On the day of the national Step It Up events, we walked into downtown Seattle from Capitol Hill to check out the demonstration. As we headed along 1st Avenue, we noticed a line of birdseed running down the sidewalk ahead of us. It continued for blocks. A number of shop owners and restaurant workers were outside their storefronts sweeping the seed into the gutter. When asked what this was all about, one flustered employee replied, “Some group of protesters,” and indicated down the street. We kept walking and eventually came upon the head of the lengthening line — a group of people with fanny packs filled with birdseed, dispensing it as they moved slowly forward. We asked them what they were doing, and they explained they were marking the point to which sea levels would rise in the next few decades of we don’t address climate change (rather like the Future Sea Level project, but on a much larger scale). We asked if they were representing a particular group or organization, but they seemed to be a hodgepodge of concerned citizens, identifying only as involved participants of Step It Up. We headed on our way and eventually the intervention faded… (more)

(Posted by Sarah Rich in Climate Change at 10:00 AM)

Imagine a backup generator that is virtually silent and requires zero fossil fuels, creating no CO2 emissions. That's what Gaia Power Technologies has successfully created in the PowerTower. …

Editor's note: We're sorry to announce that today's Tip o' the Day will be the last from Rebecca. As one of our founding writers, Rebecca's work for GO has been integral to…

Search for "Largest corporate solar installation in the U.S." and you'll see Google pop up in the results. As of yesterday, the search engine giant became a lot less dependent on the…

Alison writes:

I thought you might be interested in reading and possibly linking to the following article on the effect of climate change on fisheries, published today in the Asbury Park Press.

Of note is the historic decision of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to prohibit any bottom-trawl commercial fishing off the far north of Alaska past the Bering Strait — at least until scientists figure out the effects of sea ice retreat and warming.

Climate change already affects ocean ecosystems and seafood production off the shores of North America, according to a new report on the long decline and now-stalled recovery of Atlantic cod and a decision by Alaska fisheries regulators to seal off America’s farthest northern waters to fishing.

Warming in the Arctic may be one reason why cod are so slow to return to Atlantic waters, despite years of increased restrictions on fishing, says Brian Rothschild of the University of Massachusetts.

“Everyone has attributed the declines of cod, especially in Canada, to overfishing,” said Rothschild, dean of the UMass School for Marine Science and Technology. […]

Now, “fishermen think things are changing in the Atlantic,” he added. “If this is part of a global climate change event, these things may not come back.”

Read more or Take action: Help tackle global warming in 7 steps

It's a paradox: although backpackers, particularly those who are hardcore, are committed to "leaving no trace," and surely appreciate our natural environment, we still consume fossil…

Suggs Exhibition at the Maltz Gallery

If you’re a business person in the Los Angeles area with an interest in sustainability, there’s a new non-profit designed specifically to help you improve your…

Last week, Minnesota's Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty signed into law landmark global warming and energy efficiency legislation.

The bills include a requirement for an economy-wide climate…

Beer + Sunshine = Hot Water
Building a Better Brick
China Plants Trees To Hold Back Desertification
Carbon Negative Biofuels?!
Sutainability Reporting Becoming The Norm

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(Posted by David Zaks in News and Views at 8:23 PM)

In this episode, the third of six from Luminous Green, I talked to Randall Krantz about the global challenge of climate change. Randall, who runs the Climate Change initiatives at the World Economic Forum in Geneva, brings the voice of the business community into multi-stakeholder partnerships, particularly through dialogue with governments and civil society. On climate issues, he focuses on future long-term policy, smarter investment, and practical actions towards changing behaviors of business and consumers. Before joining the WEF’s environment team in 2005, Randall worked as a field engineer for GE Power Systems, helped the commercialization efforts of a London-based fuel cell initiative, and pursued an MBA in Barcelona. He is interested in exploring how public-private partnerships can offer entrepreneurial solutions to global environmental issues, and how well-designed and innovative business strategies can spur positive change in consumer and business choices.

Download as MP3 (19MB)MP4 (23MB).

* Subscribe to Jennifer’s weekly podcast through iTunes! (Simply click “subscribe to podcast” under “Advanced” and in the pop-up window paste http://feeds.feedburner.com/worldchanging_fulltext and hit enter.)
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(Posted by Jennifer Leonard in Media at 12:34 PM)