The US Agricultural Secretary Tom Vilsack, former governor of Iowa, spoke recently to press the importance of forest conservation and stressed his agency’s commitment to its future in the United States. His comments sought to point out that forests are crucial in supplying clean water, sheltering wildlife, and mitigating the effects of climate change. He went on to say that the sky might in fact be blue.

Vilsack is perhaps best known for his strong support of biofuels and while serving as governor was a strong supporter of Ethanol additives. I’m still not sure how I feel about biofuels as it seems a little shortsighted to take two things as vital as energy and food and combine them into one item of such importance.

Back to the issue at hand. Key among Vilsack’s policies is reversing former president Bush’s forest planning rule of 2008 and also seeking to reinstate former president Bill Clinton’s ‘Roadless Rule’ which had imposed halts on road construction, among other development, on 58 million acres of national forests.

I firmly believe that deforestation is one of the largest threats facing the world today. And it’s great to see a member of the presidential cabinet taking such a strong stance. Smokey would be proud.

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Many of you know the mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, as one of the nation’s most progressive leaders on the environment. His crusades have seen him squaring off against everything from smoking to street congestion.

Earlier this year he strengthened the city’s anti-idling laws to restrict cars from idling for longer than three minutes, however the AP claims that Bloomberg routinely violates his own policies and leaves his official city SUVs idling for hours at a time. See whenever Bloomberg travels around the city he either uses his official SUVs or is trailed by said vehicles. So even when the mayor takes the subway in an attempt to seem in touch with the working man, he’s still trailed by the SUVs. And thanks to the AP’s stalking it would seem that whenever the mayor gives a speech or stops at an official function, his vehicles stay idling.

Hopefully after getting slammed by the AP all of this idling business will stop. I still like Bloomberg for all he’s done, however if hypocrisy were a crime he would be in jail along with the rest of us, and Al Gore.

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2008 was the deadliest year on record for international aid workers with 122 killed while carrying out their work. More than 80% of the deaths reported have taken place in three countries; Afghanistan, Somalia and Sudan. Being an aid worker is now officially more dangerous than being a guy in a blue hat.

I can’t say I’m too surprised by the news, as UN peacekeepers are infamous for not really doing anything. I’m sure everyone can recall the story of the brave Colonel Karremans in the Bosnian conflict.

So please remember to think about the aid workers the next time you’re pouring 40’s on the curb.

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Global real estate is in a state of decline, that is except for on the coasts of South Africa where there is a construction boom. The houses are currently only going for $40 USD but they will one-day pay much larger dividends.

What I’m talking about is the financing and construction of artificial penguins nests now taking place on the beaches of Cape Town and Dyer Island.

African penguins are facing an increasingly dire situation which has seen their numbers plummet in recent years. Some colonies have witnessed declines of up to 50% since 2005. Experts fear that the entire species could die out within ten years.

The main culprit has been the mismanagement of fishing resources which has caused the supply of the penguins’ diet to dwindle. Climate change threatens to add to the damage by way of scorching days and warming of the ocean leading to an alteration in fish migratory patterns. But one of the most immediate problems is that a history of guano scraping has left the penguins without the material required to burrow, and instead are left to make their nests on the surface.

This is where the artificial penguin nests come into play. They’re intended to provide the penguins with shelter from the heat, and protection for their eggs from predatory gulls. They’ve proven popular with the penguins, boasting an 80% occupancy rate where they’ve been installed.

It’s one of the last lines of defence for the species, so if you have any money to send for your penguin brethren, please do so. I’ve already contributed what I can.

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 Visit the 8th continent Madagascar
Often referred to as the “eighth continent” in reference to the island’s break from Africa sometime around 160 million years ago. It’s long absence from a continental body has allowed an entirely unique set of animal and plant life to develop. Madagascar is now home to one of the world’s more diverse eco-systems, housing 5% of the world’s animal species.

The primary attractions are the tropical rainforests that litter the island, and the unspoiled beaches lining the coast. The best way to experience the island is to stay at one of the many eco-lodges.

The easiest way to reach Madagascar by flight is from either South Africa or France. The island was once a French colony and as such there are regular flights from Paris to its capital of Antananarivo. Despite being an island nation, Madagascar does not maintain regular passenger sea links with neighbouring nations.

In modern times Madagascar has faced its largest threat, deforestation. More than eighty-percent of the nation’s original forests are gone, and every year another one-percent disappear. Madagascar is one of the most threatened eco-systems in the world, however there is hope. Currently more money pours into Madagascar for conservation efforts than any other African nation.

One non-profit organization working in Madagascar is Azafady. They work with disadvantaged communities to improve living standards and promote positive coexistence with the the local environment.

I’ve made my donation. Now it’s on you.

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Millions of animals lay dead today after Australia’s worst ever wildfires. The state of Victoria has been the hardest hit but there are several groups doing everything they can to help. Whether it’s treating the animals for scorched paws, or special vaporising tents to help with scorched lungs.

These groups need donations to keep doing their work, so send a few Dollars and help a wallaby, you’ll feel better about yourself.

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PETA has enlisted the help of Mickey Rourke in their efforts to convince pet owners to spay & neuter their animals. The animals however are decidedly opposed to the plan.

Breaking news! Pamela Anderson had this to add to the subject; “dogs can’t use condoms”.

I would like to see a study confirming her thoughts. I don’t think there is one, which leads me to conclude that hers is a baseless claim. I propose that dogs just don’t like condoms.

http://thesuperficial.com/2009/01/mickey_rourke_teaches_peta_the.php

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The Hong Kong government is always looking for new & profitable ways to exploit the harbour & reclaim the land for commercial use. Someone has to fight on behalf of the waterway & that someone is The Society For Protection Of The Harbour.

Check out their website for more information on how you can help preserve one the world’s greatest beauties for future generations.

http://www.harbourprotection.org/

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Check out the Arbor Day Foundation’s website where you can have trees planted in the name of loved ones. It’s a gift that gives for a lifetime.

Remember how bad you always felt at the end of ‘The Giving Tree’, well imagine feeling the complete opposite. That’s what it feels like to plant a tree.

http://www.arborday.org/shopping/giveatree/giveatree.cfm

If you need more convincing:

‘As the trees grow and prosper, so does the meaning of your gift.

Over the course of 50 years, a single tree can generate $31,250 of oxygen, provide $62,000 worth of air pollution control, recycle $37,500 worth of water, and control $31,500 worth of soil erosion.

Your trees will be silent sentinels, honorable monuments, and for decades to come, active participants in nature’s plan.’

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I’ve recently started loaning money to third world entrepreneurs on a microfinancing website called Kiva. I think it’s a pretty cool way to contribute to the under-privileged in the developing world.

Many times in third world countries people are without established credit histories leaving loan sharks as the only available option. That’s where microfinance comes in. By lending on a website like Kiva you are helping to guarantee the principle of the loan which in turn allows people to get loans from the financial institutions at low interest rates.

And if you don’t believe microfinance is a viable endeavor I refer you to one Bill Clinton.

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Kiva (www.kiva.org) is a non-profit that allows you to lend as little as $25 to a specific low-income entrepreneur in the developing world.

You choose who to lend to - whether a baker in Afghanistan, a goat herder in Uganda, a farmer in Peru, a restaurateur in Cambodia, or a tailor in Iraq - and as they repay their loan, you get your money back. It’s a powerful and sustainable way to empower someone right now to lift themselves out of poverty.

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