Heidi Willis

I stumbled upon this lady's art just shortly after the post below so I apologise for it's repetitive 'botanical-art' nature... It's really beautiful stuff. See more of it on her official website.

About A 97-Year-Old Botanical Art Maestro

This guy's amazing...

"97-year-old Chikabo Kumada, known in Japan as a pioneer of botanical art, has made countless book illustrations and picture books about the subject. For 71 years (!), he’s been drawing the insects, animals, and plants that live in his garden and neighbouring woodlands. But only in his 70s his career took finally off! PingMag MAKE spoke to him about his experiences in life."

Lone Demos

The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act made it illegal to demonstrate anywhere near Parliament without official police permission, so if you feel strongly about this then become part of the monthly MASS LONE DEMONSTRATIONS to highlight the danger and stupidity of having this law in a democracy.

You don't have to demonstrate AGAINST anything - you can demonstrate FOR things too - Christmas leave to be for the mandatory 12 days, the right to wear odd socks and purchase them singly, for the Government to give more money to provide clean water in the 3rd world, the right to have free weekly therapy on the NHS... whatever.. Taking part in this is 100% LEGAL and peaceful - you're not going to get into any trouble providing you apply to demonstrate using the correct form.

Some of my favourites:

Mark Thomas: Global Adventures with Coca-Cola

A new book revealing details of Coca-Cola's problematic practices globally, including India, has just been released. "Belching Out the Devil: Global Adventures with Coca-Cola" is authored by Mark Thomas, a well known comedian and political activist from the UK. Mark Thomas traveled to several countries - India, Colombia, Turkey, El Salvador, Mexico, United States - to meet with and report on the campaigns against Coca-Cola. Mr. Thomas uses a campaigning brand of comedy to relay serious issues about Coca-Cola - the violent suppression of trade union leaders in Coca-Cola bottling plants in Colombia, the use of child labor in sugar cane fields in El Salvador, and the water shortages being experienced by farmers across India who live around Coca-Cola bottling plants.

This guy seems awesome - I particularly loved his parts in UK film 'Taking Liberties'. Visit his site here. There's a review of the book here.

Chinese Olympics + Tibetan Torture = Coca-Cola Profits

San Francisco: Responding to a question about Coca-Cola's sponsorship of the Olympic Torch Relay, Mr. Isdell, CEO of Coca-Cola, defended the sponsorship by referring to the Olympic Torch as a symbol of hope and openness.

Banner in Sydney, Australia

Ongoing protests around the Olympics Torch Relay to highlight China's occupation of Tibet is a refreshing reminder that no amount of "feel good" advertising and "brand" associations can whitewash the reality - that the Chinese government suppresses human rights in Tibet.

China is not the first government that has attempted to use the Olympic Games to gain credibility from a global audience. In 1936, the Olympic Games were held in Nazi Germany, and the Nazis had the same goal - to extract credibility from the world community. For Coca-Cola, however, the Olympic Games and the Torch Relay provide a tremendous marketing opportunity, associating its brand with the feel good games that has arguably the largest audience in the world. Coca-Cola has reportedly invested more that US$100 million into the Games. The promise of financial returns from the sponsorship are too great for any human rights or environmental concerns to put a damper on their plans.

Actual Coca-Cola Advertisement with Monks

While China hopes to benefit politically by hosting the Olympic Games, Coca-Cola aspires to profit financially from the Olympic Games. Coca-Cola, it seems, will sponsor just about anything, as long as it sees potential profits.

The 1936 Berlin Olympic Games were used by the Nazis to paint a picture of Germany as a peaceful and tolerant Germany, even though the persecution of Jews, Romas and others deemed undesirable by the state in Germany had already started. The first permanent Nazi concentration camp had opened in Dachau in 1933 - three years prior to the Olympics - and Jews were not allowed to participate in the Games. Coca-Cola was a primary sponsor of the 1936 Games. And the first modern day Olympic Torch Relay was initiated in Berlin in 1936, and Coca-Cola was its sponsor at that time too.

While the magnitude of horror inflicted by Nazi Germany is unsurpassed and we hesitate to make comparisons with China's oppression in Tibet, one must raise serious concerns about corporate sponsorships that do not take human rights concerns into account, as was and is the case with the Coca-Cola company.

In fact, Coca-Cola's involvement in Nazi Germany went further. While the Coca-Cola company was supplying Coke to Allied soldiers on the war front, its German counterpart, Coca-Cola GmbH, was busy selling Coca-Cola to Germans. When Coca-Cola GmbH could no longer receive the syrup from the US after the US entered the war in 1941, it developed a drink using ingredients available in Nazi Germany called Fanta. It seems that Coca-Cola had hedged its bets. If the Allies won, Coca-Cola would rule the world and if the Nazis won, Fanta would.

Olympic Torch Run Arrives in Berlin, 1936

To be fair, Coca-Cola was not the only company to hedge its bets during World War II. But the extent to which companies will go to ensure future markets and profits, however unethical, is disturbing. And Coca-Cola's sponsorship of the Olympic Torch Run and the Beijing Games is just that - unethical and devoid of morality. It makes no difference whether Tibetans are murdered, tortured or intimidated by the Chinese government. Its mandate is to increase its sales in China, and it will do nothing to risk losing access to these emerging markets, particularly at a time when its sales in the US are declining as consumers become more health savvy.

The current protests around the Olympic Torch Relay are a perfect moment to scrutinize the role that corporations play in this day and age of globalization and send a clear message to the corporations that human rights must come before profits. On the one hand, there is increased talk of Corporate Social Responsibility - which is corporation's response to globalization - in which Coca-Cola figures prominently. Yet, when a pressing issue such as Tibet comes to the fore, Coca-Cola chooses to remain silent and endorse the Games for financial reasons, absurdly citing "openness" and "hope" to defend their involvement.

On March 20, 2008, over 150 Tibet support groups from around the world penned a letter to the Coca-Cola company labeling its sponsorship of the Games "tasteless" and asking it to ensure that the Olympic Torch does not go through Tibet.

If Coca-Cola is serious about being a good corporate citizen and even an average student of history, it must end its sponsorship of the Beijing Olympics to send a strong message that financial profits are secondary to human rights. Until then, we would encourage all torchbearers to cease being ambassadors for a company that is blind to everything except profits. And encourage consumers to think before they drink Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola's sponsorship, frankly speaking, is simply not Olympic in spirit.

Amit Srivastava is the Director of India Resource Center, an international campaigning organization based in San Francisco, USA.

India Resource Center works to support movements against corporate globalization in India, as part of a project of Global Resistance. Global Resistance works to strengthen the movement against corporate globalization by supporting and linking local, grassroots struggles against globalization around the world. Their goal is to ensure that those most impacted by globalization are engaged in and at the forefront of the movement against corporate globalization.

This is an old article but it's a good example of the kind of press IRC are producing. You can take action and read more here.

Some words from Keita Takahashi (Katamari Damacy)

The oddball genius behind Katamari Damacy shows off the first technical demo of his latest project, shares insight into his creative process, and talks about the fights he has with his neighbours.

Game director Keita Takahashi took to the stage in front of a packed audience to talk about his new game, Noby Noby Boy, and immediately kicked off his shoes.

"I'm very nervous," he said, and talking through a translator, explained that he would play some soothing "forest sounds" to give the auditorium a more relaxed atmosphere. He then added that two days before coming to the UK, his favourite sandals had broken, which he had been worried was a sign that the plane might crash.

Takahashi told the audience that he didn't want to talk about Katamari Damacy, as he was "sick of it." He then fired up a PlayStation 3 and showed the assembled guests the technical build of the game he is currently working on, titled Noby Noby Boy. Noby Noby means "stretch" in Japanese, but also, like many Japanese words, has several other meanings. Takahashi explained, "In Japan, Noby Noby also means postponed, which shows this is the right name, as it has been postponed."

The game does not have a definite date for release yet and is obviously still in the early stages, although Takahashi did reveal that it would be a PlayStation 3 exclusive. He handed out controllers to the audience, showing that up to three people could play at once, taking control of the Noby Noby Boy, who can do such things as stretch, jump, eat animals, eject them from his nether end intact, and lasso creatures by circling them. He also showed that animals will be able to hop on to Noby Noby Boy and enjoy a free ride.

Talking about his latest project, Takahashi admitted, "People do not understand it yet, even my boss. I think it looks fun."

He also berated the industry for a lack of creativity. He said, "Just as people have different personalities, in terms of games, you can make your own rules to develop and play. But in reality, we rarely see such variety. I wonder why?"

Takahashi also used his forum to remind people the importance of caring for the environment and doing such things as recycling rubbish and being nice to people in the street. He said, "I don't know about the future, but we will see more of the darker side of the earth. I really think so. I don't know if we can afford to have video games in 10 or 20 years' time...video gaming is good, but also it's a luxury. You can't play video games unless you're financially well off."

A wise man. See the full article here.

Amnesty appeal

"This autumn the Government wants to push through a Bill allowing police to lock people up for 42 days without charge if they are suspected of a terrorism-related offence. When the Counter-Terrorism Bill comes back to the House of Commons, your MP will have a chance to help defeat it: the Bill only passed by nine votes last time, so it will be close.

Allowing police to lock people up for a month-and-a-half without charge will undermine basic human rights to which everyone in the UK is entitled. It will also damage community relations, make intelligence gathering more difficult and possibly ruin the lives of innocent people. This Bill needlessly sacrifices important civil liberties but gains nothing in the way of security.

The only way to convince MPs to vote against 42 days is to show them how many of their constituents are against this unnecessary and counter-productive piece of legislation."

Sign the petition here.

Our time is running out

In just 100 months' time, if we are lucky, and based on a quite conservative estimate, we could reach a tipping point for the beginnings of runaway climate change. Recent research by the NEF (New Economics Foundation) found that 100 months from today we will reach a concentration of greenhouse gases at which it is no longer likely that we will stay below the 2C temperature rise threshold.

Today is just another Friday in August. Drowsy and close. Office workers' minds are fixed on the weekend, clock-watching, waiting perhaps for a holiday if your finances have escaped the credit crunch and rising food and fuel prices. In the evening, trains will be littered with abandoned newspaper sports pages, all pretending interest in the football transfers. For once it seems justified to repeat TS Eliot's famous lines: "This is the way the world ends/Not with a bang but a whimper."

But does it have to be this way? Must we curdle in our complacency and allow our cynicism about politicians to give them an easy ride as they fail to act in our, the national and the planet's best interest? For example, only a government that was sleepwalking or in a chemically induced coma would countenance building a third runway at Heathrow, or a new generation of coal-fired power stations such as the proposed new plant at Kingsnorth in Kent.

In terms of what is possible in times of economic stress and isolation, Cuba provides an embarrassing example to show up our national tardiness. In a single year in 2006 Cuba rolled-out a nationwide scheme replacing inefficient incandescent lightbulbs with low-energy alternatives. Prior to that, at the end of the cold war, after losing access to cheap Soviet oil, it switched over to growing most of its food for domestic consumption on small scale, often urban plots, using mostly low-fossil-fuel organic techniques. Half the food consumed in the capital, Havana, was grown in the city's own gardens. Cuba echoed and surpassed what America achieved in its push for "Victory Gardening" during the second world war. Back then, led by Eleanor Roosevelt, between 30-40% of vegetables for domestic consumption were produced by the Victory Gardening movement.

So what can our own government do to turn things around today? Over the next 100 months, they could launch a Green New Deal, taking inspiration from President Roosevelt's famous 100-day programme implementing his New Deal in the face of the dust bowls and depression. Last week, a group of finance, energy and environmental specialists produced just such a plan. Next comes a rolling programme to overhaul the nation's heat-leaking building stock. This will have the benefit of massively cutting emissions and at the same time tackling the sore of fuel poverty by creating better insulated and designed homes. A transition from "one person, one car" on the roads, to a variety of clean reliable forms of public transport should be visible by the middle of our 100 months. Similarly, weaning agriculture off fossil-fuel dependency will be a phased process.

The end result will leave the people of Britain more secure in terms of the food and energy supplies, and with a more resilient economy capable of weathering whatever economic and environmental shocks the world has to throw at us.

- Andrew Simms ~ policy director and head of the climate change programme at NEF (the new economics foundation).

Amen.

Read the full article here.

Chinese energy drain

Click for bigger (to see the full extent).

There is no hope...

...When budget airline chief executive Michael O'Leary is still this deluded:

"Higher oil prices won't end low-fare air travel, it just increases the attraction of Ryanair's guaranteed lowest fares, as consumers become more price sensitive and switch away from high fare/fuel surcharging airlines like BA.

"Higher oil prices will speed up the decline of high-fare shorthaul travel this winter as many European airlines consolidate or go bust.

"The airline industry is cyclical, and this downturn will provide enormous opportunities for strong, well financed airlines, such as Ryanair to grow."

Americans must diet to save their economy

Want to save the US economy? Go on a diet.

That's the message ecologists are trying to get across this week. They say the apparently looming energy crisis could be averted if US residents cut their calorie intake.
David Pimentel of Cornell University and colleagues have drawn on an extensive body of existing studies to highlight the wastage in the US food production chain. To bring their point home, they have estimated how much energy could be saved by making a few relatively simple changes to the way corn is produced.
Their conclusion is that energy demands could easily be halved. That could stave off the prospect of further rises in the costs of fuel, they say.
To do that, however, would require a considerable change in the average US diet. The average American consumes about 3747 kcal per day compared to the 2000 to 2500 kcal per day recommended by the US Food and Drug Administration.
The 3747 kcal per day figure does not include any junk food consumed.
Producing those daily calories uses the equivalent to 2000 litres of oil per person each year. That accounts for about 19% of US total energy use.

Go veggie
Using data from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Pimentel estimates that half of the energy used to make food in the US is spent making animal products - meat, dairy and eggs. Farmers must produce crops to feed the animals that eventually provide humans with animal protein.
In 2004, Pimentel estimated 6 kilograms of plant protein are needed to produce 1 kg of high quality animal protein. He calculates that if Americans maintained their 3747 kcals per day, but switched to a vegetarian diet, the fossil fuel energy required to generate that diet would be cut by one third.
Reducing their meat intake is not the only way Americans can cut the nation's energy bill. And Pimentel's other suggested change to US eating habits would have the added benefit of cutting the national health bill as well.
In addition to the 3747 kcals, the average American consumes one third of their calories in junk food and Pimentel and colleagues suggest this could be cut by 80% and the total calorie intake be reduced by 30%. That could drastically cut the amount of energy which goes into feeding Americans, as junk food is typically low in calories, but energetically expensive to produce.
For instance, Pimentel calculates that the equivalent of 2100 kcal go into producing a can of diet soda which contains a maximum of 1 kcal. About 1600 kcal go into producing the aluminium can alone.

Article found in the New Scientist. The comments are highly amusing.

American Apparel

I don't care if it's vegan, organic and 'sweat free'... I'm sick of seeing the bums and crotches of 14 year old girls in magazines, on websites and on billboards. I don't care if the images are not airbrushed and the women are completely 'au naturel'... If this CEO can get away with sexual harassment and borderline paedophilia then there is no justice in this world.

I for one will NEVER shop there.

So there.

Danish wind turbine in a gale with faulty brakes

A rare sight to see and the first of its kind since the introduction of wind turbines and yet it's almost guaranteed to add fuel to the fire for anti-windturbinites. But they couldn't deny the proof that there's certainly enough wind power to be utilised.

Eco Vending Machines

Reduced energy consumption vending machines are standard and fluorocarbon free ones are in the works, but how about a solar powered vending machine covered in moss! Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. displayed a prototype of what might be the vending machine of the future: Solar panels supply the energy used for cooling and heating the beverages, while the moss covering helps improve insulation. The green décor would also give our grey city streets a more natural look and help vending machines in scenic locales blend into the environment!




Find the original article and more Japanese vending machines here.

Radiohead, i love thee

I've recently signed up to w.a.s.t.e. even though i've greatly enjoyed the works of Radiohead for some years, and it was mainly because my boyfriend sent me a link to this blog entry on their site and I decided to official register my support... I apologise for the length of the entry and also for my recent lack of posting. Essays, work, recording of Beekeeper and... I suppose a bit of Silent Hill 4 have all been conspiring against me getting anything else done.

"Where to play? Where to play? The Best Foot Forward report identified fan travel as the single biggest contributor to our carbon footprint. Public transport moves further up the list of importance, but venue availability, power, space, truck parking etc etc are still priority. A nice clean, sterile arena would have been sufficient, but having more adverts than character is not appealing to any of us. So the needs of the product override the ideals of the project and thus this plan came together.

As varied as they all are, venues around the world present a specific set of hurdles when it comes to eco policies. There are so many layers of contractors who deal with all the areas (i.e. consumables like paper plates having been pre-bought for the whole year) and they have no obvious reason to help us. We are, however, benefiting greatly from the network of communication that exists between Live Nation. What? The big multi national helping out the common man? It's true. With their national venue network and buying power, they have been able to dive head first into some of our incentives. Senior management have been overtly supportive.

Our efforts started in December with the appointment of Katie, our tour Eco Coordinator. Despite national ownership, the beer, food and operations are, more often than not, contracted out to regional companies. With a whole range of different policies, sorting all this out is a full time job (Katie also manages our IT as well, so we keep her really busy!)

Our next move was to enlist some expert help in drawing up a hit list of practicable measures to action at the venues. Our top ten included....

· Give car poolers preferential parking and promote this option through communications with concert goers

· Use low energy light bulbs in all areas

· Purchase green power or power from renewable sources from electricity provider· Use reusable cups rather than disposable ones

· Use recycled paper for all office stationery, tickets, posters, flyers and napkins

· Use compostable recycled paper crockery and wooden cutlery not plastic· Install recycling points for all cans and bottles

The current arrangements at each venue were checked against our ten points, which then produced a short list of things to concentrate on. A plan was made to research solutions to the issues; it's no good requesting something without having some idea of how to achieve it. This part of the big green push relies solely on the venues actions, and for the most part, our suggestions have been met with great enthusiasm. Car pooling has been North America wide, some of the additional recycling plans have been venue specific. Having determined the level of existing eco action, our plan is to encourage improvement. A 1950's amphitheatre is going to be starting from a worst position than a modern one, but their efforts are just as valid.

Car Pooling and composting have shown particular promise, with an average 12% reduction on the total number of cars used, and an average of over 1000 spots taken each night on the car pooling lot. Preferential parking locations were offered, although a better incentive would be for Live Nation not to include the parking charge in the ticket price, so car poolers would actually save money!

Compostable food waste from the venue backstage kitchens has been collected and used by venue grounds keepers and local gardening clubs. Live Nation have independently started to supply compostable beer cups for all their venues. The provision of organic locally grown food for the audience was one area that we had no influence over.Consumer demand prevails and we are told the consumer demands mass produced burgers and chemically enhanced beer - maybe time for a little customer feedback?The ultimate goal is to introduce schemes that, once proven effective, will be perpetuated by the venues and demanded by other acts.You can read our full venue reports at www.radiohead.com/tourdates/"

My w.a.s.t.e. url is: http://www.waste-central.com/profile/kaleidoscopicdancesofdeath

The Independant's 'Green List'

The Independent's recent Green list 2007 promised to reveal who was setting the agenda on environmental issues, writes Rachel Dixon. Unfortunately, it didn't tell us much we didn't already know. Rather predictably, as publication coincided with Live Earth, Al Gore was number one, followed by unlikely environmentalist Arnold Schwarzenegger. More interesting was Wangari Maathai's inclusion in third place - although she was just one of just seven women in a list of 25 people.

On the plus side, the list was a real mixed bag, with campaigners and movers and shakers from the arts ranking alongside scientists, politicians and businessmen. This may be an encouraging sign, suggesting that green issues are starting to be tackled across wider society, rather than remaining the preserve of niche groups.

On the down side, it was geographically limited, with only one representative of Africa, and one each from China and India. The vast majority of those named came from Britain or the United States. As the Independent itself said, climate change is the most important global issue we face, so surely we should acknowledge the role of non-western figures in the fight? One example that springs to mind is Dai Qing, the Chinese anti-dam campaigner, who was included in the Environment Agency's list of the 100 greatest eco-heroes of all time. There must be many more individuals who deserve recognition.

So, who would you add to the list - and who's inclusion do you disagree with? Perhaps you don't think Al Gore deserves the top spot, in light of Live Earth's carbon footprint, not to mention his own massive household energy consumption. Or maybe we're all too obsessed with celebrity, and we shouldn't be focusing on individuals at all. A list of the greenest businesses or governments might shame the rest into action.

The top 10:
1. Al Gore
2. Arnold Schwarzenegger
3. Wangari Maathai
4. Sir Nicholas Stern
5. David Attenborough <-------------------------- !
6. Simran Sethi
7. Mark Lynas
8. Patrick Holden
9. Laurie David
10. Dr Carl Hodges

This is outrageous for obvious reasons. Story from here.

Boycott: Iams and many more

Just thought I'd provide some info. for un-aware animal lovers and pet owners.

"For nearly 10 months in 2002 and early 2003, a PETA investigator went undercover at an Iams contract testing laboratory and discovered a dark and sordid secret beneath the wholesome image of the dog- and cat-food manufacturer: dogs gone crazy from intense confinement to barren steel cages and cement cells, dogs left piled on a filthy paint-chipped floor after having chunks of muscle hacked from their thighs; dogs surgically debarked; horribly sick dogs and cats languishing in their cages, neglected and left to suffer with no veterinary care.

Luckily, caring consumers know that advances in nutrition don’t have to come at the expense of animals in labs. Help PETA force Iams to end these painful and unnecessary tests, as many compassionate companies have already done. " - Iams cruelty.com

But it's not just Iams. All supermarket brands and the following corperations are also responsible for poor ethics and cruelty:

• Nestlé Purina/Friskies: Alpo, Bonio, Felix, Go Cat, Gourmet, Omega Complete, Proplan, Spillers, Vital Balance, Winalot.

• Pedigree, Masterfoods (Mars Inc): Bounce, Cesar, Chappie, Frolic, James Wellbeloved, Katkins, Kitekat, Pal, Pedigree Chum, Royal Canin, Sheba, Techni-cal (US & Canada), Whiskas. Pedigree also manufacture Thomas rabbit food and Trill bird food.

More info here as well as a list of pet food brands recommended as 'cruelty-free'.

Mapping climate change

click for bigger

"I just came across this world map by Worldmapper on the new BBC Green website. The map looks pretty distorted, because each country has been resized to show the amount of greenhouse gas emissions it is responsible for.

The map factors in emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, which account for 98% of the greenhouse effect.

The countries that emit the most greenhouse gases are the United States, China, the Russian Federation and Japan. No surprises there. The UK doesn’t come off too well either. However, the most emissions per person are in Qatar: equivalent to 86 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. Qatar has significant oil and gas reserves, and in 2002 was populated by 600,000 people. (In case you’re wondering Qatar is in the green section between a very skinny Africa, and India.)

Here’s how the world looks by land area, so you have a comparison:

What the BBC site doesn’t show, is another Worldmapper map - this one shows the world by carbon emissions decreases - an altogether different picture! Here the fatter the country, the bigger the decrease."

Story taken directly from here.