Archive for the ‘environment’ Category

Discovery Earth Live maps our Mozambique trip

Saturday, September 20th, 2008

Summer Rayne Oakes in Mozambique for Discovery: Earth Live

Allan and I are traveling from Johannesburg, South Africa to the community development and forestry projects through Mozambique. We’re in Maputo right now (the capital of Mozambique), filling up on some good food and a hot shower before we start getting too dirty. :o) We need to take care of setting up a shop of products from Maciene community group in the local airport tomorrow morning with Rui from the FDC and then we head to Maciene at noon (arrive approx 3pm) to see the projects-in-action and then off to neighboring Chongoene to a brand new community development-design project that is in its contractual stages with UNICEF. You can follow our trips and projects through the country as they happen on Discovery’s new web feature: Earth Live. It’s a cool satellite-based map feature where you can access the lat-long of where we are, radio interviews, and photos…that is if we have enough bandwidth to send photos. So stay tuned for this exploration experiment…Launching Sunday, Sept 20, 2008. 

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“Tobago has two speeds: Slow and stop”

Sunday, August 17th, 2008

Took a last-minute trip down to Trinidad and Tobago. First thing I did when I got off the plane was head to the beach, ate a bake-and-shark, and went river trekking. Emile was the fu*king bomb. Best local guide a girl can ever ask for. I made love to those waterfalls, man. The birds were magnificent and we ran into two fer de lance in the same day–quite an unusual encounter.

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And of course the bug life was amazing too. The yellow lamplight of our first hotel attracted a good number of cicadas.


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The private beach at an eco-based hotel in Tobago


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Breaking bread with the ruddy turnstones. The chachalacas wanted in on the feeding frenzy too.


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The hotel-meets-fun house; bumped into that band the Baby Boomers use to make love to. What was their name again??? Oh yeah, Air Supply. So funny!

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Rocking the Planet Green Board

Sunday, March 9th, 2008

I got to rock out with the rest of the Board a few weeks ago at the Discovery Headquarters in Silver Springs. I’m not at liberty to discuss the going-ons, but it’s all p-r-e-t-t-y exciting. I didn’t realize I was the youngest on the board…until I got there… Believe me, I don’t take that lightly, even though I feel like a 50-something year old trapped in a 20-something year old’s body at times.

I hope that my role there can really bring a voice to the burgeoning youth and minority movement that I’ve been so blessed to be a part of. I even got Andre, my coolest ass Prius-loving cab driver feeling my energy before the meeting. I got him all fired up about Powershift , The Green Jobs initiative, Dream Reborn , and the social justice energy building under the skin of the environmental movement. “WE WILL NOT BE DIVIDED!” — (and hey, he said he’s already reaping the benefits of green jobs in America. The chicks dig his hybrid ride).

Anyway, you can tell I’m revved for The Dream Reborn Conference April 4-6 in Memphis. It really gives me great pleasure and pride to be working with the Energy Action team again and meeting the individuals of Green for All. I had the pleasure when I was still a teen to work side-by-side Dorothy Cotton , the Civil Rights activist who served as SCLC’s education director for 12 years under the direct supervision of King and also served on King’s executive staff. Now, I have an opportunity to work with a new generation of leaders that breathe a welcoming energy to some of our most pressing issues.

We’re raising money on Facebook to send a low-income youth to The Dream Reborn Conference, so if you can’t be there, maybe you can help someone else to go. Spread the love.


Planet Green Announces World Class Board of Advisors

(CSRwire) SILVER SPRING, MD, February 26, 2008 /PRNewswire/ — Planet Green, Discovery Communications’ global multiplatform environmental initiative, today announced its strategic Board of Advisors representing a broad spectrum of thought leaders in the fields of science, academia, technology, business, environmental advocacy, government and media. Planet Green President and General Manager Eileen O’Neill made the announcement.

“When it comes to our Board of Advisors, Planet Green is standing on the shoulders of giants,” said O’Neill. “These individuals are pioneers and visionaries, dedicating their passion and leadership to create a future that balances the needs of humankind and the environment. We are honored to have their guidance and participation as we endeavor to engage and inspire our audiences through Planet Green.”

The Board will provide expert counsel on emerging trends, issues, innovations and scientific findings, to help inform Planet Green’s robust offering of programming, content, partnerships and public affairs activities across Discovery’s media platforms. The Board will also provide recommendations on practical methods to introduce and involve Planet Green’s audiences in making a positive difference for the planet. The Board convened in February for its inaugural meeting. Planet Green Board of Advisors
Discovery Communications
Mr. John Hendricks, Founder and Chairman, Discovery Communications
Mr. David Zaslav, President and Chief Executive Officer, Discovery Communications
Ms. Eileen O’Neill, President and General Manager, Planet Green
Mr. Graham Hill, Founder, TreeHugger.com and Vice President Interactive, Planet Green

Environmental Advocacy
Ms. Frances Beinecke, President, Natural Resources Defense Council
Mr. S. Richard Fedrizzi, President, Chief Executive Officer and Founding Chairman, U.S. Green Building Council
Mr. Robert Kennedy, Jr., Chairman, Waterkeeper Alliance
Dr. Wangari Muta Maathai, Nobel Laureate and Executive Director, Greenbelt Movement International
Ms. Stephanie Meeks, Acting President and Chief Executive Officer, The Nature Conservancy
Mr. Matt Petersen, President and Chief Executive Officer, Global Green USA
Mr. Jerome Ringo, President, The Apollo Alliance
Mr. Larry J. Schweiger, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Wildlife Federation

Scientific Dr. Kathryn Moran, Director, Marine Geomechanics Laboratory, University of Rhode Island
Dr. David Suzuki, Co-Founder, The David Suzuki Foundation

Media, Policy and Entertainment
Ms. Carol Browner, Principal, The Albright Group LLC
Mr. Leonardo DiCaprio, Actor and Environmentalist
Mr. Daniel C. Esty, Hillhouse Professor of Environmental Law & Policy at Yale University; Director, Center for Business and the Environment at Yale
Mr. Andrew Lack, Chairman of the Board, Sony BMG Music Entertainment
Mr. Kenneth Lerer, Chairman, The Huffington Post
Mr. Achim Steiner, Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme

Honorary Board Members
Governmental
The Honorable Christopher Shays, Connecticut
The Honorable Mark Udall, Colorado Governor Martin O’Malley,
Maryland Governor Tim Pawlenty, Minnesota

Discovery Communications Experts
Mr. Josh Bernstein, President and Chief Executive Officer, Boulder Outdoor Survival School
Mr. Jeff Corwin, Wildlife Biologist and Emmy Award-Winning Host
Mr. Philippe Cousteau, Co-Founder and President, EarthEcho International
Ms. Terri Irwin, Founder, Wildlife Warriors and Director, Australia Zoo
Mr. John Picard, Sustainability Expert
Ms. Summer Rayne Oakes, Model and Activist
Ms. Sara Snow, Green Living Expert and host of Get Fresh with Sara Snow

About Planet Green Discovery Communications is a passionate advocate of preserving our earth and a leader in developing television programs that educate citizens about the best qualities of this place we call home. Discovery’s commitment to these issues reached new heights when it created Planet Green, a global,cross-company initiative dedicated to documenting, preserving and celebrating the planet.

In June 2008, Discovery Home channel becomes Planet Green — the first 24-hour eco-lifestyle channel dedicated to making a difference by providing tools, information and content that will enlighten, empower and most importantly, entertain. The channel will launch to more than 50 million homes. Planet Green speaks to people who want to understand green living and to those who truly want to make a difference by providing resources to meet the critical challenge of protecting our environment. Planet Green’s platforms include leading eco-lifestyle website TreeHugger.com ( http://www.treehugger.com ) and the recently launched solutions-oriented PlanetGreen.com ( http://planetgreen.discovery.com ). Discovery will also launch Discovery Education Green, a K-12 service that hosts dynamic media content correlated to state standards. Discovery Education Green will help teachers integrate Green lessons into their curriculum and empowers students to make more environmentally conscious decisions.

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The Great Bear Rainforest expedition team

Sunday, October 21st, 2007

Just goes to show you that even serious people can have fun too. Here’s the team: Randy, Amanda, Tom, Rob, Andy, Summer Rayne, Ross, Debbie, Sherrie, Leslie, Dave, Deborah, Dustin, and Adrian


MONOCHROMATIC LIGHT

THROUGH THE CHANNELS
KHUTZ BAY
THE GRIZZLIES OF MUSSEL BAY

SUN FIRE IN THE SKY

Kermode Bears & Kin
The Black Bear of Gribble Island

WHALES & WATER
Dall’s porpoises playing in the surf
Photos compliments of: Andrew Wright for Cold-Coast.com
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Great Bear National Forest - sacred spaces- a snapshot

Wednesday, October 17th, 2007

This is the story of Great Bear. Well, maybe not the story, but it is a story of this enchanted forest through my eyes. It is a place where the water pulses through ever channel, the moss springs beneath your step, the mist hovers delicately above the mountaintops, and the forest soaks you up in a sea of green.

Nearly 60% of our planet’s coastal temperate rainforests have been logged or developed. The Great Bear Rainforest is the largest intact coastal temperate rainforest left in the world. 88% of this coastal temperate rainforest has already been cut down for logging, but through a seven-year ongoing effort by Greenpeace, The Nature Conservancy, Tides Canada, Forest Ethics, British Columbia, The First Nations, The Canadian Government, and private North American foundations, the rest of the land will be set aside for conservation and ecosystem-based management plans.Twenty percent of the world’s salmon comes from this area, with 3000 genetically distinct salmon varieties. The interplay of land, water, and species still largely remains intact in this area.

Seventeen First Nations live on the Great Bear Rainforest and the island of Haida Gwaii. These include the: Da’naxda’xw, Gitga’at, Gwa’Sala-Nakwaxda’xw, Haisla, Haida, Heiltsuk, Gitxaala Gaw wa aineuk, Kitasoo/Xai’xais, Kwiakah, Kwicksutaineuk, Lax Kw’Alaams, Mamalilikula, Metlakatla, Nuxalk, Que’Qwa’Sot’Enox, Tsawataineuk, and Wuikinuxw.


This particular excursion was part of a donor-funder trip to experience the area, raise awareness of the rainforest, and to wrap our brains around the complex structure of this Ecosystem-based Management plan, which is unlike any other program out there. The closest projects that are even remotely familiar in structure in my mind are the various Biosphere Reserve programs across the globe. This, however, is still vastly different - in scope, breadth, and depth.


“There is a word from the time of the cathedrals: agape, an expression of intense spiritual affinity with the mystery that is ‘to be sharing life with other life.’ - Barry Lopez, American writer, 1986

Sept 19-26, 2007 - The Journey Through Great Bear (Photo Montage)

Leaving Bella Bella and off through the Central Coast

Where blue skies meet blue waters
Two Dall’s Porpoises gang up on The Island Roamer’s waves
Buttedale Cannery
The Island Roamer
Me, Amanda, Debbie: Word is, prints are in. These boots were meant for walking
Andy in action
A “creekwalker” stops to chat
Andy and Dave look out for porpoises. (Heli-logging in the background)
Recording waterfalls
The Lost Atlantis

Photos compliments of: Sherrie, Tom, Summer


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Great Bear National Forest - sacred spaces, Day 1: Part One

Wednesday, October 17th, 2007

Sept 19, 2007 (Morning) — On the Way to Kynoch

Ross recalled a story where a beautiful 60foot yellow cedar was cut down in a logging patch. He approached the tree which had a series of Japanese characters gashed into the bark.”What does this mean?” he said, pointing to the foreign writing. The logger turned to him: “That means that this tree will be turned into chopsticks.”
Sept 19, 2007 (Morning) - Jackson Narrows through Mathieson Channel

Experimental heli-logging. Loggers pick an area, cut a tree, and a specialized helicopter will pluck it from the earth - one tree at a time - creating a “bald spot” in secondary-growth forestland.

A natural river undercuts a snowbank


Sept 19, 2007 (Afternoon, Fog Rising) - Mathieson Channel to Kynoch


“To stand at the edge of the sea, to sense the ebb and flow of the tides, to feel the breath of a mist moving over a great salt marsh, to watch the flight of shore birds that have swept up and down the surf lines of the continents for untold thousands of year, to see the running of the old eels and the young shad to the sea, is to have knowledge of things that are as nearly eternal as any earthly life can be.” - Rachel Carson


Photos compliments of: Sherrie, Tom, and Summer
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