Roadkill: Fresh off the Grill! | 3BL Media

Roadkill: Fresh off the Grill!

Out on the highway late last night

He shoulda looked left and he shoulda looked right

He didn’t see the station wagon car

The skunk got squashed and there you are

You got a dead skunk in the middle of the road…..

“Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road” by Loudon Wainwright III

Road kill is not a pretty thing, but there it is, on the shoulder of the highway. Sometimes a perfectly good animal meets up with a perfectly good automobile and they both suffer for it. Usually the animal pays a higher price, but not always. A woman in my town was killed recently by a moose that walked into the side of her car, rolled over, crushed the roof, (and her) and ran off into the woods. I hit a deer I had seen and slowed way down for that did a 180 degree turn on its hoof, doubled back and ran right into my van. He pushed the grill in, then got up and loped off like nothing happened. I searched for him for nearly an hour. If he had been killed in the mishap, I didn’t want him to go to waste.

Yes, I confess, I eat roadkill. Not daily or even monthly, but once in a while. if someone I know collides with a deer or I come upon one on the side of the road, freshly “grilled” so to speak, I’ve been known to load them up, take them home and cut ‘em up for the freezer.

Wherever two or more animals and cars are gathered, there is roadkill. It’s a messy scene out there. I’m not going to get into the morals of hunting or eating meat here. But from a waste to resources aspect, doesn’t it make sense to utilize a deer, moose or elk struck by a vehicle? Fact is that folks still eat meat, and using a road kill spares another one in the field, forest, or feedlot.

Wikipedia reposts a roadkill study done in New England schools involving 1,923 animal deaths. The breakdown was as follows:

•    81% mammals
•    15% birds
•    3% reptiles and amphibians
•    1% indiscernible – I like this category!

Based on the data, it’s estimated that nationwide in the US, every year motorists run down:

•    41 million squirrels
•    26 million cats
•    22 million rats
•    19 million opossums
•    15 million raccoons
•    6 million dogs
•    1,500,000 deer

Obviously there‘s a lot of “flat meat” out there, and if it’s found fresh and properly prepared, it can be safely eaten. But before you load roadkill Bambi, Bullwinkle or Kermit into your car, check your state and local laws. In many places, like Alaska, roadkill belongs to the state, where fresh flat meat is usually given to charities to feed the hungry. In Wisconsin, you need to call a law enforcement officer to tag the carcass for you before taking it. In West Virginia, anyone can take home and eat roadkill, and the book Gourmet Style Road Kill Cooking is a runaway success. In Texas People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) even lobbied on legalizing eating roadkill (to save the lives of other animals), and other animal rights activists have condoned eating the flat meat. 

Fresh roadkill is organic, free range (which is how they became roadkill in the first place), hormone free in most cases, low fat, and nutritious.  Some environmentalists support eating roadkill as a “green” practice. 

Roadkill, it’s not just for breakfast anymore…

If you can’t find a local “Road Kill Café” to serve you a possum stew, venison burger or flattened frog jambalaya, here’s a recipe you can try on your own. Usual disclaimer from the Greenopolis legal department applies- It’s up to you to make sure what you are about to ingest is fresh, clean, and cooked properly.

This stew could be just about anything…

Classic Road Kill Stew

• 2 lbs road kill venison, moose, elk, kangaroo, wombat or mystery meat, cut into 1” pieces
• 8 carrots, cut up
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 large red potatoes cut up
• 1 cup green peas
• 4 tbsp Olive oil
• Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper

In a large sauce pan, sauté the finely chopped garlic, then sear the meat in the oil. Add carrots, potatoes, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to taste, water to cover and simmer 1-2 hours until meat is very tender and well done. Add peas and celery and simmer 30 minutes longer. Serve with cast iron skillet cornbread and pumpkin moonshine. Serves 8-10.

Then sit around the campfire, and sing this classic campfire song:

Road Kill Stew (To the tune of 3 Blind Mice)

Road kill stew,
Road kill stew,
Tastes so good,
Just like it should.

First you go down to the interstate,
You wait for the critter to meet its fate,
You take it home and you make it great,
Road kill stew,
Road kill stew.

Good eating! In French, Bon Appetite! In German, Autobahn Appetite!

Greenopolis.com is dedicated to our users. We focus our attention on changing the world through recycling, waste-to-energy and conservation. We reward our users for their sustainable behaviors on our website, through our Greenopolis Tracking Stations and with curbside recycling programs.

Colorado Rocky Mountain School students honored by Wilderness Workshop | 3BL Media

Wilderness Workshop Essay Winners

Earlier this December, the Wilderness Workshop sought out the next generation of young environmental leaders by hosting a writing contest for 7th – 12th graders from Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley. The Wilderness Workshop asking all participating students to submit essays, stories or poems on why they believe wilderness is important. The 40 recipients were honored at the gala premiere of Forever Wild, the PBS documentary narrated by Robert Redford, at the Wheeler Opera House in Aspen, CO. In addition, the students met Congressman  Salazar and filmmakers Chelsea Congdon and James Brundige and were recognized  for their writing submissions. Five Colorado Rocky Mountain School students were chosen and honored. Following please find one of their submissions. For more information, contact Lisa Raleigh (Colorado Rocky Mountain School, Director of Communications)

What Wilderness Means to Me (Installment #1)

I stand on the frozen ground as frost nips at my nose. The cool mountain breeze touches my face like a mother comforting her child, and relieves my tension. In the distance, a hungry elk rummages under the blanket of fresh fallen snow and a pika stretches out on a rock to bask in the winter sun before it disappears behind the horizon and night takes over the forest. The forest is buzzing with life, yet it is peaceful and harmonious. Apart from my footprints, there is no trace of human life in this vast wilderness area. The busy highway from human civilization has been replaced by a humble trail winding through the trees, the smoke of factories has transformed into a gentle fog, and the ring of cell phones has been substituted by the chirping of birds. This wilderness area is a sanctuary for the human soul, as well as a safeguard for the wildlife that lives here.

Wilderness is important because it is an area of land that is untouched by human development. It is an area where the natural beauty has not been robbed by logging or mining, the pristine air has not been fogged by the smog from automobiles, and nature’s sweet whispers have not been obscured by the humming of technology. The wilderness is a place where animals can thrive in their natural habitat. In wilderness areas, people can enjoy and benefit from nature without harming it.

From the Maroon-Bells in the Roaring Fork Valley, to the Florida Everglades, wilderness is essential to the well being of humans and animals alike. As the human population grows, natural areas are destroyed to provide resources and space for us. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and the materials with which we build our shelters, are all tied in to nature. With each tree that is cut down, each wetland that is drained, each river that is dammed, and each grassland that is farmed, wildlife looses its habitat and humans loose the beauty and purity of nature that is absent in modern society. Wilderness is so important because it is land that cannot fall victim to axes, flames, and bulldozers that threaten much of our natural earth.

To me, wilderness is a gesture of hope. The fact that people are dedicated to preserving nature, by establishing wilderness areas, proves that they care about a cause deeper than their own satisfaction. It shows that people care about the beauty, wisdom, and simplicity of the natural world for future generations. Each wilderness area will exist forever to provide an escape from the calamity of modern life – for people as well as wildlife. “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get any better, its not,” Dr. Seuss wrote in his book The Lorax. The establishing of wilderness areas proves that people care about the future, and as Dr. Seuss pointed out, caring is the only way that a positive change will occur.

Submitted by JJ Worley, junior, Colorado Rocky Mountain School 

CRMS3511

Joy of Giving and Giving Away | 3BL Media

The Joy of Giving

This is the time of year to take stock, internally as well as externally. We find ourselves awash with gifts, food, and festivity from Hanukkah, thru Christmas, Kwanzaa, Festivus and into the New Year – the secular one anyway. (You missed Jewish New Year last September and Chinese New Year is February 14th, which is also Valentine’s Day, so take your sweetie out for some moo shoo and a sappy love story.)

But as Rudy the Reuse Reindeer reminds us, it’s time to give as good as we get. The last week of the year is a perfect time to go through the house top to bottom, clear out and give away what we don’t need and someone else can use. Kind of like a colon cleanse, but not so gross. The point is you’ll feel better and lighter as a result.

Melissa has a great idea of giving away goods to a shelter – for the homeless, for abused women and children, group home, food bank, whatever. Tip the scales a bit and let those who haven’t got, get a little. How many sweaters do you need? That jacket you never wear? Those cans of beans in the back of the cupboard? How about those old cassette and CD players now that you’re all digitized and iPody?

You’ll end up with more living space and help someone else keep living. This is the highest form of reuse and recycling – one that brings joy as a result.

One of my favorite teachers wrote:” We spend our time worrying about our physical well being and the state of our neighbor’s soul. Better we should spend our time worrying about our neighbor’s physical well being and the state of our own soul.”

‘Tis the Season. Give your neighbor some of your physical stuff, and see how much better your soul feels as a result. Share your comments below – it may inspire others.

Greenopolis.com is dedicated to our users. We focus our attention on changing the world through recycling, waste-to-energy and conservation. We reward our users for their sustainable behaviors on our website, through our Greenopolis Tracking Stations and with curbside recycling programs.

GREENOP3522

via 3blmedia.com

CSR Minute: 12/15/09 – IDC’s G-20 Sustainability Index; Equal Exchange and Dancing Deer’s Gift Basket

Corporate Social Responsibility News: IDC’s G-20 Sustainability Index; Equal Exchange + Dancing Deer’s Gifts

3BL Media Launches 3bl.me URL Shortener to Support Charities and Raise Awareness of the “Triple Bottom Line” Approach for Business | 3BL Media

(3BLMedia/theCSRfeed)(Northampton, MA, December 15, 2009) – 3BL Media, the experts in corporate social responsibility (CSR), sustainability and cause marketing communications, today announced that it has launched 3bl.me, the company’s cause-based URL shortener.  For each URL shortened via 3bl.me, 3BL Media will make a donation to worthwhile organizations, with initial recipients including Volunteermatch, Sweatfree Communities, and World Wildlife Fund UK.  Additional charities and causes will be identified on a monthly basis via “crowd-sourcing” for nominations by users visiting @theCSRfeed on Twitter, or emailing twitizen@3blmedia.com.

“URL shorteners are an indispensable tool for sharing information on the web nowadays,” said Fabian Pattberg, sustainability expert and blogger.  “The new 3bl.me shortener not only shortens your URLs, but it provides a couple of additional user benefits that did not exist before.  It raises awareness of the importance of the Triple Bottom Line approach for business, and provides funds for worthy causes. What more can one ask for from URL shortening?”

The “Triple Bottom Line” approach for business refers to the social, environmental and economic impact that an organization has on its stakeholders.  In keeping with that approach, the 3bl.me campaign is significant in that it enables the CSR community to take social networking to the next level.  By distributing links of interest through 3bl.me, users are at once sending a message that they stand for something important, and are also making a difference by channeling funds to worthy causes.

“Not only is 3BL Media helping VolunteerMatch create awareness about our CSR solutions for brands and business leaders, the 3bl.me URL shortener is helping me ensure that our most important messages really do convey ‘triple bottom line’ at every level,” said Robert Rosenthal, Director of Communications at VolunteerMatch. “We’re honored to be named as a recipient for the grant program.”

Features of 3BL Media’s 3bl.me URL shortener include an easy-to-use bookmarklet that can be dragged to a browser toolbar for instant access, and complete analytics to be coming soon.

The 3bl.me URL shortener can be found at http://3bl.me.

About 3BL Media
3BL Media is the leading CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), Sustainability, and Cause Marketing Communications company. The company’s experienced team of professionals helps organizations — from nonprofits to multinational corporations — have a positive influence on society and the environment through information sharing that leverages the most cutting-edge technology and social media. 3BL Media defines, builds and refines the tools and methods necessary to help organizations communicate their commitment to the Triple Bottom Line in the way stakeholders want and need to know.  For additional information, please visit:

http://3blmedia.com
http://twitter.com/theCSRfeed
http://facebook.3blmedia.com
http://linkedin.3blmedia.com

Press Contact:
Steven Wright-Mark
Schwartz Public Relations
steven@schwartzpr.com
212-677-8700 ext. 29
http://twitter.com/SchwartzPRnyc

3BL Media Contact:
Greg Schneider
gschneider@3blmedia.com
866-508-0993 ext. 113
http://twitter.com/Greg_Schneider

Leonardo Academy Schedules Webinar to Discuss White Paper on Defining the Impacts of Forest Carbon Sequestration Offsets | 3BL Media

(3BLMedia/theCSRfeed) (Madison, WI, December 15, 2009) – Leonardo Academy announced today that it will hold a webinar on December 17 to present and discuss their recently-released white paper, “Defining Forest Sequestration Impacts: Tonne to Tonne-Year Correlations Implicit in Existing Forestry Offset Standards.”  Determining how to recognize and reward existing forest owners for the carbon held in their forest is essential in successfully addressing climate change.  Through the white paper and webinar, Leonardo Academy aims to bring to light an issue that is under-addressed in emissions protocols – how long carbon must be held in forests that receive carbon sequestration credits.   

A major topic to be discussed is the possibility of a new metric, tonne-years.  Tonne-years are introduced in the white paper as a way to account for not only the quantity of carbon emissions specified in a forest carbon sequestration credit, but also the length of time during which that carbon must remain sequestered.  The paper goes beyond simply introducing this metric by also calling attention to the need to determine an appropriate ratio between tonne-years of carbon sequestration and the capacity to offset a tonne of carbon emissions.   

Forestry’s invaluable and unique contribution to combating climate change will also be discussed.  Unlike other types of offset projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a permanent way, such as by generating electricity using wind or collecting and combusting methane emitted from landfills, trees that absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and store (sequester) the carbon can subsequently rerelease CO2 due to natural or human-caused destruction.  While prominent offset programs employ a variety of tactics to ensure that forestry offset credits represent permanent reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, no offset program requires credited carbon stocks to be maintained ad infinitum.  Rather, each tonne of carbon offset awarded represents an implied number of what Leonardo Academy refers to as “tonne-years” – a tonne of carbon held in a forest for one year.   

A comparison of three prominent emissions standards will also be presented to help clarify the relationship between “tonnes” and “tonne-years” in current emissions protocols.  The result of this comparison, as described in the paper, was that the standards varied widely, from a 1:1 all the way to a 1:250 tonne-to-tonne-year ratio.  This demonstrated that while one standard required only one year of forest maintenance for a one-tonne carbon offset, another included close to 250 years of maintenance in the same commodity. 

Through the webinar, Leonardo Academy will base the discussion on the idea that the time element already implicit in existing forest offset protocols should be made explicit to consumers through the use of the tonne-years metric.  This would not only clarify the true impact that a tonne of carbon offsets has on climate change, but would also provide a common language for the comparison of existing forest carbon offsets, setting the stage for an open discussion about the quantity of tonne-years that must be used to offset a tonne of greenhouse gas emissions.  In addition, these concepts are central to the Leonardo Academy Draft Standard for Trial Use for Emissions Inventories, Offsets, Reduction Credits, and TAGs, which is currently under development.  Leonardo Academy hopes that the discussion will bring these issues to light and raise awareness among stakeholders in forestry, emissions, and other important fields. 

To participate in the webinar, visit https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/268177131

Title:         Defining the Impacts of Forest Carbon Sequestration Offsets
       
Date:        Thursday, December 17, 2009
       
Time:        10:00 AM – 11:00 AM CST

To view a full copy of Leonardo Academy’s white paper, visit http://leonardoacademy.org/publications/reports/300-tonne-to-tonne-year-correlations.html.

LEONARDO ACADEMY – Leonardo Academy (www.leonardoacademy.org) is a charitable 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing sustainability and environmental stewardship.  Leonardo Academy develops new approaches, methods and metrics for sustainability and also helps companies, organizations, families and individuals enhance sustainability.  Leonardo Academy provides assessments, strategy development, and implementation for sustainability including emissions, LEED, and the supply chain.

For More Information:

Michael Arny
President, Leonardo Academy
michaelarny@leonardoacademy.org
 
Sonia Carlson
Emissions Services Manager, Leonardo Academy
sonia@leonardoacademy.org

Antirion – Copenhagen one climate: A Climate of Global Collaboration | 3BL Media

(3BLMedia/theCSRfeed) December 15, 2009 – The Rion-Antirion Bridge “Charilaos Trikoupis”, a landmark of contemporary Greece, has contributed to the reinforcement and emission of messages of international interest. This time however, the message concerning behavioural change that coincides with the Global Climate Conference in Copenhagen and which is also necessary for climate reversal in the literal sense, needed to be sent out loud and clear.

The Rion -Antirion Bridge does not just offer beautiful scenery. It is also a bearer of steadfast activity concerning climate change such as policies relating to reduction and offsetting of pollution by the operating company but also the promotion of eco-driving in which citizens contribute in containing the threatening destruction.

On this basis, institutions and authorities such as the European Commission, the Ministry of the Environment, Energy and Climatic Change, the Parliamentary Committee of Safe Driving, the Road Safety Institute “Panos Mylonas”, the National Alliance for Safety and Civilization on the Road, the Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE), as well as the Municipality of Antirion, have become partners in the campaign for giving information about the Copenhagen Conference and eco-driving. They look at the Copenhagen representative directly in the eyes so that it becomes clear that there is one climate from one end of the planet to the other and it is usually the insignificant parties that are at more risk than the significant parties.

On Monday the 7th of December, a banner of enormous dimensions was hung on the deck of the Bridge conveying the message, “Change Before Change Comes” in English and “The Climate is changing. We too” in Greek. The partners of the Antirio-Copenhagen ecological and economical initiative put their words into action arriving at the Administrative Building and the Antirion toll station to cut the campaign’s green ribbon. Thus, from the 7th until the 18th of December, the duration of the Copenhagen Conference, drivers using the bridge will receive a useful notebook with information about the Conference and advice on “green” driving. The carbon dioxide produced during the printing stage of these notebooks has been offset via the investment of renewable energy resources.

During the press conference that opened this campaign, it was pointed out that an average vehicle that travels along the 2,450 km imaginary straight route between Antirion and Copenhagen produces 460 kg of CO2 whereas the same vehicle under eco-driving conditions produces 322 kg (-30%).

The microphone was passed to the speakers in the following order: Bernard Galtier (Managing Director & General Manager of GEFYRA LITOURGIA S.A.), Georgios Kolovos (Mayor of the Municipality of Antirion), Carlos Martin Ruiz de Gordejuela (Representative of the European Commission in Greece), Annie Mitropoulou (MEDITERRANEAN SOS Director) and Vassilis Anastassopoulos (Vice-Rector, University of Patras – Representative of the Road Safety Institute Panos Mylonas) who stated the following:

Bernard Galtier:
We chose to start the new eco-driving campaign on the commencement day of the Climate Conference in Copenhagen. This initiative intensifies the scope of our policies for the reduction and offsetting of CO2 emissions. The same initiative constitutes part of our safe driving programme since eco-driving means safe driving. Our actions are also aimed at child passengers, who are more receptive than their parents to good practices and because the future belongs to them.

Georgios Kolovos:
Climate is a global issue and the threat of life existence on the planet concerns all of us whether we live in a small city in western Greece or in the capital city of Denmark where all eyes are cast. If we take into account, other than the rising sea level, the issue of drought and gradual desertification of the Mediterranean’s sea side areas, then Antirion has priority compared to Copenhagen and other major capital cities of the world.

Carlos Martin Ruiz de Gordejuela:
The European Union’s stance is that climate change is an issue that concerns all of us and not only the country leaders meeting in Copenhagen. According to the Euro barometer 63% of citizens in United Europe considers climate change a serious problem, 24% consider it somewhat serious, whereas 13% believe it is not important. At the same time 62% believe that there are solutions for climate change whereas 19% believe that the enterprising world does not materialize policies concerning the environment. I am happy to be in the vicinity of a European project which stands out for its partnership competency on the environment. I’m also happy that the pamphlets being distributed bear the European Union flag.

Annie Mitropoulou:
The commencement of both the campaign and the Conference is a particularly successful symbol. The fact that we are in Antirion to talk about Copenhagen proves that global issues are also local issues and that local issues are also global. Copenhagen is a landmark. From this Conference we expect a commitment for drastic reduction of emissions, the provision of assistance from developed countries to developing countries, and the setting of ground work for the termination of deforestation as well as other respective policies.

Vassilis Anastassopoulos:
The Bridge is a vital factor in the area with social and environmental activities working to its benefit. The University of Patras supports the Road Safety Institute, which GEFYRA S.A. is also a member; therefore, it supports activities such as the one in question which was materialised by the company and whose concern is not only safe driving but also ecology. In the near future will need to focus on the 25,000 students and professors of the University who on a daily basis create a transportation volume that exceeds the total transportation volume in the Patras city centre.

Bristol-Myers Squibb, Sanofi-Aventis and Abbott Lead Big Pharma in CSR Reporting

CLAREMONT, CA — Bristol-Myers Squibb, Sanofi-Aventis and Abbott Laboratories led the pharmaceutical sector for publicly reporting on environmental and social issues, a new analysis found.

The Roberts Environmental Center (REC) at Claremont McKenna College studied the information offered on the websites of 26 of the largest pharmaceutical companies from around the world. Researchers found a slight connection between scores and annual revenue, with some exceptions.

“The rankings were slightly correlated with annual revenue of companies; however, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer, the two largest companies in the sector, both showed room for improvement, receiving scores of B+ and B-, respectively,” wrote Bukola Jimoh, the lead analyst of “Sustainability Reporting of the World’s Largest Pharmaceutical Companies.” “Conversely, the eight lowest scoring companies are of only 10 firms in the sector with annual revenues lower than $5 billion.”

In general, social reporting tends to be stronger in the pharmaceutical sector than environmental reporting, the analysis found. One possible explanation is the fact that pharmaceutical companies are more likely to promote equity in medical care access and medicine than other sectors. The Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, for example, committed $150 million last year to research targeting the least developed countries and vulnerable populations, according to the report. As a whole, however, less than 60 percent of companies discussed on their websites their efforts to boost access to health care in low-income areas.

Slightly more than 60 percent of companies surveyed reported on their energy use and consumption, while less than 60 percent reported greenhouse gas emissions, waste and green power consumption. Slightly more than half reported water, hazardous waste and volatile organic carbon data.

In some cases, a low score didn’t truly reflect company efforts to address social and environmental issues, according to Elgeritte Adidjaja, a REC research fellow.

“Biogen Idec scored low in the rankings,” Adidjaja said in a statement Monday.  “However, after speaking with a representative responsible for sustainability matters, the company appears to be committed to many environmental programs, but they are not yet ready to make sustainability information public.”

The report uses the Pacific Sustainability Index to creates the scores, dubbed PSI, which is based on transparency, intent and performance of social and environmental data. REC has analyzed several sector for environmental and social reporting, including chemicals, telecommunications, entertainment, electronics and semiconductor and other industries, as well as California businesses.

Here is a summary for the scores:

Highest Overall Scores
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Sanofi-Aventis
Abbott Laboratories

Highest Environmental Reporting Scores
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Johnson & Johnson
Sanofi-Aventis
Abbott Laboratories

Highest Social Reporting Scores
Merck
Sanofi-Aventis
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Abbott Laboratories
AstraZeneca

Lowest Overall Scores
Forest Laboratories
NBTY
King Pharmaceuticals

Image CC licensed by Flickr user rodrigo senna.

via feedproxy.google.com