Values and Vision

“The value of your company is driven by your company’s values.”
~Howard Shultz, CEO Starbucks



“Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world!”
 – Joel Arthur Barker

Values

Sustainability: Looking beyond our current environment and planning ahead for the benefit of future generations.

Integrity: To be driven by a strong sense of values and principles that benefit the greater good.

Philanthropy: To give back to the community; whether it’s a monetary donation, volunteer hours or education; the organizations we partner with are paying it forward to the global community.

Sustainability, Integrity, Philanthropy (Sip)

“The value of your company is driven by your company’s values.”
~Howard Shultz, CEO Starbucks

“Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world!” – Joel Arthur Barker


Sustainability. Integrity. Philanthropy. It’s what we at Sip stand for. The demand for companies to behave responsibly is global – and it’s growing. We believe every organization has an opportunity to create positive change; collectively these small shifts can greatly impact people and the planet. As public relations experts, it’s our mission to ensure your efforts get noticed.

Sip – we’re thirsty for change.

Communicating for good, not evil. Ignorance is not bliss and no organization has a perfect footprint, but we should strive to tread lighter. Creative, progressive, and effective, our world-class creative team has more than 30 years of collective journalism and public relations experience. We use our expertise to strategically brag about the positive movements your company is making to the audiences you want to reach. It’s time to think globally; It’s time to change.

Source:
Sip Publicity

http://sippublicity.com/

Blog:  http://sippublicity.com/blog-3/

American bison are on the rebound

Zeke Tapia
American Bison

Bison near Ratón.

Posted: Wednesday, October 31, 2012 1:00 pm | Updated: 2:26 pm, Thu Oct 25, 2012.

by Steve Tapia |

American bison, also known as the American buffalo, is comprised of two subspecies, the plains bison and the wood bison. Plains bison is the one we are most familiar with.

Both species were hunted close to extinction during the 19th and 20th centuries, but have since rebounded. The American plains bison is no longer listed as endangered, but the wood bison is on the Endangered Species list in Canada.

In “American Bison; A Natural History” by Dale F. Lott (2003), we learn bison are nomadic grazers and travel in herds. The bulls leave the herds of females at 2 or 3 years of age, and join a male herd which is generally smaller than the female herds.

Mature bulls rarely travel alone. Both sexes reunite for the mating season toward the end of summer.

American bison tend to graze more and browse less, they favor head-butting as opposed to locking horns, and the American bison breed with domestic cattle more readily than wood bison.

The number of bison remaining alive in North America declined to as low as 541 animals!

The U.S. National Bison Association has adopted a code of ethics which prohibits its members from deliberately crossbreeding bison with any other species. That’s not to say that crossbreeding has not occurred in the past.

During the time that they were on the brink of extinction, a handful of ranchers gathered remnants of the existing herds to save the species. These ranchers bred some of the bison with cattle and produced “cattleo” and “beefalo.”

Accidental crossings were also known to occur over the years.

Generally, male domestic bulls were crossed with buffalo cows, producing offspring of which only the females were fertile. The crossbred animals did not demonstrate any form of hybrid vigor so the practice was abandoned.

Wallowing is a common behavior of bison. A bison wallow is a shallow depression in the soil, either wet or dry, that bison roll in and cover themselves with mud or dust to groom themselves, get relief from skin irritation due to biting insects, and good all-around play or fun.

The bison’s temperament is often unpredictable. They usually appear peaceful, unconcerned, even lazy … yet they may attack anything often without warning or apparent reason — kind of like the State Farm TV commercial.

At the time bison ran wild, they were rated second only to the Alaska brown bear as a potential killer, more dangerous than a grizzly bear. In the words of early naturalists, “they were a dangerous, savage animal that feared no other animal, and in prime condition could best any foe … except for maybe wolves and brown bears.”

Knowing how many bison there were goes beyond casual curiosity. We can’t understand the ecosystem of primitive North America, or the magnitude of the human rearrangement of that ecosystem, without a good estimate of the primitive North American bison population.

Still, I have not found a “definitive” number in the literature, and believe me, I have looked. I have read anywhere from 30 million bison to 60 million bison in primitive North America.

It’s almost as though most authors fear taking a formal stance on the “original number of bison in North America,” or that we are just too embarrassed by the number.

Nevertheless, the book “Buffalo Nation; History and Legend of the North American Bison” (1982) chronicles with great detail the plight of the American Bison in America. We should not be embarrassed, but we should learn from our mistakes.

Steve Tapia is a retired wildlife biologist who worked 23 years with the U.S. Forest Service and four years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.







© 2012 The Taos News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.




De La Tierra: American bison are on the rebound - The Taos News: Lifestyle

Link: http://www.taosnews.com/lifestyle/article_c414157e-1ee1-11e2-8705-001a4bcf887a.html

"We will need a new recipe to feed the world in the future" -Vegetarianism

Food shortages could force world into vegetarianism, warn scientists


Water scarcity's effect on food production means radical steps will be needed to feed population expected to reach 9bn by 2050
 
 

John Vidal, environment editor
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 26 August 2012 19.00 BST

A bull grazes on dry wheat husks in Logan, Kansas, one of the regions hit by the record drought that has affected more than half of the US and is expected to drive up food prices. Photograph: John Moore/Getty Images


Leading water scientists have issued one of the sternest warnings yet about global food supplies, saying that the world's population may have to switch almost completely to a vegetarian diet over the next 40 years to avoid catastrophic shortages.

Humans derive about 20% of their protein from animal-based products now, but this may need to drop to just 5% to feed the extra 2 billion people expected to be alive by 2050, according to research by some of the world's leading water scientists.

"There will not be enough water available on current croplands to produce food for the expected 9 billion population in 2050 if we follow current trends and changes towards diets common in western nations," the report by Malik Falkenmark and colleagues at the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) said.
"There will be just enough water if the proportion of animal-based foods is limited to 5% of total calories and considerable regional water deficits can be met by a … reliable system of food trade."

Dire warnings of water scarcity limiting food production come as Oxfam and the UN prepare for a possible second global food crisis in five years. 

Prices for staples such as corn and wheat have risen nearly 50% on international markets since June, triggered by severe droughts in the US and Russia, and weak monsoon rains in Asia.

 More than 18 million people are already facing serious food shortages across the Sahel.

Oxfam has forecast that the price spike will have a devastating impact in developing countries that rely heavily on food imports, including parts of Latin America, North Africa and the Middle East.

 Food shortages in 2008 led to civil unrest in 28 countries.

Adopting a vegetarian diet is one option to increase the amount of water available to grow more food in an increasingly climate-erratic world, the scientists said. 

Animal protein-rich food consumes five to 10 times more water than a vegetarian diet. 

One third of the world's arable land is used to grow crops to feed animals. Other options to feed people include eliminating waste and increasing trade between countries in food surplus and those in deficit.

"Nine hundred million people already go hungry and 2 billion people are malnourished in spite of the fact that per capita food production continues to increase," they said. 

"With 70% of all available water being in agriculture, growing more food to feed an additional 2 billion people by 2050 will place greater pressure on available water and land."

The report is being released at the start of the annual world water conference in Stockholm, Sweden, where 2,500 politicians, UN bodies, non-governmental groups and researchers from 120 countries meet to address global water supply problems.

Competition for water between food production and other uses will intensify pressure on essential resources, the scientists said. 

"The UN predicts that we must increase food production by 70% by mid-century.  

This will place additional pressure on our already stressed water resources, at a time when we also need to allocate more water to satisfy global energy demand – which is expected to rise 60% over the coming 30 years – and to generate electricity for the 1.3 billion people currently without it," said the report.

Overeating, undernourishment and waste are all on the rise and increased food production may face future constraints from water scarcity.

"We will need a new recipe to feed the world in the future," said the report's editor, Anders Jägerskog.
...........................................................................

Global development
Food security ·
Access to water
Environment
Food ·
Water ·
Drought ·
Farming
Society
Life and style
Vegetarianism
World news
Population 





Source:
Food shortages could force world into vegetarianism, warn scientists | Global development | The Guardian


link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2012/aug/26/food-shortages-world-vegetarianism

Circus

Although the circus reputation for exploiting animals is well earned, the posters are always fun to view.... this picture comes off a site dedicated to the history of the circus.  

Our blog attempts to point to the dignity of many of the same animals the circuses use in their shows.  That the animals are kept in deplorable conditions is just one of the many complaints against this kind  of animal based entertainment that we cannot agree with.  

Enjoy the poster as a time capsule picture of days one by....

Gentry Bros. flyer #1 (From Buckles)

Floyd and Howard King used this and other titles on their shows in the 1920's.
In this case they inexplicably mistook a few Ringling photos.


         Source:  Buckles Blog: Gentry Bros. flyer #1 (From Buckles)

 Link:  http://bucklesw.blogspot.ca/2012/11/gentry-bros-flyer-1-from-buckles.html

One of the holy grails of solar cell technology may have been found, with researchers at UCLA announcing they have created a new organic polymer that produces electricity, is nearly transparent and is more durable and malleable than silicon.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-08-ucla-transparent-solar-game-changer.html#jCp

Transparent solar film

UCLA's new transparent solar film could be game-changer

August 21, 2012 by Dean Kuipers


As reported at PhysOrg:

One of the holy grails of solar cell technology may have been found, with researchers at UCLA announcing they have created a new organic polymer that produces electricity, is nearly transparent and is more durable and malleable than silicon. The applications are mind-boggling. Windows that produce electricity. Buildings wrapped in transparent solar cells... "

(A solar film) harvests light and turns it into electricity. In our case, we harvest only the infrared part," says Professor Yang Yang at UCLA's California Nanosystems Institute, who has headed up the research on the new photovoltaic polymer. Absorbing only the infrared light, he explains, means the material doesn't have to be dark or black or blue, like most silicon photovoltaic panels. It can be clear. "We have developed a material that absorbs infrared and is all transparent to the visible light."

"And then we also invented a new electrode, a metal, that is also transparent. So we created a new solar cell," Yang adds. Well, the metal is actually not transparent, Yang points out; it's just so small that you can't see it. The new polymer incorporates silver nanowires about 0.1 microns thick... 

Someday the strangle hold of oil will be broken... 

The applications are mind-boggling. Windows that produce electricity. Buildings wrapped in transparent solar cells. Laptops and phones ?- or even cars or planes ?- whose outer coverings act as chargers. It might even be sprayed on as a liquid. The promise of cheap and easy-to-apply site-generated solar electricity might now be a lot closer to reality. Of course, the idea of solar films and solar plastics is not new. The breakthrough to making a transparent film, however, came with isolating only one band of light in the spectrum. "(A solar film) harvests light and turns it into electricity. In our case, we harvest only the infrared part," says Professor Yang Yang at UCLA's California Nanosystems Institute, who has headed up the research on the new photovoltaic polymer. Absorbing only the infrared light, he explains, means the material doesn't have to be dark or black or blue, like most silicon photovoltaic panels. It can be clear. "We have developed a material that absorbs infrared and is all transparent to the visible light." "And then we also invented a new electrode, a metal, that is also transparent. So we created a new solar cell," Yang adds. Well, the metal is actually not transparent, Yang points out; it's just so small that you can't see it. The new polymer incorporates silver nanowires about 0.1 microns thick, about one-thousandth the width of a human hair, and titanium dioxide nanoparticles as an electrode. When in liquid form, it is as clear as a glass of water, and when applied to a hard, flat surface as a film it is meant to be invisible to the eye.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-08-ucla-transparent-solar-game-changer.html#jCp

game-changer August 21, 2012 by Dean Kuipers One of the holy grails of solar cell technology may have been found, with researchers at UCLA announcing they have created a new organic polymer that produces electricity, is nearly transparent and is more durable and malleable than silicon. Ads by Google Hotels in New York City - Reviews & Discounts at TripAdvisor - TripAdvisor.com/newyorkcity The applications are mind-boggling. Windows that produce electricity. Buildings wrapped in transparent solar cells. Laptops and phones ?- or even cars or planes ?- whose outer coverings act as chargers. It might even be sprayed on as a liquid. The promise of cheap and easy-to-apply site-generated solar electricity might now be a lot closer to reality. Of course, the idea of solar films and solar plastics is not new. The breakthrough to making a transparent film, however, came with isolating only one band of light in the spectrum. "(A solar film) harvests light and turns it into electricity. In our case, we harvest only the infrared part," says Professor Yang Yang at UCLA's California Nanosystems Institute, who has headed up the research on the new photovoltaic polymer. Absorbing only the infrared light, he explains, means the material doesn't have to be dark or black or blue, like most silicon photovoltaic panels. It can be clear. "We have developed a material that absorbs infrared and is all transparent to the visible light." "And then we also invented a new electrode, a metal, that is also transparent. So we created a new solar cell," Yang adds. Well, the metal is actually not transparent, Yang points out; it's just so small that you can't see it. The new polymer incorporates silver nanowires about 0.1 microns thick, about one-thousandth the width of a human hair, and titanium dioxide nanoparticles as an electrode. When in liquid form, it is as clear as a glass of water, and when applied to a hard, flat surface as a film it is meant to be invisible to the eye.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-08-ucla-transparent-solar-game-changer.html#jCp

The applications are mind-boggling. Windows that produce electricity. Buildings wrapped in transparent solar cells. Laptops and phones ?- or even cars or planes ?- whose outer coverings act as chargers. It might even be sprayed on as a liquid. The promise of cheap and easy-to-apply site-generated solar electricity might now be a lot closer to reality. Of course, the idea of solar films and solar plastics is not new. The breakthrough to making a transparent film, however, came with isolating only one band of light in the spectrum. "(A solar film) harvests light and turns it into electricity. In our case, we harvest only the infrared part," says Professor Yang Yang at UCLA's California Nanosystems Institute, who has headed up the research on the new photovoltaic polymer. Absorbing only the infrared light, he explains, means the material doesn't have to be dark or black or blue, like most silicon photovoltaic panels. It can be clear. "We have developed a material that absorbs infrared and is all transparent to the visible light." "And then we also invented a new electrode, a metal, that is also transparent. So we created a new solar cell," Yang adds. Well, the metal is actually not transparent, Yang points out; it's just so small that you can't see it. The new polymer incorporates silver nanowires about 0.1 microns thick, about one-thousandth the width of a human hair, and titanium dioxide nanoparticles as an electrode. When in liquid form, it is as clear as a glass of water, and when applied to a hard, flat surface as a film it is meant to be invisible to the eye.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-08-ucla-transparent-solar-game-changer.html#jCp

The applications are mind-boggling. Windows that produce electricity. Buildings wrapped in transparent solar cells. Laptops and phones ?- or even cars or planes ?- whose outer coverings act as chargers. It might even be sprayed on as a liquid. The promise of cheap and easy-to-apply site-generated solar electricity might now be a lot closer to reality. Of course, the idea of solar films and solar plastics is not new. The breakthrough to making a transparent film, however, came with isolating only one band of light in the spectrum. "(A solar film) harvests light and turns it into electricity. In our case, we harvest only the infrared part," says Professor Yang Yang at UCLA's California Nanosystems Institute, who has headed up the research on the new photovoltaic polymer. Absorbing only the infrared light, he explains, means the material doesn't have to be dark or black or blue, like most silicon photovoltaic panels. It can be clear. "We have developed a material that absorbs infrared and is all transparent to the visible light." "And then we also invented a new electrode, a metal, that is also transparent. So we created a new solar cell," Yang adds. Well, the metal is actually not transparent, Yang points out; it's just so small that you can't see it. The new polymer incorporates silver nanowires about 0.1 microns thick, about one-thousandth the width of a human hair, and titanium dioxide nanoparticles as an electrode. When in liquid form, it is as clear as a glass of water, and when applied to a hard, flat surface as a film it is meant to be invisible to the eye. Ads by Google Trusted Cloud Web Hosting - Free 14 day trial & up in minutes 100 MBps Free to Use & Low Fees - us.gmocloud.com/cloud-web-hosting Thin-film PV currently exists that can be applied to windows, but only on windows that can be tinted. Many buildings use tinted windows as a way to cut down infrared radiation and thus keep out excess heat. Because this new transparent fil

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-08-ucla-transparent-solar-game-changer.html#jCp

 Source:
UCLA's new transparent solar film could be game-changer

 Link: http://phys.org/news/2012-08-ucla-transparent-solar-game-changer.html

John Francis walks the Earth

For almost three decades, John Francis has been a planetwalker, traveling the globe by foot and sail with a message of environmental respect and responsibility (for 17 of those years without speaking). A funny, thoughtful talk with occasional banjo.

John Francis walks the Earth, carrying a message of careful, truly sustainable development and respect for our planet

One day in 1983, John Francis stepped out on a walk. For the next 22 years, he trekked and sailed around North and South America, carrying a message of respect for the Earth -- for 17 of those years, without speaking. During his monumental, silent trek, he earned
an MA in environmental studies and a PhD in land resources.
Today his Planetwalk foundation consults on sustainable development and works with educational groups to teach kids about the environment.

"Part of the mystery of walking is that the destination is inside us and we really don't know when we arrive until we arrive."

John Francis


 

John Francis on the Web

• Homepage: Planetwalk

John Francis walks the Earth | Video on TED.com

 Link: http://www.ted.com/talks/john_francis_walks_the_earth.html

Annie Leonard on her book "The Story of Stuff" full show - YouTube

                                 uploaded by AllanGregg on Sep 13, 2010

 

Activist turned filmmaker, Annie Leonard talks about "The Story of Stuff", her book based on her travels around the globe, tracking what happens to the stuff we produce, consume and throw away.

Category:

Education

License: Standard YouTube License

Source:
Annie Leonard on her book "The Story of Stuff" full show - YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaIhOhk0RV0&feature=related

What's the Economy for Anyway? (9/21/09) - YouTube

Uploaded by commonwealthclub on Oct 7, 2009

What Is "the Economy" for Anyway?

Annie Leonard, Documentarian, The Story of Stuff
Colin Beavan, Author, No Impact Man
David Batker, Executive Director, Earth Economics
Chip Giller, Founder and President, Grist - Moderator

While the economy hums away in an uncertain environment, some people question the basic purpose of the capitalist market: to provide iPhones to the masses, or to provide food to the needy? What is the role of the government as trust in the free market falters? "No impact man" Beavan opts out of the system completely, Leonard tells us the true "story of stuff," and Batker applies economic theory toward protecting the environment. Giller, Grists "beacon in the smog," will help us unpack these perspectives and navigate the global economy what its really for and who needs it.

Category:

People & Blogs

License: Standard YouTube License

Source:
What's the Economy for Anyway? (9/21/09) - YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lwaqVvodvw&feature=related