Happy Polar Bear Day!

Mama gnome got a surprise greeting today from one of her favorite humans, Carrie.

So Mama gnome wishes the same to you.

"Happy Polar Bear Day!"

Please visit Polar Bears International to see how we can commemorate this special day the polar bear way.

photo by: Alan Wilson from naturepicsonline.com

Polar bears are threatened by habitat loss, pollution, hunters, and global warming.

Please watch this video by the Natural Resources Defense Council.

video by NRDCflix

Please help save the polar bears and go green.
(c) Jenaelha, Friendly Gnome's Blog

Paper That Kills Tigers, Elephants and Orangutans

Paper cuts are no fun.

But here is paper more destructive and heinous for it kills endangered tigers, elephants and orangutans in one blow.

Here is photo featured in an eye-opening post by George Monbiot.

It shows the destruction of Sumatran rainforest in Sungai Sembilang National Park in Sumatra.

Sungai Sembilang National Park, Sumatra
Photograph: Romeo Gacad

According to the Rainforest Action Network (RAN):

"Sinar Mas Group’s Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) and Royal Golden Eagle Group’s Asia Pacific Resources International (APRIL) are among Indonesia’s most destructive corporations. Between them, they produce 80 percent of Indonesia’s pulp and paper. This comes from clear cutting rainforests and replacing them with monoculture acacia pulp wood plantations grown on these cleared rainforests and peatlands. Many leading international companies and consumer brands are contributing to this tragic pattern of destruction by, often unknowingly, purchasing paper products from affiliates of APP and APRIL."

"Deforestation in Riau has been driving both Sumatran elephants and tigers to local extinction: as of 2007, Sumatran elephant and tiger populations in Riau had declined about 75 percent over the past 25 years to as few as 210 and 192 individuals, respectively. If forest clearing is not halted, both may become locally extinct in a few years’ time."

Please be informed of the many companies/minions of APP including:

• tissue/towel companies Solaris Paper
• and Mercury Paper (LIVI and Paseo brands plus private labels)
• and paper distributors Global Paper Solutions
• Eagle Ridge Paper (Ovation brand papers)
• Gold East Paper USA
• PaperMax
• The Blue Planet Group

APP has also reneged on millions of US taxpayer monies.

"In 2008, APP was ordered by a New York federal judge to pay back more than $100 million of that debt to the taxpayer-financed U.S. Export-Import Bank. The debt remains unpaid."

The Forest Stewardship Council and Rainforest Alliance, and companies like Target, Walmart, Staples and Office Depot have severed ties with APP.

Sumatra is not the only APP stop.

According to this post, Cambodia is also suffering the same loss and destruction where APP has set up companies: Green Rich and Green Elite.

App has also been charged with illegal logging in China.

What can we do as humans and gnomes to help stop this deadly paper destroying our forests and killing our precious animals and resources?

Please educate yourself and read about APP here.

Boycott products from APP and its minions.

Please see the Natural Resources Defense Council's Consumer Guide for responsible paper products that help protect forests and not destroy them.

Shop for "paper products with paper products with recycled content -- especially post-consumer fibers."

Visit NRDC for more tips to help save our forests.

Please help by using your wallet responsibly and help send a clear message to paper companies.

Use super paper that helps save the world and go green!

(c) 2009-2011 Jenaelha, Friendly Gnome's Blog

Green Gifts That Keep On Giving

Merry Old Santa Claus art by Thomas Nast

Mama gnome bundled up and braced herself for her holiday shopping.

She pulled down her pointy hat and set her drink of morning elixir by the gnome computer.

Green gifts galore flashed on the screen.

Natural Resources Defense Council's website features all these wonderful green gifts:

Help fight against global warming.

image by Robert A. Rohde, Global Warming Art

You can adopt a wolf in Yellowstone Park.

photo by Barry O'Neill, PD-USGOV-INTERIOR-NPS

Help save a polar bear and her cub.

photo by Schliebe, Scott, U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Please visit NRDC and consider these green gifts that keep on giving.

Give the best gift of all and go green.

(c) 2010 Jenaelha, Friendly Gnome's Blog

Paper...Rock....Scissors....Trees!

Mama gnome asked Daddy gnome, "Are those young gnomelets or monkeys?" for the two gnomelets were climbing over him like young arboreal animals and not two gnomelets who lived in a burrow.

"I think they're wild animals," said Daddy gnome while he wrestled with the gnomelets.

"Alright, let's settle down now. Come here and let's play another game," said Mama gnome. "How about a game of paper, rock, scissors?"

"Alright, Mama. How do we play?" asked baby gnomelet.

"Rock beats scissors because scissors can't cut rock. Paper beats rock because it can cover the rock. Scissors beat paper because it can cut paper."

So the young gnomelets learned to play this game while Daddy gnome got up to drink some of Mama gnome's elixir of life (so vital for existence). The young gnomelets zapped all his energy.

But now Mama gnome wants to talk to you about a different sort of game.

Mama gnome calls this game, "Paper...Rock...Scissors...Trees."

For in this game, paper beats both the rock and scissors and trees win.

This paper is special for it is made from recycled paper. And if it's super special the paper is made with a high percentage of post consumer content.

This means only a small percentage of the paper comes from virgin fiber from trees.

If humans all over the world used recycled paper and paper products and less from virgin fiber paper, more trees will be saved.

According to the National Resources Defense Council:

If every household in the United States replaced just one roll of virgin fiber paper towels (70 sheets) with 100% recycled ones, we could save 544,000 trees.

Mama gnome almost fainted when she read that.

That's five hundred forty-four thousand...trees.

Not weeds, not bushes, not dandelions, but real living, breathing trees.

Please watch this video "Unchopping a Tree" by Maya Lin

video from: unchopatree

Here's a list of special paper products from the Natural Resources Defense Council website.

Please visit their site to see an entire Shoppers Guide for paper products with recycled paper and quite a few made with high content from postconsumer waste.

Please know that Mama gnome's blog is a non-profit blog.

She does not receive or take advertisements and does not receive any sort of money or profit through this blog.

This blog is entirely because Mama gnome's fervent love for trees, nature and planet Earth and she does not want to make any profit from planet Earth's problems.

So the link for NRDC's list above is truly to arm you with that special paper you will need to win Mama gnome's special game of paper-rock-scissors.

And if you pick the best paper with recycled paper made from high content of postconsumer waste then game on...

Paper...rock...scissors...Trees!

Please be a winner for planet Earth...

For this new year, be the best darn paper rock scissors player on this planet.

Let go of your virgin fiber paper products...go for Super Paper instead and Go Green.

(c) 2009-2010 Jenaelha, Friendly Gnome's Blog