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Wildlife Footage from Mexico

In honor of Endangered Species Day (tomorrow, May 20), take a moment to watch this incredible video footage of wildlife in the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve in central Mexico. Earth Island’s Viva Sierra Gorda is working with Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda on wildlife monitoring in the bioregion where the regenerative management of the mountain cloud forest is taking place. Viva Sierra Gorda’s Carbon Neutral Planet campaign has been established to support local solutions to protect the biosphere reserve.

New Requirements for Shark Protection

Earth Island’s Shark Stewards reports that NOAA Fisheries will be implementing longline gear and operational requirements in the western Pacific to increase the survival of oceanic whitetip sharks hooked by commercial fisheries, effective May 31 — requirements that Shark Stewards has long supported. Oceanic whitetip sharks are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and a significant threat to their survival is being captured as bycatch in commercial fisheries. The new requirements are anticipated to increase their survival of the bycatch experience by 30 percent.

Weekly Action to Protect Wolves

Gray wolves in the Northern Rockies are under attack, which is why Earth Island’s Project Coyote launched its Protect America’s Wolves campaign. With no federal protections in place, states in the Northern Rockies have allowed more than 1,000 wolves to be killed in the past year. Project Coyote’s advocacy campaign provides weekly targeted actions to increase nationwide public awareness so that, together, Americans can demand wolves be relisted as endangered everywhere. Sign up for Project Coyote’s E-team and follow along on social media to join the fight. Photo in the graphic by Rain.

Greenwashing Lawsuits Advance in DC

Earth Island's greenwashing lawsuits against The Coca-Cola Company and BlueTriton Brands (formerly Nestlé Waters North America) are now proceeding in state court, despite attempts by both companies to move them to federal court. Most recently, BlueTriton moved to dismiss our case. BlueTriton argued, among other things, that they could not be held accountable for their stated commitments to sustainability because they are vague, hyperbolic, and mere “puffery.” Follow us on social media for updates on these cases.

Plastic Help from Yelp

Earth Island’s Plastic Pollution Coalition (PPC) has partnered with the crowd-sourced reviews platform Yelp to create searchable attributes that identify eco-friendly businesses practices, such as plastic-free packaging, reusable tableware, compostable containers, and more. The newly searchable attributes will allow people to more easily find eateries, bars, and cafes that are plastic free and support PPC’s values of thriving communities and a healthy, livable planet. Find out how to use this Yelp feature here.

California Native Ways

For those of you who live in the San Francisco Bay Area, this festival is a real treat. The third annual California Native Ways will take place on June 11, 10:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., in Ohlone Park in Berkeley. Hosted by Earth Island’s California Institute for Community, Art & Nature, California Indian artisans will demonstrate their traditional crafts, including basketweaving, string and jewelry making, boat building, and acorn cooking, and offer storytelling, traditional games, and more. Additional information here. Photos by Austin Stevenot (Northern Sierra Mewuk).

2022 Grassroots Accelerator for Women Leaders

For the past three years, Earth Island’s Women’s Earth Alliance has spearheaded a successful accelerator program in the United States to catalyze the critical efforts of women leaders who have stepped forward to protect our families, communities, and ecosystems from climate threats. The program is designed for seasoned leaders who have projects well underway that they’re looking to expand or deepen in impact. Applications are open until 9 a.m. PDT, June 6, for this year’s U.S. Grassroots Accelerator. If you or a leader you know are ready to scale an initiative for environmental and climate justice, apply or nominate a leader here.

Food Waste Week

San Francisco Food Waste Week has been taking place this week with a smorgasbord of activities, panels on sustainable food systems, giveaways, and restaurants featuring limited-edition dishes that fight food waste, which is a major driver of climate change. This year’s donation partner is Earth Island’s Food Shift, which will receive $5 from event organizer Imperfect Foods for every dish sold through participating restaurants. Topping off this week’s events, Yuka Nagashima, Food Shift’s executive director, will be discussing the topic of food access with Candice Elder, executive director of East Oakland Collective, on May 21, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. PDT. Register for this San Francisco in-person event here.

Learn about Wildfire Ecology

The third webinar in a series on the science of wildfire ecology presented by Earth Island’s John Muir Project will feature analysis on the biodiversity in burn areas and the ecology of post-fire snag habitats. The webinar will take place on May 26 at 11:00 a.m. PDT. Register here.

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Resources that Support Learning Outdoors

Earth Island’s Green Schoolyards America (GSA) continues to be at the forefront of utilizing the outdoors for learning during the pandemic and beyond. Their co-leadership in this effort has produced a tremendous outdoor learning library with more than 200 free resources. The last meeting of the school year convening people from around the country on this topic will take place on May 24 (check out some of the presentations here). On May 25, GSA will co-sponsor the final webinar in a four-part series featuring leading experts in outdoor learning. And before the month is up, celebrate International School Grounds Month and Living Schoolyards Month by trying GSA’s schoolyard activity guides.

Students for Herbicide-Free Campuses

Attention college students! Looking to get your campus to ditch toxic pesticides? Want to learn more about protecting communities from toxic pesticides? Earth Island’s Herbicide-Free Campus offers a paid fellowship program that supports student activists in advocating for organic land management on their own campuses. Apply here by May 31.