Twin Cities Leprechaun Flash Mob!

Posted by Maia on Mar 17th, 2010 in Featured, Rainforest Agribusiness | 0 comments

A flash mob can be a cheery and exciting method for public education about an issue. This past Sunday, RAN Twin Cities joined with Macalester College students and Real Food Challenge participants for a festive leprechaun action! As Twin Cities activist Erick Boustead said, “Pristine rainforest in Indonesia and Malaysia is being cut down for palm oil that ends up in the cereal we eat.” The Twin Cities based company General Mills sources unsustainable palm oil for their products such as Cheerios and Lucky Charms. On the afternoon of March 14, seventeen activists wearing green clothes... (continue reading)

It’s elementary, dear Watson. Clean up your mess.

Posted by Paula on Mar 17th, 2010 in Chevron, Featured, RYSE | 0 comments

Indigenous Ecuadorean leader Emergildo Criollo travels from Amazon rainforest to California to deliver 325,000+ letters urging Chevron’s new CEO John Watson to clean up the oil giant’s toxic legacy. Photo by Jonathan McIntosh. On March 2nd, Emergildo Criollo, president of the Ecuadorian Cofan people, delivered 325,000 petitions from over 150 countries in support of his appeal to Chevron to clean up the toxic mess they had left in the Amazon over three decades ago.  He was met by Chevron’s  Public Relations Clean-Up Crew, who seemed more concerned with cleaning up Chevron’s image... (continue reading)

Business and Energy

Posted by Alexandria Mitchell on Mar 12th, 2010 in Climate Justice | 0 comments

Maybe I’m being a little too cynical…I just don’t think that Brad Pitt is saving the world. Bill Gates on the other hand, might be a different story While a friend of a friend of mine has chosen to label Mr. Gates as a ’socialist’ (yes that’s right a socialist…America’s richest man, and corporate icon in the most capitalistic way possible) for his new stance on a different way of looking at energy, I see that Gates might actually be on the cutting edge of a new way of viewing what environmentalists have talked about for years. In Gates’ most recent TED talk, entitled... (continue reading)

Over 170 People Tell RBC To Get Out of the Tar Sands!

Posted by crystal on Mar 12th, 2010 in Climate Justice, RAN Toronto, Tar Sands | 0 comments

Protesters call on top tar sands financier to protect Indigenous rights and climate! On March 3rd, more than 170 people gathered outside the RBC Annual General Shareholder Meeting in Toronto to protest the bank’s leading role in funding the contentious Alberta tar sands. People concerned with the impact of tar sands projects on First Nations, water quality and the climate came from every corner of Canada to ensure that the bank heard the message: ‘stop bankrolling the tar sands.’ Outside the shareholder meeting school children, bank customers of every age, First Nations community... (continue reading)

Back in the Northlands

Posted by Jill on Mar 11th, 2010 in Rainforest Agribusiness | 1 comment

After 36+ hours of transit (including 14 hours in the Singapore’s lovely Changi Airport), I’m back in Squamish, BC and re-immersing myself in “traditional” education (not that Quest University is all that traditional). It’s hard to believe we were in Borneo for two months; that time seems like a sort of wormhole in my day-to-day existence. It’s heartening to hear from my fellow students that they’re watching our videos (which are now posted online), and many of them (as well as a number of people I met in airports and on planes during the long journey home) are genuinely... (continue reading)

Conservation vs. Restoration

Posted by Veronica on Mar 10th, 2010 in Rainforest Agribusiness | 0 comments

For these last ten days of our expedition, we got on a boat and headed to paradise.  Literally.  The white sandy beaches, swaying palm trees and the warm turquoise waters of Maratua Island were much too picturesque to seem real.  As part of our stay here, we went in two groups to spend a night on nearby Sangalaki Island, previously an ecotourism venture for scuba diving, but now closed off to all except a small group of rangers who live on the island helping protect the sea turtles who come to lay their eggs.  The ecotourism program was closed to give the hatching turtles a more... (continue reading)

Kids Action Toolkit – Now Available!

Posted by Kasha on Mar 8th, 2010 in RYSE, Rainforest Agribusiness | 0 comments

Do you know a kid who loves the rainforest? Do you know a teacher who wants to help? Invite them to be a Rainforest Hero with RAN’s newly updated “Kid’s Action Toolkit.” It talks all about the world’s rainforests, their role in climate change, and what you can do to make a real difference to protect these places and help the people who depend on them. And it’s beautiful! Download the Kids Action Toolkit... (continue reading)

Climate Change Crew Wins 1st Place!!

Posted by Kasha on Mar 6th, 2010 in Featured, RYSE | 0 comments

Congrats to our friends, the Climate Change Crew, who just won First Place for their song “Change is Needed” in Green For All’s The Dream Reborn Story Contest! Listen to the song here. This group hails from the Twin Cities; they are Awesome. Here’s what they have to say about it: We are high school students from Minneapolis and St. Paul. We represent the Twin Cities low-income communities of color, whose voices often go unheard when major decisions are made. We work through a lens of understanding that climate change is an “opportune crisis”. We believe that if... (continue reading)