Lucky for me, vintage kimono fabric is available elsewhere without the bother of glass cases and security guards. I found out about online shop Ah! Kimono when I came across Maitreya’s cute flower pin on Craftlog. Ah! Kimono imports used and vintage kimono from Japan and resells the fabric.

Owner Cheri Bridges describes the founding of Ah! Kimono as follows:

In the ’80’s and ’90’s a person could buy 200 lb. bales of used kimono. The very idea of that seemed so amazing, but what would I do with that many kimono I wondered. I really just wanted a few of them to line some hand woven garments. In 1991, I was taking a garment class with a wonderful group of adventurous women. We decided to split a bale of kimono so that we could learn more about the textiles.

Ah! Kimono offers five different fabric packs that include cuts of different sizes, from 4×6 inches to 14×28 inches. Most of the fabrics are silk or silk blends. You can select a color family or ask for a pack split between two color families.

They sell kits for a folded purse and a small bag, as well as monthly and quarterly fabric clubs in case you are troubled with an excess of disposable income.

You may be thinking to yourself, “What would I do with kimono fabric?” If you are, set aside two or three hours and search for “vintage kimono” on Etsy. You’ll find a wealth of crafty inspiration for using these gorgeous fabrics. Here are a few of my favorites Etsy folks who use kimono fabric:

• Kimonocards
• AtelierKanawa
• Run Amok

(Remember to use other crafters’ designs for inspiration, not duplication, unless you have permission!)

Other Posts About Reusing and Remaking Clothing

• Tied Up In Knots About Recycling?
• Upcycle Old Jeans Into A Sexy Mini
• Recycle Sweaters Into Yarn

Usually.

This time, however, the fact that the Japanese whaling scientific fleet only managed to kill 551 whales in its annual hunt voyage, is a blessing.

An official for the Japanese Fisheries Agency said Monday that due to repeated “sabotage”, they were only able to capture 551 whales. “We caught 551 minke whales, far below our original target,” he said. “Sabotage by activists is a major factor behind our failure to achieve our target.”

Everyone together now. Awwwwww.

We’ve covered over the past few months the efforts of Greenpeace, Sea Shepherd, and the international pressure headed up by Australia.

Even better news, despite the 551 that were captured, the fleet was unable to find a single fin whale. The plan to catch 50 fin whales was halted due partly to the anti-whaling campaigners. “Sabotage is not entirely to blame for that. There was a situation where few fin whales were spotted,” the official said.

Photo © Greenpeace / Naomi Toyoda

1. World — Earth Hour 2008

As the clock struck eight in the evening, people across each time zone turned off their lights on March 29. It’s activism en mass and it’s called Earth Hour. The purpose: to inspire people to take action on climate change and to demonstrate that massive and immediate action is possible.

Earth Hour began as a city-wide voluntary blackout in Sydney, Australia, in 2007. This year, they’ve moved the date ahead two days and invited the world to join in. Even Google’s joined in. People from roughly 35 countries participated in this global event, which has become a yearly call to action. Read more: EcoWorldy, CNN.

2. Asia — Japanese Man Crosses Pacific with Wave-Powered Boat

A Japanese man named Kenichi Horie is attempting to be environmentally friendly by boating across the Pacific without sails and without fossil fuels.

How does he do it? With a wave-powered boat. Wave power has been discussed quite a bit recently, with a lot of applications including traditional grid energy generation. However, Kenichi is taking things to the next level by powering his ocean going vehicle with the very thing it bobs atop. Read more: Gas 2.0.

3. Antarctica — Huge Arctic Ice Chunk Collapses

A chunk of Antarctic ice about seven times the size of Manhattan suddenly collapsed, putting an even greater portion of glacial ice at risk, scientists said Tuesday.

Satellite images show the runaway disintegration of a 160-square-mile chunk in western Antarctica, which started February 28. It was the edge of the Wilkins ice shelf and has been there for hundreds, maybe 1,500 years. Read more: CNN.

4. Asia — Third Annual ‘World Renewable Energy Summit’ Held in Kuala Lumpur

The third annual ‘World Renewable Energy Summit (WRES)’ was held at the JW Marriot hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from March 27 to 28.

The surge in energy demand and oil prices combined with the depletion of fossil fuels has the world turning to renewable energy as a solution. Research and insights to the latest developments and trends are vital to the renewable energy market. Read more: Energy Asia.

5. Africa — South Africa Considers Elephant Culling

Elephant population in South Africa has increased to more than 20,000 from 8,000 thirteen years in 1995 when the country was talking tough against culling. With overpopulation, the elephants come into conflict with people as they search for their daily diet of about 300 kilograms of grass, leaves and twigs.

South African environment minister, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, says: “Our simple reality is that elephant population density has risen so much in some southern African countries that there is concern about impacts on the landscape, the viability of other species and the livelihoods and safety of people living within elephant ranges.” Read more: EcoWorldly, BBC.

6. South America — Continued Pressure on the Amazon Rainforest

A six-year study of Amazonian small farmers and their responses to climate change shows the farmers are vulnerable to natural catastrophes and risky land use practices, say Indiana University Bloomington anthropologists Eduardo Brondizio and Emilio Moran. Read more: ENN.

Several other threats to the Amazon cropped up elsewhere in the news this week. Time Magazine focused on the threat of certain biofuels to forests. In addition, EcoEarth passed around a petition to keep soybean farming out of the Amazon.

7. Europe / Asia — Soviet Pollution

Camels cross the dry bed of the Aral Sea… A gloss of oil and chemicals sheens standing water in an oil field near Baku… Hospital staff cares for an infant plagued by immune deficiencies… Nuclear fallout from the Semey test site has resulted in a plague of birth defects… Homey décor does little to ease young fears at a medical diagnostic center… Area residents suffer nightmarishly high rates of cancer and other diseases linked to fallout from nuclear tests… These children, all from two city neighborhoods, were born with missing forearms. Many scientists suspect their congenital deformities to be caused by Moscow’s bewildering mix of pollutants… In winter, men drill fishing holes in the ice of the Ural River. Knowing that the river is badly polluted by the Steel Works looming behind them, they often sell their catch to markets rather than consume it themselves… Children play in the inky pools of runoff from leaky oil pumps. Read more and see the photos: Gerd Ludwig Photography via Digg.

8. Europe — 1000 Activists Close Down NATO

About 1,000 people from 17 European countries went to the NATO headquarters in Brussels on the 23rd of March to take part in the international non-violent action NATO GAME OVER. 5 years after the start of the Iraq war and 10 days before the Bucharest NATO summit, peace activists from all over Europe demonstrate that preventing war starts in Europe. Read more: Independant Media Center, Sherwood Gazette.

9. Asia — Buy A Tree and Watch it Grow Thanks to Google Earth

Your $5.50 donation will buy a tree, lifelong care and feeding, scientific study of the forest that it becomes a part of, and the exact coordinates of where that tree is on our big beautiful Earth. Linking that data with Google Earth shows the precise location (on the island of Borneo) of the tree, as well as all of its hundreds of neighbors.

You can buy trees that will be planted in Indonesia today at MyBabyTree.org. Read more: EcoGeek.

10. Africa — Local Communities Use Science to Re-green Tanzanian ‘Desert’

Two decades ago former President Julius Nyerere characterized it as the ‘Desert of Tanzania.’ Today much has changed in Shinyanga and Tabora provinces, a dryland region in western Tanzania.

Gradually and steadily, residents are reclaiming large parcels of land through the efforts of their communities and public sector agencies. They are rehabilitating once-thriving dryland ecosystems using science-based agroforestry techniques. Read more: World Agroforestry Center via ENN.

Well, a Japanese man named Kenichi Horie is attempting to be just as environmentally friendly but without the sails.

How does he do it? With a wave-powered boat. Wave power has been discussed quite a bit recently, with a lot of applications including traditional grid energy generation. However, Kenichi is taking things to the next level by powering his ocean going vehicle with the very thing it bobs atop.

As you can see in the photo (click for larger view), the boat is powered by two fins that raise and lower with the tide, which drive the propellers. On board energy is provided by solar panels and the boat is primarily made out of recycled aluminum.

By sailing from Japan to Hawai’i, Kenichi and his Suntory Mermaid II hope to set a Guinness World Record for the longest distance traveled in this type of wave-powered ocean goer. To be sure, this boat doesn’t go very fast (it’s got about half of the speed potential of a diesel powered craft), but this type of innovation is certainly interesting to see. As long as recreational sailing exists, why not try to minimize environmental impact as much as possible, right?

In fact, if you visit the sailor’s page you can track his progress as he crosses the wide Pacific. As of writing he looks to be almost there!

Source: EcoFuss and Kenichi Horie’s page

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So who are the world’s most railway friendly countries, and what can we learn from them about implementing practical rail services that people will actually want to use?

Data provided by The International Union of Railways shows Japan as the world leader among major economies in rail kilometres per inhabitant, followed by Europe lead by the Swiss. The United Kingdom comes, unsurprisingly, near the bottom, with the USA coming last - US citizens traveling one thirteenth the distance of the Japanese by rail.

Japan

The fully privatised rail transport network is a popular mode of transport for the Japanese, who are pioneers of the high-speed “bullet train” or “shinkansen” which travels at speeds close to 200mph. With high speed rail links between major cities providing the fastest and most convenient method of getting from A to B Japanese trains are famously punctual, and drivers pride themselves on timing stops to the exact second.

Switzerland

Switzerland is home to the most dense railway network in the entire world, with only the smallest and most remote villages missing a railway station. Switzerland may currently lack the high speed trains used in Japan and in neighbouring countries Italy, France and Germany, but it’s trains are always clean and on time - if lacking the exact per second accuracy of the Japanese. The Swiss take great pride in their railways, and so tolerate the thumping financial losses sustained by the state owned railways each year.

United States

By contrast, passenger travel in the United States barely gets a look-in against the bus, airplane and automobile. Much of this is due to the geography of the US, being sparsely populated with vast distances between cities. However, with rising fuel costs and congestion at airports and on highways there has been renewed interest in the potential development of high speed rail services within the US in recent years.

Whilst the latter part of the 20th century has seen a continuous decline in rail travel across the world, with many favouring the speed of the airplane or the personal freedom of the automobile, population growth and environmental concerns are slowly bringing rail back in to favour. In twenty years rail travel around the world may look very different - with its many wide open spaces providing far more scope for high speed rail development than more densely populated countries in Europe and Asia, perhaps the US has the opportunity to become a rail world leader?

See also: Britain: My Worst Rail Experiences Ever

“Are you Japanese?” she retorted. And that was that.

It’s the best rebuff I’ve heard to the bevy of Korean men who equate blonde hair with instant gratification. But why did it repel him with such shear efficiency? Or, put another way, what’s so bad about being called Japanese?

The answer is simple. During WWII, at the end of Japan’s 35-year colonization of Korea, Japan started abducting women from all of its occupied territories, Korea especially. These “comfort women,” as they were called, numbered as many as 200,000. They became sex slaves for Japanese military men.

Today, the Japanese government still refuses to apologize or even fully admit to using sex slaves. But Koreans have still not forgotten.

The international scorn being heaped on Japan for its flagrant violation of whaling treaties must therefore be somewhat gratifying to Koreans. The erstwhile humiliator is humiliating itself.

In fact, Koreans are probably tickled pink. At a local restaurant I went to last night, what else should be on TV (there is a TV mounted on the wall at most restaurants) but a very gory documentary of Japanese whaling. The exposé followed the bloody trail from the whaling vessel to the meat market, where the whale meat is packaged and sold.

Now I know that Korea has its own whaling history and even today it’s not impossible to find whale meat this side of the East Sea. Still, Korea has largely honored the 1982 whaling ban that was meant to boost dwindling whale populations. If not, at least it’s been more diplomatic about its indiscretions.

For further reading:

Japan Backs Down | EcoWorldly

Australia Combats Japanese Whaling | EcoWorldly

Photo: Wildphotons via Flickr

However if you haven’t turned on a TV or computer over the past little while, I’ll run it down for you. Photos released by the Australian Customs Agency late last week have depicted a pair of whales – theorized to be a mother and her baby calf – being hauled on board the Yuishin Maru.

Scientists have pegged the age of the calf at less than one year old, and while the Japanese are saying that the pair weren’t mother and calf, it seems to be a bit of a moot point. The reality though is that they probably were, considering they were hauled in together (it is unlikely that a mother would allow her calf away from her at such a tender age).

It comes amidst a wash of videos released by the Australian Customs Agency. The videos depict multiple whales being harpooned, blood flowing, splashing about trying to dislodge the harpoon. The footage was captured by crewmembers on speed boats from the Customs ship Oceanic Viking, which has been trailing the Japanese whaling fleet.

The sheer absurdity of this all is that the Japanese will continue to exploit the loophole existent within Article 8 of the Whaling Convention. It specifically says that whales are fair game if part of scientific research; that in itself is reprehensible.

Without pointing to countless experts, scientists and evidence that renders the killing of whales for science as irresponsible and disgusting, common sense would seem to prevail.

But sadly, it seems that there are no such people with the trait of common sense that many of us hold so dear, inside the Japanese government, or international ruling bodies. And it doesn’t help when you have mindless voices across the internet proclaiming that we should leave Japan alone for adhering to a tradition.

As I wrote in a post at my blog awhile ago addressing the anti-environmentalism on the internet, tradition is not an excuse, otherwise we’d still be witnessing scalping in North America.

Australia’s environmental minister Peter Garret believes that these “distressing” pictures will continue to build a legal case against the Japanese “research.” “It is explicitly clear from these images that this is the indiscriminate killing of whales, where you have a whale and its calf killed in this way,” Garrett told reporters in Sydney.

Garret also hinted that it can take up to 15 minutes for these animals to die, from when the harpoon is launched and they are dragged aboard the ship.

It is no surprise that the Japanese have spoken out against these images, but in a way that simply makes them look like incompetent fools. “The Government of Australia photographs and the media reports have created a dangerous emotional propaganda that could cause serious damage to the relationship between our two countries,” said the Institute of Cetacean Research, the Japanese government-affiliated organization that oversees the hunt, in a press release.

Well of course it’s bloody-well going to affect our relations, especially when people on both sides of the water get to see just what your “scientists” are doing to creatures of the ocean!

Another Japanese official, Hideki Moronuki, chief of the Japanese Fishing Agency’s whaling section, spoke out, denying that the photo depicted that of a mother and a calf, saying it was not a calf at all.

“The fleet is engaged in random sampling, which means they are taking both large and small whales. This is not a parent and calf,” Moronuki said.

Unluckily for Moronuki there is a weight of scientific opinion against him, that simply adds to the absurdity of Japan’s actions.

Rant endeth here, but let us all ensure that if there is a petition or survey that can be signed, a councilman or woman that can be persuaded, that we do so. Japan must, simply must admit that they are doing nothing more than killing whales for pleasure, as the warehouses full of unused whale meat would suggest they sure aren’t doing it for food.

Japan backed the United States last month during the United Nations-led talks in Bali, opposing the European Union proposal for cutting emissions by 2012. Japan however has helped redeem itself by pledging $10 billion over 5 years to help developing countries reduce carbon emissions.

The “Cool Earth Partnership” fund pledges $8 billion in assistance and $2 billion in grants, aid, and public assistance for clean energy. Dispersal of funds will begin this year and is set to expire in 2012.

The Prime Minister of Japan, Yasuo Fukuda also serves as the chairmen of the July G8 summit. This announcement seems to indicate that climate change will be a major issue for the upcoming summit.

Japan has struggled to decrease emission to meet its Kyoto Protocol goals. Some aggressive actions have been taken, such as a recent initiative for 30% of Japanese homes to have solar energy systems by 2030.

The actions taken by Japan highlight the lack of action being taken in the United States. The Japanese enjoy a high standard of living, yet the average person generates half the carbon dioxide emissions compared to the average American.

The United States never ratified the Kyoto Protocol and the EPA may even stop California from having stricter vehicle emissions standards. While Germany and Japan have world-class government incentives for solar energy, a tax credit in the United States that encourages solar and wind energy is set to expire in 2008.

The good news is that considerable support in the United States for clean technology has been emerging from the private sector through investments in clean technology. In 2007, several renewable energy mutual funds and exchange traded funds were created, providing simple opportunities for investing in clean energy.

Venture capital investments in clean technology reached an impressive $5.18 billion last year in North America and Europe. North American-based companies received three times the investments of the European-based companies. Not surprisingly, energy generation was responsible for $2.75 billion in investments, with solar energy shining.

“In 2007, solar emerged as a significant investment theme, and it was notable to us that of the top five solar deals of the year, three of the largest were solar investments in China and India,” said Cleantech Group Managing Director of Global Marketing Kristina Messdaghi.

Emerging solar technologies appear to be very promising, potentially dropping the cost of solar energy considerably. Nanosolar coating for example may lower the cost of solar energy to $1 a watt and does not require silicon. Over the last few years, this technology has received significant investment from venture capitalists.

Solar manufacturing capacity has been increasing considerably. Sharp Solar announced early last year that they will double production in Europe from 110 to 240 MW annually. Sharp increased production in Japan in 2006 to a staggering 600 MW. The Nanosolar plant in San Jose, California plans to produce 250 MW in 2008 and 430 NW in 2009.

Policy has helped fuel this increase in demand for solar energy. 20 countries in Europe now have electricity buy-back guarantee programs. 40 states in the U.S. have net-metering programs, with New Jersey, California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Maryland having highly regarded programs. Net-metering requires the utility companies to purchase surplus electricity generated from small-scale wind and solar systems, thus giving an incentive to system owners. Such programs also reduce the cost of residential solar and wind systems because they eliminate the need for batteries, while boosting the efficiency of the solar system.

Cleantech has certainly gained recognition by many venture capitalists and is seen by many as a lucrative opportunity. Many investment opportunities are also springing up for more casual investors with renewable energy mutual funds and exchange traded funds.

Japan is already home to several land-based wind-farms, generating power for 35,000 homes, in the case of the Nunobiki Plateau Wind Farm north of Tokyo. But so far the renewable energy generation is yet to make a dent in their Kyoto Protocol obligations.

So that is why Japan, following after Europe – the world leader in wind power – is looking to the ocean. Japan is beginning to plan a series of offshore wind farms, that will be able to tap in to the powerful winds of the Pacific Ocean.

"It’s worthwhile entering the sector now as offshore technology is at the cutting-edge," said Mitsutoshi Yamashita, a Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry official in charge of promoting wind power. "Once we obtain the technology needed, the kilowatts are limitless," he added.

Japan already has over 1,300 land based wind turbines run by regional governments or by national electricity companies. But these farms are scattered well in to the north or the south, away from the larger population centers. In addition, separated power networks and regional grids add to the problems that harnessing the renewable energy of the wind can cause.

At the moment, much of the electricity generated by wind farms is purchased by the electric companies such as Tokyo Electric Power Co. However analysts believe that soon companies such as Tokyo Electric will build their own farms, offshore, and near larger population hubs.

In fact, Tokyo Electric Power Co is, in conjunction with the University of Tokyo, looking in to the possibility of creating a floating wind-farm, to negate the added costs of building offshore turbines in the deep coastal waters.

Japan faces a tough road ahead by being the world’s third largest consumer of oil, but still being one of the world’s lowest in terms of per capital emissions. As of March 2007, Japan were still 13 percent above the average level it must meet every year in order to meet the Kyoto Protocol.

It is for reasons like this, that Japan is so focused on making wind-power work. Wind power takes the cake over solar power, thanks to the smaller room needed to plant a turbine, compared to fields of solar panels. And nuclear and solar plants require a large investment than wind as well.

But to sum it all up, let’s leave it to a local, Teruyoshi Kimura, 59, former engineer who owns an inn at the foot of Mount Neko; "Wind is a gift. It’s free of charge. So people tend to assume it’s an easy business.”

Reuters via ENN - Japan follows Europe by tapping offshore wind for power

Photo Courtesy of contri via Flickr - Nunobiki wind farm

Built in Darmstadt, Germany, this structure is called Waldspirale or “Forest Spiral.” It was designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser, a celebrated Austrian architect and painter. Planted along the 12 floors of the rising roof are beech, maple, and lime trees. The structure even incorporates a running stream. The building comprises 105 apartments. In the tower on the Southeast corner, a restaurant and cocktail bar rises over the entire structure. Source: Wissenschaftsstadt Darmstadt.

Nestled in Pembrokeshire, in Southwest Wales, this structure is truly an eco-dream home. It was built about three years ago by a single family and their friends over the course of four months. The family estimates that it took about 1,000 to 1,500 hours of work and cost only about £ 3,000. It was constructed mostly out of logs, straw and mud, which acts as an effective insulator. According to the house’s inhabitants, the home “feels gentle. Feels to me more like being part of the (natural) world, less like a commodity in a box.” Source: Simondale.

While the Songjiang Hotel, near Shanghai, China, will not be completed until about May of 2009, it will certainly be a sight to see. The hotel is being built in a 100 meter (330 foot) deep abandoned quarry, preventing further disturbance of the area’s ecology by building on an already-disturbed site. The architecture will incorporate a living roof at ground level, on top of the 400-bed hotel. There is also some chance that the structure will be able to make use of geothermal energy to power its facilities. All in all, this promises to be a ridiculously cool eco-wonder of the world. Sources: Greenroofs, Ecogeek.

With about 35,000 plants of 76 different species, this structure in Fukuoka, Japan houses offices, retail shops, a theater and a museum. The building was designed by Emilio Ambasz & Associates, which focuses on green building techniques. It was constructed on one of the city’s last open spaces, so the idea of the building is to retain the feature of the open space while providing the city with the facilities needed in this space. Like other green roofs, this one enables the building to use less energy than the surrounding structures. Source: Deputy Dog.

The Altamont Pass Wind Farm in California, United States of America, has been called the largest piece of artwork in this country. Composed of 4,500 wind turbines, it is still the largest wind farm in the world, although a larger one is under construction in the UK. Built in the 1970’s, this was one of the earliest wind energy projects in the United States. The windmills are therefore currently being upgraded to more efficient and bird-safe windmills. The windmills are visible from nearby roadways, but it’s worth getting out of your car to take in the awesome view they create. Sources: Flickr, Wikimedia.

This green roof houses baths in Vals, Switzerland. The grass roof was designed to make the building look as though it had been built long ago, though the building was built in the early 1990’s. Peter Zumthor is the spa’s architect. The structure is made of slabs of concrete, a good insulator, which are fitted together in almost a jigsaw pattern. In the spaces between the concrete, glass has been fitted. From the inside, this gives the double impression of a heavy roof that appears almost to float. Sources: Inhabitat, Wikimedia.

The Hearst Building is considered the first green building in New York City, United States of America. It is also the first building in New York City to receive a gold LEED certificate. The most physically apparent environmentally sustainable feature of this building is its shape and glass windows. These triangular windows work in sync with light sensors to maximize natural daylight and minimize electrical light used. The roof itself collects rainwater, which feeds the plants inside and outside the building. For much of the year, cooling is accomplished with a HV AC system, which simply uses fresh air from outside to cool and ventilate the building. The structure itself was also accomplished with 20% less steel than other buildings of its stature and over 90% of the steel used was recycled material. All in all, an office in this building emits about 22% less CO2 than other New York offices. Sources: Ecotourism Blog, Hearst Corporation.

See Also:

7 Unusual Public Transit Wonders You Should Try In Your Lifetime | EcoWorldy

References and Resources:

Projects | Greenroofs

Green Roofs | Inhabitat

8 Great Green Roofs | Weburbanist

Building with eco friendly temperament | Ecotourismblog

Read more about green buildings at GO Green Building Elements.

However, Japanese whaling fleets have already left harbor to hunt the whales for meat in this sanctuary as they have done increasingly since 1997 in defiance of international bans on whaling.

Each year, Japanese whalers slaughter more and more whales. This year, the Japanese whaling industry has vowed to kill the greatest number of whales yet, about 1000 in all. These numbers will be made up of near-threatened Minke whales and 50 endangered Fin whales.

But this year, they will not be alone on the rough seas against the Japanese whalers. Australia’s new government is joining Greenpeace in saying “enough is enough.” As Josh Hill writes, this pressure is already beginning to bear fruits. Japan has agreed to suspend–at least for the moment—its plans to kill an additional 50 threatened humpback whales.

Australia is sending ships usually reserved for tracking down marine poachers to monitor the whaling vessels. That’s not all. There will also be eyes in the sky as an Australian surveillance plane record the whaler’s every action from above. This is all just part of a larger effort that Foreign Minister, Stephen Smith, hopes will help put an end to Japan’s horrible whale hunt once and for all.

One of the ships sent to the Antarctic waters will also be tasked with gathering evidence that Australia hopes to use in international court to put an end to Japan’s continued whaling atrocities.

In addition, the Australian government is also ramping up pressure from other anti-whaling nations against the Japanese whaling industry. In just a few days, Australia plans to lodge a formal protests of these nations before the Japanese government in Tokyo.

“We are dealing here with the slaughter of whales, not scientific research,” Smith said at a press conference. “That is our start point and our end point.”

As they have every year, Greenpeace ships will also again take to the seas. Activists on board will again physically position themselves between the explosive-tipped harpoons and the bodies of the fleeing whales.

Learn More

Is the Japanese whaling industry planning to build a new whaling ship? Learn more here.

Watch the following Greenpeace documentary on the history of the Japanese Whale hunt.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mt77FnQO6YE" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Take Action

For Australian Residents: Visit the International Fund for Animal Welfare, Australia (IFAW) for action ideas. Australia’s news media has also joined in the fray. The Daily Telegraph and Today are collecting signatutes on a petition that it will send to the Japanese government. Such petitions are effective effecting change by demonstrating global scrutiny of a country’s policies.

For Non-Australian residents: Sign the petition at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) website against whaling. These petitions send a strong message to the Japanese government that the world is watching. Also, call your government and ask them to please place international pressure against Japan, Norway, and Iceland to stop their whaling industries. Residents of the United States of America can contact the White House comment line by phone at (202) 456-2461 or by email at president@whitehouse.gov; they can contact Congresspeople and Senators at (202) 224-3121.

References & Resources

Australia wants Japan to call off humpback hunt | The Japan News.net

Australia to monitor Japanese whaling | USA Today

Whale Defenders | Greenpeace

Photo Source:

Fin Whale | Wikipedia

Gerd, and Greenpeace International, are based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Green Options: While Greenpeace is no longer viewed as the radical environmental group by US citizens (that honor is now reserved for ALF and ELF), it's still often considered extreme by many Americans, particularly the on the right. How do you respond to these kinds of labels? How would you characterize Greenpeace to someone concerned about the same issues as the organization (the environment, nuclear energy and weapons, world peace), but who also might be put off by the perception of GP as "radical?"

Gerd Leipold: The most extremist environmental groups in the US are the government of George W. Bush and some big corporations like Exxon Mobil, who still refuse to fully acknowledge the clear evidence of climate change and prevent the necessary action.

I think that an objective observer would come to the conclusion that what we now know about the state of the environment vindicates 35 years of campaigning by Greenpeace. While we had strong and stark messages, one certainly can say now that we were more foresighted and more realistic than those who termed us extremist.

The report advises boosting ethanol made from wood waste and mass-produced grains to account for 38 million barrels, or about 6 percent of Japan’s annual gasoline consumption.

Currently Japan produces very little ethanol on its own and is heavily dependent on imported gasoline. Even so, the cost of ethanol continues to be an issue. In order to encourage use and development, the report proposes modifying the taxes on ethanol, which is mostly imported from Brazil. But even if Japan used the new super-harvest grains like rice and sorghum that can be planted in abandoned fiels, ethanol production costs may still be quite high.