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The Green Patriarch: Bartholomew
This is a powerful film on a true spiritual leader who fully grasps the significance of the current moment for the future of humanity and Creation, and who is working behind the scenes to change the way humanity relates to Earth and Nature. (watch The Green Patriarch)
E.O.Wilson: "The world is full of amateurs: gifted amateurs, devoted amateurs... Anybody can pick up information in interesting places, find new species or rediscover what was thought to be a vanished species, or some new biological fact about a species already known, and can provide that right into The Encyclopedia of Life."
NYTimes' David Pogue interview with E.O.Wilson: transcript
Watch a video about E.O. Wilson and the birth of the Encyclopedia of Life project.
Encyclopedia of Life Podcast:
One Species at a Time
The Encyclopedia of Life has been growing rapidly since E.O.Wilson first imagined the project in 2003. It is indeed rapidly developing as the indispensable media-rich database of earth's species, with already 400,000 species pages, and growing numbers of contributors all over the world. There is now a new Learning and Education area where you can for instance develop your own multimedia regional field guides, or listen to and download the EoL's excellent series of podcasts, One Species at a Time.
In Defense of Food
Michael Pollan discusses his latest book, "In Defense of Food"- (watch videos)
Ecoversity is a non-profit educational center which explores and demonstrates concepts of sustainable living, ecological design, and responsibility for the wise stewardship of the Earth.
Established in 1999 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Ecoversity focuses on practices and solutions designed to regenerate the Earth and revitalize the human spirit.
Recent Developments in Religion and Ecology
A while back we posted an excerpt from a film about an inspiring man, the Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. The 'Green Patriarch', as Bartholomew is known, has been working quietly for years to reawaken a sense of responsibility for Earth's nature within the Christian tradition. Here we look at some other voices in this field, notably the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology and the legacy of Thomas Berry. (see videos)
Record Tornado Onslaught Continues
5/24: 500 dead and counting; over one thousand tornadoes since early April. Catastrophic damage to many towns and several cities. Nuclear plant emergency shutdown. Parts of Tuscaloosa Alabama and Joplin Missouri are leveled by F4 and F5 'multivortex' storms. This is the biggest tornado assault in three quarters of a century, and now there are lots of cellphones, so we have some amazing video: tornadoes: videos and updates
May 23, 2011: Total losses from managed honey bee colonies nationwide were 30 percent from all causes for the 2010/2011 winter, according to the annual survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Apiary Inspectors of America (AIA). (report)
The Vanishing Bees: New UNEP Report
The honeybees appeared this last weekend in the new blossoms of the apple trees, and we were glad to see them. As you know, honeybees are in trouble- all over the world, but especially in the U.S. Since 2006 when the phenomenon was first noticed, many theories have been suggested to explain 'colony collapse disorder', and most news articles you read will say that CCD is still 'mysterious'. A new United Nations Environmental Program report lists several factors which converge to cause the sudden decline in bee health:
habitat destruction, invasive species (like the parasitic mite, Varroa destructor), air pollution, electromagnetic pollution, memory-damaging pesticides and other chemical pollution, industrial transport (where a million bees die each year), colony splitting, diet, monoculture farming, and a decline in flowering plants.
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director, said: "The way humanity manages or mismanages its nature-based assets, including pollinators, will in part define our collective future in the 21st century. The fact is that of the 100 crop species that provide 90 per cent of the world's food, over 70 are pollinated by bees. . . Human beings have fabricated the illusion that in the 21st century they have the technological prowess to be independent of nature. Bees underline the reality that we are more, not less dependent on nature's services in a world of close to seven billion people".
(ref UNEP.org)
PDF download: UNEP Global Bee Colony Disorders (PDF)
Press coverage: "Einstein was right- honeybee collapse could threaten global food security" (Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, Telegraph UK)
Queen of the Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us?
"In 1923, Rudolf Steiner, a scientist, philosopher and social innovator, predicted that in 80 to 100 years honeybees would collapse. His prediction has come true with Colony Collapse Disorder, where bees are disappearing in mass numbers from their hives with no clear single explanation. In an alarming inquiry into the insights behind Steiners prediction Queen Of The Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us? examines the dire global bee crisis through the eyes of biodynamic beekeepers, scientists, farmers, and philosophers. On a pilgrimage around the world, the film unveils 10,000 years of beekeeping, highlighting how our historic and sacred relationship with bees has been lost due to highly mechanized industrial practices. Featuring Michael Pollan, Vandana Shiva, Gunther Hauk and beekeepers from around the world, this engaging, alarming and ultimately uplifting film weaves together a dramatic story that uncovers the problems and solutions in renewing a culture in balance with nature."
Queen of the Sun will be showing in Santa Fe during the week following Earth Day at the CCA (Apr 22-28). (more info here) For other venues and more information about the movie and CCD, visit the
Queen of the Sun website
Note: Another excellent film on the bees and CCD is The Vanishing of the Bees by Ellen Page, now being shown around the country. Watch the movie trailer and find a local screening at the film's website, VanishingBees.com
Case Focus: Food Supply Jitters
Concerns were raised at Davos 2011 over the world's food supply. The American Advancement of Science just held a symposium on the effect of climate change on food supply. Commodity food prices have been spiking. And there is a growing realization that meat-eating is a big part of the food problem, as well as a big part of the problems of pollution and climate change. Where are we heading, and what can we do about it?
This case focus highlights video talks by some of the most engaging thinkers on these issues:
-Joel Salatin, author of Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal: War Stories from the Local Food Front; Joel is a localization advocate, and is featured in Michael Pollan's book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, and in the films Fresh and Food Inc.
-Jonathan Safran Foer:
Speaking about his book, Eating Animals
-Raj Patel, author of Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System speaking at the University of Central Florida
-International Slow Food Movement:
Wendell Berry, Carlo Petrini, Vendena Shiva, Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser, and Alice Waters discuss the current state of the Slow Food movement.
-How big a part does commodities speculation play in the recent price rises?
Paul Jay of The Real News Network hosts this discussion on food price increases and market speculation; with Jayati Gosh and Robert Pollin.
See Case Focus: Food Supply Jitters
Case Focus: Fracking for Gas
"The largest domestic natural gas drilling boom in history has swept across the United States. The Halliburton-developed drilling technology of "fracking", or hydraulic fracturing, has unlocked a 'Saudi Arabia of natural gas' just beneath us." - Josh Fox,
Gasland
As Fracking Spreads, More Questions Raised
'Fracking' is short for 'hydraulic fracturing'. It's the latest technique for squeezing fossil fuel from it's last most difficult-of-access redoubts. Fracking is also the largest arena in which these extreme measures are poisoning people and the environment.
Fracking and it's dangers were brought to public attention last year by the reporting of Abrahm Lustgarten for ProPublica, the success of Josh Fox's award-winning documentary Gasland., and recently, Debra Anderson's Emmy Award winning documentary on fracking, < a href="http://www.splitestate.com/"class="home"target="external">"Split Estate". More than 800 earthquakes in Arkansas have caused fracking companies to suspend operations at two injection wells, and the New York Times is running a major investigative series on fracking. (read more:
Case Focus: Fracking for Gas)
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Watch keynote speeches by Van Jones, Bill McKibben, Tim deChristopher, and Al Gore here.
Recently at Ecoversity Santa Fe
Recent Press:
Transitions Radio
Interview 5/12/10: Ecoversity's Jeff Harbour with Alan Hutner for Transitions Radio (to be broadcast on KBAC 98.1FM) (listen)
Santa Fe New Mexican 11/28/08
"A New Energy Frontier"
KSFR: Diego Mulligan Interviews
- Mar 24 2009: Diego interviews Andrew Fikiforuk, author of Tar Sands
-Interview with Ecoversity's Jeff Harbour and Willem Malten, 12/30/08 (mp3)
-Interview with Alphonz Viszolay 12/16/08 (mp3)
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