The number of Western lowland gorillas has at least doubled. Researchers discovered an estimated 125,000 gorillas living in the Congo. While this discovery doesn’t end the concern and careful watch that must be continued for the gorillas survival… the discovery of these gorillas is good news!

My friend Dana Roc interviewed John Dau this week for her Inspiring People series. A bit from that interview that really struck me:

We are just here for a short time. Think. Think about what you can do so that by the time you leave this world you will have done something that you can be proud of. Instead of bickering and thinking about what happened or planning to kill the Muslims or kill the Christians, why not put a smile on someone’s face and treat other people well. What if I decide to help others? What if I work harder so that others can go to school? I am going to work harder so that others can get eye surgery and see again. I am going to work harder to leave something for the community. What would you rather do? Bicker and seek revenge or cause people to smile?

You have to make a choice. I have made my choice.

Read the entire interview if you have time. John Dau inspires.

For my regular readers - you know I’m currently doing a fundraiser for the John Dau Sudan Foundation.  For those of you just stopping in, long story short, I was given help when I really needed it. After watching God Grew Tired of Us and learning about John Dau and other Lost Boys from Sudan - I wanted to do something to help.

Just a few bucks will help. It’s quick, safe and easy (and a tax-deduction). You can donate here.  Thanks.

A happy and inspiring story in The New York Times yesterday. The story of how a donation of a goat through Heifer International changed one girl’s life… and in turn will she will be making a difference for many others when she returns to Africa.

Natalie, I thought you especially would like this story. Natalie recently donated 6 families a flock of chickens - you can read about that here. It’s wonderful to imagine the domino effect of changes you are bringing about with your flocks of chickens!

Want to knock over your own domino?

Consider giving up a mocha or two, fasting a meal you would paid for, or raiding a piggy bank for a good cause…. and donating to my fundraiser for the John Dau Foundation. John Dau is a Lost Boy of Sudan - who, like Beatrice Biira in the article above, was given an opportunity and has made the most of it for himself. Today, he works for the foundation he founded that is committed to transforming healthcare in Southern Sudan.

Give the largest donation, or refer the largest number of donations and I’ll send you my original abstract painting Sun’s Set. (Click here for a larger photo of the painting.) I love this painting and I know you will too. Here’s a great opportunity to flick over your own domino and create an incalculable effect for people in Southern Sudan and get a great piece of artwork too! Donate and pass on the word! Thanks!

Did you know that there are mentoring programs for refugees who have come to the US? It makes sense, but I didn’t know it. I have an online acquaintance who is mentoring a refugee family new to the US in her community - and this was the first I had heard of this kind of opportunity.

International Rescue Committee help people who have come to the US as refugees from war-torn lands. From their website:

Founded in 1933, the IRC is a global leader in emergency relief, rehabilitation, protection of human rights, post-conflict development, resettlement services and advocacy for those uprooted or affected by conflict and oppression.

They have a broad range of programs that help with everything from providing furniture for families who have moved to the US, advocating for change, emergency response, post-conflict development, and more.

You can get involved and help. If you don’t have much time, I have two quickie suggestions for you:

1) Contact a representative about one of 4 campaigns that IRC is currently working on.

• Speak Up For Myamar Cyclone Victims
• Help Iraqi Families
• End Violence Against Women
• Join the Congo Coalition

or

2) Raise awareness - blog about International Rescue Committee. Give others a chance to know of the opportunity to help and make a difference for others.

Oh and one more — be aware. You can sign up to receive e-newsletters that keep you informed.

I hope you’ll pick one or more of these to do today. Won’t take long - and it will make a difference!

I asked you a while back to sign a petition asking Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to add the polar bear and their habitat to the Federal Endangered Species list. My thanks to those of you who took the time and did just that!

Today I see on CNN, “Polar bear now listed as ‘threatened’ species“.

All I can say is… YAY!

oh, and

It’s about damned time!!

Tova reminds me of a polar bear, hence you get a picture of him with this post.

I just signed an online petition via The We Campaign. The petition is going to Secretary Dirk Kempthorne asking him to protect polar bears and their habitat by adding them to the Federal Endangered Species list. The plight of the polar bears is well documented.

To add your name to the petition, click here. It takes no time at all.

I found artist Kate E. Austin’s blog yesterday. She has a fun post on making plarn… yarn from plastic bags. Check it out. I love when people come up with inventive ways to re-use things. Here’s her how-to video:

And here’s a bag she made…

I wonder what else you could make?

Isn’t there a magazine or website that highlights ideas like this? I’d love to learn more ideas about reusing, repurposing, recycling, reclaiming… etc.

One of my 101 Things is to do an action item from WeAreWhatWeDo.org.  Here’s my action tracker, if you are curious.   It’s been fun to see these actions start to become a more regular part of my daily life.  The cool thing is as you practice them and track them, they become more and more habit.  That’s a good thing. 

It’s horrific.

I think I’m behind the times, but I heard of it for the first time this week. It’s a massive. And when I say massive, I mean twice the size of Texas… The Great Pacific Garbage patch is an accumulation of plastics floating in the Pacific Ocean between California and Hawaii. It is the largest “landfill” in the world. It has been created because of how the ocean currents flow… the currents have gathered up and collected all our millions upon millions of pounds of plastic waste that we left, dropped, and dumped into the ocean. (Note: because this is 1,000 west of San Francisco… there isn’t specific, provable data on the size… at this point, the size is a “guestimate”. From what I’ve read, we can safely say it is much, much, MUCH larger than it should be and that the damage it is causing is measurable.)

It gets better. There’s not just one of these garbage patches, but two. The eastern patch is the one I just described above. The western patch is east of Japan and west of Hawaii. They are connected by a 6,000 mile long current called the Subtropical Convergence Zone. The implication of this on the health of the ocean is enormous. From HowStuffWorks.com:

The main problem with plastic — besides there being so much of it — is that it doesn’t biodegrade. No natural process can break it down. (Experts point out that the durability that makes plastic so useful to humans also makes it quite harmful to nature.) Instead, plastic photodegrades. A plastic cigarette lighter cast out to sea will fragment into smaller and smaller pieces of plastic without breaking into simpler compounds, which scientists estimate could take hundreds of years. The small bits of plastic produced by photodegradation are called mermaid tears or nurdles.

These tiny plastic particles can get sucked up by filter feeders and damage their bodies. Other marine animals eat the plastic, which can poison them or lead to deadly blockages. Nurdles also have the insidious property of soaking up toxic chemicals. Over time, even chemicals or poisons that are widely diffused in water can become highly concentrated as they’re mopped up by nurdles. These poison-filled masses threaten the entire food chain, especially when eaten by filter feeders that are then consumed by large creatures.

So what do we do? An article I found this evening puts it plainly: “The only way to reduce marine debris, all sides agree, is to cut it off at its source - on land.” I don’t have time tonight (I really need to go to bed)… but tomorrow, I’ll do the research and write a post for us about what we can do.

I picked up a handful of those freebie magazines outside our local Super Supplements store. One of the magazines in my collection turned out to be Conscious Choice Seattle. I haven’t finished all of it yet, but I’ve already read some fascinating articles about co-housing, why we are here and string theory.

My favorite so far has been on biodynamic farming. This was a new idea to me. The article highlights a farmer in Carnation, WA who recently converted his organic farm to biodynamic farming. What this means it that the farm is completely self-sustaining. So, if you need fertilizer for your farm, you have cows. If you need to feed those cows, you grow the food that they need. It’s a closed loop. You don’t bring anything into your farm.

Some of the concepts are a little woo-woo to read about… for example, taking cow manure and packing into a cow’s horn and burying it over the winter. The fermented mixture is then added to the water (threw quite a procedure) and dispersed evenly in the evening. The point? Apparently it strengthens root formation in the spring.

Farmers who practice biodynamic farming think of agriculture as being in tune with the earth and its cycles… everything from sun, moon, planets, starts, animal and plant life… and of course, us. It’s an enormous contrast to the commercialized form of agriculture that is the norm today.

Interestingly, vineyards are embracing this idea faster than farming. Being completely wine illiterate, the term terrior was meaningless to me (unless you’ve misspelled a type of dog). Terrior, instead of being a four legged and tenacious dog, is the flavor in wine that can indicate soil, geography and climate difference. Biodynamic farming practices increase the terrior in wine.  And from what I’m told, that’s a good thing.
With even organic foods being in question (a lot due to problems the FDA’s “certified organic” standards), more people are drawn to the idea of their food, whether it be plant, meat or dairy, coming from biodynamic farms.

Isn’t this fascinating? Or am I just getting more nerdy?

(Source: Seattle.ConsciousChoice.com, Biodynamic Farming, In tune with the sun, moon and stars)

We believe in taking action against climate change. Since 1998 we have not invested in any business involved in the extraction or production of fossil fuels. This is just one aspect of our Ethical Policy.

Blogging about a bank isn’t something I’ve ever thought of doing before.  But when I was exposed to The Co-operative Bank, well, this is the type of business I’d like to promote.  A bank with a stated Ethical Policy is so appealing.

I love the increasing business trend of not only being responsible but become a leader in making a difference in areans spanning from social initiatives to environmental concerns.

This UK-based bank offers personal, business and corporate support.  And their credit card programs for individuals are inventive.  They have several types including:

• The Clear Card:  provides up to 59 days interest free credit if balance is paid in full by the due date, and gives a limited donation to good causes based on what you spend  on your credit card.
• Flat Rate Platinum Credit Card: provides a fixed rate for 5 years, and 46 days interest free credit when balance is paid in full by the due date.
• Advantage Credit Card:  gives you 0% on purchases and balance transfers fixed for six months, and up to 46 days interest free credit if balance is paid in full by the due date.
• Travel Card: gives you up to 59 days interest free credit if balance is paid in full by the due date, travel reward points and 6 months 0% fixed rate.
• And my favorite… Affinity Card where your spending raises money for an organization of your choice. Just a few of the organization beneficiaries include: ActionAid International, Amnesty International, The Children’s Society, Christian Aid, Oxfam and more.

I can only hope that banks like The Co-operative Bank have so much success that others will be eager to follow in their footsteps.

The beauty of this makes me cry.

Backstory: (pulled from Amazon.com)

Back in the 70s, Christian (the lion) was separated from his parents at an early age and put up for sale in a London department store. Two men, Anthony Bourke and John Rendall, found him there and immediately fell in love with him and determined to buy him. They scraped together the money and brought the little lion home when he was only a few weeks old.

As he grew, Christian began to need bigger facilities than Tony and John could provide. Thanks to a chance meeting, they hit upon the idea of sending Christian to Africa to live as a wild lion.

When a year had passed, Tony and John came to Africa to see Christian…

The bond was still so close between the men & Christian, that his pride accepted the two men as well. I’d love to see this video (sadly on VHS only).

I love the fact that people are designing and creating products that really make a difference. For example, I give you the Watercone.

Every day 5000 children die as a result of diarrhea caused by drinking unsafe water…”

UNICEF

The Watercone can kill all waterborne pathogens, remove particulates, many chemicals, and heavy metals - and desalinate sea water. From the Watercone website: “The Watercone® is a solar powered water desalinator that takes salt or brackish water and generates freshwater. It is simple to use, lightweight and mobile. The technology is simple in design and use and is described by simple pictograms. With a max. of 1.6 quarts a day, the Watercone® is an ideal device to cover a childs daily need of freshwater.”

The Yangtze River dolphin is now almost certainly extinct, making it the first dolphin that humans drove to extinction, scientists have now concluded after an intense search for the endangered species.

(Full article)