The Boston Marathon and EcoEtsy Earth Day Auction

Good morning and happy Monday to all of you! Here in Massachusetts it is Patriots Day, technically a holiday for us which commemorates the beginning of the Revolutionary War and it is also the day to get out and watch the running of the Boston Marathon (or the 11:05 AM Red Sox game if you are so lucky!).

This year is the 114th running of the race which draws all sorts of folks out of the woodwork to show their stuff by completing the 26.2 mile journey that not only includes dodging Boston’s infamous potholes, but the challenging and “chops-proving” Heartbreak Hill -- a half mile uphill stretch of the course that falls within the last five miles, when runners are already exhausted and reserves are depleted.

Many runners give up at this point, but for those who don’t the final few miles will be the most gratifying as the finish line comes into sight and they can say they have not only competed in, but completed, one of the longest and oldest running races in the history of, well, history!

All of us here in the city are keeping our fingers crossed that the spewing ash out of the volcano in Iceland subsided long enough that the thousands of European entrants were able to make it over to our city to compete today. Good luck to all the runners and for everyone who has a day off I hope you enjoy the sunshine and spring temperatures!

Those of us who don’t pound the pavement, should head over to the EcoEtsy Handmade for Earth Day Auction and bid on one of the fifty three amazing items up for bid!

There are six categories to choose from -- Baby, Home, Fashion, Jewelry, Paper Goods and Health and Beauty and all of the items are beautiful! The proceeds will be donated to the World Wildlife Fund, a cause very near and dear to our hearts here at GLR (and the sponsors of Earth Hour!).

To check out the EcoEtsy Auction, just head on over to the website and start perusing the many fine selections that could be yours! Bidding ends on May 2 so bid early and often!

Have a fantastic Patriots Day everyone!!

Earth Hour 2010 - Lights Out!

Its back everyone! The World Wildlife Fund supported Earth Hour 2010 is almost upon us! It is time to turn it out, unplug it and turn it off for the planet. Let’s all make a difference and kill those lights for just a short and sweet hour on March 27, 2010 beginning at 8:30 PM. It is based on your time zone so it’s really simple.

Here’s a commercial to remind us what to do in one easy step as provided by the kids of America.



Its right around the corner, are you going to take part?

Earth FM Broadcasting Live to Our World Leaders

As many of you know our world’s leaders are in Copenhagen right now to discuss climate issues, such as global warming and what role they play in making changes to our world, at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference.

This morning I received an email from the folks at earthhour.org encouraging us all to add our own voice by recording our message for change at their broadcast station, Earth FM.

Here’s the content of the email:

On December 16 world leaders are meeting in Copenhagen for the COP15 Climate Summit, where critical decisions will be made on taking action against global warming. We need to make sure world leaders Vote Earth.

You can record a message which will be broadcast to world leaders on Earth FM at the COP15 Summit. It’s about making our voice heard as one people, because it’s not about what country you’re from, it’s about what planet you’re from.

A special Earth Hour event, Earth Hour Copenhagen, will take place at 7pm CET on December 16, uniting the people of Copenhagen for an hour of darkness. The culmination of this event will be UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon accepting the 'People's Orb', symbol of the collective will of our planet.

So get on over to Earth FM now to record your message of encouragement to the leaders for change! The messages are going to be played tonight so there is still plenty of time.

A little voice shy? Not a problem! Just head on over to the Earth Hour homepage and click the huge ‘I VOTE EARTH’ button smack dab in the middle of the screen. There is a short form to fill out and your vote will be added to the hundreds of millions of others who have already raised their hand and said they stand behind making our planet a better place to inhabit.

What Exactly Is In that Fish Sandwich?

Companies like McDonalds, Dennys and Long John Silvers are likely to be forced to locate an alternate fish source in the near future as the hoki fish in New Zealand takes a nose dive in population.

As reported in the New York Times last Thursday the fish, found primarily about a half mile below the surface off the costs of New Zealand, is declining in population rebirth. This fact has many environmental agencies, most notably the Blue Ocean Institute (BOI) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), on edge because the fishery was considered sustainable.

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) even granted the fishery a prestigious certification back in March of 2001 noting it as being well managed as well as sustainable. When this new news surfaced the WWF attempted to block recertification but the MSC granted it regardless in 2007.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

“The world’s insatiable appetite for fish, with its disastrous effects on populations of favorites like red snapper, monkfish and tuna, has driven commercial fleets to deeper waters in search of creatures unlikely to star on the Food Network.

One of the most popular is the hoki, or whiptail, a bug-eyed specimen found far down in the waters around New Zealand and transformed into a major export. McDonald’s alone at one time used roughly 15 million pounds of it each year.”

Wow. That sure is a lot of fish. And that is just for one restaurant. No wonder the population decreased, it appears this particular species has been over fished. In fact the tons per year that New Zealand allows to be fished decreased from 275,000 in 2000 to just 100,000 in 2008. That is a decrease of almost 22,000 tons per year.

Not only has there been a rapid reduction in the number of available fish to capture, there has also been evidence found of ecosystem damage and the unintentional killing of other air and marine life such as sharks, albatross, petrels, fur seals and skates.

Because so much attention was raised in regard to this issue, restaurants like McDonalds, Dennys and Long John Silvers have drastically cut back on their consumption of hoki fish.

It is more important than ever to ensure our food comes from reliable, sustainable sources. When it comes to fish the BOI is a wonderful resource as they rate a large array of fish on this very scale (among other factors).

Before it is consumed we should all know where and how it is sourced.