Labor Day will soon be upon us, and with it, the unofficial end of summer. Back to school time. Summer is the season for camping, getting out of the city and getting a little dirty in the woods. Some folks like to tent it. Some folks like a travel trailer, with their own bathroom (my wife included).

But one problem with campers is how much they weigh, the large vehicles needed to tow them and frequent trips to the gas station. Travel trailers are getting lighter and lighter, however, and easier and more affordable to pull. Take a look at the latest entry, from EverGreen (like the tree) in Middlebury, Indiana.

Read more of this story »

During this trip we cloth diapered and had a potty trainer on our hands! The condo at Bass Lake had a washer and dryer and while camping in Yosemite we used the laundry mat at Curry Village. I only did the washing at Curry Village and let the diapers & undies air dry in the sunshine on a tree branch at our site. We were prepared to use a bucket and gloves if we did not have access to a washer! It worked out nicely though. My 2 yr. old loved being in nature and really enjoyed boat rides on the lake. He saw tons of wildlife including a BEAR! While driving back to our campsite, our first day in Yosemite, we watched a bear eating in a meadow through the car window. It was neat. Tristan also saw a “Big ole Buck” on a bike ride first thing in the morning around the campground.

It was so amazing to see nature through his eyes. He chased the squirrels to their holes and around the campsite and collected specimens to put into his bug kit. Our hike to Vernal Falls was quite a journey and I think he understood it’s significance. My husband and I consider ourselves experienced campers. We’ve done a lot of camping. Every time I walk away from a campsite, I have a new perspective on life. Unplugging for the few days and recharging your soul with Mother Nature is a must! Getting away from all the stimulus and “roughing -it” for a few days makes you appreciate the things we have in life.

Read more of this story »

One of the gifts my son received for his 2nd birthday was a subscription to Wild Animal Baby published by the National Wildlife Federation. The magazine is printed on FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper. Wild Animal Baby is a children’s magazine for the age range 12 months to 4 yrs.

Wild Animal Baby is a wonderful way to get your toddler involved in reading at an early age. The magazine encourages children to get outdoors and appreciate nature. My son loves to get the mail and often asks to check the mailbox for his monthly copy of Wild Animal Baby.

Wild Animal Baby is just the right size for toddler hands. The pictures are bright and engaging and it is filled with several interactive activities for your child. Including I spy, letter/color/shape recognition, songs with illustration motions, captivating stories, child participation and much more.

My son loves to look for Sammy Skunk! I enjoy reading Wild Animal Baby to him because it is  educational and entertaining. We burn up some good time going through the pages and doing the activities.

Read more of this story »

It is with pleasure that I write this review of special children’s book written by our Green Options colleague and Eco Child’s Play contributing writer Joe Mohr, aka Mean Joe Green!  Not only is Joe a great political cartoonist, he’s a children’s author too.  His new book Go Out!  Go Out! is unique not only because it comes from Joe, but it is also a short book (14 “pages”) designed for your iPhone using istorytime.

From kite-flying to corndog buying, Go Out! Go Out! is a rhyming story that shares a small sample of the wonderful experiences that are waiting for us just outside our own front door.

Joe believes it is important kids get outside, no matter where they live!  I couldn’t agree more, and my family spends most of their days in the great outdoors.

Read more of this story »

In my local community something is happening that makes me want to jump up, clap for joy and say, “thank goodness”! Children are being encouraged to get outside. Turn off the television and discover green grass, bugs, bond with the trees, smell the fresh air, run and get dirty. It’s an initiative that really shouldn’t have to take place but with television, computers, working parents and technology more children are inside verses exploring the great outdoors. Find out how to locally get involved or start an initiative near you by visiting Getting Kids Outdoors.

The idea is to leave no child inside. I found many helpful tips for parents on a handout given to me at our local health fair and hopefully you can use some of these tips and join in the effort to get our kids off the couch and outside where the rain won’t hurt them and some mud could be fun for everyone!

Limit Screen Time. Designate how often the television can be turned on and stick to it. Avoid using it just for noise. I’m guilty at this. My children love to just have the television on but they’re not watching it. It wastes energy and it’s just noise.

Read more of this story »

Indoor entertainment certainly has its place but when they get outside to play or just enjoy a sunny day they get exercise and they connect with nature. Richard’s Louv’s book Nature Deficit Disorder is just full of reasons why we need to make a conscious effort to get our kids out of doors.

One simple way to do this is to take story time or homework outdoors.

Read more of this story »

Choice Camps, a Boston-based summer camp and youth travel referral service, has just launched a great resource for parents - ChoiceCamps.com.  It’s a website designed to improve the way families find summer camps and teen travel programs online.

Says Nick Riotto, co-founder of Choice Camps:

“Until now, there has been no comprehensive, trusted resource for families to find safe, reliable, and top-rated summer camp and teen travel programs online. Through our online and phone components, it is our goal to inspire families to send their kids to camp, help them make informed decisions, and guide them in selecting an appropriate summer experience.”

Read more of this story »

I gotta tell you, I haven’t sweated the digital switch at all.  Honestly, I forgot it was coming up! I’ve decided to completely avoid worrying about digital cable dishes or antennae, vouchers and the like.

Read more of this story »

“Connecting with nature calms and soothes both children and adults, and it is something that both children and adults can do for a wealth of benefits, for free”, says REAL School Gardens.

Read more of this story »

Temperatures in Jackson, Wyoming, ranged from -6 to 30 during my visit over the weekend. And yet folks were much more likely to be found outside than in. Perhaps that is because the “outside” of Jackson, Wyoming, is so beautiful and offers so much in the way of wonderful outdoor activities, from skiing (alpine, nordic and telemark) to snowboarding to snowshoeing through the magnificent Grand Teton National Park, to name the most obvious. I think the beauty of the scenery and the thrill of the activity keeps us warmer than the temps suggest. This notion occurred to me when I overheard a seemingly non-sensical statement during my trip. As we waitied for a shuttle on one particularly chilly morning, it was -4 at the time, a woman waiting beside me told her friend,

You know, with these temperatures back home, it’d be freezing!

Read more of this story »

As I was preparing for the upcoming trip, I’ve been reviewing footage of the previous interviews and reflecting on what I’ve heard. One quote in particular continues to circle back to the front of my mind. It goes something like this:

When you’re talking about experiential learning, .. the nature of experience is that it’s a kind of a trial, a testing, an experiment, in a sense. So you are experimenting with things. You are attempting things, and the whole concept of an experiment is that you’re not quite sure of the outcome. You can’t guarantee it, or it wouldn’t be an experience you are having.

Read more of this story »

Read more of this story »

Hikers in Seoraksan National Park, South Korea, form a line up the mountain trail.

Autumn is an especially busy season for Seoraksan National Park in Gangwon province, South Korea. In a year, the park sees 3 million visitors, as many as Yellowstone Park in the States. But each October, the steady stream of outdoor admirers swells to a torrent when fall colors light up the park’s jagged peaks.

Outside the front gate, the atmosphere is excited, almost carnivalesque. It would make an American think of Disneyland, except for the elderly women sitting along the queue selling steamed, starchy corn. Crowds bustle past a free wheelchair distributor at the entrance and spill into the park. There are Korean nationals and foreigners of all ages and descriptions: Korean aunts and grandmothers in distinguishing pink jumpers and visors yell to each other with their families in toe, “Bali wa! Hurry up!”; tour groups in all the latest outdoor trappings hotfoot it to the trails; a rastafarian foreign couple meander conspicuously through the stalls of wooden souvenirs and plastic toys lining the park side of the ticket gate.

Soon after the entrance, the park opens up into a courtyard populated with food carts and the occasional overpriced restaurant. On one side of the courtyard, a monolithic stone Buddha surveys the crowd. Naturally, I head straight to the carts to see what snacks they have. The first vendor sells roasted chestnuts, and I buy a bag. At another, I find wild mountain raspberry wine and fried grasshoppers. I’m curious. The woman behind the cart takes a moment away from hawking the wine to complement my broken Korean and pours me a sample of purple liquid from a large glass jar into a small plastic cup. Sipping on the wine, I decide to try the grasshoppers. They’re crunchy and slightly salty. To my surprise, they make a satisfying compliment to the wine, the chestnuts, and the brisk, healthy fall air. It’s a windy day and autumn colors are all around. Thanking the lady, I drift back into the stream of hikers making their way to the summit.

Read more of this story »

Have you ever considered doing “summer camp” in your own backyard? I used to be the Nature Director at a summer camp and can promise you, the magic that can be discovered on a summer afternoon can last a lifetime!

Not only do I write for Eco Child’s Play, I write a series of novels called Gaia Girls Book Sereis. In Gaia Girls, the heroines are granted cool powers and sent on “Gaia Missions” to help the earth. They are able to do this because they are so connected and aware of the Earth (Gaia). I suspect that the majority of us reading and writing here at Green Options spent a portion of our childhood outside getting connected and I want to do my part to make sure the next generation loves Earth enough to care for it. So this summer, I’m combining my nature director experience, with the fantastical fiction. I’m inviting one and all to participate in “The Summer of Gaia!”

Each week, I set you on a Mission that will open up all the magic Gaia has to offer.

Read more of this story »

There are 391 National Park areas  comprising over 84 MILLION acres in the U.S.   A meaningful summer vacation is closer than you think!  Our National Parks are your tax dollars at work.  If you want your kids to experience the wilderness, explore it, be amazed by it, develop a sense of stewardship and a passion to protect it, you might be surprised by all the ways our National Parks can help make that happen!

For example, do you know about the Passport? 

Read more of this story »

The UK’s Paul Curtis, also known as the "Moose," and Brazil’s Alexandre Orion are taking a new approach to graffiti to convey a sense of "clean," and to inspire pedestrians to keep it that way. Their cue comes from the "Wash Me" message commonly wiped away from the back of dirty semi trucks. They call this reverse graffiti, and they create their work by removing soot, sludge, carbon from exhaust, etc., from the wall to reveal a message.

Moose generated a message in a transport tunnel that reads "Go Gently" to remind drivers of the impact their cars have on the planet. "Once you do this, you make people confront whether or not they like people cleaning walls or if they really have a problem with personal expression."

Orion created a work in a Sao Paolo transport tunnel; his is a series of skulls that also depicts the impact drivers’ emissions have on the planet. As a result of this project, the transit authority washed the wall to remove the public expression. In reaction, Orion created the same artwork on the other side of the tunnel. This resulted in the transit authority cleaning the entire tunnel on both sides. They then continued to resist the public work by cleaning every transport tunnel in the city. Not such a bad idea on all accounts.

Another artist, Edina Tokodi, recently created a work of green graffiti in Brooklyn, New York. Edina saw the idea of graffiti as an opportunity to stimulate positive green thoughts and encourage city dwellers to resurface their connection to nature. She decided to maintain the venue while changing the medium. Her work consists of moss installations adhered to the wall where spray paint might commonly be seen. Using this much less harmful medium, she creates images such as prancing animals, and uses existing imagery to create trees and objects found in nature. The beauty of this medium is that it can continue to grow. As moss receives water from the air, condensation, and rain, it continues to grow as the artwork remains fixed to its site.

15. We spend as much effort packaging our food as finding and eating it. So much of our food these days comes pre-packaged that we don’t think twice about it. In order to package food in plastic, we spend billions of dollars and lots of time locating and drilling oil around the world; we then extract a chemical feedstock from the oil; we refine the chemical feedstock into plastic and mould the plastic into packaging; we take the shells off of things like peanuts and then put the peanuts in plastic packaging.

Squirrel says: “How backward! I spend all day getting rid of my food’s natural packaging: the shells. Plus, the shells biodegrade before next year’s nuts ripen. Be more like the rest of the animals by eating food in its original packaging.”

14. We drink the lactation of other animals. We farm animals of other species—like cows, goats, and sheep—to harvest and drink their lactation. We even sometimes ferment this lactation (cheese and yogurt, for example) and occasionally go as far as to let mold grow on it before eating it (blue cheese, for example).

Squirrel says: “EW! Be more like the rest of the rest of the animals by drinking water and eating juice-filled fruits and veggies.”

13. We’ll eat just about anything. Don’t believe me? Look here. Most animals have a pretty good idea of what foods they like and so they stick to eating one type of food. Sharks eat fish, cows and horses eat grass, most birds eat insects, fruit, or grain, and so on. We humans will eat fruit, grain, insects, birds, vegetation, horses, cows, fish, sharks, and more. Some people even eat cars! Our stomachs must truly be one of a kind on this planet. I can just see Mother Nature’s horrified expression, “what do you have in your mouth, child?!?”

Squirrel says: “That’s nuts! Or rather it would be nuts if I were eating it. Pick a diet, you crazy species. You can be more like your ancestors and relatives by eating more vegetables, nuts, and fruit and fewer weird things like octopus, oysters, and buffaloes.”

12. We travel without actually moving. Camels walk to find water, birds fly to find grub, and fish swim to get their food too. We say “I’m going to run to the store to get food,” but what we actually mean is “I’m going to sit down in my car and hardly move a muscle while decomposed dino-gas pushes me to the store.” Weird, huh?

Squirrel says: “Wouldn’t you get out of shape this way? Plus, who would want to avoid walking and running? I love to run and jump! I even have a cousin who flies. Be more like the rest of the rest of the animals and try actually walking or jogging to get food. You can even try wildcrafting, like me.”

11. For such social animals, we’re lonely a lot. We’re social animals by nature. We need other animals of our species to love us and we need to love others as well. It’s almost as important as food, water, and sleep for our survival. Yet, many of us travel alone to work, feel isolated at our jobs, travel alone home, and take part in solitary activities like watching television or spending time on the computer. Instead, we could spend this time talking, walking, singing, traveling, working, and playing with others.

Squirrel says: "Play and socializing are important. Have you ever seen us squirrels play? It’s a big ordeal. We’ll chase each other around the whole wood, tumbling head over tail over head and jumping from branch to branch. You’re a social animal, so socialize. Say hi to people, smile, be friendly and warm, and be happy knowing that the people you see around you are your kin and you’re one of theirs."

10. We spend most of our time working for currency, not food. This currency verifies that we have contributed to our species’ wellbeing and success. We trade the currency for food. By contrast, most animals bypass this complex social system and simply go and find food when they are hungry.

Squirrel says: “You mean to tell me that if I were a hungry human, I couldn’t just go forage food to eat? I’d have to build other humans burrows (or whatever you call them) or do some other labor first and then ask for food? Hm… it seems like a hard lifestyle. I usually find food and then have lots of time to play with my family. Well, when you’re through working and asking for food, I still highly recommend playing and spending time with family. That’s my favorite part of the day. You might also want to control your species’ population so it’s not so much work to support it.”

9. We make and hoard things we don’t need. With the currency left over from buying food, we purchase things. We do this so well that people are now often referred to as “consumers.” Many of the things we buy and keep have little or no utility, like electronic singing plastic Santa Clause figurines. One of the only other species that hoards shiny things it doesn’t really need is the magpie.

Squirrel says: “Why hoard anything you wouldn’t want to eat later? I don’t see the attraction to big collections of plastic toys or closets full of clothes unless you can put the clothes in a pile and make a nest out of them. I hoard nuts and it’s all I can do to remember where I put those when I want to eat them, so I don’t think I’d be very good at hording all the things humans do. My motto is, if it’s not edible, you probably don’t need it.”

8. We all seem afraid of the dark. There’s one thing most animals know for sure: when it’s day, there’s light; when it’s night, there’s dark. Now we humans are pretty easy prey. We have no claws, no sharp teeth, no spikes or spines, we aren’t very strong or fast, and most of us have more meat on our bones than we’d care to admit. Somewhere along the line, we figured out that we’re less likely to be eaten by nocturnal predators if we keep the nighttime light enough that we can always see around us. Flaming torches turned into electric torches, and even in our predator-free homes today, we still have the lights on—just in case, you know. See an ant’s response here.

Squirrel says: “I understand. I mean, I’m a pretty easy target for predators myself. But do at least try to keep the lights down when I’m trying to sleep. If you want your lighting to come from sources that are friendlier on my habitat and yours, buy green energy.”

7. We keep animals in our homes who would normally eat us for lunch. OK, maybe wild dogs wouldn’t really eat us for lunch, but judging by our folklore and fairy tails, I’d say that the relationship between humans and wolves has not always been a favorable one. On the other hand, traditionally, members of the cat species have found us pretty tasty. We’ve managed to breed canines and felines until they depend on us for food, not as food. Other animals that some people keep around the house include boa constrictors, venomous snakes, spiders, rats, and eels.

Squirrel says: “Are you nuts!?! This is a touchy subject for me. Cats and dogs hunt my buddies and me. In some places, pet cats are even threatening endemic native species. If you have pets, make sure they are spayed or neutered. I don’t want a whole litter of whiskers and claws chasing my tail.”

6. Our young spend most of their time stationary. Most young people spend hours each day watching television and only a few minutes each day engaging in outdoor, unstructured play.

Squirrel says: “We squirrels are way too rambunctious to be still for any amount of time. It’s too much fun outside to stay in the burrow all day staring at the wall. I couldn’t even imagine it. Plus, life’s too short. Encourage your young to play outdoors and join them when you get a break from gathering nuts… or money, or whatever it is you do.”

5. We heat our food before eating it. Unless you’re a human, a domesticated animal, or an extremophile living on an undersea volcanic vent, chances are you eat your food raw. We humans will do anything to avoid eating unheated foods: we’ll bake, boil, sauté, flambé, steam, and even cook our foods by submerging them in boiling lard and oil.

Squirrel says: “Why put food over fire before eating it? I don’t play with fire; it frightens me. Plus, the food’s more nutritious raw, so I don’t have to eat as many raw nuts to get my daily nutrition as I would if they were cooked. I recommend trying to be a little more like the rest of the rest of the animals by eating a little more of your food raw. Trust me, it’s tasty!”

4. We eat poisonous and toxic things for fun. In most of the animal kingdom, “recreational drugs” would be an oxymoron. But not for us. We eat poisonous mushrooms, we drink toxic levels of fermented juice (hence the “toxic” in “intoxication”), and we refine other natural toxins like coca leaf extract that we then proceed to stick up our noses. Some of our species who aren’t content with these milder poisons combine various ultra-toxic cleaning agents to make super potent concoctions that we call crack or meth, they then proceed to sniff, snort, lick, or inject into their bodies.

Squirrel says: “You eat toxins and poisons recreationally?? That’s nuts! Be more like the rest of the rest of the animals by eating what’s good for you and avoiding what’s not.”

3. We stick flaming pieces of paper and leaves in our mouths. We spend a lot of time and effort to grow tobacco because it contains a specific kind of toxin. We harvest and dry the leaves, cut them up in tiny pieces, then add anything from ammonia to tar (see this list of additives). We roll the result in paper, put it between our lips—and this is the kicker—we light the whole thing on fire while its in our mouths! Worse yet, we do all this just to breath in the carcinogenic smoke that comes from this little roll of leaves and additives.

Squirrel says: “HA! And you’re supposed to be the smart animals? Who does this kind of thing??! Be more like the rest of the rest of the animals by not sticking flaming, toxic pieces of paper and leaves in your mouths.”

2. We blow ourselves up. Like many species, we’re territorial. However, most animals just pee on trees or beat their chest to let others know where their group’s boundaries are. We launch explosive rockets at each other and plant landmines in the ground so that nobody can live there.

Squirrel says: “*Blank stare* What can I say about this? When I get in a fight, I tumble and roll around with another squirrel. It’s a good way to get the aggression out and the worst that happens is that somebody gets an ear bitten. Some animals kill each other one on one, but it doesn’t usually upset the whole ecosystem the way human wars and landmines do. Just try and get along a little better, would ya? Smile and be friendly with everyone and tell the people in charge to stop with all the explosions already.”

1. We gave up living in trees to live in caves. Somewhere along the line, our ancestors decided to give up the comfort of trees to live in caves. Today, we fabricate multi-story caves out of brick, stone, and wood and plant a tree in the backyard so we can see it from the second floor of our cave-like home.

Squirrel says: “This is the first thing I don’t understand about people. I love curling up in a small, cozy home. But at least some of you still have a fondness for trees. Take a look at this person’s tree home. If you can’t live in a treehouse, at least plant a tree for me.”

Photo Source:

…and she said what? | Flickr

Yea, I’m fat….got a problem with that? | Flickr

Continued from Greening Your Groove.

The environmental movement has been rolling along fast this year, and rocking to boot. A green rhythm is beating in the heart of today’s music scene and music lovers young and old have their fingers on its pulse.

This summer, the SOS Live Earth Concert brought together musicians to stages around the world for one glorious day of music and festivities. The message: take personal action to reduce our species’ impact on the environment, and encourage governments and business leaders to follow. These round-the-world concerts were not an isolated, one-time event. Many of the artists who performed, as well as others, are making a concerted effort to help the environment, and grow concern for the well-being of the planet.

Some environmentally in-tune musicians hold benefit concerts; some even tour by bicycle or biofueled bus. Most incorporate environmental messages into their lyrics. When you buy music from the following artists or go to their concerts, you’ll be supporting the work they do for the environment. Whether you’re looking for green concerts or music festivals, discovering new bands, wondering what issues musicians care about, or looking for music with a message about the Earth for your children, you’ll find it in the list and links below.

Green(er) Music Festivals

Tennesse’s Bonnaroo Music and Art Festival website says, "The future of our planet is a big deal for Bonnaroo - and it should be for you, too." ‘Rooers are encouraged to offset their travel to the concert and have the option to buy organic foods and natural products. The festival also uses biodiesel generators on some of its stages, and offers 2,000 recycling bins throughout the concert grounds. Read more here.

Seattle’s Bumbershoot is made green with biodiesel generators, clean energy from the Seattle City Light, no Styrofoam, an optional $2 donation to offset carbon, and a plethora of information about how to get to and from the event by bicycle or public transportation.

Chicago’s Lollapalooza: organic local foods, bio-fuel, recycling, bicycle resources, and compostables make lolla green. There’s even a section called "Green Street" where concertgoers can learn more agout how to take action to improve the environment.

San Francisco’s Power to the Peaceful showcases artists with environmentally progressive messages. It also recycles and encourages listeners from out of town to stay in the Serrano Hotel, a member of the California Green Lodging Program.

Austin’s South by Southwest festival is offsetting its carbon footprint, giving tips on getting to and from the festival sans car, and donating $5,000 to plant trees.

Vans Warped Tour has a set of "Warped Eco Initiatives" (WEI) that it hopes will help it to become more environmentally friendly and to encourage eco awareness. Biodiesel, green catering, and solar-powered sound systems top the list of green highlights at this seriously wicked music fest. Read more here.

Green Musicians by Genre

Alternative

Will Thom Yorke of Radiohead be the eraser of global warming? He’s certainly making the effort as a supporter of the Friends of the Earth’s Big Ask campaign to reduce climate change. Watch a video interview with this artist and read more here.

Blues

Bonnie Raitt has something to talk about: the environment. Clean energy, sustainable living, electric cars, and energy efficient buildings are also things she advocates talking about. She’s even listed by the Department of Energy as a large purchaser of green energy, which she uses to offset her music tours.

Country

Willie Nelson may urge mamas not to let their babies be cowboys, but he’s quick to encourage them to be environmentalists. He’s on the road again, this time with his own line of biodiesel, Biowillie. He’s also actively involved in the Farm Aid concerts, which support producers of local, organic foods and humanely raised farm animals.

Folk

The Indigo Girls have more than just the power of two — they have a whole Green Team made up of their environmentally savvy fans who help the band to keep their concerts as environmentally friendly as possible.

Hot Buttered Rum is a green machine, or at least that’s what they call their biodiesel tour bus.

Hip-Hop

The Roots are carryin’ on the environmental message with their "Stop the Violence: Go Veg" campaign with PETA. The group also advocates composting. Watch this video and read more here.

Spearhead with Michael Franti have been bringing power to the peaceful for years now in the San Francisco Bay area. This year, they’ll be extending the green-themed concert internationally with a December 1 music festival in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Check it out on their website.

Pop

Justin Timberlake is bringing green back. He’s passionate about water issues, especially as the lack of drinking water throughout many African countries. Read more here.

Sheryl Crow hopes the power industry will be strong enough to soak up the sun with solar energy. She went on tour this year with concerts that educated her audience about the serious nature of climate change. Read more here.

Kylie Minogue has come into the environmental world as the face of the "H&M Loves Kylie" swimwear line, which is donating ten percent of its profits to WaterAid. Read more here.

Madonna once said that her ambition was to rule the world. Today, she’s helping to green it. A percentage of profits from the first million downloads of her hit inspirational song "Hey You" went to fighting climate change. Read more here and check out the video here.

Punk

Green Day came around a long time ago to the environmental movement. They put their green fingers to work with the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to come up with this great website about how to become involved in saving the Earth. You can also watch a number of their environmentally conscious music videos and interviews here.

Rock

If the Barenaked Ladies had $1,000,000, they’d probably spend some of it furthering environmental issues. The group is on the board of World Wildlife Fund Canada and runs a pretty green concert tour. Read more here.

Dave Matthews has a crush on the environmental movement. From offsetting the carbon of the band’s tours to using green diapers at home, he’s making the world better every day.

Jimmy Buffett has found one particular harbour in the sea of environmental issues: manatees. He’s the co-founder of the Save the Manatee Club, which encourages people to adopt a manatee and boat responsibly.

Pearl Jam is rockin’ the green world, raising funds for environmental causes from preserving the Madagascar rainforest to funding renewable energy. Read more here and check out their website on climate activism.

With Sarah Harmer aglow about conservation, you just know things are getting better. This folk/rock musician co-founded the group Protecting Escarpment Rural Land (PERL), which seeks to conserve the natural habitat Niagara Escarpment Rural Land. She’s even toured on foot to raise awareness for her conservation concerns.

Bon Jovi wants people to have a nice day and a green home. Lead singer Jon Bon Jovi jokes that he’s motivated to save the environment by guilt over the "huge hole in the ozone layer my haircuts created." He’s now the founding ambassador of the Habitat for Humanity Ambassadors Program. Read more here.

Jack Johnson is good people, and he cares about the environment. He tours by biodiesel, offsets his carbon, donates 1% for the planet, and co-founded the Kokua Hawaii Foundation to promote environmental education. Read more here.

Youth

Put On Your Green Shoes is a compilation by various artists.

The Banana Slug String Band strike a silly, fun chord with kids and also manage to bring serious and educational messages. They’re also a rocking group for adults to listen to. Albums include Singing in Our Garden and Dirt Made My Lunch.

Ella Jenkins has been on the green kids music scene for years. She has a "solution to pollution" and teaches kids how about the "environmental game." Check out her new CD, Come Dance By The Ocean.

References and Resources

For more environmentally happening musicians, check out the following websites:

Musical Partners | Rock the Earth, "Defending the planet one beat at a time"

Eco Music For Kids | Leonardodicaprio.org

15 Green Musicians and Bands | Grist

Links for Environmental Songs and Music | Planetary Exploration

How Green Is the Music? | Austin Chronicle

Celebrities Going Green | AOL

Photo Source:

Power to the Peaceful 1 | Flickr

The Weather Makers

The Future of Nature: Writing on a Human Ecology from Orion Magazine (Milkweed Editions, $18.00), just might be that book. A collection of thought-provoking essays selected and introduced by Barry Lopez, The Future of Nature includes writings by such heavy-hitters as Wendell Berry, Bill McKibben, and Derrick Jensen, all originally published in Orion, the seminal magazine covering the intersection of culture, nature, and the environment.

Released this past Thursday, the book is divided into six loosely-themed sections. Actions runs the gamut of activism, from small suburban grassroots efforts to stop construction on a SuperTarget store to bailing out direct-action activists in Appalachia. Refugees discusses those displaced by humanity’s interactions with the environment, giving a face to the faceless victims of climate change and the unending hunt for resources. Boundaries addresses the idea of the wilderness and our relationship with it. Reverence discusses how appreciation for nature, a love of and respect for it, is the essential guidepost for sustainable living. Monsters lays out just exactly what sorts of devastating things we’re doing to our only home, and Native leaves the reader with both hope and guidance for living in harmony with our ecosystem.

Highlighting both theory and practice of sustainable (and unsustainble) living, the causes of our ecological crises, and a vision for a lasting future, The Future of Nature provides a plethora of contexts for understanding just why we desperately need to change the way we live. Elegantly written and compiled, this book should be required reading for those interested in sustaining our future on Earth. The themes balance each other nicely; the reader understands the reality of the direness of humanity’s situation but is left with hope that good things are happening everywhere, those little pockets of positive change that will lead to a more balanced way of life. It immediately made me want to go read not only Orion, but every other piece of writing by this insightful group of writers.