"We Miss You," Love, Nature

WE MISS YOU from fireapple films on Vimeo.

 "We Miss You" is a beautifully-shot short film and social campaign by three German film students that was launched in 2010. The urgent message to reconnect with nature may be a bit gruesomely displayed; nevertheless, "We Miss You" has now garnered over a million hits throughout the web, not to mention it has won several young filmmaker awards, including three from Cannes. We suggest you check it out for yourself.

 --Justin Cohn

Book Review: The Insatiable Bark Beetle

Dr. Reese Halter’s The Insatiable Bark Beetle (Rocky Mountain Books, 2011) concerns yet another terrible consequence of global warming. The bark beetle — an umbrella term for several species of beetle that are killing coniferous trees by the millions — used to die in winter, but recently the mercury hasn’t dipped low enough to significantly dent its populations.

Dense swarms are wiping out the forests of western North America, sending the landscape from green to red in the way cold and shadow spread when a cloud covers the sun. Half of commercial woodlands in British Columbia have died, along with millions of acres in the contiguous US. The beetles are encroaching on the 4,000-year-old bristlecone pines of the high Sierra.

This would be a dreary read if it weren’t for Halter’s timeless, awestruck vision of nature. At his best moments he enlivens the dying forests, presenting them at the level of the animals. Jays swoop through the canopy, their elastic esophagi full of nuts. A dinosaur reposes in the shade. Woodrats commune in their midden, a burrow with designated latrine. And he describes how climate change gives delicate evolutionary relationships a case of the hiccups. Lillies in the Rocky Mountains are blooming two weeks early, and the bumble bees that pollinate them are stuck on the pre-warming schedule. Arctic phytoplankton is blooming early, too. The blue whales that migrate 4,000 miles to feast on it are struggling to catch up. We are surprised by these creatures, and worried for them.

It’s hard to see global warming. When I hear the phrase, my mind wanders to a computerized blue sky full of those bulbous molecules from chemistry textbooks, or to a smokestack with the letters “CO₂” floating around. Halter, by peeking in on the affected communities without slotting them into a rigid diagram, hands off the crisis to the reader’s imagination, a vacuum where it can swirl and swell. We leave this book, as much a global-warming compendium as a bark-beetle narrative, wanting to warn the poor animals. “Swim North earlier to catch the plankton!” “Evacuate the midden before there’s a forest fire!” By throwing the earth into fresh relief, Halter reinvigorates our desire to save it.

-- Jake Abrahamson/ image courtesy of Rocky Mountain Books

The Victory Garden of Tomorrow: Produce Propaganda for the Modern Era

Portland, Oregon-based graphic designer Joe Wirtheim is quite the American history buff. When pressed on the World War II era, he is a bottomless pit of information. One gets the sense his annual stint as a Washington, D.C. tour guide might have something to do with it. The historical angle pervades his art as well. Case in point: his series of World War II-era propaganda posters, The Victory Garden of Tomorrow. 

The idea comes from WPA posters that were printed near the end of World War II, commanding citizens to plant "victory gardens" to help supply produce during rationing and to get involved in the war effort on a day-to-day basis. The bold posters pronounced active encouragements a la "Grow More in '44," "Grow it Yourself," or "Grow Vitamins at Your Kitchen Door." 

Wirtheim's posters channel the style and the "active-voice
propaganda," but update the general message. They encourage
buying local produce, lowering carbon emissions, composting, and recycling, among other things. Wirtheim feels that the idea is just as important now as it was almost 70 years ago. "This generation has something in common with the generation that went through World War II," he said. "They're excited to get out there and do something."

The underlying principle is what Wirtheim calls "a mobilized effort for the home front." Fittingly, The
Victory Garden of Tomorrow has taken its hold in Portland, Wirtheim's home front. The posters have been shown in many local cafes as well as the mayor's office. But the series has steadily been gaining national exposure. Most recently, Wirtheim's work has appeared in Martha Stewart Living, the Los Angeles Times, and the Chicago Tribune.

Entering his sixth year working on The Victory Garden, Wirtheim shows no signs of letting up.  He is currently at work on posters for 2012, which are expected to be released in March. You can take a look at the entire series here, and watch for updates as the new year rolls along.

--Justin Cohn / posters by Joe Wirtheim

Dan Rather vs. Shark-Finning

Though the environmental cost and cruelty of shark-finning has been well-publicized in recent years, and though the House and Senate both passed the Shark Conservation Act in December 2010, the demand for shark-fin soup still seems to have no end in sight. 

California governor Jerry Brown signed AB 376 in October, which forbids the importation, possession, and distribution of shark fins in California. After Washington, Oregon, and Hawaii, California is the fourth state to forbid the practice, theoretically making the entire West Coast shark-fin-free by 2013. 

But new undercover videos and an upcoming exposé by Dan Rather will reveal the true scope of a problem that could rapidly make an entire species extinct. The footage brings home the devastating reality: Viewers watch as a shark with its fins cut off lies on the bottom of the ocean in a marine sanctuary off Indonesia's coast. Unable to move, the shark continues to suck oxygen through its gills, taking weeks to finally die. As the videographer pans the scene, we see that this shark is just one of hundreds littering the ocean floor, an endless watery graveyard for magnificent creatures.

Dan Rather Reports airs on Tuesday, January 24, 8 p.m. ET.

--Cyndy Patrick

Surfers Establish New Reserve in Santa Cruz

Longtime surfer and coastal-protection advocate Dean LaTourrette likes to joke that his job compensates him, in part, with waves. As executive director of Save the Waves Coalition, a nonprofit focused on protecting threatened surf spots around the world, he usually has a schedule flexible enough to accommodate regular payments in the icy waters off San Francisco's Ocean Beach.

Lately, prime weather conditions have allowed him to carve into surging bonuses even more frequently: "It's a season for the ages, really, for Northern California," he said, reflecting on a recent Saturday session. "All this dry weather is paticularly good. We've still gotten plenty of swell, but the weather's been phenomenonal."

When off the board, LaTourrette is preparing for the April 28 enshrinement of the Santa Cruz-based organization's third World Surfing Reserve on a seven-mile coastal stretch of its home turf. The designation already graces iconic breaks in Ericeira, Portugual, and Malibu, California, recognizing the rare recreational, historic, and environmental qualities associated with each place. The group hopes the reserves will educate locals about the importance of protecting the sites from the threats of development and pollution, as well as inspire others to initiate their own coastal-protection projects.

The site slated for dedication is on the coastline of Santa Cruz, a place credited as the birthplace of surfing in North America and home to the celebrated right-hand point breaks at Steamer Lane and Pleasure Point. It's in the heart of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, where a diverse ecosystem flourishes.

Best Clothes Dryer, Gas or Electric?

Hey Mr. Green,

Considering I live in the Pacific Northwest and it's not always feasible to hang laundry outside to dry, is it better to have a gas or electric dryer? I have hookups for both.

—Craig in Tigard, Oregon

If you must have a clothes dryer, a gas model makes the most efficient overall use of energy, and will cost about half as much to operate, roughly 15 to 20 cents per load compared to 30 to 40 for electric dryers, depending on local rates.

Why the difference? Well, the gas dryer gets its heat energy directly from combusting gas, while the electric dryer’s heat comes from electrical energy created at a power plant. But when a power plant burns gas or coal to generate electricity, roughly two-thirds of that fossil-fuel energy is lost as heat and is not available to your dryer. There are 3414 British thermal units (Btus) in a kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity, but it can take more than 10,000 Btus worth of coal or gas to make that kWh.

In your neck of the woods, for example, gas has been selling for about $15 per therm, which is 1,000 cubic feet and contains 100,000 Btus, or about 29 kWh. So the cost of your gas energy is about 5.2 cents per kWh. But one kWh where you live costs almost twice as much, or 10.1 cents. This higher cost is partly because those 100,000 Btus of gas can only generate about 9.8 kWh, so the cost of the gas (or coal) burned is embodied in the cost of the electricity, along with other expenses.

Your local power company says it gets about half its power from gas and coal, with a big chunk coming from hydropower, and 11% from wind. Like a growing number of electric companies, it offers renewable, non-fossil-fuel-based electricity for just a few pennies more per kWh than the usual rate. I recommend that you check this out, and that anybody who is reading this blog to go right now to their power company’s website to see if it offers renewable energy. It might cost a bit more, but we should be willing to pay. Besides, if you follow the energy-saving practices I’ve been harping about over the years, you’ll save far more money than what cleaner energy will cost.

Got a question for Mr. Green? Submit it here.

Top 10 States for LEED Buildings Announced

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) released its list of the top 10 states with the most LEED-certified green bulidings per capita for 2011. D.C. topped the list with just more than 31 square feet of LEED-certified space per person. Colorado, Illinois, and Virginia came in next with 2.74, 2.69, and 2.42 square feet per person, respectively. Here's the full chart: 

State	Sq. ft. of LEED-certified space earned in 2011	Per capita
D.C.	18,954,022	31.50
Colorado	13,803,113	2.74
Illinois	34,567,585	2.69
Virginia	19,358,193	2.42
Washington	14,667,558	2.18
Maryland	11,970,869	2.07
Massachusetts	13,087,625	2.00
Texas	50,001,476	1.99
California	71,551,296	1.92
New York	36,538,981	1.89
Minnesota	9,591,445	1.81

A LEED rating is based on state-of-the-art strategies such as sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, material selections, and indoor environmental quality. 

"Being in the top three is a testament to the diversity of stakeholders from across Illinois who understand the significant environmental, economic, and social benefits related to LEED certification," said Doug Widener, executive director of the USGBC's Illinois chapter.

Green Your Winter Camping Trip: Recycle Fuel Canisters

Snow on the ground shouldn't stop anybody from getting outside. This week's tips will make your cold-weather camping trip enjoyable and environmentally friendly.

Tip #3: Recycle your empty fuel bottles.

Another way to stay warm in winter's backcountry is by enjoying hearty meals and many hot drinks. Since this requires a lot of burn time for stoves, the amount of empty fuel bottles can really add up. When recycling your canisters, make sure it's completely empty. Jetboil makes a handy puncturing tool, but if you want to stay away from single-use canisters altogether, consider choosing an MSR stove with refillable fuel bottles. And remember to check with your community's recycling facilities before dropping your bottles in your curbside bin.

Tell us: What's your favorite hot drink in winter?

TRAVEL: The Mystique of the Socotra Islands

Charles Darwin, upon arriving in the Galapagos Islands in 1835, wrote: "The natural history of this archipelago is very remarkable: it seems to be a little world within itself; the greater number of its inhabitants, both vegetable and animal, being found nowhere else." Darwin spent five weeks on the islands, accruing observations that would inspire his opus on natural selection, The Origin of Species. Researchers call areas of the world like the Galapagos "biodiversity hotspots" — regions of incredible biodiversity that can be useful in establishing lost links between species.

Another such hotspot is Yemen's Socotra Islands, often called "the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean." Due to its unique history of continental isolation, well over a third of its species are completely endemic — that is, they're found nowhere else in the world. Socotra's unique plant life garners special attention: The dragon's blood tree, Dracaena cinnabari (pictured above), and the bottle tree, Adenium obesum (pictured below), look otherworldly.

Human life on the island is remarkably isolated. Most Socotris don't have running water or electricity, and many communicate through an ancient, unwritten language. Until 2005, there were no paved roads and no way of getting to the islands during monsoon season. Still, 44,000 people live there (almost twice the population of the Galapagos, despite Socotra's smaller landmass). A majority of them live below Yemen's absolute poverty line.

Socotra's significant human presence has spurred debate over how the islands' biological diversity can be preserved while progressing the humans' living conditions. Fortunately, the native Socotri have already established many environmental guidelines, which makes outside preservation efforts much easier. In April 2000, the Yemeni government passed the Socotra Zoning Plan to delinate areas into three categories: resource use, general use, and natural sanctuary. The U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) got involved in 2003, with a five-year, $6 million program for sustainable development.

The islands have been open to eco-friendly tourism in the past, but the current Yemeni uprising has restricted access, especially for westerners. Security threats were already boiling before the protests started, due to the escalation of Al Qaeda presence in Yemen. Recently, the U.S. Department of State issued a statement urging that no U.S. citizen travel to Yemen. In short, don't expect a safe vacation to Socotra in the near future.

Green Your Winter Camping Trip: Snow Shelter

Snow on the ground shouldn't stop anybody from getting outside. This week's tips will make your cold-weather camping trip enjoyable and environmentally friendly.

Tip #2: Build your shelter out of snow.

Instead of using a tent made of petroleum-based materials, try creating a shelter out of snow. A quinzhee is great option if you don't mind spending the time and hard work to create it. The Appalachian Mountain Club has a tutorial video online and Falcon Guides publishes a book that includes quinzhee-building instruction, as well as other helpful tips for your winter adventure.

Tell us: What do you use for shelter when you camp?