Gearing Up For Earth Day

Disney Nature
Tomorrow Disney's newest production division, DisneyNature, will release it's first film "EARTH". This is a perfect Earth Day launch because for every ticket purchased opening week, Disney will plant a tree in your name.
"EARTH" is directed by Alastair Forthergill and Mark Linfield. Alaistair is the genius director behind the 11 part BBC/Discovery Channel Emmy Award winning mini-series "Planet Earth" (and the upcoming sequel series "The Frozen Planet). The film uses some footage from the epic "Planet Earth" as well as new footage to tell 3 main storylines revolving around the polar bear, the humpback whale, and the African elephant.
"EARTH" was produced and distributed by BBC and released in Europe back in 2007 with narration by Patrick Stewart, then in Japan in 08 with narration by Ken Watanabe. Tomorrow the DisneyNature banner will be releasing it in the US and Latin America with James Earl Jones as the narrator.


Disney formerly produced Nature documentaries under the title "True Life Adventures". Between 1948 and 1960 they produced 17 documentaries and won 8 Academy Awards. DisneyNature echoes the ideals of Walt's "True Life Adventures" series. In the pipeline already are 6 feature films to follow "EARTH".

First, "The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos". Pretty self explanatory, this is the story of the lives of Flamingos in Tanzania. It released in France in December of 2008, is scheduled to release next month in Australia and New Zealand, and should make its way over here sometime before the end of the year.


"Oceans" will release domestically Earth Day 2010 and document the battles between Man and those dwelling below the surface of the sea. Update: Here is the teaser that premiered with "Earth", most of the footage relates to the Disney History of "True Life Adventures" but the 2nd half has some good footage... check it out...



"Orangutans: One Minute to Midnight" will release Worldwide in 2010 and is the story of a brother and sister Orangutans trying to make their way back to their family.

In 2011, Alastair Fothergill's 2nd film for DisneyNature will be released Worldwide. "Big Cats" is the tale of 3 mothers - a lioness, a leopard, and a cheetah - raising their cubs.

"Naked Beauty: A Love Story That Feeds The Earth" will also release Worldwide in 2011. Macro photography is used to delve into the worlds of flowers and pollinators, in particular bats, hummingbirds, butterflies, and bumblebees.

The final film scheduled so far will be another film directed by Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield entitled "Chimpanzees" (YES! I can't wait!). Being shot over 3 years in the tropical jungles of Uganda and the Ivory Coast, it will be an intimate look at the lives of Chimps. This is scheduled for release in 2012.



Helping Honeybees
I really love the "Help The Honeybees" campaign from Haagen-Dazs. Go to the site for tons of info on the Honeybee crisis. Without pollinators we wouldn't have most of our diet, bees are vanishing at alarming rates and there are many ways YOU CAN HELP.

For one, you can make a donation to UC Davis' department of Entomology. They are in the process of building a Bee Sanctuary in an attempt to rebuild the Bee population.

Another passionate research department that is in need of donations is over at Penn State.

Also "The Great Sunflower Project" encourages planting Sunflowers in your yard for the Bees. They will send you seeds to plant and all they ask is that you send them info on how often you see bees at the flowers. This will help them get an understanding of the lifestyle of average bees.

Some other seeds you can plant in your garden that are needed by bees: Lavender, Glory Bushes, Jasmine, Rosemary, Coreopsis, Violets, Thyme, Wisteria, Bluebells, Trumpet Vines, Sunflowers, Cosmos, and Cone Flowers.

Buy from Local Beekeepers. You can get Honey, Honeycomb, and Beeswax products from your local beekeeper, usually at Farmer's Markets. Plus you can save money buying there as opposed to SuperMarkets.

Here is a great segment on 60 minutes regarding Colony Collapse Disorder



Haagen-Dazs has been a champion in this campaign for the bees. They will donate money to Penn State and UC Davis when you purchase the following Honey Bee dependent flavors: Banana Split, Carmalized Pear and Toasted Pecan, Cherry Vanilla, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Macadamia Brittle, Rocky Road, Strawberry, Strawberry Cheesecake, Vanilla Swiss Almond, White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle, Hawaiian Lehua Honey and Sweet Cream, and the Limited Edition Vanilla Honey Bee.

Up until the beginning of the year Burt's Bees was giving away Seed packets if you contacted them. Some stores are still selling the Burt's Bees Plant-a-Seed Kit or they are online here. The set comes with All-In-One Wash, Beeswax Lip Balm Tube, Honey Lip Balm Tube, Hand Salve, Res-Q Ointment, and a Packet of Wildflower Seeds. A portion of profits go to Honeybee research. There are also some "Beeswax lip balm" tubes that are marked to donate 5% of the sale to research. So if you are buying Burt's Bees, look for the notice on the packaging.


Melting Ice and No Food
The Ice is melting due to Global Warming. Polar Bears are either drowning in the cold seas or starving from a lack of food. They are even resorting to Cannibalism. The world is heating up and we've got to help these majestic creatures survive.

World Wildlife Foundation is a leader in Polar Bear Conservation. WWF lists the Polar Bear as a VULNERABLE animal, meaning that it's existence is threatened. To Make a Donation to WWF click HERE.

Take the National Wildlife Federation's Good Neighbor Pledge. Help lessen the impacts of Global Warming. Here are some suggestions NWF has for reducing your carbon footprint:

• Replace Frequently Used light bulbs with compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs).
• Purchase Energy Star Appliances.
• Turn of Lights when you aren't using them / Install Automatic Timers on Outdoor Lights.
• Turn of your PC and Monitor when not in use.
• Unplug electronic devices or put them on a power strip and switch it off when not in use.
• Replace Water Heaters made earlier than 1998.
• Install a low flow Shower head.
• Run Dish Washer and Washing Machine only when completely full.
• Drive The Speed Limit.
• Keep Your Tires Fully Inflated / Keep Car Well Maintained.
• Carpool / Take Public Transport once a week.
• Recycle / Buy Recycled.
• Bring Your Own Reusable Bags to the Market.
• Drink Tap Water / Buy a Water Filter and use reusable Bottles / Don't buy bottled Water.
• Eat Locally Grown Produce once a week. (Check for local farmer's markets or see if your local University has an agriculture department. You may be able to buy locally grown and help out a University.)

Here is a video from NWF about the Polar Bears' current status