

There’s a new global warming bill making it’s way through Congress, which will finally address many of the long-standing contributors to our warming world.

WHAT: The Leiberman-Warner “America’s Climate Security Act of 2007″ does not go far enough in reducing global warming emissions. Got to this page to get links to all the nitty-gritty details of the act.

The Quick and Dirty:

The bill would cap greenhouse gases at the 2005 emission level starting in 2012 and gradually reduce them to 1990 levels – a 15 percent reduction – by 2020. The measure requires deeper cuts over the long term: a 65 percent reduction from 1990 levels by 2050.

“The goal should be to keep the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere below 500 parts per million,” Lieberman said. “That will avoid what (scientists) describe as a high risk of severe global warming impacts here in the United States … but also around the world.”

WHY: Though this is mostly a positive bill, it doesn’t go far enough, especially because it introduces a ‘cap and trade’ system for polluting industries. Check out this editorial from the LA Times about why it could end up making corporations zillions of dollars instead of solving the problem.

Cap-and-trade is a politically popular idea in the U.S. and Europe, but it is an extremely complex mechanism that presents irresistible opportunities for cheating and profiteering that would deeply compromise its effectiveness. Rather than creating a new carbon-trading market primed for manipulation by clever polluters and traders, Congress should be focusing on simple carbon taxes that would assess polluters for the cost of their environmental damage and offset the resulting economic pain by lowering other taxes.

HOW: As always, call or email your representative and tell them what you think about this. You can also sign MoveOn’s petition.

atmosphere, cape, car, carbon, corporations, dress, drinking water, eating, emissions, Europe, fish, gas, Global Warming, habitat, local, News, opinion, reduce, spa, taxes, Tea, video, Vote, water, Wildlife

Growing a Greener Apartment

1 Comment

by Starre Vartan · 10/28/07

Living in a city, especially one as walking and public-transport oriented as New York, is way more sustainable than the ‘burbs or the country, since resources for so many people are centralized. You can go even greener by renting or buying an apartment that’s in one of the green buildings that are cropping up in the NY-metro area. Check this fun video out on the greening of New York City’s real-estate market, and get a few peeks inside what those LEED-certified eco-apartments look like (fun)!

It’s a little light on the specifics, which I was curious about….what exactly are the energy savings over a tradtional apartment, what materials are used in building and insulation, any wastewater innovations, and how much better is the air quality in one of these pads? Still, a fun eco-centric watch for those who are into real-estate porn (guilty!).

autos, Energy, media, New York City, resources, spa, sport, sustainable, video, waste, water

CNN's Planet in Peril

3 Comments

by Starre Vartan · 10/19/07

Looks like CNN’s new enviro doc, Planet in Peril is covering a lot more than just global warming (thumbs up!) though I am slightly disappointed that it is all guys hosting the show (thumbs down!). Where are the fearless female journos and experts (since in surveys, up to 80% of self-described environmentalists are women)?

On second thought, all these guys are HOT!! (thumbs up! Maybe they WERE thinking of the ladies here). Anderson Cooper, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and Jeff Corwin can put my planet in peril anytime…….(sorry, but watch the trailer and you’ll see what I mean!)

Deets:

Planet in Peril uses first-hand investigative reporting to provide a better understanding of the environment’s present state. Bringing viewers the stories behind the statistics, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Animal Planet host and wildlife biologist Jeff Corwin will focus on four main issues that threaten the planet and its inhabitants: climate change, deforestation, species loss and overpopulation. Planet in Peril, filmed across four continents and 13 countries, airs over two nights on CNN/U.S. on Tuesday, Oct. 23, and Wednesday, Oct. 24, from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. (ET/PT) and globally on CNN International.

I’d love to hear what our readers think of the show once it’s aired. Come back here and offer your take if you see it!

climate change, deforestation, Global Warming, News, video, Wildlife, women