As the debates surrounding climate change, global warming and human contributions to environmental damage continue, real and visible environmental changes are happening. Here is an example from Alaska:

Ice is very heavy. So, as the Alaskan glaciers melt and their weight is removed, the earth reacts by springing up, or rising away from the Earth’s core. It’s called isostatic rebound. This phenomenon makes it appear as if the land is expanding - and it actually is! One family’s land is growing at a rate of about one acre per year as the shoreline moves away!

Another interesting result is that gravity is affected. The force of gravity begins in the center of the Earth, so the farther you get from the center, the weaker gravity’s pull becomes. For example, it’s stronger at sea level than it is on top of Everest. So as the ice melts and the land rises, the force of gravity on that land shifts.

What do you think? Do these changes seem like the result of climate change? What changes are happening in the Congo where the bonobos live?

To read more, click here.

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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.

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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.

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It’s true – you do learn something new everyday. What we learned today is that even though the United States, as a country, celebrates Arbor Day on the last Friday in April (as proclaimed by President Nixon in 1970) – each state, and many other countries, has established its own Arbor Day - and they are all happening right around now. It’s springtime, and the trees are blooming.

But what is so great about Arbor Day? Is it just about planting trees?

Actually, it is all about planting trees! Planting trees protects the environment by canceling out some of the harmful impacts of climate change.

How does it work?
Trees absorb carbon dioxide (CO2), one of the main gases causing global warming, and in turn trees release oxygen into the atmosphere. They clean up the air and they make it healthy for all living creatures. Forests are in second place, behind oceans, when it comes to helping with the CO2 overload - one acre of forestland holds between 150 - 200 tons of CO2 in its first 40 years. As a result, planting new trees remains one of the least expensive, most effective (and most beautiful) means of drawing extra CO2 from our atmosphere.

Go plant a tree.
Cheap and good for the environment? We LOVE it! So plant a tree - for arbor day or because every day is Earth Day. PLANT A TREE, SAVE THE BONOBOS, SAVE THE WORLD!

And…send pictures of you with your tree(s)! You know we love photos of you doing great things!

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Researchers in the field are finding evidence of hunting and decreased bonobo numbers in protected areas (national parks) in the DRC. They believe that soldier groups are hiding in the parks and hunting bonobos to sell for money.

Here is the evidence: humans leave trash, bullet shells and belongings behind at their temporary camp sites. The field researchers also note that while they hear bonobo calls and see their nests and droppings, they aren’t seeing the actual bonobos – they used to see bonobos all the time. They believe that the bonobo population has decreased an additional 20%!

We’ve written about this issue before – wondering how the Congolese park authorities can possibly monitor a huge space, like the Sankuru Nature Reserve - formed by the Bonobo Conservation Initiative and the Congolese government, that is almost 12,000 square miles.

You are the most brilliant kids in the entire universe, so let’s hear your ideas. How can the land and the bonobos be protected? We’ll post your most creative answers…and who knows what may happen, we could get your ideas to the Congolese government and put them into action!

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It’s true – there is a connection! Did you know that regular old crayons (think Crayola) have petroleum in them? Petroleum is a fossil fuel – we often call it ‘oil’ and it runs cars, heats homes, etc. Is this something you want in your crayons?

We don’t think so because:

• Petroleum can cause health problems – it’s pretty intense stuff! Have you ever smelled the fumes when your parents are filling up your car at the gas station?

• Petroleum is TERRIBLE for the environment: When people drill for oil, they destroy the land above the oil which hurts creatures’ natural habitats, plants & trees.

• During the transport of oil, there have been several oil spills which cause severe damage to ocean ecosystems. There was recently a spill at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

• As petroleum is burned for energy, carbon-dioxide is released into the air which contributes to global warming.
• Wars are fought over oil. Ever heard of the Middle East?

• In the summer of 2007, oil was discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) at Lake Albert – home of our beloved bonobos. Humans are so desperate to get the oil that they hurt each other, the land of the DRC and the bonobos & other creatures living there in the process.

Here’s what you can do:

Ask your parents, your teachers and your school to get non-petroleum crayons!

There is a safe, non-toxic brand of crayons that is petroleum-free called STOCKMAR!!!
Visit their site here! They are made with beeswax and they are super sturdy which means they won’t break in half when you are drawing really hard!
Have fun – and tell everyone you know. If everyone uses petroleum-free crayons, there will be one less reason for oil drillers to disrupt the natural habitats of the bonobos and other wonderful creatures!

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Did you know that the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. recently passed a bill that calls for strict changes for the car industry? The bill has to get approved or passed by the House and the Senate and then it becomes a law.

This bill tells the country to help clean up pollution using their cars. It requires $21 billion in new taxes, mostly on the oil (fuel) industry, and it states that electric utilities must get 15 percent of their power from alternative sources, like wind or the sun.

We think this bill is awesome! It would make the auto industry 40% better at being clean and helping the environment.

Here’s the problem: there are a bunch of people that don’t like this bill! We know, it’s hard to believe! They don’t want to help the environment because it will cost them a lot of money (because they make their money from the oil industry)– they are only looking at tomorrow, and we want them to look at 10 years from now!

Because 10 years from now is your future…we want you to help by writing to your Senator and ask them to please sign this bill and help turn it into a law.

Get the email and snailmail address of your Senator here. And then write them a letter. We’d also love to see your letters and we’ll post some on the blog – so that we can share ideas with each other about what to say to get the votes!!!

Thanks, Bonobo Kids – you are the best!

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What rainforest destruction looks like.

As you know, the bonobos live in the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Africa. You also know that losing the rainforests due to deforestation (taking the trees for lumber and paper) means more than just losing the rainforests. It means losing the bonobos and countless other creatures that live in the rainforest. It means terrible damage to the Earth’s fragile environment because the plants and trees in the rainforest breathe in carbon dioxide so that it doesn’t move into our atmosphere and damage the ozone layer.

We found a great website, www.mongabay.com, that provides great information about rainforests all over the world, including the DRC. Like all of us at Bonobo Kids, they are working hard to save the rainforests and their creatures. They also see the big picture and they have some great ideas for how to help.

Here is the Mongabay list for saving rainforests and entire ecosystems around the world by focusing on “TREES”:
Teach others about the importance of the environment and how they can help rainforests.
Restore damaged ecosystems by planting trees on land where forests have been cut down.
Encourage people to live in a way that doesn’t hurt the environment
Establish parks to protect rainforests and wildlife
Support companies that operate in ways that minimize damage to the environment [and don’t use companies and products like DOVE from UNILEVER that do major damage - see yesterday’s post!]

We love the way they spelled TREES with their solutions.
Your bonobokids challenge: Put TREES into action and let us know how you do it!!! We know you’ll think of awesome ways to save our world!!!

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We are overwhelmed by the number of awesome Earth Day events that have taken place over the last week!

Here are some of our favorites:

1. Greenpeace has started a campaign called the International Dove Campaign to stop deforestation, species extinction and global climate destruction. The maker of Dove soap, Unilever, uses palm oil as a main ingredient and the company harvesting the palm oil for them is destroying the Indonesian rainforests to make their palm plantations (or farms). One of the many species in serious danger is our ape cousin, the orangutan. Watch their 1-minute video and take action online today.

2. In Arizona, elementary school kids released 300,000 ladybugs into their town as a natural remedy for a cumbersome pest. Aphids are tiny little bugs that eat and destroy plants, and ladybugs are their natural predators. What a cool and colorful idea…Where we grew up, ladybugs were good luck - 300,000 pieces of good luck sounds fantastic!

3. We’d rather you were out doing then watching TV, but Nickelodeon had eco-friendly shows on all day during Earth Day and showcased real kids doing real things for the environment. They’ve also launched a cool, new website, www.thebiggreenhelp.com where you can learn more about saving the environment and play green video games.

4. Scholastic books published the results of a survey where they asked kids how they thought we were doing in our environmental efforts. Kids gave us an ‘F’ for how we’ve done so far. Here are some other cool stats:

54% of kids said that "global climate change" is the most important
environmental issue facing the world today.
77% of kids think we should "figure out new ways to recycle old stuff"
as a way to deal with our trash.
52% of kids think that solar power is the most promising alternative
energy resource.
7% of kids say they are willing to do "nothing" to stop global
warming.
85% of kids say that responsibility for the environment belongs to
everyone (not just the government, scientists or adults).

5. Many websites and bloggers told the world about great books that teach kids about ‘going green’…we are so pleased to be among so many books that teach children about the environment and the earth’s special creatures!

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I’m Lucy’s fabulous photographer, Marian Brickner, traveled to Jacksonville, Florida this weekend to celebrate Earth Day with Lucy and her bonobo family. Marian had a sweet two-table spread piled high with brochures, postcards and books, and she met many wonderful families. As always, she was eager to share her love for the bonobos and to spread the word about all things I’m Lucy and Bonobo Kids.

Here is one happy family buying I’m Lucy:

The Chapman-Sagan Family has been emailing with Marian and reported that they’ve already read the book many times! We understand that it’s addictive - our little ones make us read the book over and over and over again!!! Another family just told us that their 3 year-old daughter takes her book to pre-school EVERY day.

The greatest news is that the Earth Day visitors bought every I’m Lucy book from the Jacksonville Zoo’s store!!! We sold out! To get your copy visit www.bonobokids.org and click on BUY THE BOOK!

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