Swarms of Jellyfish have landed in the beautiful waters of Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod. They are pretty cool to look at, but they sting without warning, and they are a disturbing sign of global warming. Apparently, jellyfish like warm water, so as the temperature rises in our oceans, the jellyfish populations are growing, rapidly. While, we notice the effects here off the coast of Massachusetts, the jellyfish are spreading globally.

According to a recent article in the New York Times, “The explosion of jellyfish populations, scientists say, reflects a combination of severe overfishing of natural predators, like tuna, sharks and swordfish; rising sea temperatures caused in part by global warming; and pollution that has depleted oxygen levels in coastal shallows.

What does this have to do with bonobos? Well, first, if the Bonobo Kids crew gets stung while we’re frollicking in the ocean, there will be no one left to write this blog and spread the word to kids about our ape cousins. And second, and most importantly, the fact that the jellyfish population growth is global reminds us that this is a whole-planet issue. Everything that we do a

ffects ourselves, and our neighbors - near and far. Our actions have an impact on the land, the water and all of the creatures that live here - bonobos, humans and jellyfish.

Top 5 things you Can Do right now to help the planet:

1. Conserve energy by turning off and unplugging lights and appliances.

2. Get outside. It’s summer y’all, when we leave our houses to play, run, swim and bike, we use less electricity. You only need people power to bike around the neighborhood.

3. If you can, use fans instead of air conditioning. Air conditioning uses far more electricity and icky chemicals besides.

4. Buy local, buy organic. Tis the season to visit farmer’s markets and chow down on produce grown in your region.

5. Leave the car at home. See if you can bike, walk or blade to your next event. If you can’t, try to carpool!

Help Spread the Word!!!

Powered by Bookmarkify™

At Bonobo Kids, we are all about REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE so we were psyched to hear that there is something you can do with your old sneakers. Nike has a program called Reuse a Shoe where they take old athletic shoes of any brand (not just Nike) and grind them up to use for playgrounds and playing surfaces.

According to Nike, ‘The following list shows approximately how many pairs of recycled athletic shoes generally go into making each surface:
• Outdoor basketball court: 2,500 pairs
• Outdoor tennis court:2,500 pairs
• Full Field or soccer pitch: 50,000 - 75,000 pairs*
• Mini soccer field: 10,000-20,000 pairs
• Running track: 75,000 pairs*
• Playground: 2,500 pairs
• Indoor basketball court: 2,500 pairs
• Indoor synthetic basketball court: 2,500 pairs’

Their partners, the makers of these athletic playing surface, incorporate the ground up sneaker material into their usual recipe.

To learn more about this program and to find out where you can drop off your old sneaks, click here.

Help Spread the Word!!!

Powered by Bookmarkify™

U.S. drivers are driving less due to the high price of gas and, hopefully, increased awareness about the environmental issues our planet faces. According to a report on NPR, “In April, Americans drove 245.9 billion miles — 1.8 percent less than a year ago.” While that percentage doesn’t seem huge, the mileage does.

According to Jim Ray of the Federal Highway Administration, “April marks the sixth month in a row that we have seen a decline in vehicle miles traveled across the country. We’re seeing Americans drive less across the board. It is the steepest decline in vehicle miles traveled ever recorded,” Ray says. “What we’re estimating now for the 2007-2008 figures are 30 billion miles. So we’re seeing a difference of 60-fold.”

We certainly don’t want gas to be so expensive, but the high gas prices and the country’s reaction will hopefully push car companies and innovative people to create alternative, earth and people friendly modes and systems of transport. In the meantime, carpool, walk, bike and take public transportation whenever you can! Any other ideas? Send them in!

Help Spread the Word!!!

Powered by Bookmarkify™

It’s a beautiful, hot, sunny day here on Martha’s Vineyard…and before we head to the beach, we wanted to share some tips on how to be environmentally conscious in the sun and surf. When we treat our Earth well, it affects every plant and creature on the planet…from the dandelions to the rainforests, from the people to the bonobos.

1. Carry in, carry out! It is so important that we don’t leave trash on the beach. Trash, including plastic bags and food wrappers, are dangerous to both beach creatures and humans. Beach creatures can try to eat them or get caught in them which can either injure or kill them, and humans can step on trash and be injured as well. Of course, a trash covered beach is just unpleasant - no one wants to spend their day outside surrounded by garbage!

2. Don’t feed the animals! Natural feeding patterns can be disrupted when humans start to intervene. Sea birds were made to eat fish and bugs, not your peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Not only is human food harmful to their health, but nature does a wonderful job of keeping balance, and when humans disrupt the balance, long term and devastating effects can occur. For instance, if the seagulls stop eating the small fish, they will overpopulate, eating all of the tiny fish. Now there will be no small fish to eat the sea algae and it will overgrow until the shore line is smothered with algae, making it difficult for small creatures living by the shore to survive…and on and on. Get our drift?

3. Use natural sunscreens and bug repellants. Whatever products you put on your body will be left in the ocean when you jump in, so using products that are non-toxic and biodegradable is the best solution (for your own health too!).

One natural sunscreen is pure, virgin coconut oil - just put it on when you get out of the shower. If you are going to be in the sun at the height of the day, we recommend Aubrey Organic sunscreen as a body and environmentally safe answer.

As for bug spray, stay away from DEET - a known environmental and health hazard. Our highest recommendation goes to an herbal bug repellent made here on Martha’s Vineyard! Check out Island’s Own where you can order your spray (and they make a great poison ivy remedy as well).

4. Pay attention to posted signs! Signs posted by beaches, towns and environmental groups often block off areas of the beach that protect nesting birds. When humans walk through these areas, the natural habitat of birds can be ruined. Also, many beach signs warn people to stay off of cliffs or leave clay in its place to protect the natural environments from erosion.

5. Be a good neighbor. Part of being green means being part of a community and treating the people, the creatures and the land around you with total respect. Beaches can be crowded…you have the power to make the beach a safe and fun place by being considerate and kind to those around you.

HAVE FUN!!!

Update: One of our favorite readers has pointed out that using coconut oil affects the palm oil crisis that is hurting our orangutan cousins. We certainly did not mean to save the bonobos while hurting the orangutans. We are looking to see if choosing organic, unprocessed coconut oil harvested by small companies (often family owned and committed to the environment) is still damaging to the earth and/or the orangutans. If anyone finds this information before us, please let us know and provide proof! Thanks, BK

Help Spread the Word!!!

Powered by Bookmarkify™

We all know that plastic bags are a serious problem for our environment. We just heard about some awesome kids on Westchester County, New York who have done quite a clean up where plastic bags are concerned.

On June 28th, 2008, they created ‘Plastic Bag Day’ and collected 39,995 plastic bags! That’s 421 pounds of plastic bags!!! Totally amazing. The county reports that since they’ve announced the inclusion of plastic bags in their recycling program, they’ve collected over 7,000 pounds of plastic bags and that 20% comes from local school kids’ efforts.

In addition, the county has passed a law that will become effective this fall, 2008 that requires large retail stores (over 10,000 square feet) to display receptacles to collect, transport and recycle plastic bags.

If you are looking to take environmental and/or bonobo-inspiried action in your community, Westchester County has offered a super model. Contact Andy Spano, Westchester’s County Executive for more information and to tell him that he and his county have done a great, great thing.

Help Spread the Word!!!

Powered by Bookmarkify™

On the Bonobo Challenge, we talk a lot about things you can do to help the environment - like turning off lights, recycling and riding your bike to school - but there is another way too! It is so important that all of the products we use in and around our homes are non-toxic, organic, bio-degradable and safe for the environment. So I went searching for a ‘safe for the environment genius’ to give us the low-down, and I was so lucky to find Debra Lynn Dadd.

Hailed as “The Queen of Green” by the New York Times, Debra Lynn Dadd has been a pioneering consumer advocate (which means she tells people helpful information about the products they are buying) since 1982, specializing in products and lifestyle choices that are safer for human health, animals and the environment. She is the author of Home Safe Home which was the first book of its kind and reveals the hazards of common household products and their healthy alternatives. This book is such a powerful resource that it has been in print since 1984!

We were thrilled when Debra wanted to do an interview with us…here is part 1:

Bonobo Kids: Debra you have so much information on the web! Which of your sites do you think the Bonobo Kids would find most useful?
Debra Lynn Dadd: I think that everyone working to save the environment should visit, use and share Debra’s List and the Green Living Q&A blog. Debra’s List gives extensive lists on natural alternatives for everything! Some examples are cleaning products, body care (like lotion or sunscreen), toys, candles and house paint. And when you go to the Q&A blog you can search old questions and answers or ask me and my readers a new question. My readers are the best and they know so much! We always answer as many questions as possible!

BK: How did you get into the world of finding non-toxic items for your home?
DLD: About 27 years ago, I became very sick and didn’t know why. My symptoms were incredibly random. Eventually, I found out that I had something called MCS, or Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, and I was becoming totally disabled. The common treatment for MCS at that time was to give the sick person small amounts of the toxic chemicals that were making them sick.

BK: That seems completely backwards! Why would you want more of what was making you sick!?!
DLD: Exactly! I knew intuitively that ingesting the chemicals was making me feel worse. So, what I did instead was I learned where the toxins were and I removed them all from my life as best I could - starting with my home. There were no resources at the time, so I had to do the research myself. The result was my first book, Home Safe Home. I think it’s lasted for so long because it was the premier book on how to make your home toxic safe.

BK: Can you tell us how the work you do within the home connects to the environment?
DLD: I had this big realization: I can make my home as safe as I want to, but the environment is so polluted! It occurred to me one morning that the environment is supporting my existence, I can’t be alive without the air and rain and other species which means that I’m not separate from the environment, we are all one system, we are all connected. So, if I want to live and be healthy, there has to be an environment to support this. We all have to understand that we live with this truth, and we have to cooperate to make it work. When you start at home, you make a difference - starting with yourself is the place to begin. But, then, you have to continue the work out in the world.

Coming next, Part 2: How Debra Lynn Dadd is saving the environment!!! She is very courageous - just wait until you hear what she’s doing!

Help Spread the Word!!!

Powered by Bookmarkify™

It has come to our attention that the Tennessee Center for Policy Research is making many claims that former Vice President Al Gore’s home is not energy efficient - maybe even energy inefficient. Something about that really bothered us, but we just couldn’t put our finger on it. And then, we talked to a fantastic woman and author this morning named Debra Lynn Dadd, (aka the Green Queen according to the New York Times) and she summed it up so beautifully.

Basically, she said this: The difference Al Gore has made for this world by talking about the environment, raising money for the environment, sharing An Inconvenient Truth with the world and generally spreading the word and suggesting doable solutions, far outweighs what might be going on in his home. And how do we know how many changes he has personally made anyway - in his home or in his everyday life?

And, we’re saying, ‘What’s the point?” He’s doing good work. If you have found out he could be greener, then right him a letter and make some suggestions. Don’t be mean, especially in public. We don’t think that does any of us any good.

Stay tuned for our exclusive interview with Debra Lynn Dadd coming next week!

UPDATE!!!

We just found this response from former Vice President Al Gore’s spokesperson:

1. The Gores undertook a three plus year renovation that concluded in
November 2007 with the issuance, in November 2007 of Gold LEED (Leadership
in Energy and Environmental Design) from the US Green Building Council.

2. As part of this renovation, the Gores have:
-Installed a geothermal system for heating, cooling and hot water
-Installed 33 solar panels
-Completely retrofitted their appliances, windows, ductwork, insulation, and
lighting.

3. Since the renovations were complete, the Gores have saved 40 percent on
their site energy use (which is a combination of electricity and natural gas
bills–the two major sources of global warming gases).

4. The Gores also purchase their electricity, through their utility, from
the Green PowerSwitch program–which means that their electricity come from
solar, wind and methane gas.

So, in summary, the Gores have: made their home more energy efficient, the
produce electricity from renewable power (solar, geothermal) and they
purchase renewable power. No one is perfect, but they are doing their part.

Finally, the Gores are also donating a substantial amount of their personal
time to educate the public about the climate crisis as well as donating the
proceeds of their work to charity. They have donated the proceeds of the
Nobel Peace Prize, “An Inconvenient Truth” (the book and film), and Mrs.
Gore’s photography to the Alliance for Climate Protection and The Climate
Project.

Help Spread the Word!!!

Powered by Bookmarkify™

We just read this simple fact on former Vice President Al Gore’s website and we are blown away by this fact!

Unplug electronics from the wall when you’re not using them
Even when turned off, things like hairdryers, cell phone chargers and televisions use energy. In fact, the energy used to keep display clocks lit and memory chips working accounts for 5 percent of total domestic energy consumption and spews 18 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year!

Isn’t this amazing? Tell everyone you know…what an easy way to help the environment, the bonobos and the planet!

Help Spread the Word!!!

Powered by Bookmarkify™

June 5th is World Environment Day - a day set up by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) to ’stimulate worldwide awareness of the environment and enhance political attention and action.’ This year, the main celebration kicks off in Wellington, New Zealand while events and activities happen worldwide. The 2008 theme is Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy because:

‘Recognising that climate change is becoming the defining issue of our era, UNEP is asking countries, companies and communities to focus on greenhouse gas emissions and how to reduce them. The World Environment Day will highlight resources and initiatives that promote low carbon economies and life-styles, such as improved energy efficiency, alternative energy sources, forest conservation and eco-friendly consumption.’

We couldn’t agree more…so here is a list of actions you can take to reduce your carbon footprint:

1. Bike, walk, scoot, skate or carpool to school, camp, the store or your friend’s house.

2. Turn computers and cell phones OFF - leaving them on stand-by wastes energy and shortens their lives!

3. Buy local. Look in your area phonebook the next time you need something - chances are you can find whatever you are searching for made right in your town!

4. Eat local. Support local farms and you will get the freshest food available while seriously cutting back on the fuel needed to transport food throughout the country. Farmers’ Markets are springing up everywhere, visit Local Harvest to see if there is one near you.

5. Turn out the lights. If you start paying attention, you’re likely to realize that lights are often left on in your house when they aren’t needed. Start using solar-made, soy or beeswax candles - try a candlelight dinner, bath or bedtime tonight!

6. Buy products from companies that practice good green behavior. Example? When your summer softball team is getting their team t-shirts printed, encourage them to use an eco-friendly screenprinting shop, like Mantis Graphics, that uses water based inks instead of standard plastisol inks containing nasty chemicals and that require harmful, toxic cleaners.

7. If your washer, dryer, dishwasher, refrigerator or any other major appliance should break down, encourage your family to research an energy and water saving alternative. If your car breaks down, encourage your family to buy a hybrid, electric or biofuel car. TIP: a great site that lists all kinds of eco-friendly products is Debra’s List - check it out and share it!

Can you think of other great tips? Send them in and we’ll post them all!

Have a great WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY!

Help Spread the Word!!!

Powered by Bookmarkify™

So, your birthday is coming up – in the next year anyway – and it’s time to decide on your theme. Let’s see…what if you planned an eco-friendly themed party?!?
I’m sure you all have awesome ideas about how to pull this off, but we’ll get the list going…Please write us with your ideas so that we can share them with everyone!

1. Use recycled or biodegradable paper plates, napkins and cups – or even better – use reusable plates, napkins and cups so that you don’t have to throw them away at all.
2. Make your cake and other treats from organic ingredients.
3. Give special party favors to guests that ride bikes or use public transportation to travel to your party.
4. Get outside and make your main activity something that involves the great outdoors like rock climbing, biking, the zoo, sledding, hiking or swimming.
5. Request that guests don’t wrap your presents to save paper – you can keep the element of surprise alive by wearing a blindfold and trying to guess each present.
6. Give a gift. We are all so used to getting things for our birthdays, but why not thank the world for making every day so great! We think a great gift would be a copy of I’m Lucy or a donation to a worthy cause.

Okay. Your turn. What would you do for your GREEN BIRTHDAY PARTY???
We can’t wait to hear!!!

Help Spread the Word!!!

Powered by Bookmarkify™