January 10th, 2011

A few hours due north of NYC or northwest of Boston – depending on how you’re oriented – are some of the most pristine and beautiful woodlands imaginable.

Snowmobiling in the Aidirondacks (Photo: NY State Snowmobile Assoc. and the Pleasant Riders SNC).

The Adirondacks region – famous as a getaway for fall foliage sightseers, hikers, skiers, hunters and fisherman – encompasses hundreds of lakes, mountains and miles of rich woodland habitat. It’s territory that cradles wildlife, from trout to moose, and gives birth to the Hudson River.

At its center, the 6 million acres Adirondack Park, is the largest publicly protected park in the nation, bigger than the Yellowstone, Everglades and Grand Canyon national parks.

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September 17th, 2010

With society’s emphasis on a greener future, it should come as no surprise that study of the environment, energy and conservation has made its way into high school classrooms.
Some have taken it much further, creating environmentally themed high schools. Now, the Nature Conservancy’s program aimed at helping students and teachers learn more about eco-topics has joined forces with some of those schools.

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June 3rd, 2010

Avon Products Inc. today announced that it will plant two million trees to restore the Atlantic Rainforest in South America, one of the most critically endangered ecosystems in the world. This company said the commitment is part of its Hello Green Tomorrow Campaign, announced in mid-March, to unleash its woman-to-woman network of 6.2 million representatives and 300 million customers in a global women’s environmental movement.

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March 26th, 2010

From Green Right Now Reports

On Earth Day this year, April 22, Disneynature will release Oceans, which will explore the mysteries and dangers of these bodies of water that cover nearly three-quarters of the Earth’s surface.  French co-directors Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud used the latest underwater technologies to capture never-before-seen images, the company said.

(Photo: Disneynature)

Disneynature said it will make a donation to The Nature Conservancy to save coral reefs in honor of every person who sees the film during its opening week (April 22-28) in a program being called “See OCEANS, Save Oceans.”

The film is narrated by Pierce Brosnan, a long-time environmentalist who has focused his efforts on promoting ocean conservation. The actor has lent his support to the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s “Save the Whales Again!” campaign, as well as working with environmental organizations including Sea Shepherd, California Coastal Protection Network, Ocean Futures Society, Oceana and Waterkeeper Alliance, and others.

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September 2nd, 2009

By Melissa Segrest
Green Right Now

They started out as pets, perhaps living in little boys’ bedrooms, being shown off to friends and wrapping around arms. But then the Burmese pythons grew, and grew, and grew (about 7 feet in a year), and they weren’t so cute or easy to deal with any more.

So, trying to do the right thing, their owners gently released them into the wild, near the large, shallow “river of grass” that flows through much of south Florida, known as the Everglades.

Problem solved.

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June 1st, 2009

By Shermakaye Bass
Green Right Now

The world is not our oyster. At least, not according to The Nature Conservancy, which presented a pioneering survey on the state of global shellfish to the International Marine Conservation Congress in Washington, DC in late May that uncovered some startling statistics.

Conducted by Nature Conservancy scientists from five continents over a five-year period, the first-ever report states that 85 percent of the world’s oyster reefs have disappeared over the last 150-odd years, largely due to over-harvesting, poor water quality and degraded environments. The complex habitats, also called oyster beds by some, are vital to the world’s bays and estuaries. And as go the reefs, the report warns, so, potentially, go much larger, interlocking marine ecosystems.

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May 21st, 2009

From Green Right Now Reports

A new report released today by The Nature Conservancy says 85 percent of oyster reefs have been lost worldwide and they are now the most severely impacted marine habitat on the planet.

“We’re seeing an unprecedented and alarming decline in the condition of oyster reefs, a critically important habitat in the world’s bays and estuaries,” Mike Beck, senior marine scientist at The Nature Conservancy and lead author of the report, said in a statement. “However, realistic and cost-effective solutions within conservation and coastal restoration programs, along with policy and reef management improvements, provide hope for the survival of shellfish.”

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May 15th, 2009

By John DeFore
Green Right Now

Opening this week at New York City’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, the exhibition “Design for a Living World” explores possibilities for ecological sensitivity in a realm of top-tier design work — from fashion star Isaac Mizrahi to artist/architect Maya Lin — in which conspicuous over-consumption is often the rule.

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December 26th, 2008

By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

Now that you’ve worn off the magnetic strip on the credit card buying presents for everyone, gotten the letter that your health insurance premiums are doubling and your job is being “redefined,” it’s time to think about those year-end donations. Sigh.

While environmental groups will likely have an easier time on Capitol Hill next year talking policy with a new Administration that sees global warming as a real threat, they paradoxically could be facing headwinds with donors.

Consider first that some of their large contributors may have been dragged down in the Bernard Madoff securities/Ponzi scheme, which savaged many charitable foundations. While the extent of that damage is being assessed, it’s safe to assume that even nonprofits that escaped that five-alarm fire, have been singed by the economic meltdown.

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