Visit the Our Work page to see our digital storytelling pieces. You can also visit our YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/environmentandmedia) to see the videos.

In The Botany of Desire, Michael Pollan (yes, he’s the author of “In Defense of Foods”) walks us through the history of four different plants – potatoes, apples, marijuana and tulips – that have managed to change our lives. Each of these plants contains a defining characteristic that has played on human’s desires for hundreds of years and has enabled it to survive and expand over time.

Whether it is the sweetness of the apple or the beauty of the tulip, these plants have managed to find a weakness in our senses that has led to the mass production of these particular goods.

The style of the documentary is particularly interesting because it is a subject that is very difficult to visualize on screen. How do you show the legend on Johnny Appleseed or the 1600 Dutch economic crisis that occurred because of the desire for tulips?

• Visual reenactments – A shadowy figure of Johnny Appleseed roaming through villages with a bag of seeds.
• Interviews – Michael Pollan talking directly to the camera and telling stories of each plant.
• Aesthetics – There are so many striking visuals to hold the viewer’s attention, whether it is a long shot of carts driving endlessly around a tulip exporting business or a close shot of apples being picked and turned into hard cider.

Overall, this is a must watch. While the tempo can become a bit slow at times and the visual reenactments vary somewhere between awkward and cheesy, there is a level of difficulty that comes with tackling a topic of this magnitude. The effectiveness of the documentary as a whole is impressive and it’s informative nature cannot be overlooked.

Besides, don’t you want to be able to tell your dinner party friends how the tulip drove an entire country mad?

We have just passed spring, the season with love in the air, and entered summer, theoretically where love passes from the atmosphere into peoples heart. No this is not a post on dating, or America’s obsession with romance. I am, however, talking
rings, more specifically engagement rings. Here is a unique way to propose using recycled wood. simplywoodenrings is a site of designer engagement and wedding bands made of salvaged, recycled, or hand picked wood pieces.

So how do these compare to traditional metal based rings?

Pros

• Unique
• Less expensive than traditional rings
• Not a product of mined metal (which involves clearing forest and contaminating water and soil)
• If your into the spirituality of nature- the website gives a good story about how the wood represents life and it’s journey through time.
• Artist works on commission and will customize your order
• Close to home for those in Madison – the studio is based in Chicago

Cons

• Less durable than traditional rings
• Very much against the norm

Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest (1992) is an Australian-American animated film based off of a book by Diana Young. It is directed by Bill Kroyer, produced by Peter Faiman and Wayne Young, and written by Jim Cox.

The movie starts off explaining that once upon a time humans and nature lived in harmony. Now however, the very last rainforest is in danger of being cut down. It takes a lot of effort from Crysta the fairy, her forest friends, and a little bit of magic to stop the destruction. Even Zac, a boy who worked for the logging company, realizes the importance of trees in the web of life and says at the end of the movie, “Guys, things have got to change.”

I think that this film does a fairly good job of teaching the audience about the circle of life and the dangers of pollution and deforestation. The leveler machine is portrayed as a dark scary monster and destroys everything in its path, while the untouched rainforest is magical and full of color. On the other hand, most of what I remembered from watching the movie as a kid was the tree spirits and the rapping bat. It is an important lesson to convey, but if it is a message that will actually be remembered by youngsters, I don’t know.

If you’re in the mood for a laugh, check out The Nostalgia Critic’s very interesting point of view on the film.

Now I’ll have to go watch the sequel, FernGully 2: The Magical Rescue where the fairies of FernGully venture outside the rainforest to rescue baby animals from being captured by poachers.

After a successful first year, SXSW Eco is coming back again this October, and is starting to receive some buzz. Annie Leonard, a prominent filmmaker and activist with sustainability and consumerism issues has just been announced to be one of the keynote speakers at a SXSW panel.

SXSW Eco seems to have a Earth Summit vibe to it, having international scholars, innovators, and “executive level decision makers” from the private and public sectors join together in one conference to find solutions for a sustainable world.

Though, this conference seems like a good idea, there are some things about it that I would like to criticize:

• The way this is publicized isn’t very exciting or thought provoking. There is no general video informing people of SXSW Eco, like this seriously awesome one for SXSW this year  (film and music), compared to this recording of a speaker at a panel for SXSW Eco last year. There is so much to work with, yet there is nothing that I could find. I know this is just beginning, and is only on its 2nd year, but I feel like it can do better advertising.
• What is actually done at this conference? I mean, people from all over the world fly into Austin for a few days to discuss how to be more eco-friendly, then all take a plane back to their country, and nothing happens? There is a list of achievements from last year’s conference, which seem promising, but whether things will progress in the future years depends on turning ideas into practices.
• SXSW has a reputation of being young, hip, and ahead of the curve. The next big bands are discovered there, the newest indie movies are debuted there too, so what is SXSW Eco going to be able to say about their conference?

SXSW Eco has a lot of potential I feel, and there seems to be a lot of good ideas that come from it, I just feel like something is missing. How are people going to find out about this conference if there is virtually no press about it? How are these innovative ideas going to be brought out into the real world, and will they work?

When people think of sharks, images that are often conjured up are violent, ugly ones. However, while these predators are definitely scary at their worst moments, they are in great danger. The Pacific Reef sharks, for example, are being fished for their fins as they can be quite expensive and used in lavish dishes such as shark fin soup. Now, while there are many other more cute and cuddly animals in danger, we should all be deeply concerned about the sharks’ well being. The Pacific reef shark is in grave danger and this is an issue because, seeing as the reef shark is the apex predator of the Pacific reefs, if the number of sharks decline, the reef ecosystem could be severely damaged. Along with this, the benefits of keeping these sharks alive greatly outweigh the benefits of killing them as they are a big help to the tourism business of many of the Pacific Islands.

As you can see in the video above, these sharks are vital for the tourism business for many of these Pacific Islands. Along with this, these sharks are important because they help maintain the reef ecosystem which is already in danger. One of my personal favorite moments from the video is the clip from 1:33-1:43 where other fish are using the shark’s mouth for food and potential protection. It is really interesting and inspiring to see how the sharks as well as other creatures depend on each other for certain things and how they can form partnerships with one another.

So, why protect these creatures that tend to strike fear in all of us whenever we see a rouge fin stick out of the water? The answer is simple. If we protect these swift animals that have ample negative connotations about them, we are able to maintain two beautiful things. First, the economies of many of these Pacific islands will be maintained. Secondly, the beautiful, colorful reefs which I personally have fond memories of witnessing first hand, will remain intact. All in all, in order to maintain these two things, I will gladly face my fears and swim with the sharks.

Yeah, neither had I. At least not until I stumbled across this headline: Nature’s ‘icy finger of death’ captured on tape for first time. I was doubly intrigued as I am always interested in these kinds of firsts plus I had images of snow tornadoes ravaging the countryside dancing through my head. The article is accompanied by this video clip.

After watching the clip I was amazed. The under ice scene shown in the clip was surreal. So much so that I began to wonder if portions were created using computer generated imagery. I investigated and, as it turns out, the brinicle was captured using live action recording as well as stop motion photography. In the above clip, the shots of water flowing out of the ice are live action shots while the shots of the sea floor were captured using stop motion photography.

I was equally intrigued as to how the filming was done as brinicles can only form in the polar regions and generally under sea ice packs. Apparently filming was done at great difficulty. Some of the difficulties are highlighted in this interesting article.

So would you like to know what a brinicle is? Watch the clip and let Alec Baldwin tell you. Or check the entire Frozen Planet series on the Discovery Channel.

While I always enjoy reading through Wisconsin Natural Resources this months issue was especially interesting due to their article on cool field trips in Wisconsin. The article highlighted 34 of 118 field trips available through the Natural Resources Foundation. The focuses of the field trips ranged from amphibians to avians, and catered to all activity levels. A couple of the trips that I found particularly interesting were bat night at Maiden Rock and  the trumpeter swan cygnet roundup and banding. While bat night is offered every year, this is the last year that the Trumpeter Swan trip will be available, if you are interested you had better sign up soon.

Overall, I really like about this article does an excellent job of highlighting and selling Wisconsin  through advertising its natural resources. They list a variety of activities which can accommodate people of all abilities. There is something for everyone who enjoys nature, but if the sample of what they list is reflective of the rest of their trips, birders have it made. Another thing I like about the descriptions is how they are short enough where you can easily read through them quickly and determine your interests. Overall this is a great ad in the sense that it caters to a wide audience and makes readers curious about what else does The Natural Resources Foundation have to offer. So If any of this has perked your interest, check out wisconservation.org to sign up and see more of Wisconsin.

Check it out:

• Each e-reader requires the extraction of 33 pounds of minerals through potentially destructive mining processes, while paper books use less than one pound of minerals

• Each e-reader uses 79 gallons of water to produce its batteries and wiring boards, while paper books use only 2 gallons to create the paper pulp
• Production of one e-reader uses 100 kilowatt hours of fossil fuels and emits 66 pounds of carbon dioxide. Paper books use only 2 kilowatt hours and emit 100 times fewer greenhouse gases
• Adverse health effects from producing one e-reader are estimated to be 70 times greater than those from producing a single book

While this article gravitates toward ambiguity when describing certain factors, the concrete facts provided above are enough to make me reconsider my birthday present. I can’t deny how convenient my Kindle is– it takes up very little room in my purse and bookshelf, it allows me to download a book whenever and wherever I am, and it actually makes me want to read. But are the implications worth it?

More Americans are expected to purchase e-readers in the coming years. Are we digging ourselves into a black hole of unsustainability while under the impression that we’re doing the exact opposite (like I was)? The good news is that progress towards sustainability is constantly being made, and safer habits must have been adopted since this article was posted two years ago. But, Goleman and Norris estimate e-reader users have to read 40 to 50 electronic books on their gadget to come out even on their environmental damages. I’m making good progress on that number, but I think I’ll still advocate for the good ol’ library over these high-tech gadgets.

NPR put together an interactive map of coastlines around the world that would be most affected by significant rises in sea levels. The map shows the lengths and depths of the lost coastlines at different levels of loss, demonstrated by a deepening of red color as the time lapse occurs.

source: NPR

Even seemingly insignificant changes in sea levels would prove disastrous to many major cities around the world. A half-inch of vertical sea level rise would mean a three foot of land lost on a sandy coast, due to erosion. Slightly higher numbers would result in more dramatic tides in deltas and much stronger storms. A worst case scenario would be if the Greenland ice sheet melted entirely, resulting in a sea level increase of 20 feet around the world.

According to the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development the ten most affected cities by rising sea levels would be: Mumbai, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Miami, Ho Chi Minh City, Calcutta, greater New York City, Osaka-Kibe, Alexandria and New Orleans.

Another article by NPR cites Carol Auer, and oceanographer for the   National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration, saying, “Flooding wouldn’t be a problem if people moved back from the water.” To me, this seems a little ridiculous. If global warming is indeed occurring, caused by man, the people of the world should not merely move away from coasts, but try to fix the underlying cause of rising sea levels: rising atmospheric temperatures. Additionally, it is not realistic to move people away from these coastal cities, because from an economic standpoint, they are vital to global trade.

What do you think? Is flooding only an issue when people are in the way? Or are coastal populations just victims of natural occurrences of nature?

Photo by Alice Kahn(Project FeederWatch), taken from Cornell Lab of Ornithology website

Want to find out more about the project? If you have time to spare, feel free to view the video below.

Although the introduction video is a little bit cheesy, and the tone of the narrator is rather boring in my opinion, the video provides a great explanation of the project purpose. Great collection of backyard bird videos but the quality can be improved, especially since high-definition video becomes very popular in the Internet! The video will be able to give you the idea how it might be to have a bird feeder and bird watching it. Here is a link to a FeederWatch live Cams! If you are lucky, you might see something crazy.Just don’t view it at night. XD

FeederWatch live Cams

It sounds all too easy but what’s the catch? Annual participation fees are required to support the project but your participation will be valuable to help scientists to figure out the bird movement and distribution. In another word, if a bird species is declining in numbers, your participation may help to “reveal” that. Although winter is just over, and if you are interested, this is the time for you to get ready! The website provides a comprehensive guide and tips for beginners to get started on bird feeding. So, start getting ready to participate in this citizen-science efforts for bird conservation today!

For example, the “Waving Wall” is a street art piece that uses 1200 19-liter water bottles to create this “waving wall” and to highlight how the issues of how there are hidden quantities of water used to produce the products we buy. For example, 1200 19-liter water bottles can be used to produce only two pairs of jeans. In my opinion, I prefer seeing the “Waving Wall” over wasting that much water on only two pairs of jeans.

This sense of using street art made out of garbage helps shape the public’s opinion. It not only shows them something cool and unique by using garbage to create art, but it raises awareness and gets them thinking about their consumption choices and how they get rid of/use their own garbage and trash. As you can watch in the video below, turning trash into art is something that many people find interesting and cool and it shows how there are better, more interesting ways to use trash than to just throw them in the nearest alleyway.

In my opinion, while it is clearly unrealistic for every person to create something with their old garbage and trash, I think that this shows that there are some uses for trash that many people may be overlooking. While we might not all be artists, there are ways for us to reuse certain household items in order to reduce the ever growing amount of pollution.

For more examples of cool art made from garbage, follow this link: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/16/world/environmental-green-art/index.html

In the documentary The 11th Hour, co-directors Leonardo DiCaprio, Leila Conners Petersen, and Nadia Conners discuss the environmental threats of our time. Global warming, deforestation, mass species extinction, and depletion of the oceans’ habitats are all addressed and potential solutions to these problems are proposed. The film’s main message is that the future of humanity is in danger because there are too many of us using too many resources too fast. In the film over 50 politicians, scientists, environmental activists, economic historians, and medical specialists share their perspectives.

I was very surprised by all the negative reviews that the film got. Some critics claimed that:

• It was too repetitive and not very entertaining.
• The solutions were not persuasive enough and it seemed as if they were preaching to the choir.
• By presenting the issue as the 11th hour (as the very last moment that change is possible) the message was more like a guilt trip than inspiring.

On the other hand, I thought the movie was very well-made and that Leonardo DiCaprio probably attracted a wider variety of people to the issue. He says that everyone needs to get involved in reversing the damage we have done to the planet. I liked that the ending suggests that this generation has the power to change the destructive path we’re on, but portrays it as a gift rather than a burden. Examples of attainable solutions such as carbon-neutral cities and self-sustaining buildings are offered as well.

So what do you think? Does DiCaprio successfully educate the public on our climate crisis or was Al-Gore’s film, An Inconvenient Truth more entertaining?

Eco Fashion World is a website devoted to environmentally friendly clothing and accessory brands.

The website lists brands that are Vegan, Ethically Produced, organic and recycled. While this website looks good it doesn’t function very well. Some of the links in the brands section are broken, and the website lacks information about its green criteria (i.e the eco criteria section is pretty basic). It does say however that it lists non-certified brands that are also environmentally sound (gaining certification is difficult and many businesses do not want to go through the trouble of obtaining them).

As a person who loves to shop, this website is really cool but as a serious conservationist this attempt seems really ineffective because:

• It presents things in such a way that buying from these brands will make a big difference. In reality it takes changing many aspects of your lifestyle.
• Most of these brands are in other countries so for U.S citizens that means ordering online, and using a lot of energy to get it to your front door
• Many of the brands are a little pricey. On a Student-like budget, these brands are impractical and so the incentive to buy environmentally friendly clothing is reduced.

http://www.ecofashionworld.com/

In his book The Forager’s Harvest, Sam Thayer guides us on an adventure into the wild and explores many types of edible wild plants, some of which many of us regard as weeds. With a focus on education the book is perfect for anyone who is interested in or learning about foraging and serves as a good field guide for identifying, harvesting, and preparing wild plants. With almost 40 different types of edible plants, from gooseberries to wild rice, Thayer shows us how plentiful nature’s bounty can be. The Forager’s Harvest, is not just a simple field guide, it covers a range of topics from forage to storage, cooking methods, and foraging as it relates to conservation.

What really sets this book apart is the attention to detail Thayer gives in his treatment of different plants and the way you can read into his love for wild food. While it is not a complete work on all species of edible wild plants it is a good start and contains a lot of useful information. Did you know that stinging nettle is good for tea or that cattail pollen can be used to make muffins, breads, and baked goods? Even though Thayer only covers 40 types of plants, each one is covered in depth, with a photo, basic description, and discussion of range; habitat, harvest, preparation, storage, and poisonous lookalikes. From the descriptions to the photographs Thayer took, everything in the book is built around his personal experiences with wild food. So, if you are interested in learning more about wild food in Wisconsin and want a quality, thorough field guide to get you started, pick up a copy of The Foragers Harvest and let the adventure begin.