An Array of Utopian Flowers
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Mythological Journey to the Aztec Lands of the Dead
Posted on October 10, 2018 | No Comments -
Confronting Wildfire: Retrofit Communities, Not Forests
Posted on September 17, 2018 | 1 Comment -
San Onofre Nuclear Waste Dangers Compound
Posted on September 4, 2018 | No Comments -
Waste Colonization, Plastic Pollution and the Pacific Gyre
Posted on August 27, 2018 | No Comments -
Rise for Climate Los Angeles: September 8
Posted on August 22, 2018 | No Comments
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WilderUtopia in 102 Languages
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Pacific Ocean Archive
Waste Colonization, Plastic Pollution and the Pacific Gyre
Posted on August 27, 2018 | No CommentsHow do we confront the swirling gyres of plastic pollution dumped into our oceans? EcoJustice Radio on KPFK-Los Angeles examines the social and environmental implications of wasted resources, and follow two interrelated approaches to solving the problem from an indigenous woman doing exemplary work in New Zealand and an LA-based plastics pollution fighter who built a raft made of plastic junk and crossed the Pacific.
Santa Barbara Oil Spill Spreading: Big Oil Plans for More Tar Sands
Posted on June 3, 2015 | 1 CommentThe most recent oil spill on the Santa Barbara coast that has decimated wildlife and soiled California beaches with tar over a 350-mile area has been an unmitigated disaster. It illustrates weaknesses in basic safety measures for pipelines and crude by rail, as well as risks associated with industry plans to expand tar sands and other extreme drilling infrastructure on the West Coast.
California Sea Lion Suffering Warming Pacific, Disappeared Sardines
Posted on April 21, 2015 | No CommentsSick, starving and dying sea lion pups are washing up on the shores of California in record numbers this year. The culprit? An unusual blob of record warm water parked off the North Pacific Coast for a year and a half, affecting circulation and weather patterns with no relief in sight. Hence, sardine fisheries have collapsed with wildlife heading north.
Laguna Beach “Ranch” Hotel Renovation Violates Coastal Rules
Posted on January 8, 2015 | 22 CommentsThe California Coastal Commission failed to enforce the Coastal Act and did not require a Laguna hotel renovation to address destruction of affordable rooms and environmental habitat as well as finish the long-awaited Trail to the Sea.
Planet Ocean: Envisioning Land and Seas as One Ecosystem
Posted on October 5, 2014 | No Comments"Planet Ocean" -- explores how the health of the oceans are the pivot for all of Earth's healthy ecosystems. This international documentary, directed by Yann Arthus-Bertrand and Michael Pitiot, wonders whether it is possible for Earth’s dominant inhabitants to change the way we view our oceans.
Ocean Acidification Threatens Alaskan Crab Fishery
Posted on July 23, 2014 | 4 CommentsOcean acidification, the lesser-known twin of climate change, threatens to scramble marine life on a scale almost too big to fathom. Scientists fear changing ocean chemistry will drive the collapse of Alaska’s iconic crab fishery. Watch the video from PBS NewsHour and the Seattle Times.
Maori War Dance Commemorates Battle Victory Against British
Posted on July 5, 2014 | 1 CommentThe Maori People of Tauranga staged a 150-year commemoration of a victory in the last major battle against the British in a losing effort from the New Zealand Wars, that resulted in significant confiscation of their lands and autonomy.
Marine Ecosystems Facing Unprecedented Human Damage
Posted on October 3, 2013 | 1 CommentThe health of the world’s oceans is deteriorating even faster than had previously been thought, a report warns. "We are entering an unknown territory of marine ecosystem change. The next mass extinction may have already begun."
Fukushima Meltdown: Flush the Radiated Mess into the Pacific
Posted on August 15, 2013 | 4 CommentsAlmost two and a half years after the nuclear meltdowns at Fukushima, the head of Japan's Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA) raised concern on August 5 about the continued flow of radioactive water from the plant going into the Pacific Ocean, telling Reuters, "Right now we have a state of emergency." Hmm, yes, sounds about right.
Sharkwater: Sea Shepherd Battles Shark-fin Poachers in the Pacific
Posted on July 15, 2013 | 1 CommentRob Stewart's beautifully shot documentary "Sharkwater," set in the Galapagos and Isla del Coco of the Pacific Ocean, refutes those who vilify the shark as a killer of humans, insisting they do not wish to eat us. He also films Sea Shepherd Captain Paul Watson's attack on the Costa Rican shark fin poachers, which has led to international charges for the famous defender of the sea.
Costa Rica: Conservationists Face Corruption and Drug Trafficking
Posted on July 15, 2013 | 3 CommentsThe murder of 26-year-old sea turtle conservationist Jairo Mora in late May exposed cracks in Costa Rica's international environmental image, and proved that protecting nature sometimes has a terrible cost. Official corruption, lax regulations, and drug trafficking threaten the environmental bounty of Central America's most visited country.
Plastic Ocean: Deep Sea Garbage Endangers Marine Ecosystem
Posted on July 8, 2013 | 2 CommentsWhile the Great Pacific Garbage Patch continues to grow, a paper by researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute shows that trash is accumulating in the deep sea, particularly in Monterey Canyon, off the coast of California. This causes dire impacts to the marine ecosystem and humans who thrive from it.
Midway Atoll: The Plastic Plight of the Albatross
Posted on October 9, 2012 | 25 CommentsA short film follows artist Chris Jordan to investigate the thousands of albatrosses dying from ingestion of plastic from the Pacific Garbage Patch. The Albatross journey across the sea takes them over the world’s largest dump: slowly rotating masses of partially-submerged trash between San Francisco and Hawai’i.
