Earth Island Institute

Brower Youth Awards is Accepting Applications

The Brower Youth Awards for environmental leadership is now accepting applications for its 2015 awards! Young people between the ages of 13 and 22 (as of July 1, 2015) based in North America are eligible to apply. The awards are given to six young people each year who show outstanding leadership in their involvement with high impact, replicable and relevant environmental projects. Now in its sixteenth year, Earth Island's annual BYA prize includes a $3,000 cash prize, a professionally produced short film from an Emmy award-winning crew, and a week long leadership trip in the San Francisco Bay Area culminating in a public award ceremony. To learn more and apply, go here.

Thursday February 19, 2015

Owl Wise Leader Awards

On February 27, EII's Raptors Are The Solution will present its first “Owl Wise Leader” or O.W.L. awards to three Marin County businesses —Bolinas Bay Hardware & Mercantile, Bolinas Market and General Store, and Stinson Beach Market — for pulling all rat poisons off their shelves due to the harm it causes to children, pets, and wildlife. Every year, thousands of pets and wildlife become ill or die from ingesting poisoned rodents or bait. Rat poison has infested the food web, and is harming owls, hawks, mountain lions, bobcats, and endangered species like the Pacific fisher. Although some poisons have been removed from consumer shelves, many remain, and exterminators still use them widely. Go here for more information, or to nominate a business for the award.

Thursday February 19, 2015

In Search of a Rare Tree

In January David McGuire, director of EII's Shark Stewards, took a break from the underwater world and trekked into the high rainforest of Laos with a scientific team from National Geographic to locate and document the endangered Chinese swamp cypress tree and associated wildlife. These trees are the redwoods of Asia, growing over 150 feet tall and nine feet in diameter. The team discovered remnant populations of this important tree, which is all but extinct in rest of its range in South China and Vietnam. A video and images will be online soon, in the meantime you can read about the trip here.

Thursday February 19, 2015

Spring Concert with Arielle

Join EII's International Marine Mammal Project for a special spring concert with chanteuse and dolphin lover, Arielle at 5:30 p.m. on March 4 at Earth Island's conference room at the David Brower Center in Berkeley, CA. Arielle will be singing from her studio in Los Angeles and will share her music with us via the magic of Skype. Adam Peri will join her on the keyboards. There will be wine, beverages, and some nice goodies to eat. Feel free to bring along friends, but please RSVP and let IMMP know who is coming so that they can provide enough food and drink.

Thursday February 19, 2015

Women Leaders in Fellowship Shortlist

EII's Global Women's Water Initiative is proud to announce that its team members Hajra Mukasa and Godliver Businge, who have set up a sister office in Uganda called the Uganda Women's Water Initiative, have been selected as semi-finalists for the prestigious Echoing Green Fellowship. Echoing Green identifies and funds the best emerging social entrepreneurs around the globe. Gemma Bulos, GWWI's executive director is an Echoing Green Fellow herself. She was awarded the fellowship in 2007 for her Philippines-based program. A Single Drop for Safe Water. The ripple continues.

Thursday February 19, 2015

Recovering Food, Reducing Costs

In the first month of Food Shift's food recovery and waste tracking program with Andronico's Community Markets, the store's Shattuck outlet in Berkeley, CA is on track to save $27,000 a year in reduced waste disposal costs. The program was featured on the Specialty Food Association website and in this month's Edible East Bay magazine. In addition to working with businesses, the Earth Island project has been working on the policy level through the "All In" campaign, a bold but realistic effort to end hunger in Alameda County by 2020. Stay updated with Food Shift's program and campaign updates by following it on Facebook and Twitter, and signing up for its e-newsletter.

Thursday February 19, 2015

Join the Clean Energy Conversation

EII's Bay Localize, which is part of the Local Clean Energy Alliance, invites you to attend the Fifth Annual Clean Power, Healthy Communities Conference on March 5, at the California Endowment Center in Oakland, CA. This is an engaging, highly interactive conference with plenaries, workshops, and breakout sessions addressing critical clean energy topics such as community-based energy initiatives, energy democracy and the alternatives to fossil fuels. Space is limited, so register now for in-person seats, or for the conference's live web stream!

Thursday February 19, 2015

The best of Earth Island Journal

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

Most Popular: After the Fracking Ban. Journal contributing editor Adam Federman explores what's next for New York's environmental movement following its high-profile fracking ban victory.

Editors' Pick: Bill Clinton's Visionary Northwest Forest Plan Is On the Chopping Block. A proposal to revise a forest management plan that safeguards old growth forests in the Pacific Northwest could lead to increased logging, writes reporter Paul Koberstein.

Thursday February 19, 2015

SF Ocean Film Fest

Earth Island Institute is proud to partner with the 12th Annual San Francisco International Ocean Film Festival running February 27 through March 2. The festival will feature over 40 films from 13 different countries. EII's All One Ocean project will have a table at the festival on February 27; Earth Island staff and Shark Stewards will be tabeling on Saturday, February 28. Learn more and buy tickets here.

Thursday February 19, 2015

Run for the Ocean

Join EII's All One Ocean for its second annual “Run for the Beach” at the beautiful Crissy Field in San Francisco on March 21. Proceeds from the event — which includes a 5K run, a beach clean up, yoga sessions, live music, and delicious food — will benefit All One Ocean and provide additional support for plastic pollution awareness initiatives in San Francisco. Space is limited, so please register in advance.

Thursday February 19, 2015

March for Real Climate Leadership

Join EII projects Bay Localize and California Student Sustainability Coalition, and thousands of Californians from across the state in Oakland this Saturday, February 7, for the March on Real Climate Leadership and urge Governor Jerry Brown to protect us from dangerous oil extraction activities that harm our water, health and communities. RSVP for the march here, share this event widely, and don’t forget to wear blue this Saturday!

Thursday February 5, 2015

Cli-Fi vs. Reality

While politicians debate whether climate change is real, authors and filmmakers are tackling the far out notion that humans can fundamentally alter the biochemistry of the Earth’s atmosphere in a new genre called Climate Fiction or Cli-Fi. How wild could a hot and crowded world get? Join Earth Island Journal editor Jason Mark and science fiction writer Kim Stanley Robinson at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco on February 11 for “Cli-Fi 2015” – a conversation about literature and films that will explore what lies ahead for life on Earth and beyond. Details and ticket information here.

Thursday February 5, 2015

New Food Recovery Program

EII’s Food Shift has launched a food donation and waste-tracking program with two Andronico’s Community Markets stores in Berkeley, CA. Surplus food from these markets is collected and utilized by the St. Vincent de Paul community center in Oakland. In just the first week of the program, Food Shift recovered over 5,000 pounds of food including apples, oranges, melons, juice, and granola bars. See photos from the first pick up, and follow Food Shift on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with the program’s progress.

Thursday February 5, 2015

Job Opening at Project Coyote

EII’s Project Coyote is hiring an operations and development manager. The job profile includes overseeing the project’s internal operations and working closely with Director Camilla Fox to support and coordinate all levels of organizational development and growth. This is an exciting opportunity to join an organization that is at a critical juncture in its growth and help develop the organizational framework to ensure Project Coyote’s success. Details here.

Thursday February 5, 2015

Hemp Film Screening

EII’s Hempstead Project Heart and the US Green Building Council will be presenting a special screening of the documentary, Bringing it Home at the Embarcadero Center Cinema in San Francisco on February 19. The film documents the building of the first hemp house in the United States along with the history of hemp and its many benefits. Details and ticket information here.

Thursday February 5, 2015

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