Monday, April 18, 2011

Trees for Earth Day 2011

This Saturday, April 23, the gnome family will travel to a forest that was ravaged by fire last year.

The gnome family will meet up with humans to help plant trees in honor of Earth Day 2011.

Please celebrate Earth Day 2011 by doing one single act of green.

Together, humans and gnomes can contribute to a billion acts of green for planet earth.


video from: thechriscarsonshow

Please visit Earth Day Network's A Billion Acts of Green

Make each day earth day and go green.

(c) Jenaelha, Friendly Gnome's Blog

Friday, April 8, 2011

Elephant Killed by CEO

Mama gnome has spoken about the elephants' plight numerous times.

They are threatened by habitat loss and illegal hunting and trade.

Despite the ban on ivory trade, poachers continue to slaughter elephants at terrible rate.

According to this post, Robbie Marsland, director of IFAW UK (International Fund for Animal Welfare), has stated:

"This alarming level of illegal hunting could drive the African elephant to extinction across much of Africa in just 15 years."

So it is quite deplorable to read about GoDAddy CEO Rob Parsons going on an elephant hunt and he proudly showed it off on video.

Mama gnome didn't want to watch the video.

Mama gnome was even more rankled to read that this CEO goes on an elephant killing spree every year!

Mama gnome urges you to close your account with this CEO's company and transfer to another company.

Maybe consider its rival company, which has raised over $20,000 for Save the Elephants.

Please visit Save the Elephants and read statements by Johnny Rodrigues, chairman of Zimbabwe's Conservation Task Force to AOL News.

Here is a photo of an elephant in Namibia.

It is a fortunate animal because it was not the one shot by Bob Parsons.

photo by: Ikiwaner

Please boycott Bob Parsons and his company.

Please help save the elephants and go green.

(c) Jenaelha, Friendly Gnome's Blog

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Bird's eye view of Decorah Eagles

Mama gnome and young gnomelets waited with bated breath and finally the third egg hatched on April 6, 2011.

We've watched the proud parent bald eagles feed, nurture, and care for their precious babies.

But please see for yourselves. Here is the live video feed of the beautiful eagle family in Iowa:









Live TV by Ustream

Friday, March 25, 2011

Mystery Animal of the Day

A few days ago, older gnomelet asked, "Mama, can you do a new Mystery animal?"

So on special request by older gnomelet, Mama gnome presents,

"Mystery Animal of the Day."

This animal is a true vegetarian, a creature after Mama gnome's own heart.

It noshes on seagrass all day.

It is shy and unassuming and part of its mystique has led to myths of mermaids and sirens of the deep.

Yes, it has the tail befitting a mermaid and a face befitting a gentle elephant with a short trunk for its closest land relative is the elephant.

If you've guessed the Mystery Animal of the Day is the manatee, please don't forget to

celebrate Earth Day this April 22, 2011 and participate in A Billion Acts of Green.

West Indian Manatee

photo by: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey

Manatees are sirenians or sea cows. Dugongs are also sirenians.

Manatees can grow up to 3 meters or 13 feet in length. They can weigh up to 600 kilograms or 1300 pounds. They use their large upper lip to eat and gather food. Their tail is paddle shaped.

There are three species of manatees: the Amazonian manatee, West African manatee, and West Indian manatee.

All three species are listed vulnerable by IUCN with threats "due primarily to ongoing levels of hunting, sometimes involving new and sophisticated techniques, coupled with increasing incidental calf mortality, climate change and habitat loss and degradation."


The main threat to the Amazonian manatee is illegal hunting. Poachers use nets and harpoons to kill these gentle seacows. The Amazonian manatees are also threatened by
deforestation and contamination of their habitat by mercury, oil, pesticides, and gold mining. Hydroelectric dams are also a significant threat and Brazil for one has planned 400 dams.


The subspecies of the West Indian manatees: the Florida manatees and Antillean manatees are listed as Endangered by IUCN.

Mama gnome doesn't understand why they wouldn't just list the West Indian manatees as endangered when the two subspecies are endangered with less than 2,500 mature individuals and the trend for the population is 20% decline over the next 40 years.

Let's just say it, these animals ARE ENDANGERED.

They are endangered because of watercraft collisions.

"Watercraft collisions are the single greatest cause of human-related mortality."

"In 2005, there were over one million registered vessels in Florida."

If the injured manatees are not killed they are severely mutilated and have a poor chance of survival.

The West Indian manatees are also threatened by loss of habitat,"entanglement (in fishing gear or debris), entrapment in water-control structures and pipes, exposure to contaminants, incidental ingestion of debris, and crushing (in flood-control structures, in canal locks, or between large ships and docks."

In addition to man-made threats, West Indian manatees also face natural threats including red tide, hurricanes, and prolonged periods of cold weather.

West African manatees are found along the warm coastal waters of Africa, and in major rivers and lakes of West and Central Africa.

Poaching is the primary threat to West African manatees. Even though they are "protected", "Manatee meat is openly sold in local markets."

According to IUCN other threats include habitat loss because of "damming of rivers, cutting of mangroves for firewood and destruction of wetlands for agricultural development."
Manatees have been caught up in the turbines with reports of as many as six manatee killed at one time below Kainjii dam, Nigeria.


video by: BBCWorldwide

Mama gnome would like to eat sea grass with a vengeance, flip her large paddle shaped tail and swim after terrible humans who drive their huge speedy boats without remorse killing and maiming gentle sirenians of the deep.

Please be part of the sea cow army and go green.

(c) Jenaelha, Friendly Gnome's Blog

Earth Hour 2011

Mama gnome and the gnome family will be celebrating Earth Hour 2011 with the rest of the world.

It's this Saturday, March 26 at 8:30 pm.

Please turn off the lights and all non-essential appliances to conserve energy for at least one hour.


video from wwfus

Please visit WWF and Earth Hour to see how you can go beyond the hour.

Please celebrate Earth Hour everyday and go green.

(c) Jenaelha, Friendly Gnome's Blog

Friday, March 18, 2011

Help Japan


photo of Japan's before and after the Tsunami March 12, 2011 by NASA


Mama gnome and the gnome family are thinking of the humans and animals in Japan.

Last week on Friday, March 11, 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and 33 feet tall tsunami waves struck the Tohuku region in Japan.

According to this post:
"The unfolding disaster has left more than 6,900 dead – exceeding the 1995 earthquake in Kobe, Japan, that killed more than 6,400. Most officials, however, put estimates of the dead from last week's disasters at more than 10,000."

In addition to the natural disasters, the Japanese people are experiencing a nuclear disaster.

"According to the industry ministry, a total of 11 nuclear reactors automatically shut down at the Onagawa plant, the Fukushima No. 1 and No. 2 plants and the Tokai No. 2 plant after the strongest recorded earthquake in the country's history."

A week after the earthquake, Japan's nuclear safety agency raised the rating for the nuclear accident to Level 5.

"The International Nuclear Event Scale defines a Level 4 incident as having local consequences and a Level 5 as having wider consequences. The 1986 Chernobyl disaster was rated as 7."

We can send help to the Japanese humans and animals through:

Save the Children

photo by United States Navy from wikipedia.org

Please send help now. Please send help to planet earth and go green.

(c) Jenaelha, Friendly Gnome's Blog

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Earth Hour 2011

Mama gnome is feeling earthy and would like to ask over 6 billion humans for a date.

Can you be ready by 8:30 pm, on Saturday, March 26, 2011?

Be ready to turn off all the lights...and go on a date with the world for

Earth Hour 2011.


Mama gnome and young gnomelets visited earthhour.org and created virtual lanterns






Please visit Earth Hour and read about all the wonderful ways we can extend this earthy cause past the hour.


video from earthhour

Please join Mama gnome and celebrate Earth Hour every day and go green.

(c)Jenaelha, Friendly Gnome's Blog

Sunday, February 27, 2011

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

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Gnomemart Versus Plastic Bag Monster

Mama gnome will not forget the first time she brought reusable bags to gnomemart.

The gum-chewing cashier raised an eyebrow and gave Mama gnome a suspicious look.

She double checked Mama gnome's license.

That truly is Mama gnome's height...and weight.

But soon, Mama gnome will have the last laugh because gnomemart has joined the fight against the bane of her existence, Plastic Bag Monster.

photo from: plasticdebris.org

A couple of weeks ago, Mama gnome went to gnomemart and after she placed her reusable bags on the conveyor belt for the groceries, the cashier smiled at Mama gnome and said, "Ahhh...Smart gnome."

Mama gnome looked around and saw she was the only gnome standing amidst the humans and she asked, "Why do you say such mystical things human?"

Cashier said, "Because we're going to be charging for the plastic bags."

Mama gnome's vision turned hazy but she managed to mumble, "When?"

"Maybe next month."

Only because Mama gnome felt faintish, otherwise she would've been whooping and hollering.

Just in California alone, 19 billion plastic bags are used by humans every year and out of that 19 billion plastic bags a measly 5 percent gets recycled.

The other 95 percent of 19 billion become minions of Plastic Bag Monster where they lounge around in their not so secret lair, Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Great Pacific Garbage Patch

photo from: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/64/North_Pacific_Gyre_World_Map.png


So when Mama gnome heard the cashier's comment, she welcomes this new ally, this gnomemart.

Here is their battle plan against the fiendish beast.

They call it the Plastic Bag Initiative.

A worthy name for a worthy cause.

Their mission: "to eliminate more than 135 million pounds of plastic shopping bag waste globally"
and gnomemart gets the extra benefits of...

"...reduce our plastic bag waste by the equivalent of 9 billion bags, avoid producing 290,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases and prevent consuming the equivalent of 678,000 barrels of oil every year."

Mama gnome proudly presents her license to any gnomemart cashier.

Really, that is her height...and weight...

She'd gotten heavier with her heart so full, a heart gone green.

(c) Jenaelha, Friendly Gnome's Blog

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Mystery Animal of the Day

Young gnomelets have kept Mama gnome very occupied.

And it is the older gnomelet who asked, "Mama, how come you don't have a new Mystery Animal?"

And so sheepishly, Mama gnome presents the Mystery Animal of the Day.

This animal has the "strongest bite per unit body mass of any living mammal."

It is a marsupial, a relative of the kangaroo.

But unlike the kangaroo who is a herbivore, this Mystery Animal is carnivorous.

It feeds on carrion and preys on small mammals to a small kangaroo, wombats, birds, fish, frogs, reptiles, fruit.

It's a very noisy eater...so noisy...thus contributing to how it was named...the little devil.

If you've guessed the Mystery Animal of the Day is the Tasmanian Devil, Mama gnome would like to congratulate you and she hopes you will participate in A Billion Acts of Green, Earth Day 2011 on April 22, 2011.

Tasmanian Devil at Healesville Sanctuary, Victoria, Australia.
photo by: arndbergmann

The Tasmanian Devil is found in Tasmania, Australia's island and state.

It has a large head and neck. It has black fur and usually white patches on its chest and lower back. It's stocky and muscular.

It has a keen smell and is also described as having a "pungent smell."

The name Tasmanian Devil has a long history.

Mama gnome will not recount all the names but to give you an idea as to how this animal was named Tasmanian Devil...here it goes...

First named in 1807 Didelphis ursina, "meatloving bear."

Then later also renamed Sarcophilus harrisii,"Harris's meat lover."

Then "Beelzebub's pup was an early vernacular name given to it by the explorers of Tasmania, in reference to a religious deity who is a prince of hell and an assistant of Satan."

Other names used were Sarcophilus satanicus "Satanic meatlover" and Diabolus ursinus "diabolical bear."

Mama gnome would like to rename them as "Poor animalus creaturus name-mes just because it likes to eat loud-es and a eat a lot-es."

The Tasmanian Devil is an endangered animal.

According to the IUCN, its population has decreased by more than 60% in the last ten years.

One of the major threats to this animal is a terrible infectious cancer called the Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD).

The disease is spread between animals especially during the mating season and when they are feeding because of injurious biting.

DFTD is an "aggressive non-viral transmissible parasitic cancer" and the afflicted animal develops lesions and lumps around the mouth which spread to the rest of its body.

The animal is unable to feed and dies of starvation.

Another threat to the Tasmanian Devil is the red fox which was illegally introduced to Tasmania
for reasons including fox hunting which is another terrible crime. (And Mama gnome talks about fox hunting in detail here, another Mystery Animal.)

According to IUCN, other threats to the Tasmanian Devil is being killed on the roads by vehicles, being killed by dogs, and from persecution.

Persecution according to IUCN:

"Through the 1980s and 1990s, systematic poisoning in many sheep-growing areas (particularly fine-wool with its reliance on merinos) was widespread and probably killed in excess of 5000 devils per year (N. Mooney unpubl., from interviews with landowners). In the 1990s, control permits were occasionally issued to individuals who were able to argue that Tasmanian Devils were pests (e.g. killing valuable lambs)."




video from: NationalGeographic


Please read about the Tasmanian Devil's plight and visit WWF and also Save the Tasmanian Devil Program.

Mama gnome would now screech loudly, change her name to Gnomeus Eat-A-Lot-es-chocolate-us, and nip terrible humans who poison the Tasmanian Devil.

Please be the loud devil-may-care human in the planet and go green.

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