Earth Island Institute

Ric O’Barry Recaps His Oscar Moment – March 8, 2010

It’s axiomatic that any time the powers-that-be try to censor political speech they just end up drawing more attention to the message they wanted to squelch.

Evidence of that truth was on display last night during the 82 Annual Academy Awards, when Ric O’Barry — protagonist of the film, The Cove, which took home the trophy for Best Documentary — tried to use his 15 seconds of screen time to jolt new energy into the campaign to halt the dolphin capture and slaughter in Taiji, Japan.

As soon as he got on stage, co-director Fisher Stevens rattled off the obligatory Thank-Yous then included, “My hero, Ric O’Barry, …more

by: Jason Mark

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Letting Buildings Breathe – March 3, 2010

This super-cool new product from a company called Breathing Buildings in the United Kingdom really kicks natural ventilation up a notch. Whereas usually naturally ventilated buildings can be cooled without air conditioning, which cuts down on energy costs, the Breathing Buildings system also uses natural ventilation to heat the building. I know, sounds impossible. Except that it totally isn't, all you need is an operable window on your ceiling.

Here's how it works: When it's cold outside, the lower-level windows are closed, but the heat produced by the building and its occupants is actually more than …more

by: Amy Westervelt

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Anglomania: The UK’s Smart Approach to Cleantech – March 3, 2010

It always annoys me to hear American journalists or experts fawning over Europe and how much better European countries handle pretty much everything, even though I know in many cases it’s true. So I was loathe to admit, after speaking with a number of UK companies and government officials at a cleantech conference last week, that the limeys probably have us beat on the research front.

It all boils down to what venture capitalist and Silicon Valley golden boy Vinod Khosla calls “being technology-neutral”: essentially, if you are too financially or emotionally invested in any one solution, you may lose …more

by: Amy Westervelt

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Musings on the Growing Backlash Against Certification – February 25, 2010

Today, at a Cleantech Forum San Francisco panel on how start-ups can connect with corporations looking to spend money on "green" technologies, Arlin Wasserman of cafeteria food giant Sodexo said something sort of amazing. It was more of an aside than anything else, but it spoke volumes.

"When agricultural supply chains get more complex, as ours is with the thousands of products we're dealing with every day, they become very opaque," he said. "So we're really looking for a technology that would increase the transparency of that …more

by: Amy Westervelt

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Recycling: Doesn’t Mean You’re Green – February 24, 2010

Why yes, it’s a good thing people are placing recycling on the top of their garbage list these days, but is it really the best option? I used to believe so until I attended an eye-opening environmental science lecture based uniquely on trash. The discussion reiterated a California’s Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) philosophy: reduce, reuse, and then if necessary, recycle. Think of all the energy required to initially make and then reconstruct that coke bottle you just filed under “recycle.” It won’t stay in the bin and then transform into a new bottle over night, but rather, …more

by: Andrea Dumovich

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Putin Backpedals on Baikal – February 23, 2010

Four years ago, after an uncharacteristically eco-friendly move to divert an oil pipeline away from the coast of Lake Baikal, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said, “If there is even the smallest, the tiniest chance of polluting Baikal, then we must think of future generations and we must do everything to make sure this danger is not just minimized, but eliminated.”

He should have added: "unless of course there's a recession."

Last month, eager to reverse the economic damage done to the small town of Baikalsk when Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill shut down and laid off 2,000 workers, Putin changed the protections governing …more

by: Amy Westervelt

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Great Lakes Gain Funding, Lose Important Advocate – February 23, 2010

The Great Lakes, which hold 20 percent of the freshwater in the world, have been a catalyst for the Midwest’s economic development during the past century. If they’ve given much, they have also been thoughtlessly exploited. Today, the Lakes’ waters are glutted with toxic waste, agricultural pesticides, and invasive species; and their filtering wetlands are increasingly engulfed by development. On Sunday, the Obama administration announced the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, with a budget of $2 billion.

One aspect of the preservation project is prevention of further degradation—a strategy primarily …more

by: Kit Duane

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