Earth Hour's posterous blog is no more. Our website has been completely revamped and will now host our official blog page.

We have some special new guest posters, plus ongoing content from our online ambassadors that have been featured here over the past year. 

Check it out at www.earthhour.org/blog

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It sounds a bit like Virtual Insanity: your mobile phone's Second Life… But actually, you can easily find some horror elements related to this subject which unfortunately are not too well known to the public at large.

First let me check this with you readers out there: Do you remember your first mobile phone? A look-a-like of the phone Don Johnson had in Miami Vice? Or the one MacGyver used for disarming that bomb? Or that really really old Nokia phone, that didn't quite fit into your pocket, and was the major cause of hernia around the globe...

Now I’m asking you to be honest, how many old mobile phones are lying around in your house, not being used at all? The type of phone that has been classified ‘a spare phone’ - for about 4 years now…

Allow me to give you a few little pieces of (trivial) information…

Worldwide, billions of mobile phones are in use (last estimate: around 4.5 billion active phone users). Developing areas such as Africa, Latin America and Asia have already long passed developed countries when looking at the number of mobile phone subscribers. It’s an explosive growth that seems to keep on going, which is great for my organization - Text to Change (TTC) – which uses mobile phone technology in developing countries to improve people’s lives. In order to encourage behavioral change, we use text messaging (SMS); a way to communicate that hardly existed in Africa 8 years ago, but is now by far the best way to get in touch. And so, thanks to the world’s incredibly rapid adaptation to that little piece of technology that even your grandparents use nowadays, TTC can gratefully use a highly effective communication channel for health education, encouraging testing and drug compliance.

What we definitely need to understand, is that there is another side to this explosive growth of mobile phones and other gadgets worldwide. First, let me fill you in on the bad news. Mother Nature was playing quite a devious game when it decided where to put its treasures: metals such as gold, silver, copper - but also the less familiar ones that are essential to almost all electronic goods: coltan, palladium, platinum, etc – can mainly be found countries that suffer from dictators, (civil) wars and lawlessness. You won’t be surprised that this political situation is preventing fair distribution of the wealth that could potentially come from digging up these precious elements (to say it nicely).

The good news is that part of the solution is quite simple and beneficial for just about everyone in the cycle. The thing that should be done more and more, is to understand that there actually is no such thing as an electronic product that we should throw away, also called e-waste (yes; there is a term for everything…). Why? Because of the opportunities of reuse, and if all else fails; recycling.

Josette de Vroeg

We have worked together with a company in the Netherlands, called zwipit, which focuses solely on reuse & recycling. They buy (yes: they pay money!) your redundant phone, upgrade it and then make sure it is used again. Just think about what this means: about 100 million phones are considered redundant in Europe alone, every year! How many of them are reused / recycled at the moment? Less than 8%!! My guess is that this is mainly due to the fact that most people don’t know about this, so spread the word!

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Claudia Bahamón opens up:

On her environmental awareness and being named the Latin American ambassador to Earth Hour

TV Presenter Claudia Bahamón has appeared on the cover of famous Colombian fashion magazine Fucsia. 

In the feature, Claudia talks about throwing an environmentally friendly birthday party for her son Samuel, as well as a lunch with the Earth Hour global team at an organic Argentinean restaurant in Los Angeles. She discussed her involvement with Earth Hour and the environmental issues facing South America, with our co-founder Andy Ridley.

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Earth Hour blogger and author Lindsay E. Brown organised an impromptu fun get together in New York City’s famous Central Park last year to share thoughts on moving the planet forward. Lindsay has a new book that will be coming out shortly.

A Look Back and A Look Forward

Leading up to 350.org's Climate Change Day last year, I was shocked when I noticed that there weren't any "work parties" in Central Park, one of New York's City's historic landmarks. I double-checked just to be sure, but nothing in NYC's treasured park.

So, I decided I'd do something about it. I created one myself, even if it would just be me rallying. The night prior, I spent about four hours creating posters, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

My boyfriend joined me that morning, thankfully, so at least I had one other person. As we walked swiftly down Columbus Avenue, my arms were filled with signs and my heart filled with nervous energy. What if no one came? Would my event be a failure? Would Central Park runners heckle me and laugh in my face? I should've worked harder to promote it.  Admittedly, these thoughts overwhelmed me.

But sure enough, just a few minutes before 10 a.m., a few people began approaching, asking me if I was "Lindsay." And then a few more came, and a few more. I was so happy people wanted to come, tears filled my eyes.

Luckily, I brought plenty of signs to pass around, and without hesitation, my new cheerful friends began proudly holding up their signs, and speaking to Central Park's passersby about climate change.

I stood back for a moment and took in the scene.  Only moments earlier, we were complete strangers. Now, we were fast friends, holding signs in the air against a picturesque fall backdrop in one of the loveliest parks in the world.

I felt so proud of us all in that moment, and so happy that so many others throughout the world felt the same way that we did -- driven to spur change, in their own ways.

I hope you'll find an event in your community, and get your friends and family in on the fun, too! And if you can't find an event near you, create your very own. Don't worry about how many people go.  If you organize it, they will come.

@LindsEBrown

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Me llama la atención gratamente cómo dos actores de mi país, Norida Rodríguez y Toto Vega, son los que se han puesto al frente de uno de los maravillosos eventos que en Latinoamérica se realizan para hacerle saber a la humanidad de la importancia del cuidado de nuestro planeta, FESTIVER (Festival de Cine Verde de Barichara). Es un evento inspirador. Se celebrará del 20 al 24 de septiembre de 2011. Ambientalistas y cineastas le mostrarán al mundo la realidad de nuestro planeta y, por consiguiente, invitan a reflexionar sobre la importancia del cuidado y preservación de los recursos naturales y de los ecosistemas.

Pero ademas de cine, que habrá y mucho, ...“FESTIVER contará con más de 30 proyecciones de películas medioambientales al aire libre y en recinto cerrado, con una muestra de 23 trabajos audiovisuales en competencia en cinco categorías y además con: 4 talleres, 2 foros, 4 cineforos en las veredas, 12 conferencias, espectáculos, 1 mercado verde, muestras de arte e invitados nacionales e internacionales, siendo toda la programación de entrada libre y gratuita”.

Y es que los documentales ‘verdes’ en el mundo entero se han puesto de moda. La lista de los que han dado que hablar es extensa.

Podemos empezar por Baraka (1992). Ron Fricke viajó a 24 países para construir un relato contemplativo, emotivo y exquisito sobre la diversidad: la naturaleza y el hombre retratados en un caleidoscopio de imágenes y espacios. La Tierra como único espacio habitable posible. Como tesoro perecedero que necesita ser cuidado es el alerta que este realizador lanzó poco más de una década atrás. 

También está Super Size Me (2004) de Morgan Spurlock, film que le muestra a los espectadores los efectos que tiene este estilo de vida “McDonald's” en la salud física y psicológica.

Darwin’s Nightmare (2005). En los años 60 la perca del Nilo se introdujo como especie en el lago Victoria. Este pez arrasó con los restantes, para multiplicarse sin control y convertirse en moneda de cambio que los hombres de allí usan para la guerra civil. En documental de Hubert Sauper muestra los efectos sociales y medioambientales de la industria pesquera en Tanzania. 

An Inconvenient Truth (2006). El documental de David Guggenheim no sólo ganó el Oscar en su categoría, sino catapultó a Al Gore al Premio Nobel. El calentamiento de la Tierra es el tema central de este film, un fenómeno global que se alza como espada de Damocles o bomba de tiempo contra todos los seres vivos que habitan el planeta.

La marche de l'empereur (2006). Ganadora del Oscar como Mejor documental, este film firmado por el francés Luc Jaquet narra la epopeya del pingüino emperador desde la Antártida a las aguas más cálidas del Ecuador. Esta ave lucha por sobrevivir en un planeta que cambia a gran velocidad, aunque el ser humano no lo note.

The 11th Hour (2007). Leonardo DiCaprio le toma la idea de Al Gore y apoya a las documentalistas Nadia Conners y Leila Conners Petersen en esta lucha por fijar la mirada del mundo en la necesidad de recuperar y restaurar los ecosistemas en riesgo. El equilibrio entre hombre y naturaleza se ha roto.

Encounters at the End of the World (2007). La más reciente mirada del gran Werner Herzog a la naturaleza. Se explora la Tierra del Fuego y la Antártida. Escudriña ese mundo de inmensa soledad en el que miles de hombres y mujeres viven juntos en la Antártida en cuartos que nadie pensaría que existiesen, arriesgando sus vidas y salud en busca de avances científicos.

Earth (2007). posiblemente uno de los mejores documentales realizados sobre nuestro planeta tierra. Un viaje inolvidable a través de las distintas estaciones y de la lucha diaria por la supervivencia en nuestro planeta.

The Garden (2008). Convertir un terreno baldío en un jardín que permite la sustentabilidad de una comunidad, que humaniza un espacio urbano al punto de dejar crecer una semilla, se transformó en una lucha civil y legal en Los Ángeles.

At the edge of the world (2008). El director estadounidense Dan Stone sigue a los ambientalistas de la organización Sea Sheperd quienes se han convertido en defensores de las ballenas y las focas, dos especies acosadas por cazadores que van en busca de los preciados tesoros que guardan estas especies. El cuestionamiento de esta práctica es directo contra las autoridades.

Food Inc. (2008). Este documental habla de la producción industrial de carne, de grano y verduras, , a la cual llama inhumana y económica y ambientalmente insostenible. Y como si fuera poco, sobre el poder económico y legal de las grandes compañías de producción de alimentos, y de la promoción de hábitos de consumo de comida insalubre hacia el público en USA.

Vale la pena revisar la lista de de EXHIBICIÓN EN COMPETENCIA FESTIVER 2011 “para que los ojos bien abiertos vean”. Ojalá que Santander y su festival tengan mucho éxito. Definitivamente es inspirador.

Aunque sea un cliché: Una imagen vale más que mil palabras. 

“Es vergonzoso que se use el verde como bandera sin ningún propósito social ni ambiental real que sensibilice, concientice o eduque a la comunidad”. Festiver 

Desde Los Angeles, CA. todo mi apoyo.

@claudiabahamon

English Translation:

I'm really happy that two actors from my country, Norida Rodriguez and Toto Vega, have been put in charge of one of the wonderful events in Latin America promoting the importance of caring for out planet - FESTIVER (Green Film Festival Barichara). It is an inspirational event that will take place from the 20th-24th of September, 2011 Enviornmentalists and filmmakers will show the world the reality of our planet, and therefore invite reflection on the importance of protecting and preserving natural resources and ecosystems.

And there will be much more than just film... "FESTIVER will feature more than  30 indoor and outdoor film screenings, with a five category competition featuring 23 audiovisual works, as well as 4 workshops, 2 forums, 4 film forums on the sidewalks, 12 lectures, performances, a green market, art exhibitions and national and international guests - and all for free admission. "

Green documentaries have become fashionable, and there's an extensive list of films that have made people stand up and take notice.

We can start with Baraka (1992). Ron Fricke travels to 24 countries to build a contemplative, emotive and exquisite story of diversity: nature and man are portrayed in a kaleidoscope of imagery and spaces. The Earth is the only possible living space. Just over a decade ago, the filmmaker launched the warning that earth is a vulnerable treasure that needs care.

Also, there's Morgan Spurlock's  Super Size Me (2004), a film that shows viewers the effects of a "McDonald's" way of life on physical and mental health.

Darwin's Nightmare (2005). In the 60s, the Nile perch species was introduced in Lake Victoria. It wiped out the remaining fish, multiplied uncontrollably and became the currency for the men in the civil war. A documentary from Hubert Sauper that shows the social and environmental effects of the fishing industry in Tanzania.

An Inconvenient Truth (2006). David Guggenheim's documentary is not only an Oscar winner, it also catapulted Al Gore to the Nobel Prize. The warming of the earth is the central them of the film, a global phenomenon that rises like the Sword of Damocles or a time bomb for all living beings that inhabit the planet.

The March of the Penguins (2006). Oscar winner for Best Documentary, Frenchman Luc Jacquet's film tells of the epic journey of the emperor penguin from Antarctica to the warmer waters of Ecuador. This bird fights for survival in a rapidly changing world, while humans don't notice.

The 11th Hour (2007) Leonardo DiCaprio takes the Al Gore's idea and supports filmmakers Nadia Conners and Leila Conners Petersen on the world's struggle to recover and restore ecosystems at risk. The balance between man and nature has been broken.

Encounters at the End of World (2007). The latest look at nature from the great Werner Herzog. It explores the Terra del Fuego and Antarctica. Antarctica is a world of vast wilderness, where thousands of men and women live together in areas no one would think exist, risking their lives and health in search of scientific advances.

Earth (2007) Possibly one of the best documentaries on planet earth. A unforgettable journey through different seasons and the daily struggle for survival on our planet.

The Garden (2008). The conversion of a vacant lot into a sustainable community garden became a legal and civil strife in Los Angeles.

At the edge of the world (2008). The American director Dan Stone follows the environmental organization Sea Shepherd, who have become advocates for two hunted species - whales and seals. Questioning poachers often puts the organisation against authorities.

Food Inc. (2008). This documentary tells of the industrial production of meat, grain and vegetables; which he calls inhumane, and economically and environmentally unsustainable. And last but not least, the legal and economic power of large food production companies, and the promotion of unhealthy food habits to the public in the USA.

It is worth checking out the list of the 2011 competition exhibition "to open your eyes see." Hopefully, Santander and its festival will have every success. It is definitely inspiring.

Although it is a cliché: A picture is worth a thousand words.

"It is shameful to use green as the flag without any real social or environmental purpose to sensitize, raise awareness or educate the community." Festive

From Los Angeles, CA - my full support.

@claudiabahamon

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Since I reported last on the Keystone XL Pipeline, 1,253 citizens were arrested in front of the White House between the August 20th - September 3rd sit-ins. These individuals non-violently protested against a pipeline that isn't just bad for Americans, but for the world. The individuals who risked arrest at the White House had your best interest at heart. That's right-- you, the civilians around the world  who will be affected by the construction and operation of the pipeline.

The Keystone XL pipeline cannot be built without a "presidential permit" from the Obama Administration. The State Department has said it will make a final decision on whether or not to issue a presidential permit deeming the pipeline in "national interest" by the end of this year.

The last time I checked doubling U.S. reliance on dirty tar sands fuel and contributing to a massive expansion of destruction of the Boreal Forest in Canada wasn't in our nation's or the world's best interest. And the last time I checked, polluting drinking water supplies in the U.S. heartland, and posing safety (and economic) risks from oil spills wasn't in anyone's best interest. Increasing dangerously high greenhouse gas emissions from tar sands extraction and undermining the many gains we've made in the United States through fuel efficiency standards and other means to reduce our dependence on oil and our contribution to climate change doesn't cut it either, Mr. President.

This pipeline isn't in anyone's best interest other than the oil industry's.

While the decision rests with President Obama, people all over the world are turning up the pressure on America's Commander in Chief to ensure that he rejects the dirty pipeline.

In a letter released yesterday, nine distinguished recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize have written to President Obama, urging him to reject the proposed Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline, saying his decision offers "a critical moment" to make good on his pledge to create a clean energy economy.

"The night you were nominated for president, you told the world that under your leadership—and working together—the rise of the oceans will begin to slow and the planet will begin to heal. You spoke of creating a clean energy economy. This is a critical moment to make good on that pledge, and make a lasting contribution to the health and well being of everyone of this planet."

The nine Nobel Peace Prize laureates include: Mairead Maguire and Betty Williams of Ireland, who shared the prize in 1976, Adolfo Pérez Esquivel of Argentina (1980), Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa (1984), His Holiness the Dalai Lama (1989), Rigoberta Menchú Tum of Guatemala (1992), José Ramos-Horta of East Timor (1996), Jody Williams of the United States (1997), and Shirin Ebadi of Iran (2003).

Cornell University's Global Labor Institute just released a new fact sheet analyzing the latest economic data about Keystone XL, concluding that the project is far too risky to undertake in a fragile economic climate:

“The idea that Keystone XL is a “game changer” in terms of generating jobs and stimulating economic growth is a massive overstatement … However, building the Keystone XL pipeline represents a serious and long term commitment (valued at $14 billion) on the part of the U.S. to dirty fossil fuels—a commitment that will having a chilling effect on economic activity based on clean and renewable energy.”

Want to help stop this pipeline from being built?

Sign this petition. Anyone on this earth can help the efforts to reject  the requested permit for the Keystone XL pipeline!

Now the question remains: Will you help us?

 - Lindsay E. Brown

@LindsEBrown

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This past June, Earth Hour Global organized an Instagram photo walk around the Sydney Eveleigh Organic Markets to encourage local iPhone photographers to re-imagine the modern sustainable city and share these visualisations with the global community.

After we promoted the walk through Facebook and Twitter (with the help of an established and popular Instagramer @nickwhite73), participants knew to tag their photos #sydearthhourpw and to upload them on Instagram. The walk was scheduled to coincide with the Farmers’ Markets, to give the photographers more stimuli to capture sustainable practices and ideas for Sydney. Our invitation post on Facebook received 790 Likes and 41 comments from people in Sydney and around the world.

There were a total of 62 #sydearthhourpw photos uploaded to Instagram, generating 2,286 Likes and 407 comments. Since the photo walk, our community of followers (@earth_hour) has increased to more than 850.

When we submitted a selection of photos on our Facebook page, it generated 3,085 Likes and 175 comments. There was a total 1,475,597 impressions for the posts relating to the Sydney photo walk.

Another walk will take place this weekend on September 3rd along one of the major traffic arteries of Sydney, George Street.

Sydney City Council has often discussed the possibility of pedestrianising this street, so we have invited Instagramers to capture what they like best about the city and the possibilities for a car-free thoroughfare. Earth Hour will be presenting the images to the City Council to strengthen our case for a pedestrians only George Street.

Check out our feature on The Next Web

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Plastic is all around us, and one product that has a huge impact on the environment is the single use plastic water bottle. The whole process of producing plastic bottles has an impact on the environment - the production, the shipping, the storage, the refrigeration. And then the bottles are thrown out, ending up as land fill. Using something once and then throwing it away is not logical. 

The bottles that end up in land fill create piles of toxic waste which then seeps into the soil and our rivers and oceans.

Hers a just a few facts:

• Over 400,000 barrels of oil is used per year in Australia to manufacture plastic for bottles
• Only 30% of plastic bottles are recycled
• Tap water costs 1 cent per litre compared to bottled water which costs $2.53 per litre
• It takes seven litres of water to make a one litre water bottle
• There are 200 billion litres of bottled water consumed worldwide, worth an estimated $100 billion dollars
  

I wrote a proposal to my school principal to have the single use plastic water bottle banned, to install water bottle filling stations, to revamp the school bubblers and to provide each student and teacher with a reusable stainless steel drinking bottle.

Our school is now leading the way through positive actions by being part of the solution - not the problem. My school is reducing its ecological footprint and reducing waste and that means we will have less impact on our environment.

People working together to come up with solutions and take action is what our planet needs and we don’t have to wait for politicians to make every decision for us. We have the power to make a future that we want.

I hope our school inspires other schools, businesses and communities to follow our lead.

Remember “Habits made today will help life tomorrow.”

 - Parrys Raines

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Today marks the fifth day of  the "Stop the Pipeline" sit-in in front of the White House. In what is being billed as “the largest collective act of civil disobedience in the history of the climate movement," brave Americans are peacefully protesting for a cause near and dear to our hearts.

The protestors have joined together in front of President Obama's home to stop a pipeline from being built. The 1,700-mile Keystone XL Pipeline, would carry diluted bitumen — an acidic crude oil — from Canada’s Alberta tar sands (the dirtiest fuel source known to man) to the Texas refineries. Suffice it to say: It would lock the United States into a future of energy dependency, and it'd be a very, very bad thing.

On Sunday, The New York Times came out against the proposed pipeline in an editorial piece:

"We have two main concerns: the risk of oil spills along the pipeline, which would traverse highly sensitive terrain, and the fact that the extraction of petroleum from the tar sands creates far more greenhouse emissions than conventional production does."

And so the ongoing civil disobedience outside of the White House has become President Obama’s most important environmental decision prior to the 2012 election. Many protestors rocked "Obama 2008" buttons to send a message that they want the candidate who promised to tackle climate change head on and help end our nation's dependence on fossil fuels.

Over 2,000 people have signed up to protest the XL, and as I write, over 220 people have been arrested to send a loud and clear message to the President.

Wherever you are in this beautiful world of ours, please send positive thoughts to these protestors who are so courageously acting in not only their country's best interest, but in the planet's.

BrownLovesGreen.com 

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Earth Hour has submitted a proposal to present at SXSW Interactive 2012. 

The popular festival features five days of compelling presentations from the brightest minds in emerging media. SXSW has become the place to preview of what is unfolding in the world of creative technology. Our presentation will examine how technology is providing the digital tools to match the will of the people, and how this the most significant prospect for the planet.

↖ (Click the logo to vote for our idea)

This is our opportunity to further expand the Earth Hour community by engaging the most creative minds in the digital world. We also have some exciting guest speakers lined up for the presentation - it'll be surely one not to miss. Take a look below at some of the awesome things our global community has achieved, and get a taste of what our presentation has to offer.

Click here for an interactive look at how the planet switched off for Earth Hour 2011.

Photo: Tim Wimborne/Reuters

The expanding social and digital technology landscape of the world is offering one last chance to connect humanity to save the planet. In many ways, Earth Hour already connects a global community of many millions. Its strength coming from the campaign’s open source fundamentals marrying the incredible growth of the digital world. Earth Hour is essentially owned by its participants, from a six-year-old in a class room to a political leader fighting for a clean energy future. For the first time in history, it is possible for people from all over the planet to connect and unite behind a common cause – and to do this relatively easily. 

Photo: WWF/ Jiri Rezac

To vote for us, simply click the thumbs up icon on our proposal page and register with Panel Picker (it’s a very easy process that will take around 20 seconds!)

Thanks for your support, and hopefully see you at SXSW 2012!

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Earth Hour will be hosting another Instag.am Photo walk on Saturday 3rd September in Sydney. From 2pm, all Instagrammers are invited for a photowalk along the CBD's main artery, George Street, to capture different ideas on how we can best make use of the iconic hub. Sydney City Council is considering various options for the future of George Street, so we wish to explore - via our shared love of iPhonography - what it means to each of us. Walking from Railway Square to The Rocks, people are free to snap and share photos using the tag #abettersydney.

Thanks to nickwhite73 for the photo and helping to organise the event.

Follow us on Instagr.am earth_hour

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Professional race car driver and environmental activist Leilani Münter will be writing guest blog posts for Earth Hour! To find out a little bit more about Discovery's Planet Green's #1 Eco Athlete in the world, check out her bio below.

Photo: Phil Cavali

Leilani holds a bachelor's degree in Biology specializing in Ecology, Behavior and Evolution from the University of California San Diego. Since 2007, Leilani has been adopting an acre of rainforest for every race she runs. In 2008 she became politically active in the legislative fight for the environment, making several visits to Capitol Hill to speak with members of Congress on behalf of clean energy legislation. Leilani is a
long time vegetarian and was one of the first environmental activists to arrive at the BP oil spill in 2010. She has also been to Taiji, Japan twice to document the dolphin slaughter depicted in the Academy Award winning documentary "The Cove."

Leilani races in the ARCA Series, a development league of NASCAR. She is the fourth woman in history to race in the Indy Pro Series, the development league of IndyCar. She set the record for the highest finish for a female driver in the history of the Texas Motor Speedway when she finished fourth in 2006. Her racing accomplishments have landed her on the pages of USA Today, Italian Vogue, Glamour, The New York Times, Reader's Digest, Esquire and Sports Illustrated named her one of the top ten female race car drivers in the world. In 2009 Leilani starred in a national ad campaign for Lucky Brand Jeans with ads appearing in Vogue, Vanity Fair, In Style, W Magazine, and Lucky Brand stores across the country. Her tagline read "Leilani Münter, Saving Rainforests One Race at a Time."

With family ties in the music community – her brother-in-law is Grateful Dead guitarist and singer Bob Weir – Leilani's motto is "Never underestimate a vegetarian hippie chick with a race car." She documents her efforts to go green on her eco site http://carbonfreegirl.com.

Source: Huffington Post

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Inspired by Earth Hour's Beyond the Hour campaign, the Government of Nepal has signalled a commitment to put a complete stop to tree felling in the Churiya Range. The Churia Hills are the southern-most range of hills in Nepal lying between the plains of the Terai and the mountain regions of the Himalayas, comprising more than 28% of the total area of the Terai Arc Lanscape (23,199 sq.km.). The Churia forests perform a vital economic and ecological function: they are the watersheds for the Terai feeding a rich habitat for wildlife, and an important source for recharging the ground water that supports agricultural production and the livelihoods of numerous communities.

The Churia forests are especially renowned for the endangered one horned rhinoceros, the tiger and the gharial crocodile along with many other common species such as gaur, wild elephant, four horned antelope, striped hyena, pangolin, gangetic dolphin, monitor lizard and python. Other animals found in the park include the sambar, chital, hog deer, barking deer, sloth bear, palm civet, langur and rhesus monkey. Chitwan National Park is home for over 450 species of birds in the park. Among the endangered birds are the Bengal florican, giant hornbill, lesser florican, black stork and white stork. Common birds seen in the park include the peafowl, red jungle fowl, and different species of egrets, herons, kingfishers, flycatchers and woodpeckers.

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Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, CEO of Green For All, is leading a movement to bring about the change America so desperately needs. She has a bold yet simple vision for the future — one in which everyone gets to prosper while not destroying our planet. Phaedra’s mission to build an economy that offers opportunity for all people is somewhat of a personal fight. She knows first-hand what poverty feels like.

Phaedra, 34, was raised by her single mother in a home near four oil refineries in California. Consequently, she suffered from asthma and allergies as a young girl. A defining moment in Phaedra’s life came during a trip to the doctor’s office, when her physician told her Mother that she was sick simply because of where they lived — in close proximity to the refineries. Moving wasn’t an option for her hard-working mother, though, and Phaedra’s mom left the doctor’s office ashamed that she couldn’t help her child.

This moment in Phaedra’s past has fueled her to work tirelessly to lift other struggling American families out of poverty and spark a green revolution. She wants to ensure an inclusive economy is intact that doesn’t put parents in the sort of predicament her mother was faced with.

Under her leadership, Green For All has become one of the United State's leading advocates for a clean-energy economy, and one of its most important voices on the intersection of economics and environment. Phaedra has led Green For All to several groundbreaking policy victories at the federal, state, and local levels.  At the federal level, she led a successful effort to include two key provisions in the House’s climate and energy bill: Securing funding for job training, and guaranteeing broad access to clean-energy jobs. Phaedra has also led Green For All to help states like Washington and New Mexico pioneer state-level green jobs and energy-efficiency programs.  And the organization is helping cities like Portland and Seattle craft energy-efficient home-retrofit programs that use innovative financing mechanisms and community agreements over job standards to cut energy bills, create green jobs, reduce pollution, and expand business opportunities.

I’m skeptical about whether Phaedra ever sleeps! Despite her demanding schedule, she carved out time with me to reflect on her past and discuss the benefits of a green collar economy, America’s energy policy and how she’s built credibility and trust in all facets of her life.

Lindsay E. Brown: How has your past shaped you to become one of America’s preeminent leaders on green jobs and green pathways out of poverty at Green For All?

Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins: I was raised in a working-class neighborhood in California.  Growing up, I saw how poverty and pollution devastated families and communities, and I always told myself that, one day, I was going to work to give people a fair chance at a better life — I wanted to replace all the despair I saw every day with new hope for the future.

I began my career in the labor movement in the San Jose area.  Eventually, I became CEO of the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council, where, among other things, I successfully fought for better wages and improved job quality for working families.

Then in 2009, I had this wonderful opportunity to become CEO of Green For All, which aims to build a diverse green economy — one that both puts people to work and protects the public health.  We particularly focus on those who have been denied opportunities, those most affected by pollution and joblessness: people of color and low-income communities. So, although my stations in life have changed, my heart is where it’s always been — focused on bringing opportunities to places where they don’t exist.

Lindsay: How will transitioning to a Green Collar Economy offer opportunity for Americans who are struggling?

Phaedra: If one looks around the nation, there are a lot of exciting developments in the green economy.  In fact, Green For All just launched the “Green Jobs Index” which chronicles all the good work happening around the nation. The fact is that clean energy is one of the few sectors actually growing today.  People are out there repairing water infrastructure, improving the waste and recycling industries, and working in renewable energy.

Unlike other booms, which have historically locked out poor people, we have this unique moment of opportunity to ensure that everyone gets in early with the green revolution. That’s why we work with government leaders and policymakers to develop inclusive policies.  We want all those who fill green jobs — from construction to energy auditors to maintenance — to reflect the diversity of America.

Lindsay: Green For All does quite a bit of grassroots organizing. How have the individuals you’ve met inspired you?

Phaedra: I’m inspired every day by the people I work with and meet.  Too often, when people talk about leadership, they focus on the politicians or CEOs.  But, it’s so much more.

The woman in Buffalo who identifies food security as a problem, and develops an organization to increase access to affordable, quality food is a leader.

The homeowner who retrofits his home to better his community is a leader.

The music artist in Oakland, who uses her talents to raise awareness about green issues is a leader.

The green movement is made up of heroes — both quiet and well-known.

Their selfless service inspires me every day.

Lindsay: Green For All is redefining the face of environmentalism. What are some exciting, new initiatives you have going on?

Phaedra: We always have things going on, but I want to mention two specific initiatives. Clean Energy Works Portland, which Green For All is a part of, just completed its pilot phase.  We led the effort to ensure that this home weatherization project provides opportunities for quality jobs and training to all communities. The results were spectacular. 500 homes retrofitted.  381 construction workers were employed on the projects.  49% of the hours were worked by people of color. 23% of the pilot dollars went to minority- and women-owned firms.

Now, this effort is expanding statewide to retrofit 6,000 homes by 2014. Also, on World Water Day, we launched the Keep It Fresh campaign which is a part of the Campus Consciousness Tour featuring hip-hop superstar Wiz Khalifa — it begins on March 31st at Emory University in Atlanta. Our campaign’s goal is to raise awareness about the need to give every community access to safe drinking water.

This is just some of the work we are doing — as you can see, we are very busy because the fight for a green future never stops.

Lindsay: What are your thoughts on the current U.S. energy policy? Has it impeded Green For All’s progress?

Phaedra: We applauded President Obama’s State of the Union Address, when he announced he wanted to keep America competitive by investing in clean energy.

Unfortunately, there are some Congressional Members, who are aligned with oil interests, and are attacking the green economy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and so many of the causes we care about. It was inevitable.  There are many people out there who make money off the status quo and are afraid of change.  Change is never easy, but Green For All is ready … ready to fight for a better, cleaner future for America.

Lindsay: You’re a role model to thousands of young women across America. Who has been a mentor to you?

Phaedra: Fred Hirsch is a well-known labor leader from California. He has made a tremendous difference on my life with his advice, with his guidance and with his example. During the civil rights movement, he worked in Mississippi to register voters.  He helped Cesar Chavez and the National Farmworkers Association. And, throughout his life, he has always demonstrated uncommon courage and conviction. For that and more, he will always be a guiding light in my life.

Lindsay: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

Phaedra: My family always told me to be the kind of person who talks the same way about a person when they are in the room as I would when they are not.  You may not like what I’m going to say, but being honest has helped me build credibility and trust — both of which have served me well.

Lindsay: Is anything possible?

Phaedra: I’m a hopeful and optimistic person.  But, it’s also important to be realistic, which is why, whenever I take on causes or campaigns, I always identify goals and benchmarks that are achievable, that are real. One has to be grounded in reality before they can truly take off and make a difference.

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While traveling in Tanzania and Uganda on behalf of Text to Change, I asked myself the question: how can we change people's short-term thinking about the environment? Illegal hunting, for example, is very common in this part of Africa. I thought of combining two facts: 1) almost everyone in Africa has a mobile phone; and 2) there is a clear need for more knowledge on environmental issues.  So a new idea was born: creating awareness on conservation issues through mobile phone technology.

A common problem amongst African communities is the lack of awareness and importance of conservation issues, including communities that are close to or even within conservation areas. So I thought, why not inform communities about local environmental issues in a nice and interactive way through SMS?

Regular SMS (text messages) would not be 100% sufficient in Africa because not everyone is able to read. Voice SMS, however, would be an effective option. Topics of discussion could be the negative consequences of hunting on bush animals, such as getting diseases from raw bush meat or the risk of being prosecuted for illegal hunting; issues for which there is a general lack of awareness.

The best part of this “teaching method” is the wide range of topics you can address; people can be educated on recycling, better agriculture etc. and encouraged to participate in conservation programs through incentives such as free airtime (which is sacred to many people in Africa), or discounts when buying food from sustainable sources.

At Text to Change (TTC) we implement lots of cool projects in developing countries using SMS, as it is a highly effective tool to inform people on the choices available to them. Communities benefit from TTC’s service as they receive information, pose questions and send back answers without being charged. We discuss topics such as health, economic development, education and accountability. SMS projects have several advantages: cost-effectiveness, scalability, convenience, broad reach and widespread popularity in the developing world. 

As I worked on this idea, I decided to post it on IdeasProject.com, initiated by Nokia and WWF’s Earth Hour. And a few weeks later my idea was selected by the jury as the winner of the "Beyond Earth Hour" challenge. Wow! I was really honored. Credits should definitely not only go to me but also to Budongo Conservation Field Station in Uganda. I met a girl who's doing scientific research on chimpanzees over there. She told me about the problems they face with local communities. Because I work at TTC I immediately thought of the possibilities mobile phones can offer there...

Together with Text to Change, Nokia and Earth Hour we are now going to implement this project soon, starting in Uganda.

I think it's fantastic that mobile phones can serve a much higher purpose than texting your friends, calling your parents, or uploading pictures of your day-to-day life. The explosive growth of mobile phone use among people in developing countries can now result in something that makes a huge difference: access to very important information that will help people, animals and the planet!

The power to change the world is now quite literally in the palms of all our hands.

- Josette de Vroeg

Did you know?

There now are over 5 billion mobile phone subscribers; over 70% of them reside in low- and middle-income countries. (Source: Text to Change)

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When I walked into the Earth Hour Global office on my first day, I was greeted by a small lizard perched on my desk.  A plastic toy lizard, but a cute lizard nonetheless.  This was my first sign that interning in Australia was going to be different from my experiences interning back home in the United States.

In general, the disparities between the culture of the workplace in Australia and the culture of the American workplace are not radically different.  Earth Hour Global has a noticeably more laid-back atmosphere than many workplaces in America, where strict professional etiquette often reigns.  While still maintaining a very professional outlook and ambition, the small Earth Hour Global team manages to retain close familial-like relationships with each other where jokes and light hearted conversation fly about the room. Apart from being a relaxed work environment, what struck me most about being a part of Earth Hour is the value of teamwork and what small numbers can do based on this ideology.
 
Through meetings and constant communication and exchange of ideas, I have been able to observe Earth Hour achieve milestones as it grows into so much more than a global “lights out” event.  I’ve watched how interdepartmentally connected the whole team is—everyone presents updates on what they are working on and are happy to ask for advice or offer up fresh ideas.  Although everyone has a separate role to play, Earth Hour is the least interdepartmentally separated office I have ever been a part of.  Having a constant flow of ideas throughout the office, no matter what project it is for, excites the whole team because the results go toward a far larger purpose than their individual projects.
 
It was a pleasure working with the team at Earth Hour Global.  If I have taken anything from this experience, it is witnessing the sheer global reach this small team has gained and been able to utilize based off of one event that began in 2007.  They have taken the values of community and applied it on an international scale for an issue that needs to be addressed by the global community: climate change.  The solidarity of the team ethic at Earth Hour Global is the driving force behind what has become an international stand against climate change.  Working on Earth Hour has reinforced my thoughts on just how important it is to work with others to achieve success and the magnitude of what can be achieved when we do.

- Anna Jacoby, Intern Earth Hour Global

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New York City has had a dirty little secret for some time. No, I'm not talking about the political controversies a la Eliot Spitzer and Anthony Weiner that have plagued New York State in recent years. I'm talking about something even worse: Newtown Creek.

It's a toxic 3.8-mile creek that separates Brooklyn and Queens and the site of one of the United State's largest oil spills. Much of the pollution dates back to a notorious 1950 Mobil oil spill that sadly, wasn't uncovered until 1978. Over the decades, up to 30 million gallons of oil seeped into this poor creek wiping out most wildlife and fueling serious health and pollution concerns from nearby residents on the waterfronts of Greenpoint, Brooklyn and southern Queens. The water and sediment is contaminated with pesticides, heavy metals and PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, a banned carcinogen, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

This isn't a creek you want the kids swimming in.

Yesterday, the Obama administration reached an agreement with the oil and gas companies responsible for polluting the waterway to begin a long-awaited Superfund cleanup of Newtown Creek. The six parties responsible for cleansing the contaminated area Exxon; Chevron Corp.; BP; Freeport- McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.; National Grid PLC; and the City of New York must pay the Environmental Protection Agency $750,000 for the agency’s prior work at Newtown Creek and reimburse it for oversight costs.

"Newtown Creek is one of the most polluted urban water bodies in the country, and EPA is committed to making sure this waterway receives a thorough cleanup," said Judith Enck, the US Environmental Protection Agency's regional administrator. The recent agreement ensures that “the parties responsible for the pollution, not the taxpayer, will foot the bill,” she said.

The news announced yesterday is music to anyone's ears who cares about the welfare of citizens and our planet. We can all be very hopeful that this NYC creek will get the proper detox treatment it deserves, and that the big companies who are responsible for this are being held accountable. 

I'll keep you posted on the progress of the clean up here in the states. In the meantime, watch this video to learn more about NYC's dirty little secret and the devastating effects the oil spill has had on this New York City community.

Best,

Lindsay @LindsEBrown

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It is five years ago today (13 July) that we first started to work on a lights out project – back then it had the rather ordinary working title of ‘The Big Flick’ but the idea was a good one. 

From the outset, Earth Hour has been fueled by the excitement of any 21^st century start-up. We started with very low budgets and very limited job security but innovation and favours rapidly expanded our progress, and the people became our most valuable resource.  

(Our very first Earth Hour Video)

There was a moment when the lights went off across this beautiful city (Sydney) for the first Earth Hour on 31 March 2007, that I realised what is possible: two million people who we had never met, coming together in one of the most dramatic displays of unity, common interest and purpose – climate change. 

In 2011, hundreds of millions of people took part in Earth Hour in 135 countries and more than 5000 cities and towns on every continent.  We hoped that Earth Hour could become a sort of New Year’s Eve for the planet, a point of inspiration for people from every walk of life to commit to action on a small or large scale to help protect the one thing we all share – the place we live. 

But Earth Hour has already shown its potential to become so much more.  In many ways, it is already becoming an inter-connected global community of many millions – its digital footprint far outreaching anything not only WWF had historically developed, but also any other NGO.  Its strength coming from the campaign’s open source fundamentals marrying the incredible growth of the digital world. Earth Hour is essentially owned by its participants, from a six-year-old in a class room to a political leader fighting for a clean energy future.

For the first time in history it is possible for people from all over the planet to connect and unite behind a common cause – and to do this relatively easily. Just imagine the possibilities.

I have had the extraordinary pleasure of working with some amazing people over the last few years, there are only two of us left from that original WWF meeting (and Liz is soon to leave us, at least for a while, to go and become a new mum).  From the first team, to the current eight that make up Earth Hour Global, and fabulous organisers and participants all around the world, a massive thank you for your efforts so far. 

With the Australian government announcing a price on carbon last weekend – it shows persistence is the key to achieving the dream. There is a lot more to do, a lot more to achieve, some considerable challenges ahead – but it’s definitely worth celebrating this extraordinary journey so far. 

And finally if you would like to help us morally, spiritually, practically or financially – please don’t be shy to connect with us.

- Andy Ridley @earthhourandy

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Our friends at DoSomething are starting their 11-day Scavenger Hunt tomorrow. In addition, Day 10 (July 20) is going to be dedicated to action around the environment and energy conservation. It is going to be exciting and we encourge anyone who can to participate and Do Something! Check out their video featuring the stars from NBC's show 'Community'. 

Lenovo and DoSomething.org have teamed up to create an 11-day Scavenger Hunt challenging young people around the nation to take action around 11 different causes. The hunt kicks off on July 11 and runs through July 21st. Challenges are released to participants each day via mobile text message. Each challenge is assigned a point value and those with the top scores are eligible to win killer prizes such as Lenovo laptops, scholarships, and a trip to the Do Something Awards in Los Angeles, CA! To sign your team up, text "HUNT" to 30644 or visit DoSomething.org/hunt  for more details!

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