This halloween, our global population will reach 7 billion ! (according to the UN)
You can witness how population growth is tied to climate change, water scarcity and agricultural production with these ‘very visual’ interactive maps by Population Action International.
It is wild that by 2080 Sub-saharan Africa will maintain a population growth rate of more than 400% all the while experiencing serious agricultural decline due to climate change.
More people facing more dramatic climate challenges –
however, we do remain together on this planet, and in that I will share my salad.
Today is the final day of the US State Department hearings on the Keystone pipeline.
Hundreds are gathering in DC to rally outside the hearings and others in Panama with the Canadian Ambassador for Climate Change during the prep for COP 17.
Building the Keystone XL pipeline from Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico would be an insult to our intelligence at this point in human history.
The decision about this pipeline is being widely discussed and rallied behind on both sides of the border.
This attention is forcing political leaders to acknowledge the globally significance health effects the pipeline would have on every community world wide.
It is up to us to educate our politicians and continue to support sustainable development & progress over ignorant growth.
Thank you for including me in CLIMATE ACTION NIAGARA’S (CAN) Sustainability Series.
The evening was one of mutual respect and support.
It is with a humble heart that I thank you for supporting my attendance to the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), Conference of the Parties (COP) 17, in Durban, South Africa.
We have almost reached our financial goal.
If you support my efforts and can contribute, please follow the link to donate:
The UNFCCC process can be as complex and hard to understand as the bioluminescence during the red tide in the pictures of the pacific ocean above - here is a brief overview. At the 1992 Earth Summit held in Rio De Janiero, the UNFCCC was established. 192 countries committed themselves to an unprecedented effort of international collaboration: the mitigation of dangerous anthropogenic interference with the global climate and adaptation to whatever temperature increases are inevitable given past emissions. The COP annually accesses the progress of the above effort, while simultaneously providing a venue to negotiate further commitments; whether they be financial, technical, environmental, technological, etc. An early accomplishment was the creation of national greenhouse gas inventories, which secured a 1990 base level for greenhouse gases. These inventories established a fair, transparent measurement system to quantify and legitimize reductions. Under the same umbrella, COP 3 held in 1997 produced the Kyoto Protocol, establishing legally binding obligations for developed countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, later COPs produced roadmaps, compliance action plans, technology transfer options, and various funding resources.
Through diverse paths (including COP 13, 15 & 16) I live to contribute to the greater good of the planet and humanity. Given the distance for this upcoming conference the only way I can attend is with your help.
I thank you for all that you have done as individuals, families, friends and colleagues to maintain our health and the health of this ecosystem we call home.
As part 2 in CLIMATE ACTION NIAGARA’S (CAN) Sustainability Series, the community is coming together to help enable their own Melanie Mullen to attend the United Nations Conference for Climate Change - COP 17 - in Africa.
Melanie will host a discussion and slideshow, focusing on Climate Change and Food Security.
The evening will blossom into an abundance of local musicians, food, wine and concluding with swing dancing.
In the upcoming film Dead Before Dawn 3D there is a beautiful hidden message reflecting the current state of our environment …. A message that secretly encourages society to go green Before Dawn, or else death.
Now this is not entirely true, but our modest, on-set efforts may provide small-scale solutions to very big problems.
Dead before Dawn (DBD) 3D is a fast-paced adventure comedy….supported by Telefilm Canada and is indeed Canada’s first 3D film. Despite the film’s large scale and high kinetic energy, the project’s grounded set of young producers worked to make their brainchild as ‘green’ as possible.
April Mullen and Tim Doiron are worldly people with a keen awareness of society’s current effects on the global climate. From day one of shooting, they made a concerted effort to implement numerous sustainability practices including reduced carbon emissions, reduced material sent to landfills and more.
Here are the highlights, demonstrating a significant reduction of environmental impacts in an industry notorious for its disposable ways.
- CATERING - the substantials were delivered in re-usable containers every 3 hours, avoiding the usual styrofoam (infused with CFC and landfill poison) and other wasteful delivery packaging. The craft table was made up entirely of re-usable packaging and avoided individually packaged/disposable treats.
- WATER - rather than disposable plastic water bottles, the DBD cast and crew were given self-labeled, re-usable water containers - also referred to as “Sippy Cups” to be filled at one of two bulk water stations. Since the film was shot in scolding HOT July, we avoided the use of an estimated 10,000 350 ml plastic water bottles and discouraged the water bottle industry by doing so.
- WASTE - recycling bins were established throughout the set and in the production office, where recycled items were properly disposed of at local recycling centers.
- SET DESIGN - much of the prop and set design was recycled and re-used materials and when that wasn’t available the production design team went out of their way to loan and rent necessary equipment rather than purchase and dispose.
- SHARING - the cast and crew got close in their fight to save the planet by sharing shuttles.
- TRANSPORTATION - the film was shot entirely in the Niagara Region, reducing the distance between locations and lowering overall fuel consumption low. There was also a no-idling policy for all vehicles, as this is when car’s catalytic converters spew some of their most noxious chemicals.
- HOTEL - the cast and crew agreed to have their rooms cleaned only once a week, saving on the towels, linen, water and cleaning supplies being used.
- GENERATORS - the production kept all electrical sourcing to one main generator.
- COMMUNICATION - most communication was done electronically through emails, but as necessary all call sheets were printed in a tiny font on double sided half sheets.
- 3D DIGITAL the film was shot on memory cards & hard drives instead of film and tape, saving over 200,000 feet of film
- REDUCED DVD DAILIES by using external hard drives and USB keys
- SHOT ONLY ON LOCATION - there were no studio sets, almost eliminating the use and subsequent waste of construction materials.
- BACKGROUND - all local patrons were used for background reducing the fuel consumption of transportation
- POST PRODUCTION - the producers used Bixi Bike to get to the post-production editing suites, all the while using a tapeless format to negate any physical processing of film and the waste that accompanies a non-digital format.
www.deadbeforedawnthemovie.com
My sister April Mullen has taken on the monster challenge to shoot Canada’s first full-length, live action, 3D feature film (shot entirely in Stereoscopic 3D)… so of course I’ve dropped everything and got my hands dirty during the month of production… or rather, I got my hands bloody.
The film “Dead Before Dawn” is the newest indie-Zombie film . A Zombie film with a touch of Demon - only to give birth to a new breed of blood fans = ZEMONS! The film is wildly cast with ZEMONS from every corner of cool; Christopher Lloyd (omg WHAT?!), Kevin McDonald (”Kids in the Hall”), Martha MacIsaac (”Superbad”), Ellen Dubin (”Napoleon Dynamite”), Brandon Jay McLaren (”The Killing”), and of course creative duo Tim Doiron & April Mullen (Rock, Paper, Scissors and Gravy Train).
Movie making is one of the most “disposable” and unsustainable industries, but “Dead Before Dawn” was different ! I’m going to do a big BLOG about how we “greened” the whole movie production…. and how the cast and crew, hesitant at first, supported the effort and the sippy cups :)
Stay close to me and I’ll explain how it happened.
If you are in Toronto on Wednesday, bike over to the ROM !
Rob Stewart had defined inspiration in my life throughout the winter. It is not too farfetched to imagine he exudes inspiration, an invisible elixir distilling from his moulding. Rob also happens to be the award-winning filmmaker of Sharkwater and everyone is welcome to join my dear friend for a lively discussion as part of the Royal Ontario Museums WATER exhibition.
“Beyond Sharkwater recounts Stewarts efforts in saving sharks worldwide and how his new film project Rise Again tackles some of the most pressing issues facing our planet, including how we can take action to save the ecosystems we depend on for survival.
Meet Rob after the event to learn more about his mission and how you can help save the ecosystems we depend on. Get an autographed copy of Sharkwater or The Next Eco-Warriors, a new book by Emily Hunter featuring chapters from Rob Stewart and other inspiring change-makers. Dont miss out on this event!
Get your tickets online now:
http://www.rom.on.ca/programs/lectures/index.php?ref=showinfo&program_id=6792
BEYOND SHARKWATER
Wednesday, June 15, 7:00 - 8:00 pm
Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto Ontario
For more information:
Telephone: 416.586.5797
E-mail: programs@rom.on.ca
http://www.rom.on.ca/programs/pdf/lets_rom.pdf
Visit www.sharkwater.com to learn more about Sharkwater and Rob Stewarts journey.
In response, therefore to Rob’s magic elixir and my own brighter instincts, I am helping a french elementary school in Niagara Falls to “Celebrate Sharks”. We are currently working to collect over 1000 signatures to then have Rob come come visit St. Antoine school and outline how the Shark populations are believed to have dropped by as much as 90% in the last few decades. Do your part to spread awareness and ban shark fins in Toronto and the surrounding area.
“Yesterday’s remarkable is today’s really good and tomorrow’s mediocre.” I’m reading Linchpin by Seth Godin and it continues to remind me how important our generation is to our planet.
We have the efficiency and creativity to turn our unbalanced global growth to sustained development for all species.
I continue to be optimistic because I believe in creativity, and I believe in you.
A Day of Action September 24
www.moving-planet.org
September 24 will be a day to remind the world of the need to go beyond fossil fuels. We will move together in solidarity for yet another day to celebrate unity in the fight against climate change.
I’m hoping to reach 133.3 kilometers per hour on my bike …(which happens to be the fastest speed ever recorded on a bicycle)
Elections have HUGE consequences… I’m working with individuals from all over the world and all eyes are on Canada right now!
Democracy in Canada can be incredibly frustrating for those who genuinely care about our CANADA… Canada desperately needs to update our first past the post electoral system. Particularly in this federal election I haven’t been comfortable blogging because I’m terrified of Harper winning a majority and it so stresses me out. So I believe strategic voting AGAINST Harper is worth it this time around… to protect our democratic process because in the end without democracy we really have nothing.
Many of us strongly oppose Harper - his government being the first in Canadian history to be found in contempt of Parliament. However our votes are split across 4 opposition parties. In this election, we have to vote against the conservative candidates, against Harper. Mes amis at Avaaz and Project Democracy have created a tool which tells us whether we live in a close riding and which party has the most chance of defeating Harper there.
Currently in some ridings Harper’s candidate can win with as little as 29% of the vote ! Approx 10% of us live in one of those close races. If we spread the word and vote strategically, the opposition parties could block a Harper majority.
If you need help being strategic, because our votes are divided between 4 opposition parties … Check out this site http://www.avaaz.org/en/canada_elections?vc and enter your postal code to find out
- if you live in a close riding and
- which party has the most chance of defeating Harper there.
So, if you live in a close riding your vote can strategically defeat the Harper candidate and collectively disable a majority. If the Harper candidate is too well established (financed) in your riding, try Vote Swap Canada.
most importantly …. VOTE INFORMED TOMORROW
( p.s. I love you Canada )
- And here’s the link for CBC and the G8 scandal : http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2011/04/26/cv-election-avaaz-g8.html
- Full text of Stephen Harper’s 1997 speech (CTV News) http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/SpecialEvent7/20051213/elxn_harper_speech_text_051214/
