Save the Narwhals!

(Source)

The narwhals (a.k.a. the corpse whales) are the unicorns of the sea! Global warming has placed the narwhals on the most vulnerable list, even surpassing the polar bears (according to a recent study). Let's unite to save the narwhals! I think they're just as cute as polar bears - their horns are magical.

The narwhal, a whale with a long spiral tusk that inspired the myth of the unicorn, edged out the polar bear for the ranking of most potentially vulnerable in a climate change risk analysis of Arctic marine mammals. (Source)

Take a listen to The Weepies tune off Hideaway, "Antarctica," which I think is a fitting anthem for the narwhals. And yes, I know the narwhals live in the Arctic waters - the song still fits.


Check it:
Narwhals [Wikipedia]
The Weepies
The Weepies [MySpace]

Spramp Shots: Earth Hour

"Earth Hour," March 29, 2008 (Source)

I managed to make it through an hour of darkness for Earth Hour, with only a candle. In the back of this picture, you'll see very few lights in Ballard. There were actually more lights visible, but I'd like to think that people in Ballard shut their lights.

Check it:
Earth Hour

Turn Off

Black Out @ Google for Earth Hour (Source)

Don't forget to turn your lights off today (March 29, 2008) for an hour from 8pm to 9pm your local time for Earth Hour. Reduce your carbon footprint. I might take a nap during that hour. I am absolutely pooped.

Yay, the city of Seattle is on board.

Google should leave their homepage black all the time.

Check it:
Earth Hour

Spramp Hodgepodge 8

(Source)

• Martha Stewart to stop publishing Blueprint magazine, Reuters via Yahoo! (December 10, 2007)
• Universal Music Group in Web deal with Imeem, Reuters via Yahoo! (December 10, 2007)
• A rare December named storm for the Atlantic: Olga, Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog (December 10, 2007)
• Talking Jesus Action Figure Sells Out At Walmart [Trends], Consumerist (December 10, 2007)
• Design: A Strong Showing in Miami, Business Week (December 10, 2007)
• Host Your Domain with Free Apps [Feature], Lifehacker (December 10, 2007)
• YouTube Shares the Wealth With Everyone. Apply Now, TechCrunch (December 10, 2007)
• Googling The GooglePlex: With More Solar Googlables To Come, Treehugger (December 10, 2007)
• Who should Apple buy?, Art Technica (December 7, 2007)
  

Spramp Hodgepodge 5

"Under" (Source: jcb, 2007)

Once I stopped playing Moola.com this afternoon, I had won $40. Woot woot! And then I was off to dinner with Dr. Paul at the oddly-located upscale-chain restaurant, Palomino. We had a swell time - happy early B-day Doc! I am now officially full but hankering for some decaf coffee. I'm wiped, and yet I have a stack of essays to grade staring at me in the face. What to do? What to do? I think I shall do decaf before I do anything that requires me to think. Enjoy the hodgepodge!

• India Surgery on Many-Limbed Girl, BBC News (November 6, 2007)
• Malaysian Police Raid Gay Sex Party at Gym, Arrest 37 Men, Towleroad (November 6, 2007)
• Get More From Credit Card Rewards [Credit Cards], Lifehacker (November 6, 2007)
• Top 10 Least On-Time Airports, The Consumerist (November 5, 2007)
• Apple Tablet Is Real, On Its Way, CrunchGear (November 6, 2007)
• PayPal is Rude in the Lunch Line, New York Times (November 6, 2007)
• Architect Gehry Sued by MIT, AP (November 6, 2007)
• Anderson Cooper And Jeff Corwin Insanely Homoerotic In HD—But Not In New York [Eco-porn], Gawker (November 5, 2007)
• Rebel, Disgraced, Tries to Pull Off Rebound, New York Times (November 7, 2006)
• NBC Universal's Green Week on TV, Treehugger (November 6, 2007)
  

What I'm Coveting: Ad Bags by Alchemy Goods

I'm absolutely loving these totes that I spotted the other day made by Seattle-based Alchemy Goods (AG). AG designs bags and other accessories using as much recycled material as they can. These totes, called AD BAGS are constructed with mesh advertisement banners that were hung throughout Seattle; the handles are made using seat belt straps. The tote you choose is one-of-a-kind. And they're super affordable at $30, and the best part is the bags are green! The AG label, which looks like an element off the periodic chart has a number that corresponds to the percentage of recycled material used by weight. This fantastic tote is 95%!

If I hadn't exceeded my budget for this month, I'd have one by now. Maybe next month ... At any rate, these totes are fantastic! And word on the street is, Alchemy Goods and Whole Foods are teaming up to make recycled bags from Whole Foods signage.


All images are from Alchemy Goods.

Check it:
Alchemy Goods (www.alchemygoods.com)

Striking a Powerful Nude Pose for Our Planet

Forewarning: Images below could be NSFW.

Nude People on the Aletsch Glacier (Source: Greenpeace)
Known for his installation photographic pieces of hoards of naked people striking mass poses in cities all over the world, Spencer Tunick has turned his attention to the environment. Tunick recently photographed 600 nude volunteers on the Aletsch Glacier in Switzerland, a glacier that has retreated 377 feet (or 115 meters) from 2005-2006. The juxtaposition of nude people and mountains being stripped of their glaciers is a powerful commentary on the vulnerability of our species and our environment.


Download wallpapers from Greenpeace:
1440 x 900 wallpaper
1024 x 768 wallpaper

For further info:
600 strip naked on glacier in global warming protest, Greenpeace (August 18, 2007)
Say freeze: why 600 people stripped and posed on a Swiss glacier, Guardian Unlimited (August 18, 2007)

Interesting: Row Row Row the Pacific

Roz Savage in Her Rowboat (Source)
I've always wanted to sail across the Pacific (this aspiration will perhaps be a future Spramp the World obsession). But to row a boat across the Pacific, seems to me a tall order. So a hearty Kudos to Roz Savage, a British woman seeking to do just that. Starting off the coast of Oregon, Savage will attempt to sail around 6,700 miles in a rowboat across the Pacific to Australia. Insofar as the trans-Pacific trip is largely an endurance project, Savage will also be documenting pollution of the Pacific Ocean (check out her "Message on the Environment"). Whatever kind of project it takes a whole lot of strength and vision to complete this awesome endeavor! Way to go!

Check out

• The Voyage: Roz Savage: Rower, Writer, Speaker - www.rozsavage.com
• Brocade and Roz Savage Team Up for the Environment - www.rozrowsthebrocade.com
• Roz Savage on Wikipedia.com
  

Interesting: Get Green on Yahoo!

Alongside its new omg! site, Yahoo! has implemented a "green" portal of sorts called Yahoo! Green. Get your fix of celeb-gossip and then appease your guilty conscience and go green! This is a perfect combo for someone like me. Although, like omg!, Yahoo! Green is still in its nascent stage - honestly, I still much prefer the fantastic green blog Treehugger (www.treehugger.com) to this one. Check it out nonetheless.

Sail Away with Sail Boat Totes

Recycled Sail Totes from Reiter8 on Etsy.com
I have found the coolest-looking recycled tote bags by Reiter8 on Etsy.com. These totes are made out of recycled sail boat sails, and at closer inspection, are stitched together professionally! I like them a lot! Reiter8 sells the totes for $75.00, which is a steal considering how much Freitag bags (also made out of recycled material) go for!