On Earth Day 2010, Woodchuck Cider – a premier maker of handcrafted hard ciders based in Vermont – took an unusual stand. They launched a Facebook Global ReLeaf campaign, saying that by the end of the day, they would donate a tree for every Facebook fan they acquired.
The excitement streamed across social networks with fans cross-promoting the campaign via Twitter. The results were astonishing. Woodchuck had gained 8,432 fans.
Today Woodchuck announced they would plant that many trees as part of the ReLeaf program, American Forests‘ tree planting arm. Global ReLeaf is the oldest nonprofit conservation organization in the U.S. This year Global ReLeaf plans to plant 4.8 million trees as part of 43 projects in 14 states and [...]
Are you eating endangerd tuna?
Seafood tracability is becoming an important factor for consumers, particularly with the steady rise in mercury and other harmful pollutants in our oceans.
Knowing where you fish came from - and how much mercury it contains - has just gotten a little easier.
DNA barcoding research conducted by the Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics at the American Museum of Natural History has shown that sushi purchased in supermarkets might actually be healthier than that from restaurants, where it’s likely you’ll end up eating endangered species of tuna.
The new research revealed that one-fourth of the tuna served on sushi menus is bluefin, while some was escolar, a waxy, buttery fish often labeled “white tuna” that’s banned for sale in [...]
Earth Day 2010
This years earth day was a massive success, with people all over the world becoming involved in this momentous occasion.
Designed to provide inspiration and awareness Earth day highlights the importance of looking after our environment in any way we can. MoreEco tries to do its bit by recycling, saving energy and reducing our carbon footprint in any way we can. How do you help the planet? It doesn’t take much.
Recycle everything you can, including giving old clothes and books to charity
Reduce your consumption by planning ahead – meals, days out and activities with the family
Enjoy the fresh air – whether it be gardening, going to the local park or [...]
California Running Dry
A recent CBS 60 Minutes video focuses on the California water battle that some characterize as the “farmer vs. fish” debate. I highly recommend watching, especially if you’re a newcomer to this debate.
To simplify (and to skip over 100 years of California history of water wars), there are farmers in the San Joaquin Valley who are having to leave many of their fields fallow because of a 2009 decision by the CA Department of Fish and Game to reserve part of the Delta’s water for the endangered Delta smelt.
Farmers are being required to pump less water and are blaming it on the smelt; meanwhile the state is in the midst [...]
Tetley: 100% Rainforest Certified by 2016
The world’s second largest tea company, Tetley Tea, announced it will source all its tea from Rainforest Alliance certified farms by 2016.
The Rainforest Alliance currently has 215,000 acres of Rainforest Alliance-certified farms in Kenya, Tanzania, Argentina, India and Indonesia. This New York based non-profit certifies farms around the world that meet the specific environmental, social and economic standards of the Sustainable Agriculture Network. Standards include worker rights and safety, water and soil conservation, wildlife protection, and legal wages.
One of the Tata Beverage Group’s main brands, Tetley sells black, green, red, flavored and decaffeinated teas, and has a presence in 70 countries. Their first certified products will hit the UK foodservice sector this April and Canada by early 2011. Rainforest [...]
Australia backs off from protecting sharks
Sharks.
They’re charismatic creatures we feature in our movies, on calendars, and in any respectable oceans documentary. They scare, fascinate, and intrigue us. They’re also vitally important to the food webs they exist in. Think it’d be nice to not fear great whites? Well, take a top predator out, and whatever the sharks used to eat will overpopulate, and alter the entire ecosystem.
Much of the world gets this, which is why it’s being reported that a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by 113 governments that creates a UN Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals.
The convention prohibits the hunting, fishing, or deliberate killing of the great white, basking, whale, porbeagle, shortfin [...]
Wolves Returning to Colorado?
The LA Times Greenspace blog is reporting that wolves might be making their way back to Colorado. And they might be keeping an even more rare species company: a rancher who is hoping for their return and thinks actually its pretty logical.
I happen to agree, and not just because I’m some crunchy environmentalist. Sure, it’s great for ecosystem health. Wolves are a keystone species. They’ve been essential to thinning elk populations and helping riparian habitats get healthy. Of course there are ranchers and hunters who would disagree with this sentiment.
But it’s also great for tourism. Even if hunters are nervous about skittish elk, witness the explosion of tourism around Yellowstone and [...]
Marine Life Protected Act process begins, and watch out for those sea otters
On a trip up the California coast to Jenner (where the Russian River pours into the sea), I saw harbor seals, great barrel-shaped waves, and tremendous flocks of birds fighting the fierce Pacific winds.
I also saw an example of modern conservation in action: a fisherman and abalone diver who agreed that the current Marine Life Protection Act under review for the North Coast would be a good thing, even if it prevents him from harvesting his desired seafood.
The act, commonly referred to as the MLPA, began in California in 2004 along the Central Coast as a way for the stakeholders to “reevaluate and redesign California’s system of marine protected areas [...]
Target and Safeway move to provide sustainable seafood
Driven by consumer demand, more corporations are adopting sustainable business practices, Retailers carrying food products are particularly engaged in this process.
Recently, Target and Safeway announced that they would discontinue carrying farm-raised seafood and switch to wild caught. Environmentalists have been pushing for this, criticizing that net-pens salmon farms, which release pollution, chemicals and parasites into the surrounding ocean, disrupt and sometimes decimate nearby wild fish populations.
Greg Duppler, senior vice president, merchandising for Target, said “Target strives to be a responsible steward of the environment, while providing our guests with the highest-quality food choices.”
Safeway is also on the sustainable bandwagon. They recently announced their partnership with marine conservation group FishWise to develop and [...]
Penn students become reps for sustainability
A group of students at the University of Pennsylvania are about to become Eco-reps, volunteers from three Penn residence halls and one fraternity that educate their peers about sustainability and of Penn’s Climate Action Plan commitments.
Twenty seven students in all - ten students in U of P’s Hill College House, ten in Kings Court English College House, six in Rodin College House and one in Tau Epsilon Phi – are being trained to be sustainability ambassadors to fellow residents.
Dan Garofalo, the University’s sustainability coordinator, said “we believe motivated students who are interested in environmental issues can help their peers make better choices and decisions in their behavior as it relates to the environment.”
This group of committed eco-minded students will [...]