A new movie on Wangari Maathai in a DC Environmenal Film Festival

If you like green films, you should check out the Environmental Film Festival that will take place in Washington D.C. ON March 11-22.

This is the 16th Annual Festival and it will include 100 documentary, featured, archival, experimental and children's green films. Screenings will include discussion with filmmakers and sincentists and are FREE. You can check the list of movies at the festival website - http://www.dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org/.

One of the highlights of the festival will be the new film 'Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai'. The film, produced and directed by Lisa Merton and Alan Dater, is about Wangari Maathai and the grassroots movement she founded, the Green Belt Movement of Kenya.

Here's a description of the film from its website: TAKING ROOT travels inside the world of one of today's most respected and inspired human rights and environmental activists, 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai. Maathai's groundbreaking work began in the 1970s in her native Kenya, where in opposition to an entrenched dictatorship, she nevertheless mobilized over one million Kenyans to take action against the destruction of their lands and the silencing of their voices.

Now in its third decade, Maathai's Green Belt Movement has helped transform Kenya's physical, cultural and political landscape through its advocacy for sustainable development.

Through Maathai's rich, tumultuous and uplifting life, TAKING ROOT will show how her work addresses this seminal and most urgent question of our time - how do we preserve our environment, while also meeting people's needs?

Maathai's deep understanding of the linkage between culture, conservation of biodiversity and a sense of individual dignity have been and continue to be paramount in her success as a visionary leader in Africa, and as an example to the rest of the world.

Wangari Maathai is one of my heroes and I am very excited to hear about this new film and I look forward to seeing it. Here are the details of the screening:

When: March 15, 2008 3:00PM

Where: Grosvenor AuditoriumNational Geographic Society, 1600 M Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20036 (phone: 202 857 7700)

Tickets: $15 (for National Geographic memebers it's $13). You can order tickets here.

After-film discussion: This screening will be followed by a discussion with filmmakers Lisa Merton and Alan Dater, and Chris Tuite, director of the Green Belt Movement's Washington office.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!

Interviewed by Daz Chandler on Radio 2SER

Last Monday (January 21) I had the pleasure to be interviewed by Daz Chandler (that's her on the left side) on her radio show 'Monday Overdrive'.

This program is broadcast on Radio 2SER (http://www.2ser.com/) 107.3FM, a local radio sation in Sydney, Australia.

For those of you who didn't have the chance to hear it, here it is:



Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!

Monday's green book: The Green Marketing Manifesto

Today on our Monday's green book series we're talking about green marketing. Our book for today is:

The Green Marketing Manifesto

Author: John Grant

John Grant co-founded St Luke’s the innovative and socially aware London ad agency. Working with clients such as the Body Shop as well as mainstream brands, St Luke’s pioneered the view of a company’s “Total Role in Society” and operated as an employee shareholder democracy. Since leaving in 1999 he has worked as an independent consultant.

John’s previous books which all deal with ‘what’s new?’ have earned widespread praise, popularity and critical acclaim, and include 'The New Marketing Manifesto' (1999), 'After Image' (2002) and 'Brand Innovation Manifesto' (2006). John is also a prolific blogger and writer of articles and reports. His current thoughts on green marketing can be found at http://greenormal.blogspot.com/ and he is also the official blogger for the Green Awards.

Publisher: Wiley

Published in: November 2007 (Hardcover)

What it is about: According to the book description, the Green Marketing Manifesto provides a roadmap on how to organize green marketing effectively and sustainably. It offers a fresh start for green marketing, one that provides a practical and ingenious approach.

The book offers many examples from companies and brands who are making headway in this difficult arena, such as Marks & Spencer, Sky, Virgin, Toyota, Tesco, O2 to give an indication of the potential of this route.

John Grant creates a ‘Green Matrix’ as a tool for examining current practice and the practice that the future needs to embrace.

In an interview to psfk.com, he explained where it all started: "I wrote the book (originally it started as a paper for a potential client project) to try to make sense of the torrent of recent green marketing initiatives. I wanted to sift out what was greenwash and what had substance – and also try to get to what was actually working, and why; and to map out the terrain a bit."

This book is intended to assist marketers, by means of clear and practical guidance, through a complex transition towards meaningful green marketing.

Why you should get it:
1. Marketing is not everything, but it is critical for the success of every green product or service.

2. The book is eco-friendly - printed on FSC certified paper and using vegetable-based ink. It's also written on its cover: Please don't put this book in a plastic shopping bag. It may sounds obvious, but it's the first book where I see such a text on the cover.

3. I like the way Grant defined it in another interview as a book "about a sustainable economy and making green normal as opposed to ‘green-washing’, which is making normal look green. "

What others say on the book: "brilliant book...that will forever change the way you look at green marketing." (psfk.com, Nov 27, 2007)

"outlines how environmentalism increasingly informs business strategy" (Reuters, Nov 29, 2007)

"...the book casts new insight into green marketing" (naturalchoice.co.uk, Tuesday 18th December 2007)

If you want to get to know better the author, John Grant, and what he has to say on green marketing, you can check his interesting blog, greenormal. Here are also few bits of him talking on the book launch in London (Nov 2007):



Enjoy the book, and if you're looking for the full list of green books reviewed and presented on our blog, check out our green books page.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!

How to deal with the growing deforestation in the Amazon rain forest?

Bad news from Brazil: The Brazilian Environment Ministry announced last Wednesday that as many as 2,700 square miles of Brazilian rain forest had been cleared from August through December, meaning that Brazil could lose 5,791 square miles of jungle by this August if the rate of deforestation continued.

This data is surprising as in the last three years there was a consistent decline in deforestation. The growing logging is probably spurred by high prices for corn, soy and cattle according to environmental officials in Brazil.

President Lula da Silva called an emergency meeting of cabinet ministers to discuss the new data. After the meeting new measures were announced including sending additional federal police and environmental agents to the Amazon. The Washington Post reports that the Environment Minister Marina Silva said that the authorities will also monitor the areas where the deforestation occurred in an attempt to prevent anyone from trying to plant crops or raise cattle there.

Reuters reported on other measures that will be taken:

1. The government will put on hold any new deforestation requests in 36 municipalities in an area that accounted for half of the forest destruction last year.

2. Landowners in the area will have to prove they maintain preservation areas, and could face penalties like being denied official credit if they fail to meet some requirements.

3. Companies like trading houses, soybean crushers and meat processors that buy commodities originating from destroyed areas of the forest will be considered responsible for deforestation.

I think that the plan is good, but I am not sure how well it can fight the economic incentives that drives the massive deforestation we see now. I think that another step to be taken is to give a counter-incentive to keep these trees alive. If local governments and municipalities will be paid to protect these trees, then they have an economic value as live trees. If this value will be high enough, then it will be worthwhile to keep them alive.

I think the measures should be based on the stick and the carrot both and not only rely on the stick. Give local communities the carrot and I promise you that you will see deforestation figures decrease again.

I also think it shouldn't be the sole responsibility of the Brazilian government to take care of it. The Brazilian rain forest is called "the lungs of the world" for its ability to consume greenhouse gases and produce oxygen, and hence I believe the world (especially the developed countries) should chip in.

Just last week we reported on Norway's willingness to contribute about $500 million a year to projects aimed at protecting forests in developing countries. I think this kind of funding (and of course other countries should contribute as well) can make some good in Brazil and help Lula protect this precious natural resource. What do you think?

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!

Scoot over Barbie, Popsi's in the house!

We've been reviewing here recently several green children's books, such as Lee Welles' “Gaia Girls,” and Eric Carle's “The Tiny Seed”. Today's crop of innovative greenery comes in the shape of Popsi, the hippie dippy answer to the best selling fashion doll.

So who is Popsi?

“Mother Nature is lonely. She yearns for a daughter but, with her heavy workload, her dreams have been pushed aside. However one smoggy day, while picking up trash, she came across a pile of plastic bottles and had an idea. Magically with a sweep of her hands, she turns the plastic bottles into a soft cuddly rag doll and names her Popsi.”

Geraldine Lewis weaves a story of a modern day sustainable Pinocchio, who must help her mother clean up the environment or she cannot become a real girl. I am sure Carlo Collodi, who prior to being a famous children's author was also an active political satirist, would have appreciated this variation on his old theme.

But Lewis also brings the story to life (no pun intended) in the shape of Popsi, A real doll made of recycled plastic bottles which is sold with the book as part of a whole educational package. The goal is to teach kids the values of recycling and reusing. We've already seen here recently a similar example of a whole eco edu-kit, and only wish the trend continues and is actually picked up and used by more and more educators worldwide.

So check out the Popsi website: http://www.gopopsi.com/

Now who's going to make me some hybrid G.I.Joe's ?!?!

Take care,
Eylon @ Eco-Libris

http://www.ecolibris.net/

Harry Potter and the Finnish paper

J.K. Rowling is not only a great author, but also an inspiration to anyone who wants to make reading more sustainable.

We wrote here before on her efforts to green up the printing of the seventh and final book in her series, "Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows", and even celebrated the book back in July.

Today I learned that Rowling makes sure that the translation of Harry Potter to Finnish will be green as well. Yahoo! News reported yesterday that Rowling, has blocked the Finnish version of the last Harry Potter from being printed on local paper because it lacks the FSC certification.

It seems that although Finland is one of the world's biggest paper producers, it doesn't have paper with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certificate. Finland does have Finnish paper has labels, but I guess that none of them is similar to the FSC certificate, which is the most prestigious environmental paper certification, and therefore Rowling insisted that the book will be printed on FSC paper.

I'm only wondering if the Finnish publisher will be using recycled paper (like other Harry Potter publishers around the world). I hope that they do. In any case, this is good news and it's great to know that Rowling is out there watching and making sure that Harry Potter will stay green, even when he speaks Finnish.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!

Respect the environment!

Ali G is always fun to watch, especially when he's talking green. Here's a short video I found on Living Small, where he talks with some guests on recycling and other green stuff. Respect!



Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!