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Showing posts with label wildlife. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wildlife. Show all posts

The 20 Most Incredible Photos Of Living Creatures From 2013.



National Geographic's 2013 Year in Review is a beautiful interactive site on which one could spend hours and hours exploring many of the most incredible scientific findings, technological advancements, space exploration, geopolitical stories, travel images, adventure scenarios, ancient worlds, human cultures, environmental happenings, animal photography and more from 2013.

Beautiful Creative Encourages You To Beautify Our Beaches For California's Coastal Cleanup Day.



above: a cropped version of the full poster

WHAT IS COASTAL CLEANUP DAY?
Every year, on the third Saturday in September, people join together at sites all over California to take part in the State's largest volunteer event, California Coastal Cleanup Day. In 2012, over 65,000 volunteers removed almost 770,000 pounds of trash and recyclables from California's beaches, lakes, and waterways.



Families, friends, coworkers, scout troops, school groups, service clubs, and individuals come together to celebrate and share their appreciation of California's fabulous coast and waterways.




The event is part of the International Coastal Cleanup, organized by the Ocean Conservancy, which is the largest volunteer event on the planet.

The Creative Promotional Work
To promote this annual event, posters and digital work are created yearly, much of it wonderful. This year's campaign is no exception. Created by Art Director Greg Coffin and Copywriter Mike Brenner under Creative Director Ron Lim, the posters and other promotional pieces have turned trash into a 'species' whose extinction we need to bring about.

Lovely depictions of various culprits (cigarette butts, lids and/or caps and broken bottles) are rendered in watercolors and given faux Latin names in three large format posters exclaiming "Let's Make Trash Extinct":





In addition to the above posters, they've created a daily digital social media campaign that is a 29 day countdown to the event. Each day an individual piece of trash encouraging you to be part of the solution appears along with the number of days left until the event on the California Coast's official Facebook page. One example is shown below and several more are scattered throughout this post.


above: The plastic bottle cap (Screwtopia forsakus) is a small top that unscrews from assorted beverages. If your city cannot recycle #5 plastic, it should be placed in the trash. Find out how to be part of the solution at www.coastalcleanupday.org

WHY ARE BEACH CLEANUPS IMPORTANT?
Vast amounts of plastic debris litter the world's oceans causing all manner of harm, and most of this debris comes from land. Our beaches are collecting spots for trash from city streets and highways. Trash travels - via inland waterways, storm drains, sewers, and on the wind, and eventually ends up on the coast. If not removed, this debris will end up in the ocean. Beach cleanups are a last line of defense - to prevent debris from causing harm to our oceans, to wildlife, to our coastal economies, and even to beach-goers.


above: The Aluminum Can Pull-Tab, Fliptopis familiaris, is a close relative of the Screwtopis familiaris. Both come from the tops of the family Briny Vessels and can be easily recycled when disposed of properly. Find out how to be part of the solution at www.coastalcleanupday.org

TRASHING CALIFORNIA'S BEACHES
Californian’s love their coast and ocean — nine out of ten will visit the beach at least once this year. When they arrive at the beach, they are finding a lot more than sand and surf. During a recent summer, Orange County collected enough garbage from six miles of beach to fill ten garbage trucks full of trash every week, at a cost to taxpayers of $350,000. Other California counties spend even more.


above: Javus squashticus, commonly known as the coffee cup lid, hot tea lid, or cappuccino cover is a species of rural lidlings that never really “go away.” They break apart and can leach toxins into food under changes in heat. Ask yourself if you really need that lid. Find out how to be part of the solution at www.coastalcleanupday.org

In 1975, the National Academy of Sciences estimated that ocean-based sources, such as cargo ships and cruise liners, dumped 14 billion pounds of garbage into the ocean. In 1988, the U.S. signed onto MARPOL Annex V, joining 64 other countries that signed the international protocol that regulates ocean dumping and made it illegal to dump plastic into the ocean. Laws like MARPOL have reduced the amount of trash on our beaches and in our ocean. Even so, plastic pollution is still a major problem. A recent study found an average of 334,271 pieces of plastic per square mile in the North Pacific Central Gyre, which serves as a natural eddy system to concentrate material.1 Results of more than 10 years of volunteer beach cleanup data indicate that 60 to 80 percent of beach debris comes from land-based sources. And debris in the marine environment means hazards for animals and humans. Plastic marine debris affects at least 267 species worldwide, including 86 percent of all sea turtle species, 44 percent of all sea bird species, and 43 percent of marine mammal species.2
1 Moore, C. J., S. L. Moore, M. K. Leecaster, and S. B. Weisberg, 2001. A comparison of plastic and plankton in the North Pacific Central Gyre. In: Marine Pollution Bulletin 42, 1297-1300. 2 Laist, D. W., 1997. Impacts of marine debris: entanglement of marine life in marine debris including a comprehensive list of species with entanglement and ingestion records. In: Coe, J. M. and D. B. Rogers (Eds.), Marine Debris -- Sources, Impacts and Solutions. Springer-Verlag, New York, pp. 99-139

HOW MARINE DEBRIS HARMS WILDLIFE
Entanglement: Common items like fishing line, strapping bands and six-pack rings can hamper the mobility of marine animals. Once entangled, animals have trouble eating, breathing or swimming, all of which can have fatal results. Plastics take hundreds of years to breakdown and may continue to trap and kill animals year after year.


above: The 6-pack soda holder (Seagullus strangularum) is a species of plastic trash in the Plasticus tangularus family. Marine animals get tangled in them easily. Remember to cut them up before properly disposing of them. Or better yet, buy soda cans packaged in a cardboard box. Find out how to be part of the solution at www.coastalcleanupday.org

Ingestion: Birds, fish and mammals often mistake plastic for food. Some birds even feed it to their young. With plastic filling their stomachs, animals have a false feeling of being full, and may die of starvation. Sea turtles mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, one of their favorite foods. Even gray whales have been found dead with plastic bags and sheeting in their stomachs.


above: The plastic bag (Grocerus gatheramus), also referred to as a shopping bag, is the most commonly found member of the Plasticus tangularus family. They photodegrade, or break down into smaller pieces which eventually enter the food web when animals ingest them. Find out how to be part of the solution at www.coastalcleanupday.org

HOW MARINE DEBRIS HARMS PEOPLE:
Beachgoers can cut themselves on glass and metal left on the beach. Marine debris also endangers the safety and livelihood of fishermen and recreational boaters. Nets and monofilament fishing line can obstruct propellers and plastic sheeting and bags can block cooling intakes. Such damage is hazardous and costly in terms of repair and lost fishing time. In one Oregon port, a survey revealed that 58 percent of fishermen had experienced equipment damage due to marine debris. Their average repair cost was $2,725.


above: The broken bottle, Cuttano yourfootae, is the result of a mixture between the originating species Kickonme andstubto and a sharp rock. Glass bottles are readily recyclable but broken glass can harm both people and wildlife. Find out how to be part of the solution at www.coastalcleanupday.org



Find a Cleanup:
Cleanups take place along bays, creeks, rivers, highways, and the coast at more than 800 locations throughout California.  Use the map or list of California counties on this page to find your cleanup site and then contact the local coordinator.

If there is no cleanup scheduled in your area, you can volunteer to set one up, just call (800) COAST-4U or e-mail coast4u@coastal.ca.gov.


Register here to join the California Coastal Clean Up.

IndyPlush - Endangered Species Plushies and Cool Stuffed Toys With A Conscience.




IndyPlush, who creates imaginative, adorable and hip plush toys made in Los Angeles, has just launched their Endangered Species collection (some shown above) from which a portion of all profits goes toward educational or wildlife protection organizations. But before showing you that collection, first a little background on the company and their original line of plush products.

IndyPlush Original Collection:



It all started with Plinio Garcia and Andrew Ruesch's son Luke, who was in Franceil Masi’s kindergarten class. Masi, who is not only an elementary school teacher, but also an artist as well as an author and illustrator of children's books, annually asks her students to draw a picture of an animal at the end of each school year. She then turns them into plush toys as a remembrance.


above: Luke's dog is now one of their best sellers.

When Luke brought his plush dog home, Plinio Garcia and Andrew Ruesch loved it. At the next teacher conference, they asked Franceil if she wanted to start a business and that’s essentially how IndyPlush started. Now, Luke’s Dog is one of their best sellers.


above: the Large Owly is their priciest plush at $99

Cute, cuddly and cozy with an edge (moustaches, skeletons and pirate patches), the toys are made with sustainable and eco-friendly materials in Los Angeles. They presently offer 26 different plush toys with prices ranging from $30 to $99 depending upon style and size.

Bunny Skelly in various colors:

Long and Short-haired Wooly Cats:

Spiny Monsters in various colors:

Pigwy:

Skelly Cats and Señor Cat:

Señor Pigwy:

Owly Pirates in various colors:

The pink, bald Love Monster shown in the first image is also available.

The Endangered Species Collection
Now, their newest collection, The Endangered Species consisting of 13 lovable characters from which a portion of the proceeds benefits educational and wildlife protection programs:














Just look how good my own Indy Plush Endangerd Species Tiger looks in my home:


Franceil, Plinio and Andrew now design, create and construct their adorable and hip plush toys in Los Angeles, California and they can be purchased here at their online store.


For other purchase inquiries or questions, please contact rick@indyplush.com

Animal Pocket Knives by David Suhami & How To Get One Of Your Own.





Israeli designer David Suhami's Animal Pocket Knives have been getting a lot of attention. The stainless steel and wood wildlife versions of the traditional Swiss army knife are actually undergoing production so you can have one of your own soon. With blades silhouetted to look like an Antelope, a Rhino and a Giraffe, complete with legs and tails, the pocket knives are adorable. How functional, I don't know, but they look as if they can at least open a beer bottle and that's good enough for me.







The story of the APK  and a cute little presentation video:
The Animal Pocket Knife was developed as David Suhami's design school project and rapidly got lot of attention throughout the web. It combines the idea of a Swiss army knife and a jungle safari in Africa. It is made from stainless steel to represent the current technology while the handles are made from fine Ipe wood to symbolize the traditional craft.



The knives will soon be available for purchase.
Sign up to be notified as to when they are available here.

About the designer:

David is a 3rd year student of Industrial Design at Shenkar College of Engineering & Design in Tel Aviv. He likes snowboarding, open sea fishing, motor sport and more. He speaks Hebrew, English and French.

He works with the following 3D software: Solidworks 2012, Rhinoceros 4 and Sketch up 7. For his graphic design works he uses Illustrator CS5, Photoshop CS5, InDesign CS5 and Flash CS5.

David Suhami


Plastics Engineer Turned Traveling Nature & People Photographer: Larry Broutman.



above: Larry's shot of a young woman in Namibia

Ever have a talented member of your family you new nothing about?
Well, yesterday I discovered that my second cousin -who I thought was merely a brilliant plastics and polymers engineer, is actually a talented photographer to boot!



Larry Broutman has a passion for travel, particularly to remote areas of the world. During the past 15 years he has traveled to all 7 continents and even included a trip to the North Pole aboard a Russian nuclear icebreaker. His interests have included visiting hill tribes in Asia, nomadic tribes in Africa, and touring in India and other Himalayan countries. A desire to document these travel experiences sparked his enthusiasm in photography. His interest in photographing other cultures eventually broadened to travel and outdoor photography, or as Larry describes it, "photographing images of the natural world."


above: Cambodia

Larry has specialized in photographing people, wildlife and landscapes. He has studied and toured with some of the best-known documentary and nature photographers in the field. His images have been sold to corporations, private collectors and travel publications. He currently has an exhibit scheduled to open at the Illinois Institute of Technology in the fall of 2004 and has completed an installation of wildlife photography at the Childrens Memorial Hospital Outpatient Clinic.


above: Sparring hippos

Larry's people photography captures the human side of foreign cultures and tribes. A Japanese sumo wrestler sweeps the floor with an antique broom. A stunning beauty from Namibia shows off a hairstyle caked with mud. A young monk from Bhutan in traditional dress stands in striking contrast to the blue wall of his monastery.

People:

above: Hamar girl, Ethiopia

above: Papua, New Guinea

above: Mursi Woman, Ethiopia

above: Mursi Woman, Ethiopia

above: Samburu Warrior, Kenya

above: Hamar man, Ethiopia

above: Karo Warrior, Ethiopia

above: Karo Elder, Ethiopia

above: Laos

above: Cambodia

above:Laos

above: Laos

His wildlife and landscapes also take us to breathtaking locales and capture moments of vivid intensity. A cheetah from South Africa gazes into a golden sunset. A lilac breasted roller reminds us of the impossible beauty that is commonplace in Botswana. A landscape in Anza Borrego, California captures the fuchsias, greens and violet hues of the desert.

Wildlife:

above: leopard cub, South Africa

above: Giraffe, Nambia

above: Mountain Gorilla, Uganda

above: Zebras, Nambia

above: Polar Bears, Norway

above: Wildebeest dive

above: Malachite Kingfisher

above: Baboon and infant

As if his beautiful photography weren't enough to impress you, he also invented a specific way to use the Quick-set pan and tilt positioning tripod (the benefits of being an engineer and photographer):

QuickSet Goes to Africa
When Larry Broutman packed his bags heading for Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park this April, he surely brought his safari hat. But even more important was his trusty Quickset Pan and Tilt. Broutman, a professional photographer working on his second educational media project for the Lincoln Park Zoo’s Regenstein African Journey exhibit, spent much of April photographing the migration of wildebeests, zebras and gazelles. This migration is a constant, cyclical movement between Kenya and Tanzania. It follows the rain and birth cycles, carrying herds south from Kenya into the Serengeti in the springtime. When he arrived, Broutman was greeted by millions of wildebeests, among them the new calves, born just this February. It was a truly awesome sight to see.

While there were many anxious photographers roaming the African plains hoping for the perfect shot, none went about it quite like Broutman. Because of the mostly flat topography of the Serengeti, he thought it would be ideal to have the benefit of elevation in his work. He wanted a 40-foot telescoping mast attached to his truck, allowing for mobility and the unique aerial perspective he sought. He mounted a digital camera atop a pan and tilt, linked to the ground by a video feed that would be his eyes. From the shelter of his truck, Broutman was able to maneuver the camera through an incredible range of shot angles and to capture the still photographs onto his laptop. These photos can be seen as part of the zoo’s African Journey, delighting and educating visitors from all over the world.



Above left: the quick-set tripod in use by Larry, shown on the right


BIO
Larry began his professional career as a professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. He has his undergraduate and doctorate degrees from MIT in the field of Materials Science. Larry is known worldwide for his research and has published 160 research articles and several text books in the field of plastics and composite materials. In the mid 80's, Larry founded, L.J. Broutman Associates and co-founded Advanced Polymer Compounding. The former company became one of the largest and most prestigious plastics laboratories and consulting companies in the U.S., and the latter is among the foremost plastics compounding companies in the U.S.

Larry continues to travel and recently returned from trips to Cuba and Southern India. His plans include additional wildlife installations and further exhibits of his people photographs from around the world. His travel agenda for this year will include China, Africa and India.
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Some of Larry's photographs can be seen on his website.
For further information, please call Lisa Ridolfi at 847-337-3987.

Exhibitions:
Eye on Africa
June 23-Sept 30, 2005
Hermann Hall
Illinois Institute of Technology [info]
Chicago, IL


East Africa-The Wildebeest Migration
Permanent Exhibit
Regenstein African Journey Building
Lincoln Park Zoo [info]
Chicago, IL.

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