Do Everything Right, but Do it for the Wrong Reasons
July 6, 2009
Green Thing has a really positive message – maybe too positive, if you ask Rob. He’s not too keen on miserable green gits, so he decided to give some advice on how you can be green, selfish and WIN. Rob’s unique take on Green Thing’s ‘Seven Things You Can Do to Lead a Greener Life’ involves peeing on cars, eating cats and shouting at his friends “you are a sad bastard who will never get laid!”
Just watch:
“Do everything right, but do it for the wrong reasons! Do the Green Thing!”
Link [Do the Green Thing]
An Inconvenient Poop
July 4, 2009
There are a lot of videos about climate change out there, and the vast majority of them take a very serious approach to prompting people into action. This one, created for the Oxfam Climate Change Initiative and entered in the YouTube Cannes Young Lions Ad Contest – not so much. But it’s great anyway:
Leaving our shit for other people to clean up is never a good idea.
Link [YouTube]
Do the Green Thing
July 2, 2009
When it comes to people who are new to the green scene, extremism can definitely be a turnoff. There are an awful lot of people out there who’d love to do their part to help the planet, but want to take it at their own pace. That’s cool. And we know just where people like that should start their journey – at Do the Green Thing.
Green Thing is a not-for-profit public service that inspires people to lead a greener life, providing seven easy-to-follow tips through hilarious videos like ‘Gusty and Ford’ and ‘Walking Fingers’.
1. You get from A to B without any C when you Walk The Walk
2. It’s delicious but it causes more CO2 than cars so go Easy On The Meat
3. Resist the urge to buy the latest and Stick With What You Got
4. Turn down the central heating and turn up the Human Heat
5. The art of wasting nothing and using up everything: All-Consuming
6. Instead of jetting your way around the world, Stay Grounded
7. Don’t leave it on or even put it on, Plug Out
Meet Green Thing from Green Thing on Vimeo.
It’s simple, it’s fun, it’s creative and it’s about community and inspiring green action. Join up, share how you’re doing the green thing and learn about more ways you can help the earth.
Link [Green Thing]
OrganicNation.tv Interviews Curtis Ellis, Producer of King Corn
July 1, 2009
The OrganicNation team’s kickoff tour was a great success, and they got plenty of awesome video footage as well as lots of great photos documenting the trip. OrganicNation.tv is an exploration of the American sustainable food landscape focusing on the people, places and products that are shaping a new green economy and lifestyle.
At the Organic Summit in Stevenson, Washington, the Organic Nation team – including EarthFirst’s own Dorothee Royal-Hedinger – got a chance to speak with Curtis Ellis, the producer of ‘King Corn’, about his new film entitled ‘Big River’.
Interview with Curtis Ellis of “King Corn” from OrganicNation on Vimeo.
Check out the OrganicNation.tv website – there are more videos, a blog and even a community map that helps you find resources in your neighborhood and across the country. Stay tuned for more updates!
Catching Up with OrganicNation.tv: What’s a CSA?
June 18, 2009
Our own Dorothee Royal-Hedinger has returned to Chicago after three weeks on the road with her new project OrganicNation.tv, an exploration of the American sustainable food landscape focusing on the people, places and products that are shaping a new green economy and lifestyle.
Dorothee and her Organic Nation partner in green, Mark Andrew Boyer, learned a lot while traveling around the U.S. and they’re sharing it with us through a series of awesome informative videos including this one about CSAs.
The Organic Nation team visited the Thorpe Family Organic Farm in East Aurora, New York where Gail Thorpe shared how her farm is sustained through support from her local community. Check it out:
What is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)? from OrganicNation on Vimeo.
Organic Nation will be going back on the road shortly, and we’ll bring you updates as they come!
Link [OrganicNation.tv]
‘Green Spiderman’ Climbs Building to Draw Attention to Climate Change
June 4, 2009
A French climber known as ‘Spiderman’ scaled a 41-story building in Sydney on Tuesday to draw attention to climate change. Hundreds gathered to watch Alain Robert make his death-defying – and illegal – climb up to the top of an office building in less than 30 minutes without the use of a harness or ropes.
Watch:
When Robert got to the top, he unfurled a banner advertising environmental group One Hundred Months, which has calculated that we have 100 months starting in August 2008 before atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases would likely reach the point of no return.
As soon as Robert got down, he was arrested and remains in custody waiting to be charged.
Link [Reuters] + [One Hundred Months]
Photo credit: AlainRobert.com
Prius Stars in Casual Mafia’s Rap Video
May 29, 2009
Not since Carrot Mob made it rain has there been such a hilariously green rap video. Casual Mafia dedicated a song to the Toyota Prius, talking about tax credits in the G’s and hugging mad trees. Check it out:
Some lyrics, via Ecorazzi:
“Cruisin’ down the street in my ‘04
Obama bumper sticker and so much more
When I lost it all in the Madoff scheme
The market sank, they repossessed by Beam
I thought ‘What can I do, have I lost my game?’
And now I’m Cru-Cru-Cruising in the carpool lane!”
I love how their little group is made up of hippies, yuppies and a dude with an iPod wearing a babydoll in a Snugli. Pure awesome.
Link [Ecorazzi]
Zaproot: Green iPhone Apps
May 21, 2009
You paid a considerable chunk of change for that iPhone in your pocket, so put it to work for you. Zaproot’s new video details a number of money-saving, convenient iPhone apps that also happen to be green – including tracking your car’s fuel efficiency, measure your car’s environmental impact and finding your local train schedule. One app even uses GPS to find green businesses in your area.
Also covered: Mannequins for Climate Justice, how to score some free green stuff, an electric bike that goes from zero to 60 in one second and more. Check it out:
Link [Zaproot]
Michael Pollan: Don’t Buy Food You’ve Seen Advertised
May 17, 2009
What’s the best way to come home from the grocery store with food that’s actually good for you? Don’t buy any food you’ve ever seen advertised. That’s the advice offered by Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food and The Omnivore’s Dilemma.
Pollan was interviewed last week by Democracy Now, where he covered this issue along with Michelle Obama’s organic garden, Frito Lays’ claim that they’re local food, school lunch programs and more. Watch the 2-part video below:
Via [MNN.com]
Photo credit: Edible Portland
X-Men Origins: Wolverine Goes Green
May 5, 2009
Zaproot’s back with another gem of a weekly green vid. A whole lotta waste was diverted on the set of the new movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but what about all those explosions? Plus, pesticides will soon be off the menu at McDonald’s, at least when it comes to french fries.
Link [Zaproot]
Coming Earth Day 2010: Disneynature’s ‘Oceans’
April 30, 2009
Disneynature’s incredible nature documentary ‘Earth’ just debuted on April 22nd, and they’ve already got another film ready to go for Earth Day 2010. A teaser trailer for ‘Oceans’ has been released, and by the looks of it, it will be just as popular as ‘Earth’, which has already made more than $100 million worldwide.
Official Plot Synopsis, via SlashFilm:
Nearly three-quarters of the earth’s surface is covered by oceans. French co-directors Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud have set out to capture the full expanse of these waters that have played such a crucial and constant role in the history and sustenance of man. The deep and abundant oceans are places of great mysteries and dangers that this film will dare to explore.
The teaser trailer itself definitely isn’t very revealing, acting more as a commercial for the Disneynature brand than for the film itself, but it does give us a peek at some of the amazing things captured in the sea by the Disneynature crew. Even if you’re not the type that just can’t get enough of nature documentaries, you gotta admit that it looks exciting.
Via [Ecorazzi]
Photo credit: AllMoviePhoto.com
Daily Show Earth Day Video Clip: “You’re Killing SpongeBob!”
April 22, 2009
Most children are even more open to being green than adults – yet adults totally flub marketing Earth Day to kids. On The Daily Show, Louis Black goes through some incredibly ham-fisted efforts to foist greenness upon the younger generation by grown-ups that don’t follow their own advice, including Wilmer Valderrama. “So there’s your lesson, kids: YOU need to start pooping in a solar-powered bucket so Wilmer and I don’t have to give up our Escalades!”
So, how can we really get the message through to kids that they need to protect Mother Earth? Tell them they’re killing SpongeBob!
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | M – Th 11p / 10c | |||
| Back in Black – Kids’ Earth Day | ||||
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”Elmo: He’s like Glenn Beck for children!”
Link [The Daily Show] via [The Huffington Post]
California at the Tipping Point of Climate Change
April 19, 2009
It’s all too easy to remove yourself emotionally from the gargantuan problem of global warming because you feel like its effects are a world away. But the fact is that climate change is affecting the entire world already, including places uncomfortably close to home – or perhaps even in your own region. California, for example, is now being affected in ways both dramatic and subtle.
That’s the focus of a new episode of KQED’s multimedia series QUEST, called “California at the Tipping Point”. It’s a 22-minute special report about the science behind climate change and the environmental changes taking place throughout the state. Watch below:
KQED (San Francisco public television) also produces the series ‘Climate Watch’. Check out the latest episode, “At the Core of Climate Change”, which explores how 8-foot long ice core samples extracted from deep in the ice layer of Antarctica hold key evidence of rapidly changing climatic conditions, online at the KQED website.
Link [KQED]
Paul Rudd Rocks Out as Planet Earth on Sesame Street
April 16, 2009
How could anyone not like Paul Rudd? I think it’s impossible. Especially after seeing this video clip from the ‘I Love You Man’ actor’s appearance on Sesame Street – decked out in a Planet Earth costume, singing and dancing. Check out the video clip below:
Too awesome for words – especially the way the costume prevents him from moving around too much, so he’s limited to awkwardly flailing his hands around and throwing his head from side to side. You can also catch him as Master of Ceremonies for the “Earthathon” in Sesame Street’s special Being Green DVD, and in ‘It’s Easy Being Green‘.
Link [Ecorazzi]
Disney’s Stunning Nature Film ‘Earth’: Trailer & Giveaway!
April 10, 2009
Nothing serves as better inspiration to protect the beauty of the earth than the earth itself, and though you may not be able to tour the globe to see its wonders in person, Disney’s new film ‘Earth’ may just be the next best thing. Directed by the same creative team behind the “Planet Earth” series, this epic adventure will be coming to a big screen near you on Earth Day 2009.
‘Earth’ is narrated by James Earl Jones and tells the story of three animal families – polar bears, African elephants and humpback whales – and their amazing journey across the planet, capturing the most intimate moments of our planet’s wildest and most elusive creatures. ‘Earth’ is the first film in the new Disneynature series, so we can look forward to more films like it in the future.
Check out the trailer below:
EarthFirst and Disney are also teaming up to offer our readers a chance to win an awesome ‘Earth’ prize pack, which includes a canvas tote, reusable grocery bag, biodegradable tumbler, a tree seedling and more. Stay tuned for our next cartoon caption contest for your chance to win!
Get more details about the film at the Disney Earth website. Don’t forget, ‘Earth’ debuts on April 22nd!
Link [Disney Earth]
Alberta Oil Sands Documentary ‘Downstream’ Now Viewable Online
April 4, 2009
If you haven’t already seen the controversial environmental documentary ‘Downstream’, by acclaimed filmmaker Leslie Iwerks, now’s your chance to view it in full online at Babelgum. The 2008 Oscar shortlisted film is hosted on “Our Earth”, Babelgum’s channel dedicated to nature and the environment.
About the short film:
With Canada (not Saudi Arabia) as the U.S.’s primary source of oil, the film relates how one courageous doctor fights for the lives of the aboriginal people residing downstream from the oil sands of Alberta, one of the most polluting and burgeoning oil operations in the world (over a million barrels of oil per day to the U.S.). The doctor spots a surprising increase in the rate of a rare type of cancer among the townspeople of Ft. Chipewyan, while the citizens have seen an increased amount of wildlife deformities in the river and ecosystem over the last 10 years.
Check out the trailer below:
A public screening of the film will be held by MP leader of the democratic party in Ottowa, Olivia Chow, in Toronto on April 14th – but the rest of us can now enjoy this critical look at just how destructive the Alberta oil sands really are in the comfort of our own living rooms.
Link [Babelgum]
Oops! ‘Extinct’ Bird Sold and Eaten
April 4, 2009
It may sound like a belated April Fool’s Day joke, but it’s not: a bird that was thought to be extinct was found in the Philippines, and promptly eaten. A crew was filming a documentary about the mind blowingly-exciting topic of bird trapping when it captured footage of “some random bird” that was trapped and then sold at the market for 20 cents. They didn’t think much of it until they screened a cut for the World Bird Club… and found out that it was a Worcester’s Buttonquail.
The good news is, there are probably more where that one came from – but it’s ironic and funny that the name of the bird trapping documentary is ‘Bye-bye Birdie’.
Link [Zaproot] via [Treehugger]
Umbra Explains Where to Recycle Batteries
March 28, 2009
Battery waste is a big problem – there are tons of them in landfills, and that number increases by 18,000 more tons every year. Those batteries then leak heavy metals into the soil and water. So, a good greenie never tosses batteries into the trash – but what do you do with them once you’ve accumulated a bunch?
Grist’s green guru Umbra gives us the details:
Check out more video tips from Umbra at Grist.org!
Link [Grist]
An Inconvenient Proposal: A Love Song for Laurie David
March 26, 2009
Laurie David, if you’re out there, Josh Rachlis has a message for you: hybrid cars make him misty, he eats tofu, likes reusable cups, and his light bulbs are twisty. He’s even a neurotic bald Jew, which seems to be just your type. So, what are you waiting for? Watch his ‘inconvenient proposal’, a music video dedicated to your green goddess awesomeness. And if you want to get in touch with him, just let us know.
By the way, for all of you EarthFirsters reading: If you live under a rock and don’t know who Laurie David is, check out our Who’s Who in Green profile of this super-green activist and producer of An Inconvenient Truth.
Link [YouTube]
