Earth Day 2009 is coming up on April 22nd. Earth Day is a day that is meant to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth. It was founded by US Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970 and is celebrated all over the world.
There are many events that celebrate this day and you can find some of those at the Earth Day website. Is your work, company, school or campus having anything to promote Earth Day? If not, then maybe you can help promote Earth Day by doing something at your office to spread the awareness. There are also tips on the Earth Day website to help you get started on an event as well.
Former Vice President Al Gore announced that he will be releasing a sequel to his popular bestseller “An Inconvenient Truth.” The book was made into an Academy Award winning documentary and the work earned Al Gore a Nobel Prize. The new book will be titled “Our Choice” and will cover some of the “Solutions Summits” conferences that he has attended and will be published November 3rd. Gore will also talk about how fighting global warming can create new jobs and help stimulate the economy. In “An Inconvenient Truth,” he talked about all the issues and this time, he may mention some things that can be done. All proceeds from the book will go to the Alliance for Climate Protection, a non-profit that raises awareness about climate change.
I am sure that this book wil also be turned into a documentary next year. His last book has had tremendous success in addition to the documentary and has informed many people about the current situation with Global Warming. This book should continue to enlighten more people about the issues that we may face and encourage more people to be more environmentally friendly.
This is a pretty creative idea, British media agency Curb offers advertising service using natural earth elements. Here are some of their advertising solutions:
Logrow – making logos or messages in grass
Sand Brand – creating sand scultures indoors or outdoors using only sand and water.
Clean advertising -Using laser cut stencils and specialist equipment to clean the dirt out through the stencil leaving a stark contrast between the original color of the dirty surface and the new message. The message can last up to 8 weeks and is perfectly legal since nothing is actually painted onto the floor.
Solar Art - using the Sun’s rays and a magnifying glass to create art from wood.
H2 Show – creating a impressive watershow from a waterfall by using the width and drops of the waterfall to create logos and imagery.
Even though these forms of advertising might not last very long, they are creative enough to draw attention as opposed to other forms of typical advertising. It’s a great way for clients looking to integrate nature into their marketing communications and from looking at their client list, it seems like they have gotten some pretty well known and big clients such as Nike, Budweiser, and ING.
Another piece of Antarctica is falling off. A study also found that Antarctica is getting warmer as freezing temperatures have risen about 0.5 Celsius (0.8 Fahrenheit) since the 1950s. If the temperature were to rise 3 degrees Celsius (5.4 F), it could cause a huge melt from West Antarctica. You can read more about the story here.
According to Silicon Valley venture capitalist John Doerr, the United States is a little behind in the green tech revolution. Out of the top 30 companies in solar, wind, and alternative energy, only 6 of them are US firms. Maybe this will change in the next four years as we prepare for President elect Obama to take office. Barack Obama is a supporter for green technology and in order for green tech to really take off, the US goverment will need to take a bigger part in the role. Doerr is a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, which has invested over $600 million in 45 green tech startups and will continue to invest in more the next couple of years. Hopefully as there is more and more pressure, Congress will make bigger steps in making the US a greener country.
John Doerr’s 5 recommendations for Congress
The legendary Silicon Valley venture capitalist made five recommendations to Congress and President-elect Barack Obama to jump-start a green-tech revolution and fight global warming:
Modernize the grid: As part of the economic stimulus package, Doerr said Congress should invest in a more efficient electric grid that can deliver solar and wind power to consumers across the country.
Put a price on carbon: A cap-and-trade system and a carbon tax that’s refunded to taxpayers could drive up the costs for coal plants and make low-carbon sources, wind and solar, more competitive.
A national renewable energy standard: Doerr believes the federal government should follow California and two dozen other states that require utilities to generate more of their power from renewable sources.
New incentives for utilities: California utilities will spend $3 billion on energy-efficiency measures over the next 18 months because state rules give companies major incentives to conserve energy. New federal rules could force other states to follow suit, he said.
More federal energy research: The federal government spends less than $1 billion a year on renewable energy research. Doerr urged more federal research and loan guarantees to help new technologies get off the ground.
