THE “GREEN PICNIC” INITIATIVE

Every 9th of May, my birthday date, I travel around city parks, admiring the beauty of the Nature, enjoying the warm sunrays and fresh air, as well as picking litter on my way and throwing it in the garbage boxes afterwards. In this way I educate myself to be environmentally friendly and respect the Nature of my Motherland and abroad. This also brings other benefits, such as spending time in a healthy way and personal satisfaction of doing something small, but extremely needed for the surrounding World.
The year 2010. The 9th of May is approaching fast. But this time I have decided to share my approach of having this small positive impact on the environment with the others. Thus, the “Green Picnic” initiative has been born.


“Green Picnic” is an environmental initiative aimed at self-education on being an environmentally-friendly citizen.
It can be practiced by any person and is represented in having a picnic at a local park, respecting the following rules:
1) No littering! – All garbage must be taken with you and thrown in the garbage boxes;
2) When leaving the place where you had had picnic, you must pick all the litter on your way and also throw it in the garbage boxes;
3) For food the natural products (fruits and vegetables) are preferred.
Benefits of the “Green Picnic” initiative:
1) Easy to implement;
2) Self-education on being environmentally friendly;
3) Keeps the parks and other public places clean;
4) Spending good time on fresh air together.

The first event of the initiative called “Green Picnic: The Roses Valley” will take place this 9th of May in the Chisinau park called “The Roses Valley”. It includes the picnic with litter-picking itself, as well as visiting the beautiful Memorial Complex to celebrate the Victory Day.
If you wish to join this event, please check the respective Facebook page “Green Picnic: The Roses Valley” and confirm your attendance.
Looking forward to seeing you together with us!

THE END OR THE BEGINNING?

Nopenhagen… Flopenhagen… Brokenhagen… These are just several names representing the failure of the UN Climate Change Conference 2009 (COP-15) in Copenhagen. There is no final binding legal and political agreement signed. No Real Deal to present to the World. Only the Copenhagen Accord can be considered as an official outcome of the event, but it is neither binding nor fair.
Still, does it really mean the end of the battle of climate change theories? Looks like it is just the beginning…
The NGOs present at COP-15 (Avaaz, Greenpeace, WWF and many more) have started thinking about new initiatives to raise awareness about climate change consequences (for example, the Climate Change Media Partnership, the “Climate Shame / Not Done Yet”). They use contacts obtained during the event to establish cooperation within the initiatives. These organizations have raised their voices and now capitalize on this achievement to maintain their high volume.
Due to the NGO activists, reporters and bloggers, who had worked actively during COP-15, a lot of people from all over the World understood the importance of the issue and joined the global movement to minimize our negative impact on the environment. More than thirteen million signatures were collected and over three thousand vigils were organized in about 150 countries in support for an “ambitious, fair and binding treaty”. This pool of supporters will be an enormous support in promoting further the environment protection activities.
In addition, scientists supporting the human origin of the climate change begin to use the swiftly grown attention to this issue in order to promote their research results and new projects here. This should boost scientific progress in the field of the global climate change.
And there is hope that the Copenhagen Accord is not the last, but the first step in regulating the World’s emissions of “greenhouse” gases. “This accord cannot be everything that everyone hoped for, but it is an essential beginning,” said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, as mentioned in the UNFCCC Press Release.
Is it really so? Were all the expenditures on organization, transportation, accommodation, etc. within COP-15 (that could be directed to environment protection campaigns) in vain, or not? And most importantly, will the Climate Change Conference lead to a global movement for preventing climate catastrophe, or remain to be just a colourful page in the History manuals?
And this depends not only upon the World leaders, but on EACH OF US…

Note: the copy of this article can be found on the international blog “G-1 Billion”.

HOMO SAPIENS… IT WILL PASS…

Here is a joke I have read recently – it is a very actual one due to the continuous debates concerning our role on this planet and negative impact on the environment:

A planet passes by the Earth and asks it:
- How are you? Have not seen you for millions of years!
- Not so good… You know… Homo sapiens came out all over me…
- Do not worry, it will pass! I also had them!

WE ARE INNOCENT… ARE WE?

“I am innocent!...” – cried Svetlana Svetlichnaya in the old Soviet comedy called “Brilliantovaya ruka (The Diamond Arm)”. Nowadays similar cries are heard coming from the scientists, who disagree with the human cause of the global climate change. They provide arguments that the destructible climate cataclysms had already happened in the past, when there was not even a single footstep of Homo sapiens. Cataclysms of those times caused many species of plants and animals to become just fossils in our museums, and the reasons of their appearance were related to the activity of the Sun, changes in the Earth’s orbit (Milankovitch cycles), unexpected guests from Outer Space (comets, meteorites), volcanic activity, etc. Thus, the whole point of these scientists is that Human is too weak to become the cause of such significant processes, as the global climate change, and that the Nature is the one dictating climate situation on our planet.
Truth to say, the supporters of such point of view have certain credibility. The geological period called the “Ice (Glacial) Age” is a perfect supporting example here.
Still, we, human beings, are not so innocent after all. For we have joined forces with such powerful ally as the Time. It is true that in spite of all innovations in the area of global climate control the Mankind cannot and will never be able to fully succeed here. But due to our greedy consumption and careless usage of natural resources we increase the chances of global climate cataclysm and hasten its incoming. All natural processes that normally take thousands and millions of years to produce sensible impact on the global level and therefore can be prevented, nowadays happen within just several hundred years, not allowing living organisms to adapt to such abrupt changes. This is why we are to be considered guilty for the current climate change trends.
Nevertheless, our negative impact can be transformed into positive one… and also with the help of the powerful Time. Especially when the Time is NOW – the “NOW” of the UN Climate Change Conference 2009 (COP-15)!

HOT AND COLD: WHAT AWAITS US?

In general, there are two main points of view on the issue of climate change, caused by human activity.
The first one is the most well-known one; it suggests that due to the so-called “Greenhouse effect”, when such gases as carbon dioxide accumulate in the Earth’s atmosphere and trap the heat within its lower layer – the troposphere, the overall temperature on our planet will significantly rise. This will cause irreversible climate changes that in turn will result in global ecological catastrophe: ice caps of mountains and glaciers will melt, the World Ocean’s level will rise, and terrible floods and tsunami will wipe many coastal cities and regions off the face of the Earth.


The theory of Global warming is actively promoted nowadays and is the basis for negotiations within COP-15.
Still, there is another opinion about the future related to climate change, and this one is not so warm. It definitely gets a bit chilly from the inside, when the other group of scientist predicts the upcoming of a new Ice Age. The “Icehouse” theory tells us that the same greenhouse gases in large quantities will block the life-giving sunrays and place our planet into the cold darkness. As the scientists point out, such situation had already happened in the long past, when the giant meteorite crushed into the surface of the Earth, raising an enormous cloud of dust and dirt that blocked the Sun for several years. They warn that consequences of pollution with industrial gases might be far longer and more severe.
While the followers of these theories argue with each other to prove who is right, it might occur that all of them are. The global warming might be the first stage of the possible climate cataclysm, when the amount of industrial gases still allows sunrays to reach the ground. Gradually their layer might increase and thicken, allowing less sunlight to warm the surface of the planet. Thus the “Icehouse” theory will also demonstrate its terrible truthfulness.
Still, in spite of the conceptual differences, the major point in both theories is one – the cause of the possible global climate cataclysm is the Mankind’s careless and destructive activity. How to stop it and prevent the frightening theories to become realities – this must be the focus of the COP-15 negotiations happening nowadays!

Note: the copy of this article can be found on the international blog “G-1 Billion”.

A STAG IN THE INSECTS WORLD

Date: June 2009
Place: Bahmut, Moldova



This dangerous-looking fellow is a common stag beetle (Lucanus cervus) from the Lucanidae family that takes part in the most diverse order of known species on the planet – the beetles, or “sheathed winged” (Coleoptera). It inhabits old trees and dead trunks in forests and feeds on nectar and tree sap.
The large threaten-looking mandibles are the privilege of the stag beetle male; female has far smaller ones. However, this male’s “dignity” is too weak to do any harm to large creatures. Still, the mandibles turn to be an excellent weapon in the ritual fight for female’s attention: the beetle uses them to grasp the body of its opponent and turn him on his back. And while the loser lies with his belly towards the blue sky and helplessly jerks his feet in the air, the winner claims his deserved prize – a date with the female stag beetle… if it is still around after the battle.


Another interesting feature of stag beetle is related to its larva – a “C”-shaped cream-coloured creature with six orange legs and a large orange blind head. It also lives in old trees and trunks and prefers rotten wood as meal. The larva can communicate with its siblings by rubbing together the combs in its legs and producing specific sound. This phenomenon is called “stridulation”.
Due to intense deforestation, the stag beetle became quite rare and is considered to be one of the globally threatened species. Lucanus cervus is included in the Bern Convention of the Conservation of the European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (1982), the Habitats Directive (1992) of the European Union and the Red Book of the Russian Federation.

VOTE FOR THE CURE!

Do you have a message about climate change and wish to display it?
Then join the climate message competition HERE!
Also, please see my own proposal of a slogan / logo and evaluate it. Thank you in advance!


Altogether we can be heard!

DO NOT BE STUPID!

Imagine yourself meeting a person from the year 2055. He attentively looks in your eyes, sighs and says:
“Why are you so stupid?”
It is needless to ask about your reaction to such words. Insult and anger blind your logic that would probably inquire why he said that. Perhaps there is a piece of truth in his words… perhaps you have done something wrong… and perhaps it is going to have terrible consequences for the future…

This is the primary purpose of the new movie “Age of Stupid”: to inform the modern society about its negative influence on the planet Earth, the global climate change as one of its consequences and the disastrous outcome it might bring to our future generations.


The Global Premiere of the movie will be launched on 21/22.09.2009 (the eve of the UN General Assembly’s climate session) in more than 50 countries.
You can watch the “Age of Stupid” trailer HERE.

I recommend you to watch the movie and think about this:
Would you like the period of our generation to be called the Age of Stupid? If not, what could and should we do about this issue?

SEE ONCE, THINK TWICE, DO THREE TIMES MORE!

Recently I have found this very interesting article – “50 Creative WWF Campaigns That Make You Think Twice”. It represents the gallery of the most creative, powerful, and eye-catching advertising posters created and released by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), previously known as the World Wildlife Fund.


WWF is an international NGO working on issues of conservation, research and restoration of the environment. It is considered to be the world’s largest independent conservation organization that operates in more than 90 countries.


The advertisements presented in the article are aimed to raise awareness of the global environmental issues and promote sustainable approach to living on the planet Earth and using its resources. The variety of issues displayed on the posters is quite large: global warming, energy efficiency, conservation and protection of wildlife, recycling, deforestation, toxic waste, and others.
Here is an example of such posters advertising the event “Earth Hour” and energy efficiency:


More advertisements can be found in the article “50 Creative WWF Campaigns That Make You Think Twice”.

NO MORE AMBITION... TIME FOR ACTION!

Recently July 29th has become one of the significant dates in my calendar. It is on this date this year the first off-line presentation of my major idea related to the environment protection – the BioSciences Research Centre (BSRC) – took place.


The event happened in the city of Craiova (Romania), where I had been in my internship as a trainer within the ecological project “Learn to Change the Future 2009” (more information about the internship experience can be found on the blog “The X Worlds 3D”). The audience consisted of about 20 project participants – last year pupils from the schools and lyceums in Craiova, some organizing committee members, and a representative of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) in Romania.
However, during my stay in the neighbouring Romania I had not limited to a single presentation. On August 1st another one took place in Timisoara, the city I had visited in order to deliver sessions on “Earth Degradation” and “Urbanization” for the AIESEC Timisoara members and other interested persons.


In spite of the fact that few people expressed their interest in BSRC, I still consider both presentations to be successful. It is because their purpose was for me to practice presenting the idea of the Centre and gain self-assurance and persuasion skills – the support I will require for the presentation of BSRC to potential investors in the nearby future. Nevertheless, several contacts have been obtained, indicating the start of the networking element of the BSRC establishment process.


From now on there is no way back!
No more hesitation, no more fear, no more ambition…
It is time for ACTION!


If you are interested in the idea and establishment progress of BSRC, you can view the above-mentioned presentation HERE.

Also I welcome you to visit the Facebook page, subscribe to the Twitter posts, and write me to the following e-mail address: bsrcentre@gmail.com.
I am open to cooperate with YOU!