RealitySandwich - Eco

Save the Wirikuta's Sacred Site

Faye Sakellaridis — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:04:53 -0800

[Action Alert] • The Wirikuta Cultural and Ecological Reserve, located in Real de Catorce, Mexico, is in danger of irreversible damage due to Canadian mining company First Majestic Silver Corp's plans to mine silver there.

The site is sacred to the Wixarika People, who practice their ancient religion in this reserve. The landscape is not only crucial to the lifestyle and culture of the native inhabitants, but is also home to an immense variety of animal and planet species, some endangered.

Reptilian Evolution?

Maggie Sherman — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:39:28 -0800

Researchers at the University of Sidney in Australia have concluded that rising global temperatures have increased the brain functions of lizards. Quicker response times in simple learning tests have been recorded when these tiny lizards are exposed to higher temperatures. This has lead to some concluding that as the world continues to warm, so will the cognitive behaviors of our reptilian neighbors.

Future Farmers

silentinfinite — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:26:37 -0800

The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture has a six-year plan for a robotic "Dream Project": automated tractors and robot farmers will transform land ruined by the March 2011 tsunami into a futuristic super farm.

Biopsychosocial Technoetics and the 99%

OddEdges — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 04:32:43 -0800

Zombie Bees

Caitlin McGrory — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:33:45 -0800

Science fiction has met reality as parasitic flies are turning honeybees into zombies. In a new twist to the ongoing research of colony collapse, scientists are now investigating the fly, Apocephalus borealis, which appears to parasitize honeybees by climbing into their stomachs and controlling their brains.

Life as Art: The Legacy of Lynn Margulis

Simon G. Powell — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:16:06 -0800

Converting Urban and Suburban Lands for Growing Food

Peter Ladner — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 06:28:46 -0800

The following is excerpted from The Urban Food Revolution, published by New Society Publishers.

As Above, So Below: The Worldview of Lynn Margulis

Conner Habib — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 02:49:48 -0800

"In the arithmetic of life, One is always Many."

An Inconvenient Consensus

Jameson Viens — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:03:12 -0800

Recent reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) suggest that things will be getting worse in terms of extreme weather events. The international body of scientists created to advise on climate and environmental policy has released data that strongly implies greater instability in weather patterns, from heat waves to hurricanes.

The Great NYC ReSkilling Continues

Cami Arrow — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:03:15 -0800

For this month’s ReSkilling series we focus upon Urban Preparedness and DIY Holiday gift making. Arc Ra will open with a cosmic orchestra led by Brooke Hamre Gillespie, featuring crystal singing bowls and percussion. Evolver is committed to offering our community ways to be safe and prepared in all situations. ReSkilling sessions will include kitchen gardening, practical home maintenance, kitchen gardening, proper rope tying techniques, what to pack in your emergency go-bag, and other skills for urban thriving.

The Unsung Intelligence of Life's Web

Simon G. Powell — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 03:20:52 -0800

The Great ReSkilling Continues

Cami Arrow — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 12:47:07 -0700

Force of Peace

silentinfinite — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 13:59:40 -0700

"It is the people who must save the environment. It is the people who must make their leaders change. And we cannot be intimidated. So we must stand up for what we believe in." - Wangari Maathai

Wangari Maathai passed away on September 25, 2011 from ovarian cancer. She was 71.

Green Maps: An Interview

Wendy E. Brawer — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 03:51:34 -0700

Space Junk Wars

Chris Kaplan — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 11:20:57 -0700

Humans haven't only been making a mess here on planet Earth, but out in space as well. Experts now say that the amount of debris caught in the Earth's orbit has reached a critical point that is now in need of a clean up.

Electric Car Runs Wild

JO — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 09:36:36 -0700

The Schluckspecht electric car has shattered the world record for total distance traveled on a single charge. The former record of 623.3 miles, held by the Japan Electric Vehicle Club, gave way to the 1,013.77 mile effort. Though the vehicle kept a modest pace, the advances made in battery technology could make main

Bidder 70 Speaks

Kelly Fragale — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 13:29:50 -0700

Tim DeChristopher posed as a bidder in a government held oil and gas land auction. He successfully won $1.8 million worth of land. Tim’s spontaneous actions to save pristine land from exploitation, during a government sale of public land; for pennies on the dollar to the oil industry, was less then amusing to the federal court system who fined "Bidder70" $10,000 and sentenced him to 2 years in prison on July 26th 2011.

Evolver NYC's Great Reskilling

Cami Arrow — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 08:03:56 -0700

Tonight in NYC: we invite you to engage in the growing reskilling movement happening in our fair city. Participate in fun interactive workshops featuring: Kombucha making and sampling, home sprouting and krauting techniques, urban bike repair, composting for the city kitchen, basic herbal health, tincture making, urban beekeeping, and more.

Manmade Tree Plague

Chris Kaplan — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 20:36:47 -0700

Across the U.S. trees are dying in mass numbers due to a new brand of weedkiller manufactured by DuPont and approved for use by the EPA. According to reports, the herbicide Imprelis "was claimed to be safer for the environment than its predecessors," but landscapers and environmentalists have never seen anything like the destruction it's causing.

Pandemic Meltdowns

Jay Van Liere — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 13:52:55 -0700

Mayan scholars say we are experiencing karmic acceleration in these profound times. Given the domino spread of crises at the Fukushima, Fort Calhoun, and Perry nuclear power plants--as well as the nuclear weapons lab fire hazard in Los Alamos--perhaps the cosmos is trying to tell us something about this form of energy.

Fake Meat Goes Green

Chris Kaplan — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 10:02:50 -0700

According to The Guardian, scientists are looking to take GMOs one step further in the name of going green. Their solution? Meat grown artificially in labs. Climate change scientists have been seeing an alarming trend with the cost of mass producing live stock and its effects on the environment, particularly with methane emissions and land waste. Researchers hope that by growing meat they can both help the environment, and feed the increasing world population.

Solutions to Climate Change

Daniel Pinchbeck — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 15:59:24 -0700

Darwin's Pharmacy: Plants as Superpower

Richard Doyle — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 04:13:40 -0700

The following is excerpted from Darwin's Pharmacy: Sex, Plants, and the Evolution of the Noösphere, available from University of Washington Press (2011).

Dow Chemical Got Punked

JO — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 15:45:50 -0700

When a PR firm for Dow Chemical asked Diet for a Hot Planet author Anna Lappe to produce a 60 second film for the Future We Create Conference, she didn’t exactly supply the “greenwashing” video Dow had hoped for.

Cry, Wolf

James William Gibson — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 06:12:53 -0700

The following article first appeared in Earth Island Journal.

How a Campaign of Fear and Intimidation Led to the Gray Wolf's Removal from the Endangered Species List

RS Plant Medicine Retreat in Costa Rica

Daniel Pinchbeck — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 09:33:13 -0700

Reality Sandwich is delighted to announce that we are partnering, once again, with Guaria de Osa in Costa Rica, and the shamans of the Secoya tribe from Ecuador, for two council gatherings this summer. The last ones were wonderful. Many participants felt they had life-changing experiences.

Waste for Fuel Road Trip

Erin Shaw — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 13:04:57 -0700

This June, Glenn Weinke and Nicholas Pisca embark from Wisconsin on a 6,000 mile trip to raise awareness about waste vegetable oil as an alternative to fossil fuel.

Emerging Earthships

Morgan Maher — Tue, 24 May 2011 13:48:43 -0700

When Earthship pioneer Michael Reynolds arrived in Haiti to survey the earthquake damage, what was intended as a recon visit quickly became The Haiti Earthship Project. Guided by Reynolds, 40 local Haitians aged four to 50, built a permanent, sustainable structure from waste materials - mostly tires and glass bottles - in just four days.

Frack is Wack

Caitlin McGrory — Tue, 17 May 2011 13:41:03 -0700

The first scientific study linking hydraulic fracturing to flammable drinking water was published. As a result, scientists are urging a moratorium on the drilling and more research into its dangers.

Suing the States

OddEdges — Wed, 11 May 2011 14:05:41 -0700

Alec Loorz, a 16 year old member of the iMatter campaign and founder of Kids vs Global Warming has "filed a lawsuit against the United States of America, for allowing money to be more powerful than the survival of my generation, and for making decisions that threaten our right to a safe and healthy planet."