Earth Island Institute

New Youth Garden in Yerevan

EII’s Armenian Environmental Network staff and a group of volunteers, ages 17 to 18, broke ground and sowed the first seeds of the season at the new Youth Garden in the Yerevan Botanical Garden in Armenia’s capital city, Yerevan, in early July. Afterward, the group enjoyed a picnic lunch and a tour of the rest of the grounds. AEN aims to offer urban youth an opportunity to be closer to nature through active participation in cultivating food crops, which they will then be encouraged to enjoy with their families at harvest time.

Thursday July 17, 2014

Plans Advance for Road Through Critical Spoonbill Habitat

Taiwanese officials today approved the flawed environmental impact assessment of a proposed road that would cut through the Jiading Wetland, a sensitive black-faced spoonbill habitat in southwestern Taiwan, despite intense pressure from EII’s SAVE International and local environmental groups. The wetland was recently identified as the winter habitat for more than 200 endangered black-faced spoonbills (nearly 8 percent of the world population). As per to the Ramsar Convention, this qualifies it for classification as a “wetland of international importance.” SAVE International will continue to protest the road's construction, but it needs your help to continue the fight! Please email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to sign their petition.

Thursday July 17, 2014

Climate Wise Woman Wins Award

Ursula Rakova of EII’s Climate Wise Women will receive the 2014 Equator Initiative Prize on behalf of her organization, Tulele Peisa, at a ceremony in New York to be held in conjunction with the United Nations General Assembly in September. Tulele Peisa is being recognized for its work in helping relocate the people of Carteret Islands, which are predicted to be completely underwater by as early as 2020, to mainland Papua New Guinea.

Thursday July 17, 2014

Active Hope Workshop

Amidst climate change, economic upheaval, social injustice, and ongoing wars, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and hopeless. How do we face the mess we are going through without going crazy? Longtime activist and international trainer, Joanna Macy, will be holding a one-day workshop on September 13 at the David Brower Center in Berkeley, CA, that will offer perspectives and practices for growing creativity, courage and solidarity for those working to preserve life on Earth. The cost is $35, including lunch. For details and to RSVP email Sharon Negri @ .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) by August 1.

Thursday July 17, 2014

Music Tonight for Bay Localize

EII’s Bay Localize is excited to be the featured beneficiary of Party Corps' 11th Music for Good event in at the Red Poppy Art House at 7 p.m. this evening, featuring Bay Area artists Future Twin, Feral Fauna, and Derek of Owl Paws. The evening will include a curated conversation between Bay Localize and the performing artists about the project’s efforts to inspire and support residents in building equitable, resilient communities. Enjoy a musical evening and support Bay Localize’s important work. Ticket and event details here.

Thursday July 17, 2014

A Summer WakeUp for Young Leaders

Summer is here and things are definitely heating up. EII’s Generation Waking Up has two special events kicking off on July 24 in Oakland, CA: An intergenerational WakeUp Experience at Humanist Hall with artists, changemakers, and passion-filled community members of all ages; and the GenUp Oakland Leadership Training which will bring together diverse young changemakers from around the region. Check out details here. For the WakeUp Experience please RSVP .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). org and spread the word!

Thursday July 17, 2014

Food Waste Averted

EII’s Food Shift recovered more than 650 pounds of food from the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies conference in Oakland in June! Read their blog to learn about how we worked together with conference staff and caterers to make sure this good food went to feeding hungry people instead of garbage cans. Food Shift was also recently featured in an article on Grist.org that discusses the project’s journey, vision, and recent milestones in transforming the food recovery sector.

Thursday July 17, 2014

The Best of Earth Island Journal:

Get the latest environmental news from Earth Island Journal. Here are our favorite web-only stories from the last few weeks:

Most Popular: Brazil Spends Billions on “Green” World Cup, But Does Little to Protect Environmentalists. Journal contributing editor Zoe Loftus-Farren reflects on the World Cup host’s dubious distinction of having the highest number of murders of environmental activists.

Editors’ Pick: A Ramble Through the Woods Can Help Beat Stress-Related Health Issues. Reporter Kendra Pierre-Louis writes that the Japanese concept of Shinrin-yoku, or “forest bathing,” is now supported by a growing body of scientific research.

Thursday July 17, 2014

New CEO at PPC

Plastic Pollution Coalition cofounder Dianna Cohen has been named the EII project’s new CEO. PPC now consists of over 380 organizations and businesses worldwide working towards a world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impact. Cohen looks forward to hearing ideas and suggestions from the PPC community as it charts its course ahead. To learn more about PPC and to join as a member, please go here.

Thursday July 17, 2014

Get Your Tickets for BYA 2014!

Join the Earth Island family on October 21 in San Francisco for a festive evening celebrating bold, young environmental leadership! Get all the event details for the 15^th Annual Brower Youth Awards and consider joining the 15th Anniversary Host Committee or featuring your green business as a BYA Sponsor! Visit the BYA website to learn more about awards and the amazing community of past winners.

Thursday July 17, 2014

Save the Date for BYA 2014

Join us on October 21 in San Francisco for Earth Island’s 15^th Annual Brower Youth Awards. Get all the event details for this festive evening celebrating bold, young environmental leadership, and consider joining the Host Committee or featuring your green business as a BYA Sponsor! Learn more about the Brower Youth Awards and its amazing community of past winners.

Thursday July 3, 2014

From Poacher to Protector

Snow leopard poaching in the Argut region of Russia’s Altlai Republic is virtually non-existent today, thanks in part to new initiatives promoted by EII’s The Altai Project. Read the inspiring story of  Mergen Markov, a local man who turned a generations-long family lifestyle of poaching into a newfound passion for protecting these remarkable big cats.

Thursday July 3, 2014

Help Save the Rim Fire Burn Area

The habitat created by the 2013 Rim fire, known as "complex early seral forest" is as biodiverse as an old-growth forest, and is even rarer and more threatened — so much so that 250 scientists have written a letter to Congress urging it to protect this burn area. Part of the burn area that’s in Stanislaus National Forest is on the chopping block. More than 45,000 acres of this ecologically vital post-fire habitat is scheduled to be essentially clearcut later this year. But it’s not too late to protect this area. Please sign this petition urging President Obama to protect this habitat by designating the burn area in the Stanislaus National Forest as a National Monument. For more information contact EII’s John Muir Project director Dr Chad Hanson.

Thursday July 3, 2014

Spoonbills Under Threat in Taiwan

Jiading Wetland, home to 10 percent of the world's black-faced spoonbill population, has come under attack in recent months as Taiwanese officials pursue plans to construct a road through this sensitive habitat. EII’s SAVE International has actively protested the plan, commenting on various draft EIS' and enlisting UC Berkeley graduate students to propose alternatives that would increase economic development while protecting this valuable habitat. Local support for the road, which is being touted as an economic stimulator, has made the battle particularly fierce. SAVE is working to communicate its alternative strategies directly to community members. A new youth group, Youth Alliance of Saving Jiading Wetland has been formed to protest the road. A public hearing will be held on July 14 to address the concerns raised by SAVE.

Thursday July 3, 2014

CA Counties Urged to End Wildlife Services’ Contract

EII’s Project Coyote and a coalition of conservation groups have sent letters to the Humboldt and Mendocino counties asking them to end their contracts with the USDA's Wildlife Services. This federal agency indiscriminately kills tens of thousands of native wild animals in California every year, including coyotes, bears, foxes, and mountain lions. The letters make the case that the counties' animal damage control programs operate without adequate environmental review as required under the California Environmental Quality Act and violate the Public Trust Doctrine. They also urge the counties to adopt a non-lethal animal damage control program, similar to the one used successfully in Marin County for 14 years. Learn more about the Wildlife Services’ predator control program here.

Thursday July 3, 2014

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