Saturday, October 31, 2009

Copenhagen in December :Be there or be square...

Copenhagen...A magical place, a wondrous place...

It is Denmark's capital and ranks as one of the most ecofriendly cities in the world with "36% of its citizens bicycling to work every day for a total of 1.1 million km. Copenhagen's water in the inner harbor is so clean it can be used for swimming."

Mama gnome agrees 'tis quite a magical place and even more so for this December, Copenhagen's Bella Center will be the hub for the United Nations Climate Change Conference December 7-18, 2009(COP15 2009).
photo from Froztbyte

Mama gnome dreams about going.

She will swim through the clean waters of the inner harbor, bike down the paths lined with trees, trudge down to Bella Center as fast as her short legs can take her, go up the stage and call attendance!

United Kingdom?

Lovely to see you.

Japan?

Oh, wonderful.

India?

Thank you so much for coming.

Indonesia?

Mama gnome is very happy to count you in.

China?

Wow, you made it too? Mama gnome is impressed.

United States?

Umm...United States? U.SA.? Sent-first-man-to-the-moon-United- States-but-can't-commit-to-Copenhagen-United States?

Silence.

Cue the crickets....

Mama gnome's daydreaming ends abruptly. She finds herself pacing in front of her aga stove, with arms crossed and tsk...tsk...tsks...

Will the knot in her stomach ever go away? The waiting and not knowing will maim her if the knot doesn't.

Will December 7 be known as tremendous day of heaping disappointment for Mama gnome if the United States does not do its part in Copenhagen?

Mama gnome and the rest of the world will wait with bated breath for December 7, 2009,

She hopes United States, China and all countries participate and pledge significant changes to current policies addressing the need for sustainable green energy and significant reductions in greenhouse emissions.

Here's an insightful video explaining the significance of Copenhagen in December.


video from RealClimateNews

Connie Hedegaard, Danish Minister for Climate and Energy and incoming COP15 president stated in an interview for cop15.dk,

If the whole world comes to Copenhagen and leaves without making the needed political agreement, then I think it’s a failure that is not just about climate. Then it’s the whole global democratic system not being able to deliver results in one of the defining challenges of our century. And that is and should not be a possibility. It’s not an option.”

Here is a short video featuring former United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, addressing the Global Editors' Forum at a conference in Denmark and Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission.



video from EUXTV

Mama gnome is quite aware of the financial difficulties all countries are going through now...but a bigger problem looms over every single person and living thing on this planet,

GLOBAL WARMING

It doesn't matter how much money you have in your bank account if the bank is underwater, literally underwater.

Mama gnome calls on developed countries and developing countries who produce significant emissions that worsen global warming to fess up, buckle up and commit to repairing the damage, halt further injury and save the planet.

"There is no plan B as we don't have a Planet B."

Copenhagen in December...Be there or be square...

(c) 2009 Jenaelha, Friendly Gnome's Blog

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

And the bells rang 350 times...So did the maracas, baby rattles and gong

The sun burned bright on the fateful day of October 24, 2009.

Mama gnome, Auntie gnome and elder gnomelet worked on posters worthy of being ecofriendly for they were made by their gnome hands on recycled paper and held up by twine and clothespins.

They worked feverishly to finish on time.

Their plan: to participate in the International Day of Climate Action. A day initiated by 350.org.

Mama gnome had previously consulted 350's map of action for October 24 and found a human and pet rally will be held at the local park to call attention to 350's cause: to call attention to human world leaders to work on bringing carbon levels in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million. Current levels are at a dangerous 390 ppm.

By the by, the gnome family and their pet, a baby dragon, made it to the park.

Mama gnome said right before she pulled into the car resting lot, "If no one else is here, we'll do our own rally."

Mama gnome said this with confidence, though inside she was secretly afraid.

It would not be the first time she'd seen low numbers for environmental causes.

And what did she see when she pulled the gnome car in? No one. Not one human or dog...

Mama gnome said, "It's okay, maybe we're early. Not time to panic yet. Besides our posters are quite eye-catching thanks to Auntie gnome."


photo by: Jenaelha, Friendly Gnome's Blog

Auntie gnome said, "Maybe they're on the other side."

Elder gnomelet said, "Mama, where are the dogs?"

Baby dragon said, "Zzzzzz."

Mama gnome said, "Other side? Okay, we'll try the other side. But usually they walk the dogs over here..." But hope flickered anew.

After a few stealth maneuvers and gnomish driving, the gnome car pulled into the other car resting lot.

It was packed. And lots of humans walked around.

The children wore colorful shorts,knee high socks and shirts embellished with numbers on the back.

Mama gnome said, "Strange, their numbers are not 350."

Finally, with eyes sharp as an eagle's, Mama gnome spotted three humans with one dog and they were holding up 350 signs!

Mama gnome shook hands with them. She met Leah, the human lady coordinating this local event. Leah brought her very eco-friendly dog.

Mama gnome decided not to introduce baby dragon to the dog at this time.

Slowly, our numbers increased.

We gathered round and the bells rang...and so did the baby rattles, the gong and maracas 350 times!

With every beat, Mama gnome's heart swelled, amidst the group of tall humans, gnomes, dogs and baby dragon.

In that moment, hope grew inside.

Our numbers may have been scant compared to the gatherings in New York and Sydney, but our spirits were strong and united with every one else on the planet who came together for this cause, for 350, for planet Earth.


photo by: Jim Adamik


Though that day has passed, make everyday a day of climate action and Go Green.

(c) Jenaelha, Friendly Gnome's Blog

Monday, October 19, 2009

Mystery Animal of the Day

Mama gnome presents the

Mystery Animal of the Day

It is "the rarest member of the bear family and among the world’s most threatened animals."

This animal has distinct black patches over its eyes, ears and body.

It possesses dangerous levels of cuteness, making anyone susceptible to its charm.

Anyone who looks at it is prone to saying, "Awwww...So cute."



If you guess the Mystery Animal is Giant Panda, Mama gnome wants to give you a giant panda bear hug.

Here is a 7 month old Panda cub from the Wolong Nature Reserve in Sichuan, China

photo from: Sheila Lau

Do you not see the overwhelming power of its cuteness?

The Giant Panda has been the World Wild Fund for Nature's symbol since WWF was established in 1961.

Because of habitat loss from logging and farming,the panda's territory has shrunk to a few mountain ranges in south China. A long time ago when it was a greener Earth, this bear once roamed as far as Myanmar and Vietnam.

IUCN categorizes it as endangered. IUCN reports: "Results from the most recent survey, coordinated by the State Forestry Administration (SFA) of China and World Wildlife Fund (WWF), indicated a total population of ~1600 individuals."

The Giant Panda's diet is 99% bamboo. According to this report, the panda consumes as much as twenty to thirty pounds of bamboo a day. Apparently, the panda's round face and rotund body is adaptation to its mainly vegetarian diet and resulting low metabolism.

Mama gnome recognizes increased kinship with the panda for she herself has similar adaptations of a round face and rotund body from mostly peanut butter diet. Granted, she is not as cute as this animal, but the rotund part she has down pat.

Unlike other temperate bears, the Giant Panda does not hibernate. During winter, it moves down to lower elevations to find bamboo and take cover in crevices, trees and caves.

Pandas are protected by the Chinese government and efforts continue to increase their numbers. The State Forestry Administration (SFA) of China and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) work together to improve the panda's population and habitat.

Forest reserves for this animal were started in 1963. In 1990 there were 13 panda reserves. There are now over 50 panda reserves according to the WWF.

Yet the Giant Panda continues to be endangered because of deforestation, habitat loss and fragmentation, and poaching.


And here is the Giant Panda in action. Prepare yourself.



video from BBCWorldwide

Mama gnome now feels like rolling around, munching on leaves, staking her territory against poachers and illegal loggers.

If she meets any such unseemly humans she will radiate panda cuteness on them to ultra power intensity and the hapless humans will run away, run away in shame...

Mama gnome hopes you've enjoyed learning about the Giant Panda.

Please visit her garden soon for the next Mystery Animal of the Day.

In the meantime, munch on edible leaves, stake your claim on Mother Earth and go Green!

(c) 2009 Jenaelha, Friendly Gnome's Blog

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Lean Green Fighting...er...Gnome

A gnome trudged down the aisle, climbed up with much difficulty over the platform and crawled into the ring.

Finally the two fighters faced each other in the ring.

The crowds hushed.

The announcer grabbed the microphone and said:

"In this corner, wearing a green pointy hat and tunic, weighing one hundred th...mmmmmph...Mama gnome please take your glove off my mouth...huh? Fine I won't say your weight...Okay, in this corner, wearing green and weighing ummm slightly less than a polar bear, Mama gnome!"

Mama gnome raised her gloved hands and jogged around the ring, repositioning her hat.

Daddy gnome, gnomelets and a couple of dwarves cheered and clapped.

"And in this corner wearing a rather filthy, soot covered shorts, weighing atmospheric concentrations of 390 parts per million carbon dioxide, the monstrous Global Warming Machine..."

The crowd coughed in unison from the stench of noxious fumes that emanated from Global Warming Machine, planet Earth's mortal enemy.

Mama gnome checked with her coach, Daddy gnome.

Through her mouthpiece, Mama gnome mumbled, "Right hook wind turbine then or should I give him the solar power jab?"

Daddy gnome said, "He looks worse than the graphs, Mama gnome. I'm afraid, neither one will be sufficient."

Mama gnome said, "What about the reforestation dancing jig? Float like a monarch butterfly, sting like an anaconda?"

Daddy gnome shook his head with tears in his eyes.

Mama gnome said, "The reusable bag club? Recycled bottle bash? What? What? Daddy gnome answer me!"

Global Warming Machine growled and hissed. CO2 and methane gases spewed out and blew out a couple of compact fluorescent light bulbs. The troll sitting in the front passed out.

Daddy gnome whimpered, "I love you, Mama gnome. At least the gnomelets will see you fight with honor."

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! The bell tolled.

Mama gnome turned around, pulled back her shoulders and looked at the Global Warming Machine. Armed with the green smolders in her heart, Mama gnome charged...

On October 24, 2009 Mama gnome will face off against this behemoth Global Warming monster. But she will not be alone.

October 24, 2009 is the International Day of Climate Action

On this day, Mama gnome will follow the lead of 350.org, an organization founded by environmentalist and author,Bill McKibben. Lean Green Fighting Ecowarriors will launch environmental acts to fight global warming and bring attention to this cause.

350.org based their name from the number 350.

photo from flickr.com 350.org

350 is the magic number according to James Hansen, head scientist of NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

From Bill McKibben's blogpost, he said:

"350 parts per million is what many scientists, climate experts, and progressive national governments are now saying is the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere."

"Accelerating arctic warming and other early climate impacts have led scientists to conclude that we are already above the safe zone at our current 390ppm, and that unless we are able to rapidly return to 350 ppm this century, we risk reaching tipping points and irreversible impacts such as the melting of the Greenland ice sheet and major methane releases from increased permafrost melt."


On October 24, 2009, be one of our planet's Ecowarriors and battle against Global Warming to take back our planet.


video from: 350org

Log on to 350.org's map of action. Just type in your city, state, country and find out what action you can take part in. This is a global endeavor.

And in case there isn't one close to you, you can decide on your own battle plan, engage in some kind of eco-friendly, "green" action that will help fight global warming as well as emphasize the number 350.

Plant a tree, plant a fruit tree, turn off your TV on that day, be off the grid that day, walk to work, bike to work, ring the bell 350 times, walk 350 steps, something that will help contribute to this cause, bring attention to the number 350.

Mama gnome is jogging and lifting weights, holding off on eating her favorite peanut butter cups (a huge sacrifice for the motherly gnome) for a week, just so she'll be in better shape to battle against the monstrous, stinky Global Warming Machine.

She's consulted the 350 map of action and will ally herself with fellow Ecowarriors on that day.

Mama gnome shouts her battle cry, "Save energy! Save the polar bears! Go Green!"

Ding ding ding ding ding....

(c) 2009 Jenaelha, Friendly Gnome's Blog

Monday, October 5, 2009

Species Decimating Killer Soup

Mama gnome wonders, "Just how many sharks are killed every year just so humans can eat shark fin soup?"

How about 100,000 sharks?

Nope, try higher.

Okay, 400,000?

Try again.

Alright, if you're going to be smart alecky about it, I'll say a million sharks?

Nice try. But still wrong.

The answer is anywhere from 10 to 100 million sharks, with a median average of 38 million sharks.

Yes, I'm-deadly-serious-look-me- straight-in-the-eye millions of sharks a year are mutilated and slaughtered just so people can have their soup.

Photograph by Laurent Fievet/AFP/Getty Images

"Sharks existed before there were dinosaurs and they pre-date humans by millions of years. Yet, in a relatively short period of time, humans and their technological arsenal have driven most shark populations to the verge of extinction."

And just to be insanely 'consumeristic' and wasteful, some creatures posing as humans...

Mama gnome describes them so because she cannot imagine anything more inhumane...

...these so called humans deliberately hack off the fins and tail before dumping the shark back into the waters to sink and suffocate in the bottom of the ocean or be eaten by other predators.

At the end of this deadly chain are humans who eat shark fin soup mainly for status and show.

The fins reportedly don't even have a taste. They're cartilages.

So people go to restaurants to eat something they can't even taste just for "status."

Some people consume shark products for reportedly "medicinal purposes."

But the United States' Food and Drug Administration warn consuming shark fin/meat is dangerous because of high levels of mercury which can cause serious medical problems including sterility in men, birth defects, loss of coordination, blindness and even death.

The humans who consume shark fin soups or dishes are not restricted to Asian countries.

They are everywhere including Europe and the United States.

The countries who supply shark fins and/or meat include: Canada, Spain (the largest supplier in Europe), United Kingdom, Norway, Taiwan, Indonesia, Singapore, U.A.E, United States, Yemen, India, Japan, Mexico.

"Hongkong handles 50% to 80% of world trade in shark fins."

According to Peter Knights, Executive Director of WildAid:

"Sharks are the tigers and lions and cheetahs and leopards of the sea. And if we lose them—these top predators—there will be long-term damage...They're slow reproducing, late to mature, more like mammals than fish in their biology—and we're completely trashing them. There's virtually no management of shark fisheries around the world. We're playing with fire."




video from: NYParisFilms

Mama gnome is grateful to Representative Madeline Bordallo of Guam for introducing the Shark Conservation Act of 2009.

"After passing the house, Senator John Kerry introduced the bill into the Senate, where it is currently pending. The bill would make already existing shark finning laws stronger."

What can we do?

Boycott restaurants and businesses who trade in shark fins and shark products.

Let your senator know you support the Shark Conservation Act.

Support laws banning the trade of sharks and shark fins.

Mama gnome urges everyone who reads this blog to educate other people about this crisis:

Sharks are being obliterated,

just for soup.

Please go Green.

(c) 2009 Jenaelha, Friendly Gnome's Blog.