Photographing environmental issues for a sustainable future.
Posts within ‘Changents’
Copenhagen Dispatch 3: Protest in the Streets
What a day it was! The sun came out in Copenhagen and so did the protesters. Mostly a peaceful, huge demonstration, but not without a taste of anarchist violence that we captured on film. Check out our latest dispatch below. 2 in a day! Not bad… thanks to Peter’s quick editing.
Covering Copenhagen
All eyes will be on the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen starting next week — and we’re pleased to offer real-time, daily coverage of the conference happenings here on Earthkeepers . Introducing our Copenhagen reporting team:
OLIVIA ZALESKI is a journalist focused on environmentalism as it relates to business, corporate best practice and executive thinking. As the regular "green correspondent" for CNNmoney.com , Olivia can be found hosting CNN and Fortune Magazine’s Emmy-nominated series, "Business of Green ,” as well as hosting "Home Work ," the popular green do-it-yourself series for Money Magazine. In addition, Olivia reports for Hearst Magazine’s "The Daily Green" and appears regularly as, ABC’s "Good Morning America Now " green expert. She has also contributed her commentary and advice to programs like Discovery Channel’s TreehuggerTV, PlumTV, the CW and nationally syndicated morning news program The Daily Buzz. Follow Olivia’s twitter account here or check in daily to the Earthkeepers blog for the latest from COP15.
GABRIEL LONDON is a documentary filmmaker and writer. As the founder of the documentary film production company, Found Object Films , Gabriel has produced and directed films that bring overlooked stories to a national audience, dealing with issues ranging from the death penalty to climate change. In the process, he has used his work to participate in advocacy campaigns, work for which he was awarded a Soros Criminal Justice Award . His films have been broadcast nationally on networks ranging from MTV to SpikeTV and as part of film festivals including IDFA, Urbanworld Film Festival, and Live Earth.
For the next two weeks, Olivia and Gabriel will be sharing the view from Copenhagen through videos and blog posts, interviews with key leaders attending the conference and coverage of key events. (For Copenhagen coverage in 140 characters or less, you can also follow Olivia on Twitter .)
Saving the world in 14 days is a daunting challenge … and we’re hopeful that leaders gathering in Copenhagen are up for it. If you haven’t already joined our campaign to encourage climate action at Copenhagen, do it now .
Then, come on back to Earthkeepers to follow along as Copenhagen unfolds.
Store-Front Sustainability
Earthkeeper Hero Cate Trotter has had a busy month of hosting trend tours , which showcase all that’s hip and green in London. The theme of one of her more popular trend tours these days is “Green Retail” … and as it so happens, Timberland’s Regent Street store is one of her featured tour stops! (We couldn’t be prouder.)
Cate’s retail trend tours are designed to inspire creative teams and entrepreneurs to rethink their own retail spaces with an eye toward sustainability. What makes our Regent Street store sustainable enough to make Cate’s cut?
- Physical elements such as reclaimed timber and repurposed seating (old cinema seats work just as well for weary shoe shoppers).
- Open space, flexible displays and walls with interchangeable panels – key to refreshing the store’s interior design more easily and efficiently, without starting from scratch (and without creating more material waste).
- “Storytelling” elements which speak (quietly, not in-your-face) to our corporate commitment to the environment.
We’re thrilled to be featured in Cate’s trend tours … and would love to hear from you which other retailers you think are showcasing sustainability in an effective way.
To keep up on Cate’s latest trendspotting, follow her story anytime on Changents.com .
Creative Compassion: Impact Designers
The “Impact Designers” are a dynamic duo of Earthkeeper heroes using their design skills to battle social and environmental problems. Sami Nerenberg and Nate Bastien first met at the Rhode Island School of Design where Nate was Sami’s star student, and now both are committed to sharing their professional passion and expertise to create positive impact.
While Sami has been managing a 6-week eco-design boot camp, Nate has been busy with his own project — designing environmentally-responsible products for marginalized communities and the organizations that serve them. First up, a low-cost, durable backpack designed for people experiencing homelessness. The need behind the design, in Nate’s own words:
“Because the shelters are only open at night, you are forced out on the streets between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm every day. And don’t expect the shelter to provide any storage for your belongings, the conditions can be so poor and degrading that some individuals actually prefer to sleep on the streets or in a tent. In both cases, homeless individuals, and all of their belongings, are exposed to the weather every day. Through these conversations I recognized a design opportunity – displaced individuals need a means to carry their belongings that is affordable, durable, and waterproof. And why tap into virgin materials when there are heaps of quality materials heading to the landfill right now.”
The result is a waterproof, durable, adjustable Street Pack, made from discarded materials and featuring a multi-functional emergency shelter / solar blanket. Nate field-tested the pack himself during his 3-day Boston street retreat, and now he’s looking for other volunteers. If you (or a friend) are currently living on the streets and are interested in testing one of the first production Street Packs, please let Nate know. Testers will receive a free prototype of the Street Pack, along with a disposable camera … in return, they’ll be asked to use it and provide feedback (via photos and testimonials) on the pack’s functionality and durability.
Stay tuned as Nate and Sami share their observations and experiences in designing for positive impact both here on Earthkeepers and on their pages at Changents.com.
Portraits of Pollution and Preservation
If a picture is worth a thousand words, Earthkeeper hero Andrea Bakacs has got a lot to say about environmental issues – and solutions – she’s witnessing in New York City. Photographer and photo editor by trade and Earthkeeper at heart, Andrea has spent the past several years putting her personal and professional passions together to raise environmental awareness.
According to one of Andrea’s latest blog entries, summer in the city is hot, wet and garbage-laden:
“Walk around New York City after some torrential downpours, like the ones we’ve been having more and more recently, and you’ll struggle to find clear swatches of concrete near sidewalks that aren’t drowning in water and floating debris. 1/4 inch of rain and runoff starts pouring into the Hudson via pipes underground. 2 inches of rain and the subways start flooding. Sewers are now totally backed up. Sewage, runoff, and the street garbage that floats in it is carried into the Hudson and the Atlantic. Beach anyone?”
Rest assured that Andrea’s photo adventures take her to cleaner, greener spots of New York as well, including community gardens and salt marshes – busting any myths that the great outdoors can’t be found within city limits.
You can find more of Andrea’s updates and photos on Changents.com – and we’ll continue to share her stories here on Earthkeepers, too.
Heroes Among Us
Step off, G.I. Joe – the heroes have arrived.
We’ve already introduced you to a few of the 2009 Earthkeeper heroes … environmental educator and activist Christopher Swain, swimming 1,000 miles down the east coast in the name of cleaner water; eco-trendspotter Cate Trotter, inspiring others to live and work more sustainably by showcasing all that’s good and green in London; and Project Dirt, connecting eco-conscious Londoners with local greening projects via their website. By land, by sea and by internet, our heroes are working hard to raise environmental awareness and create Earthkeeping impact.
We’re excited to add to that roster:
Sami Nerenberg and Nate Bastien (a.k.a. the “Impact Designers”) — creating break-through, environmentally friendly design solutions for impoverished and low-income communities. As part of their Earthkeeping adventures, Nate is creating a ‘Street Pack’ for the homeless made entirely of scrap material, and Sami (one of the youngest teachers to run a program at the Rhode Island School of Design), is busy designing green “makeovers” for environmentally-challenged homes.
Eco-photographer Andrea Bakacs is harnessing the power of photography to deliver eco-messages, capturing on film amazing pockets of nature and a host of green projects across New York City. Ever seen Manhattan’s composting nuns? How about a farm (complete with goats and chickens) located on an east village rooftop? Andrea is creating a visual story of green NYC, one photo at a time.
Passionate, powerful, environmentally-committed individuals excited about sharing their talent for the good of the planet? We feel safer already.
You can follow the Earthkeeper heroes and read / hear / watch their adventures in real time on Changents.com.
Countdown to Climate Action
“The clock is ticking and we’ve got a planet to save.”
- Jamie Henn, 350.org
Last year, we introduced Jamie Henn as “Agent 350” – one of our original Earthkeeper heroes and lead member of the 350.org team, working to create a global movement to solve the climate crisis by reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million (that’s the number leading scientists say is the safe “upper limit” if we’re to avoid critical climate destruction).
Jamie and 350.org are back and better than ever, calling for conscious, creative involvement from Earthkeepers everywhere on the International Day of Climate Action, October 24th. Think Earth Day with an edge … this is your opportunity to be part of thousands of simultaneous actions around the world, leveraging local effort for global change.
Here’s Jamie’s call to action, in his own words:
For more details and to register your event as part of the International Day of Climate Action, visit 350.org. Got a great action event planned? Share it with us here!
Sustainability on the Big Screen
As if Earthkeeper hero Cate Trotter doesn’t have enough on her plate, what with uncovering all the hottest green trends and scenes in London, her latest green vision involves creating a film about sustainability, to further inspire people to live more sustainable lives by showing them exactly what those lives would look like. Think An Inconvenient Truth … only with a lot more optimism.
Given Cate’s passion for the mission and the power of film, we’re betting this is an idea that could really fly. But to get it off the ground, Cate’s looking for some help from her fellow Earthkeepers. Specifically:
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Do you know someone who might be interested / able to make such a video?
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Do you have any business world friends who might be willing to “sponsor” (ahem, bankroll) the project?
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Do you have any NGO or government body contacts who might want to take on such a project themselves?
If so, please let Cate know directly, or feel free to leave your info here. If you don’t have the connections but still want to help, consider forwarding or tweeting this post to get others out there excited and enthused about the idea. And, if you’ve got other suggestions on how Cate might bring her great green idea into reality, by all means let us know.
