The Green Life

Scientists “Thrilled” to be Studying the Environment

With traditional entertainment inaccessible at the University of Alaska Fairbanks’s remote Toolik Field Station, researchers got creative with their tribute to the late Michael Jackson. Shod in knee-high wading boots, standard mosquito face masks, and left-handed lab gloves, they demonstrated to the world (at least the portion of it that avidly searches YouTube) just how thrilled they are to be on Alaska's Brooks Range.

With a dance that demonstrates a level of coordination that'll make scientists everywhere proud, the group put on the northernmost known performance of "Thriller." The swarm of mosquitoes caught on the video makes the arctic version all the more endearing to fans of both nature and Michael Jackson.

--Sarah F. Kessler

Sing for Tomorrow: An ecoTunes Playlist

"All things move in music and write it," said Sierra Club founder John Muir. Legendary songwriter Oscar Hammerstein echoed that observation: "All the sounds of the earth are like music." No surprise, then, that so many musicians are concerned about the planet--a soothing refrain for anyone who loves music and the outdoors with equal fervor.

Gathering from all corners of the musical map -- bluegrass ballads, black-metal dirges, pop sarcasm, and classic folk anthems -- we herein suggest a set of songs in favor of not trashing the planet, in the order we'd play them on our iPod.

Writer Lynn Rapoport’s playlist, with descriptions:

Marvin Gaye, "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" (1971): The luscious, sad, soulful linchpin to any self-respecting green jukebox.

I See Hawks in L.A., "In the Garden" (2008): Country rockers from the city of sprawl deliver pretty, rollicking notes about bees, weather, logging, and a paradise "bothered" rather than lost.

The Postal Service, "We Will Become Silhouettes" (2003): A dulcet, dancey synth-pop indictment of the air we breathe.

Mos Def, "New World Water" (1999): The rapper-actor drops F-bombs on rising oceans, poisoned water, and imminent shortages.

Movie Review Friday: Happy Feet

Escape to the movies with one of our Movie Review Friday selections. Each week we review a film with an environmental theme that’s currently in theaters or available on DVD. Seen a good eco-flick lately? Send us a short review and look for it in the next Movie Review Friday.

It's hard to believe that any creature could dislike an adorable, blue-eyed fuzzball who can’t stop dancing, but, unfortunately for Mumble, most of the emperor penguins in his rookery disapprove of him and the rhythm in his steps. Emperor penguins sing, not dance, to attract mates, and Mumble's voice does a better job of repulsing other penguins than wooing them.

But when fish become scarce, Mumble sets out to find the “aliens” (humans) he believes are responsible. Joined by Loveless, a rockhopper penguin caught in a plastic soda ring, and five boisterous “amigos,” he treks across Antarctica to appeal to the aliens' better nature.

Vocal Environmentalists

Billboard’s annual list of top green singers always catches headlines. Topping their recent charts of performers who offset their carbon footprint, donate to environmental charities, and drive around in biofueled vehicles are, not shockingly, Jack Johnson, John Legend, Willie Nelson, Cake, Feist, and Radiohead. To that list, we’d like to add a few artists you may not have heard of – yet.

Singer-songwriter Alyssa released a soulful new album, Within, in 2008, whose folksy tracks express reverence and worry for the natural world. Her CD’s jacket is recycled and plastic-free.

Feliciano dos Santos, the front man of Mozambique’s Massukos, sings lively Afro-pop in a language called Nyanja. He won the 2008 Goldman Environmental Prize in recognition of his advocacy for clean water.

Jenny Morgan’s album of children’s music, Nature Needs Kids and Kids Need Nature, includes songs with lyrics extolling the joys of being outdoors; one upbeat tune is called “Leave No Child Inside.”

Trendsetter: Singer-Songwriter Missy Higgins

After the success of her debut album, Sound of White, this husky-voiced Aussie stole away to a rural part of her homeland for six reflective months to write music under an open sky. Higgins -- one of Billboard’s ten greenest artists, along with Jack Johnson and Willie Nelson -- is a stalwart eco-warrior. Her tours are carbon-neutral, she’s a vegetarian, and she totes her trusty SIGG bottle wherever she goes. Her sophomore album, On a Clear Night, reveals a deep appreciation for the healthy abandon we achieve in the natural world, especially in freedom-cry tracks like “Going North” and “Steer.”
 
Q: You partnered with the Sierra Club to give away your hit single, “Where I Stood,” to benefit the 2% Solution campaign.
A: Being involved in that is great because it’s a really inspiring and realistic way of getting people to make a change, by doing it a tiny bit at a time -- just cutting two percent [of carbon emissions] a year. I think a lot of people panic because they think going green is going to take out all the pleasures of living… But it’s about taking a more realistic approach.

Q: Will you ever sing about environmental problems?
A: I’ve tried, but I can’t figure out a way to do it without sounding cliché. Some people protest through their music, and some have to do it through other means. Midnight Oil does it pretty well [through their music]. They’re big environmentalists.

Q: Is there an environmental issue particularly close to your heart?
A: The drought is so bad back home. I would love to know how farmers could adapt to global warming. Not enough farmers know how to handle what’s happening to them and it’s really sad to see. It’s devastating my country. The fires recently were impossible to control because the whole place is so dry.

L.A. River In Focus

Last week we blogged about Conan O'Brien's comedic adventures on the L.A. River. In response to our post, we were contatcted by Juan Devis, the Director of Production of New Media at KCET Local in Los Angeles. Devis tipped us off to an exciting project called Departures: L.A. River. An online documentary produced by KCET in collaboration with Friends of the Los Angeles River and with participation of students from Los Angeles Leadership Academy, Departures: L.A. River features interactive panoramas, video portraits of the river, inteviews, and a "Remix" section, which allows site visitors to make and share their own Departures-style panoramas. "This is one of the most comprehensive online documentaries about the L.A. river," Devis says. "The scope of the project included environmental lessons and hands-on multimedia training for students that empowered them to help us tell this amazing story from multiple perspectives." Check out the Juan Devis's blog entries to find out more about the project's production process.

--Della Watson

Image: KCET

Remembering Michael Jackson's "Earth Song"

While recently deceased pop star Michael Jackson may be best remembered for hits like "Thriller," "Billie Jean," and "Beat It," we'd like to call attention to Jackson's 1995 environmentally themed tune, "Earth Song." From the album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, "Earth Song" was the singer's top-selling single in the United Kingdom and a top-five hit in many European countries (the song wasn't released as a single in the United States). The video, below, was one of the most expensive ever made.

Movie Review Friday: Battle in Seattle

Escape to the movies with one of our Movie Review Friday selections. Each week we review a film with an environmental theme that’s currently in theaters or available on DVD. Seen a good eco-flick lately? Send us a short review and look for it in the next Movie Review Friday.

Battle in Seattle (2008)
Available on DVD

In 1999, as the World Trade Organization gathered to set out its plans for the 21st century, it made the mistake of holding its summit in a truly free nation. The five-day gathering would live on in history, especially for what happened outside the conference rooms. More than 50,000 protesters from every walk of life converged to halt the destructive forces of globalization. It was a struggle for justice that, after bouts of police brutality and property destruction, became a shot across the bow.

Battle in Seattle is a film about that protest. Directed by Stuart Townsend, it stars Martin Henderson as an environmentalist driven to desperation after police kill his brother, who was defending redwoods in Oregon. Woody Harrelson plays a cop considering his morality after his pregnant wife (Charlize Theron) is brutalized by the police in the tear-gas confusion. Andre Benjamin has the role of a protester speaking out against the lack of regulation on fishing nets that have brought sea turtles near extinction. One of the protesters’ major complaints is the WTO’s push for unregulated trading and commerce, endangering many habitats and species.

Despite some cliches in the script, and a degree of historical inaccuracy (see This is What Democracy Looks Like for a truer account), this film is highly recommended for anyone looking for an environmental success story, or simply for a tense, emotional drama of moral ambivalence and forgiveness.

-- Will Hawk

Video: Daryl Hannah Gets Arrested

Daryl Hannah, NASA scientist James Hansen, and dozens of others were arrested Tuesday for impeding traffic during a civil-disobedience protest against mountaintop-removal mining in West Virginia.

Fast-forward to 1:25 on the YouTube video above to hear the anti-coal statement Hannah made while being arrested. Then keep watching as the beaming actress gets loaded into the front seat of a police car while the surrounding crowd cheers loudly.

Los Angeles Has a River?

"I never knew that Los Angeles had a river," jokes Tonight Show host and L.A. newcomer Conan O'Brien in the video above. While the river may seem a bit, well, neglected, we've managed to round up a few groups and events that focus on the 51-mile waterway. Here's how you can appreciate L.A.'s forgotten river:

• Take a virtual tour at Los Angeles River Connection. 
• Ride along the river's various bikeways (start training now for next year's Annual L.A. River Ride). 
• Get involved with clean up and restoration projects by joining or donating to groups like Friends of the Los Angeles River and the River Project. 
• Find out what the city's government has planned at the Los Angeles River Revitalization Web site.     

--Della Watson