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Despite being one of the three most productive ecosystems globally – alongside rain forests and coral reefs – the world’s mangrove forests are disappearing rapidly due to the effects of eutrophication, unsustainable construction practices – including coastal/residential development and civil engineering projects – as well as aquaculture conversion. As an invaluable economic and ecological resource, mangroves are breeding sites and nursery grounds for reptiles, mammals, fish, birds and crustaceans as well as sediment, carbon, nutrient and contaminant accumulation sites, renewable sources of wood, and finally, natural barriers against coastal erosion or hurricanes. Although guidelines have been developed by several agencies for the sustainable management of mangroves, many scholars wonder if it is too late for reforestation programs and other initiatives as the loss of biodiversity from old-growth forests is unlikely to be regained, and potentially lost permanently.

In Utila, Honduras, there are 4 mangrove species, the red, (Rhizophora mangle), the white (Laguncularia racemosa), the black (Avicennia germinans) and the buttonwood mangrove (Conosarpus erectus).  Lying off the coast of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef system – the second largest in the world – Utila has experienced a colossal dive tourism boom in the recent decades as one of the cheapest places globally to obtain a PADI Open Water certification. Although the land territory of Utila is only about 40 km2 , with two-thirds – as a conservative estimate – of it under mangrove coverage several decades ago, it now boasts more than 60 dive sites and dozens of dive shops, hotels, restaurants, and related tourist infrastructure. Although already severely decimated, Utila’s mangroves are in danger of disappearing entirely due to factors that could be linked to the recent tourist boom, most notably; anthropogenic stresses and over-population, and in conjunction with it, demand for housing, space and property development. Additionally, in Utila, mangroves are especially important as they house the endemic and critically endangered Swamper Iguana specie (Ctenosaura bakeri) – currently residing in a range of less than 8 km2 globally – and are also one of the only two natural barriers against inclement weather conditions. In 2010, it was assessed by the IUCN as critically endangered due to overhunting and habitat loss / fragmentation and Honduran law has protected the species since 1994, when a hunting ban has been put in place. The Iguana Station has been built in 1998 in order to implement protection, breeding and educational programs to increase the numbers and stability of the Swamper Iguanas in the wild. In the recent years, another NGO and research station, Kanahau, has opened up as well, and currently works in detailed population studies of the Swampers, as well as the island’s other animal species.  Conservation activities on the island are difficult to implement and get minimal government support, amplifying the general lack of education surrounding the specie on both the locals’ as well as tourists’ part. Despite the staggering conditions, in my 2011 MFA thesis survey of Utila’s tourists, 60% of those surveyed felt that the mangrove health in Utila is good or fair, and 24% reported the same opinions for the Swampers.

Exacerbating the issue, and despite the presence of two other larger iguana types on the island – the Highlander and the Green Iguana – the Swamper is hunted locally for its meat and eggs. It is considered a delicacy and part of a traditional Utilian diet, and its’ street value is priced at approximately 85 Lempiras per pound – twice the price of beef, and more than three times the price of chicken. It is also important to note is that few people actually hunt iguanas in the mangroves; rather they wait until the gravid females move to the beach to lay their eggs, where they are much easier to catch. This affects two generations of iguanas – the females and the offspring, and many Utilian locals have noted seeing people catching forty at a time, as opposed to one or two to feed the family. The practice of capturing gravid females has resulted in a serious population imbalance, and some conservationists have noted that for every female Swamper, there are two males. They have also said that beans, tortillas and other traditional, sustainable sources of food are inexpensive on the island, and that poverty is not an excuse to capture the Swampers, since most of the islanders can afford the aforementioned alternatives.

With new housing developments and hotel expansions occurring daily and devastating the Swamper habitat, conservationists fear that the fate of this beautiful specie is bleak, unless drastic measures are taken by both the local and national government to protect it. In the meantime, it is up to the locals, and the tourists to do their part in ensuring its’ survival. Simple ways of helping include not supporting the businesses, or developing and buying property that lies on former filled-in mangrove stands, and obviously, not consuming the Swamper iguana. For those who want to do more, both Kanahau and the Iguana Station accept volunteers, and help offset some of their operating costs through minimal volunteer fees.  Finally, help spread awareness! See www.postcards-from-utila.com for more details, and check out In the Land of the Swamper in Red Flag Magazine’s Animal issue.

During the final days of 2012, India was erupting with anger over the heinous case of gang rape that claimed the life of a 23-year-old. Protestors took to the streets in New Delhi, where the rape occurred, and other parts of India to raise their voice against the government’s lassie faire attitude towards rape, Eve teasing and women’s rights. In a country, where a woman is sexually abused every 20 minutes, gender equality is a taboo issue that has never gained extensive and continued attention.

The anger and uproar continued well into 2013 and reached my home, here in Toronto, Canada. My Mom and Aunt, both very strong females to look up to, decided that something must be done here in Toronto to highlight this issue to Canadians. Even though Indians leave India, they bring their mentality with them to foreign countries where they reside in. There have been countless incidents of Indian males staring me down when I walk around Toronto. Pretending like I don’t understand what they are saying is the best way to ignore their crude comments on the street. Even though Indian people have been fully integrated into the Canadian society, have they adopted Western principles like gender equality? I don’t think so because I don’t see it around me.

Feticide is a widely recognized issue even in Canada. Boys are favored over girls in many walks of life. Boys are given more freedom than girls in the Indian community. We may have traveled a long distance from our home and roots to escape the social injustices, but have we really come that far?

This photo is from a silent march held outside the Indian consulate in Toronto on January 3, 2013, demanding two things: stricter laws and effective implementation of these laws, and a social change in the mindset of the people. The fundamental change that needs to be seen in the Indian society is how young boys are raised and taught to treat women. If they see their mothers being treated poorly by their fathers, they’ll think it’s OK to do so. If they see that they are being favored over their sisters, they’ll think male preference is normal. Respect for women needs to be instilled in the mind of every young Indian boy from the very first day in order to change the social system of gender inequality and injustice towards women.

They have announced that buses can’t have tinted windows in New Delhi anymore (the girl was raped in a bus by the bus driver, his brother and friends). Similarly auto rickshaws can’t have a curtain on one side that protects the passengers from wind and rain. All this isn’t going to reduce the rape rate in India. A transformation in the way Indians think will. It looks like that transformation has started, but there is a still a long way to go.

The oceans are the most important ecosystem on the planet, containing life that absorbs most of the carbon dioxide – that we put into the atmosphere – and converting it into the oxygen we breathe. Sharks play a crucial role in the oceans – as apex predators, they are critically important to the fragile balance of the world’s oceans as they keep populations of other fish healthy and in proper proportion for their ecosystem. Recent studies indicate that regional elimination of sharks can cause disastrous effects further down the food chain including the death of coral reefs and the collapse of fisheries. Alarmingly however, sharks face numerous threats that have already had a devastating impact on their population numbers – most notably – unsustainable overfishing. This includes; accidental bycatch, unregulated fishery quotas, lack of legal protection or enforcement for Threatened species, and illegal (and in some cases, legal) practice of shark finning to satisfy the growing demand for Shark Fin Soup.

A recent IUCN report noted that 1 in 3 species of open ocean sharks are Threatened with extinction, or listed as Critically Endangered, Endangered, or Vulnerable. For many of these species, the population numbers continue to plummet – some by as much as 98% in the last century alone. For many shark species, the ICUN lists “shark finning” as one of the leading causes of population decline. Concurrently, some of the species at greatest risk are those that are highly prized in the shark fin trade, including; the Great, Scalloped and Smooth Hammerheads, Oceanic Whitetips, and Great Whites just to name a few. A 2006 analysis by Dr. Shelley Clarke estimated that there are between 26 and 73 million sharks killed each year for the fin trade. Due to a lack of regulation, laws and enforcement in some countries but not others, it is nearly impossible to discern which fins are ‘legally’ obtained and in some cases, from which species.

Additionally, numerous studies have shown that on a strictly financial level, sharks are by far more valuable alive than dead. Separate studies in Australia, the Maldives, Belize, Palau, South Africa, the Bahamas, and Honduras, all indicate that revenue from shark diving significantly surpasses potential shark fishing revenue. In premier shark diving destinations, a single shark can attribute upwards of a million dollars over its’ lifetime to the local economy, as opposed to a one-time profit of a couple of hundred dollars if it is caught and sold. Through my own research, I have seen first-hand the positive effects behind the creation of shark sanctuaries and education-based shark awareness programs.

The Shark Legacy Project was started in 2009 with an objective to estimate the true value of sharks, as both an ecological, and an economical asset to the local communities of Honduras. Giacomo Palavicini, who works for the Shark Legacy Project, has noted an individual Caribbean Reef shark brings in $47,000 per year to the local economy through dive tourism, multiplied by the shark’s age. He also noted that there are additional financial benefits to the tourist-serving properties, such as hotels and restaurants, not included in this estimate. Moreover, incidental sightings of other shark species, including the Oceanic Whitetips and Hammerheads also bring in additional revenue.

Despite these staggering figures, global protection for sharks is still unrealized. At the current rate of destruction, sharks are not a renewable resource and stricter measures need to be taken to ensure the survival of the various species world-wide. It begins by changing our mindset to recognize the importance of sharks to our oceans, and in doing so, to start respecting and protecting them.

Special thanks to:
Ian Drysdale, Healthy Reefs for Healthy People Initiative
Giacomo Palavicini, Shark Legacy Project
Waihuka Divers

For more information:
http://www.healthyreefs.org/cms/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shark-Legacy-Project/276492206568
www.postcards-from-utila-film.com

When we were children, our parents would stare in awe of every crayon scratch that we drew and every twirl we would manage in dance class. As we entered school, however, the support for our relentless and untainted pursuit of various art forms started dissipating. Instead of being encouraged to develop our own artistic expression, we were told how high to jump, what object to photograph and which colours to paint with. We were graded on our technique, discipline, ability to recite textbooks, and flawless imitation of professors. Our free-spirited artistic endeavors of childhood had become strained. All of a sudden, instead of being unable to do any wrong, we have encountered the superficial reality that there is only one way of doing it ‘right’.

Meanwhile, the society and the media enforced this one-dimensional view of art. Specific styles of painting and photography have been commodified in galleries which have ignored the cultural value of art production, and instead, placed a financial value on the pieces themselves. Dance forms suffered a similar fate through their commercialization in music videos and trick-based performances in upscale venues. As a society, we have been taught – and have subsequently accepted the doctrine that there is a ‘right way to do art’ and that everything that doesn’t fit neatly into the confines of that small, rigid box, simply isn’t. Rather than remaining a cultural practice of idea sharing through creative exploration, art became an industry.

The art scene in Toronto suffers a similar fate. When it comes to balancing the city’s budget and cutting programs, artist grants are amongst the first mentioned by our current political leadership. The remaining grants often inadvertently force artists to pigeonhole themselves into stringent categories to heighten their chances of selection. Yet despite this, some Toronto-based artists have managed to produce incredible work addressing the aforementioned issues.

Lila Ensemble is a 6 member cast of dancers and musicians, including: Jessica Houghton, Chelsea Papps, Raphael Roter, Bea Labikova, Christina Greiner, and Chris Adriaanse (missing in the photograph above). The main principles guiding their work are the development of meaningful and fluid communication through an interdisciplinary approach of movement and music, and the realization that the expressive potential of free and structured improvisation is not only a means of composition, but an end in itself. By tapping into genuine emotionality, Lila Ensemble addresses issues of honest expression and open interaction amongst themselves and the audience. In a culture strongly based on illusion and the presentation of false fronts, Lila challenges the society’s tendency to build walls and encourages the audience to engage in the present moment by stretching their system of beliefs and realm of awareness. Inspired by the concept of divine creative play, they produce work that is rich with fantasy, imagination, and emotion while addressing the issues surrounding the availability and accessibility of improvisation as an art form.

Lila Ensemble frequently performs in unconventional spaces and encourages broader communication amongst the dance and music communities by opening up their rehearsals to emerging artists and seasoned professionals alike. Although all are formally trained, the members of the Lila Ensemble perfectly embody and understand the true meaning of art – the notion that imperfect twirls and crayon scratches are in fact, the building blocks of a diverse and thriving artist community.

For more information, visit http://www.lilaensemble.com/

Nestled in the Kattegat Strait between the Baltic and North seas is the small, sparsely populated Danish island of Samsø, lovingly known as the “Energy Island.” Home to beautiful beaches, holiday homes of many Danes, and a popular music festival in the summer, Samsø garners most of its popularity for something else  – it’s remarkable successes in being self-sufficient on renewable energy.

This picture was taken on Jørgen Tranberg’s farm, the rear of which leads up to his wind turbine. In 1998, when the Samsø municipality invited island residents to buy shares in the 21 wind turbines that supply a hundred percent of the island’s energy, Tranberg thought it was a good investment. When Tranberg moved from the mainland of West Jutland to this small island over 30 years ago, he started off with buying a small, inexpensive farm. Since then, Tranberg has made the most of the opportunities available to him on this small island of 4,300 inhabitants, like investing in the wind turbines that started as an ambitious project over a decade ago.

In 1997, the Danish government launched a contest to award a community with funding to become a model for sustainable energy. Samsø’s mayor entered the contest and won. He aimed to make this island completely self-sufficient over the next 10 years by using only renewable energy on Samsø. Even though around $90 million was poured into this project over the next decade to help the island achieve its goals, according to Michael Larson at Samsø’s Energy Academy, it was the people of the municipality that made this project happen. Many of them, like Tranberg, have shares in one of the 21 turbines towering over the island’s stunning landscapes.

“People all over the world are talking about public-private cooperation and innovation, and we already did that 15 years ago in Samsø,” notes Larsen.

Samsø was beyond successful in reaching its goal by 2008 and is now a 100-per-cent self-sufficient, running on soley renewable energy sources. Moreover, 75-per-cent of the heat energy produced on this cold, Scandinavian island is renewable as well. The island of Samsø now has a new goal: to be completely fossil fuel free by 2030 by phasing out coal, oil or gas used for energy production or transportation.

Folks at the Energy Academy in Samsø also consult other municipalities in their efforts to become more sustainable. Larsen is confident that with community contribution, any place could achieve a high level of sustainable energy production.

In the meantime, the wind turbines in Samsø are turning away, producing 66-per-cent more energy than the island needs, while topping off the bank accounts of local shareholders.

Equine Voices Rescue & Sanctuary is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization dedicated to saving Premarin (PMU) mares and foals from slaughter. They are “… a voice for the many horses that cannot speak for themselves, working to end their senseless slaughter for overseas markets. Through education, we are confident we can enlighten the public about the horrors behind the premarin industry and horse slaughter, and be a catalyst for change so these noble animals may finally live a life without abuse, pain and suffering.”

Many of the horses at Equine Voices are rescues from PMU production facilities. PMU stands for “Pregnant Mare Urine”. The hormones collected from the urine of pregnant mares has long since been used as a source for hormone replacement therapy medications prescribed to women going through menopause. The hormone replacement therapy is called PREMARIN therapy and related products such as PremPro and PremPhase are taken by millions of women every day.

At a PMU facility pregnant mares live each day in cramped stalls too small to even lie down, they are denied free access to water, standing for up to six months in a “pee-line” with rubber collection cups hooked tightly around their urethra. Once they have their foals, they are immediately impregnated and brought back to the “pee-line”. The mares are purposely kept pregnant – similar to the cycle of a dairy cows existence and just like the baby calves born to dairy cows in dairy production facilities, the baby foal born to a mare in a PMU production facility is taken from the mother and immediately sent to auction or to slaughter.

The founder of Equine Voices, Karen Pomroy, is extremely passionate about educated the public about PMU production. She splits her time between caring for the horses at the sanctuary and traveling the country to give awareness raising presentations on the issues surrounding PMU facilities and the rights of horses which vary from state to state.

With recent news that these drugs have been medically proven to cause cancer, blood clots, and other harmful medical conditions in women, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals has cut production of Premarin by 50%. Although in the long run this is good news, currently there are 20,000 stallions, mares and foals without homes. Some are being rescued by individuals, some by non-profit groups, but the majority are sent to slaughter for human consumption.

There are many ways to support the cause. Adopting, Sponsoring or even donating funds to feed the horses at Equine Voices are a few ways. For more information visit their website: http://www.equinevoices.org/horses/.

The way to Avalon Organic Gardens & EcoVillage, one of the largest EcoVillages in the United States, sounds like the beginning of a fairytale—you must drive over a river and through the woods to reach the gates that open onto “Father’s Lane”—a dirt road lined with tall Arizona Cyprus trees and bordered by open pastures, all miraculously verdant in the otherwise desert region of southern Arizona.

“We are a collective of kindred spirits united by a common vision. Being a spiritual intentional community as well as an EcoVillage, our efforts to live in harmony with nature are rooted in our spiritual walk and recognition of the interconnectedness of all life.”

The mission of Avalon Organic Gardens & EcoVillage is clearly stated, and when you walk through the 165 acres of land that hold and sustain the farmland and the village of community members, you can see that their vision has boldly taken root and is thriving.

Within the 165 acres there are 103 resident members that range from infant to elder, living within building structures that vary from a 1920’s adobe home (that was built more than 70 years before the community acquired the land but which has been greatly remodeled and fitted with solar panels) to hand-built whimsical and green sandbag structures designed and constructed by the Avalon community members through their own construction company called Earth Harmony Builders. All the housing structures have been built or retrofitted to align with the most sustainable design practices available today.

“Our goal is to become increasingly self-sustaining. We incorporate modern, cutting-edge technologies with sustainable practices that have been in use for thousands of years around the world, many of which have been abandoned by the unrealistic consumer society we live in today in America,” said Amadon Dell Erba.

Permaculture, which stands for “permanent culture”, was founded in the 1970s on that same principal of combining ancient technology with modern-day advancements in the areas of design and agriculture to create a lifestyle and culture for humanity that would become innately sustainable—or “permanent”—instead of today’s common practices, which are both destructive and reductive to other species and ecosystems.

Avalon Organic Gardens & EcoVillage operates on those same principles and employs the wisdom of permaculture and sustainability to every aspect of life within Avalon and beyond.

Upon my visit to Avalon Gardens my tour guides were the dynamic siblings Amadon Dell Erba and DeleVan Dell Erba, the son and daughter of the original founding members of the community of Avalon back in 1989.

As we walked along, I had a pen and paper in hand and began to list all the features I came to see with my own eyes: grey water recycling systems; rain catchment tanks; a 3-acre permaculture food forest; a permaculture fish cultivation pond; solar power; wind power; compost and recycling programs; a solar oven; onsite schools for the children of each age group; an onsite Equine Therapy program; an amphitheater; free-range chickens for eggs; free-roaming goats for milk and cheese; grass-fed beef. They even had come up with a clever way to keep the shower house of one of their residence buildings warm by creating a greenhouse garden in the foyer.

When we toured the buildings, I could see the care and pride that was taken in creating each design. The intricate details and handmade decorative forms blended with the careful calculations that went into creating buildings of the highest eco-consciousness. The building for the elders on the property was outfitted with special safety and comfort features, like wider shorter steps, hand rails, special showers, and ample sun porches and sun decks to provide extra warmth during southern Arizona’s short-lived winters.

By noon we all sat down to lunch, and I was able to meet some of the members of the community. The food was so incredible that I could barely focus on meeting new people. They had laid out a spread of fresh vegetables and salad from their gardens, with homemade pita bread straight from their handmade adobe oven, hot hearty vegetarian soups, and the best baba ghanoush I have ever had.

What I found most unique and impressive about Avalon is their commitment to activism and in being involved in the world through a number of varied services and programs they offer to the public along with for-profit and nonprofit businesses they have created.

Some of these businesses and services include a nonprofit state-licensed Hospice Care staffed by the community’s resident psychologist, doctor, and several nurses whom are all ordained ministers and all volunteers. (The hospice also has paid outside employees and the service is covered by Medicare insurance.) They also have a farm co-op initiative that provides fresh organic produce grown at Avalon to neighboring families and communities in an area where organic produce is hard to come by. The younger tech-savvy members of the Avalon community work at Global Change Multi-Media Productions, a graphic design, web design, and marketing company founded by Gabriel of Urantia with the vision to help people get their positive ideas to the world. They also have a Spirit Steps Tours company that does eco-friendly tours in both Sedona and Tubac, Arizona, an art gallery, and a publication called the “Alternative Voice”, which—much like Red Flag Magazine—reports on ways we can shift to a more sustainable way of seeing and being in the world. They are currently working on expanding into Tucson where they plan on establishing a raw food and vegetarian restaurant, called Food For Ascension Café, a center for the arts and live music performance venue, called The Sea Of Glass, and a yoga and wellness space in the bustling college neighborhood that runs along 4th Avenue.

Most intentional communities and Eco Villages carve out a little space of Eden for themselves, away from the bustle of the world at large, and tend to become sustainable so they don’t have to interact with society. At Avalon they are fully sustainable and could easily keep to themselves but have chosen to engage with the world and offer a living example of a sustainable way of life.

For additional information you can visit their website: http://avalongardens.org/

Snarling, growling and perpetually cranky, Taz – the Tasmanian Devil– emerges from a vortex created by his own spinning body.  This animated image of the ferocious and rather ditzy Looney Tunes character has been inked into the memories of many people my age that grew up in bedrooms full of Bugs Bunny and Tweety stuffed toys – but, the pop-culture version of this feisty cartoon character has little in common with the real-life endangered species.

The Tasmanian devil is the largest carnivore marsupial and is found only in the wilds of the Australian island state of Tasmania. It looks like a small dog and feeds on snakes, birds, fish and insects. The Tassie devil has become an iconic symbol of Tasmania, but in the 1800s, famers tried to eradicate this species because it was believed to be killing livestock. In 1941, the government made them a protected species.

The seemingly little marsupial can eat up to 10 per cent of its body weight in one day. These ferocious creatures often fight each other, making it a commonality to see scars on their faces. The fighting, unfortunately, is also one of the ways in which a contagious cancer has affected 60 per cent of the state’s total population of Tasmanian devils (as per 2010 statistics). The devil face tumour disease (DFTD) started spreading in the late 1990s. This rare cancer is characterized by lumps around the animal’s mouth and head, making it difficult for them to eat. Eventually, they die of starvation. This disease has killed tens of thousands of Tasmanian devils and in 2008, the species was officially declared as endangered.

Efforts are being made to preserve this Australian icon. Breeding programs are in place for unaffected devils, but whether successful research will outrun the cancer is uncertain.

If you’ve bought a stuffed version of Taz, the Looney Tune, after 2006, your money has been funnelled into research for DFTD. If you are too old for toys, but want to help, check out the <a href=”http://www.tassiedevil.com.au/tasdevil.nsf”>Save The Tasmanian Devil</a> website to see how you can make a difference.

Photographer Kerry Pryor is showcasing some pictures in a gallery in the Chippendale neighbourhood of Sydney. Unlike much of the typical work done by this formal textile designer, this particular exhibition features the lives of orphan Ethiopian children that have found a home thanks to an Australia-based foundation, Beyond the Orphanage.

Kerry ended up in Ethiopia almost as a fluke: the photographer who was meant to travel with a not-for-profit group, Eyes for Africa, fell sick and Kerry was offered a chance to go.

“I enjoyed travelling, but I had never been on project like this before,” says Kerry.

But, it didn’t take her long to fall in love with Ethiopia. Along with doing the photography work that was required of her, Kerry also got in touch with Beyond the Orphanage and spent half a day with them.

When, she returned to Africa last year, Kerry spent two weeks taking photos of children for Beyond the Orphanage. She took updated headshots of all the kids, made environmental portraitures, and gave the organization a lot of photos they could use on their website. But, when she returned she felt that she could do more to help.

“I had been really been touched by the work the foundation does,” she says. “Taking the photos for them was great but I wanted to take it even further.”

So, when the opportunity presented itself, Kerry exhibited her work to raise money for Beyond the Orphanage.

“I wanted to make a direct contribution to them and I thought this was a good way,” she says.

Travelling to Africa twice and spending time in these communities has really opened Kerry’s worldview.

“I vouched never to complain if I had to wait 45 minutes for the doctor again,” says Kerry reflecting upon the hardships she saw in Ethiopia.

Kerry is already planning a third trip back to this country that she has fallen in love with: “I can’t wait to go back! The people are amazing. I hadn’t expected this experience to turn out like this at all.”

To learn more about Beyond the Orphanage, visit their website.

To see more of Kerry’s work, check out her page.

The difference between a labyrinth and a maze is that one is designed to draw you in – only to challenge you and trick you into losing your way – while the other is a preset journey meant to allow you to find your way within.

Our Activate flag rests at the entrance of this sacred labyrinth built after the design of the Chartes Labyrinth in France to raise awareness about the inner journey we are all responsible for.

The Appalachian Trail, or A.T, is a stretch of 2,200 miles of marked trails that begins at Springer Mountain in Georgia and ends at Mount Katahdin in Maine. The trail passes through 14 US states along the Eastern seaboard and is a refuge to some of the last wilderness still remaining in the Eastern half of the United States. A wide variety of flora and fauna such as the American black bear are able to thrive due to the protection of the forest lands surrounding the mountains.

Hikers and nature lovers travel from all over the world each year to hike the Appalachian trail. Hiking the entire trail, or “thru-hiking” has become a rites of passage for hiking enthusiasts. The lure of the Appalachian trail speaks of the history of the founding of the United States of America – it is where much of America’s folklore and folk culture was born and still remains one of its most important national treasures.

At the summit of Mt. Yonah – the Cherokee word for “bear” – the Appalachian Trail can be seen snaking its way north – blue and majestic in the afternoon sun. By hiking these trails a relationship is formed with the land that can’t be known from books or web pages. Once the Georgia clay gets under your skin and in your eyes it passes through your heart and reminds you to protect it.

Medical cannabis is legally used across the country in 20 states. It has been approved to treat the symptoms of glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, several forms of cancer, HIV/AIDS, drug dependencies, ALS, Crohn’s disease, diabetes and seizures.

The Rocky Mountain High medical cannabis company’s youngest patient was a three month old child suffering from an average of 20 seizures a day. According to Rocky Mountain High’s CEO, David Weisser, with the use of a small dose of a non-psychoactive CBD tincture the child became seizure free.

The use of medical cannabis, especially for infants, has been a controversial and polarizing debate since Proposition 215 legalized the use of cannabis for medical purposes back in 1996 in the state of  California.

In the middle of the desert, 11 miles outside of the city of Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, a city of the future is being built. With funding coming directly from Abu Dhabi – one of the wealthiest cities in the world – and a design team hand picked from some of the best in the world –  this city is being designed to be a leader in the race to living more sustainably on a planet whose capacity we have already pushed too far.

The city is called “Masdar”, which means “Source” in Arabic.  The design team is comprised of firms and institutions from all over the globe – representing an international collaboration. The British architectural firm Foster and Partners are responsible for much of the design.  The engineering is being managed by the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology with the aid of consultancy group Mott MacDonald and the Massachusetts Institute of Science and Technology (MIT). The city is being designed to rely entirely on solar energy and renewable sources with a zero waste ecology. Solar, wind, geothermal and hydrogen energy will be used to generate the power needed to run the city. Individual cars will be banned and transport will be supplied through solar powered communal transport systems. A solar powered desalination plant will be used to provide the city’s water needs. All plastics and non-organic waste will be recycled and re-purposed. 80% of the waste water will be reused as grey water. The wood used in some of the building projects is palmwood – considered one of the most sustainable wood sources available.

Construction on Masdar city began in 2008. The projected completion date was slated for 2016, but since construction began the same year as the global financial crisis there was an impact on construction plans and the projected completion date is now between 2020 and 2025  –  And, while the initial plan was to create a zero-carbon city the city is now aiming to be low carbon. 

With only days left until election day, citizens of Washington state are facing the opportunity to make their state a trailblazer in the stand against GMOs. So far only 2 US states, Connecticut and Maine, have passed legislation requiring labeling of GE/GMO foods, but their labeling won’t take effect until other states pass similar laws. If passed Initiative 522 would take effect in 2015 with or without the company of other states, but Washington state’s leadership could help effect similar legislation across the country.

There is much debate and controversy over GMOs. We published an article in our Food Issue detailing some of the concerns: Click <a href=”https://redflag.org/2011/10/noahs-ark-of-the-21st-century/”><span style=”color: #ff0000;”><span style=”color: #ff0000;”>here </span></span>t</a>o read more.

One of the main concerns and myths preventing voters from supporting Initiative 522 is that labeling will increase costs for consumers and farmers alike. In truth the farmers and distributors are required to label their foods. They will be given a year to change their labels and no additional cost will land on the consumer.

There are many health concerns surrounding GMOs which is the main reason these labeling laws are beginning to appear on ballots. The issue has already been taken up by Europe. The US is behind on the matter and will hopefully become educated, use their voting power and take their own initiative to improve the quality of our foods.

“Volunteers for I-522″  is a grassroots action group in Seattle composed of volunteers working to pass I-522, the 2013 Washington ballot initiative that will require the labeling of genetically engineered (GE) foods. They develop and execute political action focused on raising awareness and engaging voters, such as hosting rallies/marches, speaking tours, bannering, tabling (education), writing Letters to the Editor, and working with the I-522 campaign and other groups both local and national.

To learn more about this group visit:<a href=”http://volunteersfori522.org/”> http://volunteersfori522.org/</a>

It was a day of celebration for Melanie Tardif when we met up with her in the Whistler woods. It was a beautiful Autumn Sunday and she had just been elected Vice President of the board of AWARE (Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment) – a group whose work is focused on protecting “the fast vanishing wilderness in our backyard.”

British Columbia is a wealth of wilderness with its own share of issues from logging, to mining, to the pipeline controversy and the constant need to keep a balance between the interests of the people and the interests of industry. Among its citizens are the indigenous members of the First Nations who also bring their own set of standards to how to interact with the land and its waters. It is often easy to agree that the environment needs to be preserved and cared for, but how and where those lines are drawn is where the challenges and conflicts arise.

One of the most controversial issues in the area is bear hunting. British Columbia issues permits by lottery each year to hunt both black and Grizzly bears. The numbers allotted are low, especially for Grizzlies, but to many residents, like Melanie, who has a background in Applied Ecology, it is apparent that the bears should not be hunted at all. Melanie explains, “Bears are a keystone species – an “Indicator Species” – their role in the health of the ecology is so critical.”

Luckily, it’s often common sense that compels people to take action. AWARE was founded in 1989 when residents gathered to push for a municipal recycling mandate at a time when recycling programs were not mainstream, but just made sense. Today AWARE is 300 volunteers strong and is one of the longest running environmental organization in Whistler. Their main focus outside of environmental advocacy is their educational programs and with their “Kids Nature Club” AWARE makes sure the young residents of Whistler learn about environmental protection and appreciation early on.

Melanie has served for the past 5 years as a volunteer for AWARE and for the past 2 of those years as a member of their board before being named Vice President. With a new title comes new responsibilities for Melanie. AWARE’s biggest focus right now is on the restoration of the wetlands in the region. The wetlands are like the lungs, the filter and a hub of life in an otherwise forest and mountainous terrain. It’s a rare jewel created by the yearly amounts of heavy precipitation, and it is also one of the most vulnerable habitats in the area. It can take years before municipal policy steps in, but Melanie has learned that patience is a virtue. One project that they started in 2007 to rid the town of Whistler of plastic bags is just now seeing some success after support from more citizen groups in the area and Whistler’s mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden, the  the town will finally commence a 6-month trial to lower their use of plastic bags before even considering a full ban.

While policy might take longer – education is always accessible right now. AWARE has discovered that one of the most successful ways to initiate education is through enjoyment. Melanie teaches people how to enjoy the land through nature tours and in the winter she teaches snowboarding with the belief that the things that bring us the most joy are what we are most likely to protect.

To learn more about AWARE or to support their cause visit: http://awarewhistler.org/

For more about bear advocacy in the region visit: http://bearaware.bc.ca/

Insite is North America’s first and only legal supervised injection site and sits in the heart of Vancouver’s Downtown East Side, an area notorious for a high incidence of poverty and drug use. Insite is a clean, brightly lit facility with a row of mirrored booths where users can inject drugs under medical supervision.

Aki lives in an apartment in one of the many new developments in the area and is part of the increasing gentrification of one of Canada’s poorest neighborhoods. Although controversial, this gentrification has lead to an incredibly diverse community with hipsters selling $3 gourmet doughnuts next to pawn shops and high end restaurants opening up across from Pigeon Park.

September 2013 marked Insite’s 10 year anniversary. With more than 2 million visitors to date with up to 800 visitors per day, Insite is a part of the fabric of the community and continues to receive public support in Vancouver and across the country despite numerous attempts to stop it – most recently by the federal government – from operating.

“If you see an animal in trouble don’t keep quiet” – this is the motto of a small non-profit called Animals Matter to Me. I ended up visiting this non-profit, tucked away in the suburbs of Mumbai in December 2013. Every year my family donates to a different cause and this year we decided to support stray dogs – a pervasive part of the city. There are two sides of the issue. On one side there are people who want to get rid of these ‘nuisances’ (imagine men and women biking to work in the early hours who are continuously chased and attacked by seemingly rabid dogs). And on the other side there are animal activists who want to save these dogs from being tortured and dying. AMTM is one of a few non-profits focusing on rescuing dogs (and other animals) and providing services like vaccinations, with the intention to make the streets of Mumbai ‘safer’.

This was the issue I wanted to ‘activate’ initially. But a story told to me by the cofounder of AMTM resonated even more – it’s the common story of extortion. Most non-profit workers often have thankless jobs, and any publicity of their work and the cause they serve is welcome. However, in this case (and many more I’m sure), publicity from a famous Indian actor ended up threatening the lives of these cofounders. Upon news of the actor’s support and assuming a hefty donation was made, several political gangs (or parties) harassed the non-profit for money. It took several months before the harassment stopped, and thankfully no one was injured in the process. This is shocking yet unsurprising given the prevalence of corruption in the country. It saddens me that such selfish acts hinder the positive societal change that can be made, and it certainly does not make the streets of Mumbai safer. Extortion is a much more dangerous encounter than stray dogs, I’d say. Yet it is encouraging to see that social workers still persevere despite such roadblocks.

The Venus Project describes itself as “an organization that proposes a feasible plan of action for social change, one that works towards a peaceful and sustainable global civilization. It outlines an alternative to strive toward where human rights are no longer paper proclamations but a way of life.”

Jacque Fresco, its founder, was born in 1916 and at age 98 he still leads tours around Venus Project’s 21.5 acre research center with enthusiasm, indefagitable energy and infectious optimism for the future of human civilization. He is a futurist and self-proclaimed “social engineer” with a grand vision and design for an optimal human civilization that “celebrates the vast potential of the human spirit.”

On the property of the Venus Project, Jacque outpaced us along live oak and saw palmetto trails, past glittering ponds with Florida alligators sunning on their banks, to the futuristic structures he designed and built which are used to display live models and digital designs of a civilization that operates on a resource-based economy rather than on money, where food supply is no longer an issue and where civilizations can live on both land and sea without leaving a negative impact on ecosystems.

The charismatic Fresco has spoken at conferences around the world and has authored and produced a series of books  and documentaries detailing the features and methods for engineering his vision. His book “The Best That Money Can’t Buy” goes into detail about the advantages of a resource based economy.

The Venus Project is named so after the town its research headquarters is located, not after the planet of Venus, although the name fits quite well with with Fresco’s forward thinking principles.

For more information on Jacque Fresco and the Venus Project visit:

www.thevenusproject.com/

The Pololu Valley is the first of a chain of seven valleys on the island of Hawaii. To the Hawaiian people, these valleys are sacred. Waipio Valley, the valley at the center of the seven valleys, is known as the Valley of Kings. It is said that Waipio was the home to the Hawaiian kings that ruled the islands.

At the northern ridge of Pololu Valley you can see all the seven valleys opening to the Pacific Ocean. At the valley’s floor there is a river cutting through a lush tropical forest that spills out to a black sand beach. The dark sand is a reminder that this island is still in creation. There are five volcanoes on the island and three are still active. Since 1980 over 600 acres have been added to the island from ongoing lava flows. In this sense the island is a young island and its spirit is one of change and renewal.

The Canelo Project is a small non-profit organization Bill and Athena Steen founded in 1989 and whose work centers on the theme – Connecting People, Culture and Nature.

The tiny town of Canelo, in southeastern Arizona, is home to The Canelo Project and the center of many of our activities . They rebuilt the old adobe ranch house and complex of buildings to function as a place where people of different backgrounds and cultures could come together to share in an ongoing exploration of living, building, the arts, music and regional foods.

The Steen’s have developed it as a center for learning, research, demonstration and cross-cultural gatherings.  Their ongoing annual activities revolve around workshops, tours, intern programs and writing. The focal point of their work is handcrafting simple, small-scale and comfortable shelter that is built primarily with local and natural materials. In that pursuit, we have evolved a unique straw bale and clay wall system that is finished with beautiful clay and lime plasters – instead of paint – sculptural wall carvings, earthen floors and clay ovens.

The Canelo Project has inspired many to get their hands in the earth and to use that same earth upon which we stand to create the dwellings in which we live and gather. Learning to build your own dwelling from natural materials and designing the interior with the vision of your own creativity brings humanity and what makes each of us unique back into the places we live. In a world developing so rapidly and unsustainably these building practices and the sanctuary of the Canelo Project provide a place of respite for the global citizen looking for a new way to build our future world.