To: Humans, From: Everything Else on the Planet -- Thanks a lot

Four billion years. That's how long the Earth has been around. In that period of time, the ecosystem has gone through roughly five of what are being called "mass extinction periods", which is exactly what it sounds like: everything dies. Now, scientists are suggesting we're heading into period #6, but this time there's a catalyst that has nothing to do with giant space rocks or volcanoes or God turning down the thermostat -- take a wild guess what that catalyst might be.

It's okay, I'll wait.

Still guessing? Here's a hint. It's us.

At this point, the appearance and propagation of existing species is being rapidly outmatched by species that are vanishing, literally every day. And it's all our fault. To illustrate, here's a great quote from David Wake, professor of integrative biology at UC Berkeley:

"There's no question that we are in a mass extinction spasm right now...[A]mphibians have been around for about 250 million years. They made it through when the dinosaurs didn't. The fact that they're cutting out now should be a lesson for us."

So whatever it was that killed off the dinosaurs, we're worse. Anybody really surprised? Show of hands?

Here are some more fun facts: according to the 10,000 or so scientists who work for the World Conservation Union, 51 per cent of known reptiles, 52 per cent of known insects, and 73 per cent of known flowering plants are in danger, along with a metric ton of mammals, birds and amphibians. Not enough? We are killing off species we don't even know exist yet. Remember all those warnings we got back in the early 90's about how we could potentially steamroll over the cure for cancer or AIDS and not even know it? Yeah, welcome to the new millennium, where science fiction has become science fact.

Let's take it even a step farther, and you can take this one with a grain of salt because it's a little apocalyptic even for my new-found worldview, but check this out. Straight from the mouth of Peter Raven, past President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science:

"We have driven the rate of biological extinction, the permanent loss of species, up several hundred times beyond its historical levels, and are threatened with the loss of a majority of all species by the end of the 21st century."

Several hundred times. Roll that number around in your head for a minute. We have cell phones more powerful than the personal computers of ten years ago; we can text one another from New Zealand to Toronto in the blink of an eye; we have iPods and Blackberries and automatic everything and five cars a household and sex toys designed by NASA -- and even with all this human ingenuity at work, we can't seem to stop killing everything.

It's like the author of the article says: what good are all these conveniences if we manage to rape, pillage, burn and destroy our natural environment, and essentially murder ourselves in slow motion in the process?

It's time for a serious alteration of our priorities. Like, now. Right now. I'm not kidding.

Check it out.

Site redesign; new vision

Hello fellow environmentalists.

By now you've noticed the site redesign which I completed scant minutes ago, and I bet you're wondering what the heck happened. That's a fair question -- it's a pretty severe redesign, and it probably shocked some people because it's a radical departure from how my blog has been run up until today.

I spent this morning reading back through the posts since I started here on Blogger, and it quickly became apparent to me that something has been missing. What do we call that elusive element that makes a blog successful?

Oh, right. Readership.

I have spent most of my adult life campaigning for environmental awareness because I genuinely care about our planet. I want nothing more than to see us get back on the right track, to find balance and harmony with our ecosystem, to fix the glaring errors of the past and develop new strategies to benefit our world and ourselves. To that end I've tried to provide helpful, positive commentary on new innovations in environmental science and useful tips on how to green up your personal life. I have done this because I truly believe in basic human goodness and the capacity to change our attitudes and way of life for the better.

And nobody seems to be listening.

Every day I scan the environmental news diggs, searching for articles highlighting positive, forward thinking motion towards realistic, eco-friendly change. But all too often the light at the end of the tunnel turns out to be an oncoming train -- a train fueled by ignorance, by short-sightedness, and most especially by an overriding sense of apathy towards these issues. I know there are people who care as much as I do out there, but we seem to be in the minority. People are far more concerned with comfort and short-term security than they are with influencing government and industry to put on the brakes before we go careening off the cliff towards which we're driving with reckless abandon. And frankly, I've had it.

So from now on you're going to get something very different from the Blog Formerly Known As Green Me Up. I'm not pulling punches anymore. If I see lies, I'm calling them lies. If I see inconsistency, I'm going to shore it up. And if I see hypocrisy, complacency or apathy, I'm going to nail it to a wall.

I haven't lost hope. I still believe in a green future. It's just time for me to take a more aggressive stance. Eco-warriors, unite! We're going to get this train back on track if we have to get out and push.

How much is it worth to you?

I try to keep up on any new technological developments that could help me be more environmentally conscious (and, if I'm really lucky, some of the better ones help me save money!) But I'm torn on this one. Philips has just released their new energy-saving LED light bulb called GeoBulb that draws a mere 7.5 watts of power to run (big money saver for those of us who don't like sitting in the dark) and provides as much light as a generic 60 watt bulb. Even better, it's got a ten-year lifespan with regular use.

Sounds great, right?

Here's the catch -- a single bulb, a SINGLE BULB, is going to set you back a whopping $120.00. Now I don't know about you, but I have more than a single lamp in my entire place. In fact, if I were going to replace all the bulbs in my house with these GeoBulbs, it would run me a one-time payment of damn near a thousand bucks. Great idea, Philips, but until you find a way to make these technological wonders just a little cheaper, I'm afraid the earth is going to have to deal with my crappy old 60 watt bulbs. Because, you know, I need to eat.

But, if you happen to know somebody with the funds and the desire to go out and buy these, check out the link here.