Tuesday, 26 Apr 2005

Inspired by his adventures at Greenpeace, Allan Thornton created the Environmental Investigation Agency, a nonprofit that sends agents under cover to investigate environmental crimes like illegal logging. As this week's InterActivist, Thornton describes his adventures in far-flung lands, from tracking the ivory trade through Asia to searching out whalers off the coast of Iceland. Toss Thornton a question of your own by 5 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, April 27; we'll publish his responses to selected questions on Friday.

Next: Clay Aiken Draws a Line In the Sands of Tuvalu

Hollywood celebs travel to Arctic to raise global-warming awareness

Matt Petersen of Global Green spends his time pondering this weighty question: "[I]n an age and culture that's celebrity-obsessed, how do you in a smart and savvy way use the celebrity to shine the light on the science, on the facts, and on the solution?" When it comes to global warming, the answer is obvious, isn't it? Simply fly Hollywood hotties Salma Hayek and Jake Gyllenhaal to the edge of the Arctic Circle, where they -- with help from some 500 Inuit villagers -- spell out the words "Arctic Warning" on an open patch of snow-covered ice. Take aerial photos. Then stand back and wait for ecological turnaround! Ah, we kid. Hayek and Gyllenhaal were good-humored about the whole thing, and Hayek herself stated what must have been on everyone's mind: "There's something wrong with the idea that celebrities have to get involved for people to be interested." Yes, but Salma, we arrange activist stunts in the culture we have, not the culture we might want or wish to have.


You know, ever since we got into the business of shilling Iceland in order to promote our sweepstakes, we've learned an awful lot of fascinating stuff. And now we've moved past shilling -- we just want to share! Guess how many people in Iceland believe in elves? Guess which U.S. state is the same size as Iceland? Guess where Iceland falls on a global sustainability index? You'll never guess. So read our Counter Culture instead.

What's the Time? It's Time to Get Iliamna

Proposed Alaskan mine may threaten salmon wonderland

Near the shores of vast Lake Iliamna in southern Alaska, locals are worried that a huge proposed open-pit mine at the region's headwaters could imperil legendary salmon runs. The story is familiar enough: an economically depressed, mineral-rich area gets courted by slick mining-company officials promising jobs and little-to-no ecological damage from its proposed 14-square-mile, $1.5 billion mine complex. Stakes are high on both sides. In one corner, Northern Dynasty Mines Inc., thirsty for what's billed as the largest gold deposit in North America and the second-largest copper deposit; in the other corner, a small Native Alaskan town subsisting primarily on the area's fish, wary of the company's claims but hungry for jobs. Caught somewhere in the middle is "one of the most special places for salmon anywhere," as University of Washington biologist Thomas Quinn calls it. Ultimate approval of the mine is up to state and federal officials.

Guppy Love

Young urban professionals hip to green-building scene

The trend now has a name. Ladies and gentlemen, we give you Guppys: Green urban professionals who are young. (Yeah, we didn't say it was a clever name.) Portland, Ore., has become the epicenter of a movement by the storied "creative class" to find, build, or remodel eco-friendly houses. Guppys are seeking out solar panels, passive heating and cooling systems, green roofs, and recycled materials, and are even -- gasp! -- sacrificing square footage in the quest for greener dwellings. This kind of construction costs more on the front end, which at least for now restricts it to higher-end hipsters, but the long-term energy savings can, in some cases, more than compensate. But money is not the only consideration. "Building green is both a very practical, self-interested activity, in terms of lower operating costs, and it also has a deeper spiritual value to many people taking responsibility for the impacts they have," says Portland architect Alan Scott.