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Do The Green Thing: Creativity Versus Climate Change
21 November 2011
It’s one week until the COP17 conference begins in Durban, and we for one are eagerly anticipating the outcome of the globally significant event.
Although the conference is not expected to achieve a global consensus, it will realistically be an important step in the negotiation process.
To reiterate the positive aspects of this global event, here is a TEDx and WWF talk by James Alexander from Do the Green Thing, which reminds us how important our individual contributions and creativity are to creating a more sustainable world.
Upcoming Event this Weekend: The Green Expo
18 November 2011
In the build up to COP17, various events are taking place throughout the country, to raise awareness about the importance of addressing climate change and living a more sustainable lifestyle.
This weekend, Cape Town will be hosting one of these events, namely The Green Expo at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), which starts today.
The event runs parallel to Climate Smart Cape Town‘s event at the CTICC, and will showcase a variety of sustainable organisations and businesses, and will also host the Enviropaedia Eco-Logic Awards.
Living in Nature: Alone in the Wilderness
18 November 2011
As incredible as it is spend time in nature, it’s difficult to imagine making a permanent shift from urban living to complete reliance on nature for survival.
For someone like Dick Proenneke though, living in the Alaskan wilderness became his way life, and although extreme, is an inspiration for all of us trying to live more sustainably and in touch with the environment.
Focus on Durban: Community Ecosystem Based Adaptation (CEBA)
17 November 2011
Durban is going to be in the international spotlight next week, as the highly anticipated COP17 approaches.
To make sure that the city walks the talk, local government and the Wildlands Conservation Trust have partnered to create a voluntary offset program for the event, which demonstrates a Community Ecosystem Based Adaptation (CEBA) approach.
Durban CEBA initiatives include an ecosystem restoration of the uMbilo River Catchment, a project which will be launched during COP17.
Read more about this project and CEBA on the website.
Conservation Documentary: On Borrowed Time
17 November 2011
The Belum-Temengor Forest Complex in Malaysia has one of the largest concentrations of biodiversity in the world, and is home to a variety of fauna and flora.
However, this biodiversity is under threat from poaching, which is threatening the survival of endangered species like tigers- a prominent international issue addressed in the WWF Malaysis-TRAFFIC documentary trailer below.
Upcoming Event: Climate Smart Prepares to Inspire Change
16 November 2011
This weekend, Climate Smart Cape Town will be hosting a variety of events, which form part of their “Inspiring Change” campaign.
The weekend will begin with a “Carrotmob” (explained below) at Maria’s in Gardens, and continue to a weekend of Open Space discussions at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) and end off with the Climate SmART market in Greenpoint Park.
The events aim to raise awareness about climate change, and get city residents involved in mitigation and prevention strategies that will ensure a more efficient and adaptable city for all of us.
New Issue: Safari Interactive Travel Magazine
16 November 2011
Safari Interactive Travel Magazine is an online publication that uses web-based multimedia to share a variety of news and experiences, with a focus on travel in Africa.
Green Renaissance filmed an interview for the magazine with renowned conservationist Jane Goodall while she was in Cape Town a few months ago- a short clip of which is included in the latest issue.
You can view the clip here, as well as a number of different interactive feature articles that will no doubt inspire a future trip to somewhere on our vast and beautiful continent.
TKAG: Donate to Help Save the Karoo
15 November 2011
It’s been a while since we filmed our Karoo Fracking Chronicles series, but the issue of “fracking” and renewable energy in the Karoo is still ongoing.
The Treasure the Karoo Action Group (TKAG), the organisation that we collaborated with on the film series, is continuing to lobby against fracking as a non-renewable source of power, and have recently launched a new website.
The TKAG has also set up a “Donate” page on Given Gain, which allows you to make an online donation to ensure that they are able to continue lobbying for a future independent of fossil fuels.
Mirage: Wave Sport From a Wider Angle
15 November 2011
It’s often difficult to really appreciate surfing from a distance, as we don’t get a comprehensive view of either the size of the wave or a full view of the surfer riding it.
In this latest video from Rip Curl however, a “30 camera Array” technique has been used to get a wider frame of reference, which gives us another perspective on the sport.
The Turtles Return: Mystery in Maputaland
14 November 2011
The Green Renaissance team is en route to film the annual turtle nesting on the Maputaland coast, in the Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine reserve.
Leatherback turtles return each year to these shores to lay their eggs, like in the video below. Although scientists have figured out that they use magnetic forces to find their way back each year, it’s still a mystery why they return to the same place.
Even more incredible is the hatchlings’ difficult journey to the sea. Baby turtles have an extremely low rate of survival anyway, but human development is a further threat - something that the team aims to address in our upcoming film.
Earth: A View from the Outside
14 November 2011
It’s difficult to get a grip on the scale of the earth. When we fly in planes, or take long distance journeys we get a inkling of its enormity, but we never really get a full comprehensive view of our gigantic globe.
This incredible timelapse of Earth gives some indication though- a view from outside that reduces even the massive presence of 7 billion humans to patches of flickering electric light.
Animal Adaptation: Surviving Drought
13 November 2011
In an earlier post, we mentioned how humans adapt to the desert elements for a long weekend every year at festivals like Burning Man.
For the most part however, animals are much more adept at adapting to harsh environments, including various species of fish, frogs and lizards, which use various fascinating physical adaptations to survive periods of drought.
Burning Man: Enduring the Desert Elements
13 November 2011
Burning Man is an annual festival that takes place in the Nevada desert in the USA, an event that has also sparked our own local festival, Afrika Burn.
This festival is different to many others, as there is a complete lack of commerce, and is a time when people leave behind their lives completely, and endure the desert elements without urban interference.
Happy News: Elephant Numbers Stable in India
12 November 2011
Green Renaissance has been amazed at the continuous increase in the viewing of our latest rhino conservation video, but also saddened by the news that a West African rhino species is almost extinct.
In happier international news though, a recent population count in a reserve in Kerala, India, showed that elephant numbers are stable, according to block counting methods, including a “dung count method”.
India faces massive conservation challenges, as many endemic Indian wildlife species continue to be highly endangered, including the Bengal tiger and the Indian elephant, a subspecies of the Asian elephant.
Image Source: The Hindu
Saving Salmon: A Different Conservation Approach
12 November 2011
It might seem counterintuitive to cut down trees to conserve, but according to the Nature Conservancy, felling trees has played a huge part in conserving the endangered Coho salmon species in California.
This different conservation approach might be initiated by humans, but the felled trees naturally create shelter and deeper pools for the salmon, whose numbers have started to increase since the introduction of the logging programme.
Source: The Huffington Post
One Day on Earth: Connecting with Nature
11 November 2011
One Day on Earth is a global project that is happening today, and aims to create a feature film that includes stories from all over the world, for every hour of the day.
Green Renaissance was out filming this morning, to create a short film for this project with Bronwyn Maree from Birdlife South Africa.
In this film, we’ve aimed to capture the importance of connecting with nature, and that even though we feel disconnected from our natural environment living in cities, it really isn’t that difficult to reconnect with our surroundings if we just take a step away our urban routine.
We Are All Connected: A Thought for Today
11 November 2011
Today is 11.11.11. A significant occassion for many reasons, including the remembrance of the First World War, or Poppy Day.
But today is also about taking stock of the present, and recognizing our inextricable interconnectedness with projects like One Day on Earth taking place- a concept beautifully presented in the WWF video below.
Say Yes: Australians Campaign Against Climate Change
10 November 2011
In an inspiring video, Australian environmental activists demonstrate how after over 40 years of fighting to preserve the environment, it has recently been announced that the Australian government will implement legislation to fight carbon pollution.
Say Yes Australia, a campaign that argues for a new future with cleaner energy, is something that will hopefully have the same success in countries all over the world, especially in South Africa, where coal pollution contributes to an alarming rate of carbon emissions.
More About Rhino Conservation: The Rhino Rescue Project
10 November 2011
We’re thrilled that our latest film, Flying Rhinos, has over 10 000 views on Vimeo to date, a sign that everyone including ourselves is inspired by this uplifting conservation project (pun intended).
There are many other passionate conservationists out there that are also involved in protecting our endangered rhino species though, so here’s another video from The Rhino Rescue Project, which also aims to raise awareness about the threat of poaching to all rhinos.
Flying Rhinos: WWF Rhino Translocation Video Released
9 November 2011
Green Renaissance has been blown away by the international media response to the WWF Black Rhino Range Expansion Project, which we filmed last week, and which we shared some still images of on our Facebook page.
In addition to the moving images of rhino being transported by helicopter, we’ve now released the film, which shows more footage of the translocation, explains more about the process, and gives credit to all the passionate conservationists, veterinarians and stakeholders involved, including WWF, SANParks and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife.
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