Live Smart Videos & Green Living Series » Breaking News

Live Smart Videos’ Documentary Debuts on Virgin Airlines

LSVadmin — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 11:22:43 +0000

We took an early morning flight on Virgin and had the chance to see our documentary, Making Room for the Koala! Here are a few snapshots:

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Live Smart Videos Koala documentary wins film festival Award!

LSVadmin — Fri, 25 May 2012 19:13:55 +0000

Happy to announce that Live Smart Videos has won an award for our recent documentary, “Making Room for the Koala.”

Director Andrew, Cinematographer Alex and crew in action on recent shoot and brushing up on the latest technology…

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Spring Fever Spreads Rapidly Among Duck Population!

LSVadmin — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:48:49 +0000

Have you ever seen a duck stricken by Spring Fever? If not, here’s your chance:

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Human Rights Abuses Can Spread Quickly: Let’s Identify and Stop Them

LSVadmin — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 21:12:42 +0000

Human Rights Are the Concern of Every Community

By Nick McNaughton

“Where after all do human rights begin? In small places, close to home…Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.”

The above are the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, primary architect of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Though the Declaration has been adopted by all 192 members of the United Nations, there has been a wide gap between what has been put down on paper and reality. Much of the discrepancy is due to failure to uphold them in “the small places” of local communities.

Looking “close to home,” in any bustling American city reveals a sad story of far too many people who have not taken the former First Lady’s warning to heart. Take, for example, human trafficking and slavery. It is estimated that tens of thousands are held in brothels as sex workers. Thousands more work against their will in the garment and other industries as well as domestic service. Metropolitan areas with high density populations of multiple ethnics and cultural diversity make it easy for slaves who are smuggled in from other parts of the world to remain hidden.

The garment industry has been a major problem area. Sweatshops, where workers toil for below legal wages for excessive hours in health-threatening working conditions, have proliferated to such an extent that Los Angeles has been called the “sweatshop capital of the United States” due to its high number of illegal clothing factories. Probably the most infamous Los Angeles-area sweatshop case occurred in 1995 when a raid on a suburban apartment complex freed 72 immigrant Thai laborers who had been working eighteen hours a day for many years behind barbed wire under the control of armed guards and sleeping ten to a room. The owners of the company sold the garments that they made to major clothing lines who apparently never asked questions as long as the clothes kept coming at the price they wanted to pay. As long as wholesalers and consumers are willing to look the other way, sweatshops both local and foreign will continue to be a problem. Sweatshops can also stay hidden by hiring illegal aliens who can easily be intimidated into staying silent and out of sight.

Hate crimes are another common human rights violation. A hate crime is an offense committed against someone which stems from hatred or prejudice against their race, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, gender or sexual orientation. The FBI estimates that the number of such crimes is underreported probably by as much as twenty-five to one. The most common type of hate crimes have generally been racially-motivated, but religious discrimination, and indeed all categories, lead to vicious hate crimes.

Human rights violations such as the above and others exist almost everywhere. Many local groups seek to correct abuses. There are many international human rights organizations, some of which are ethnic groups seeking to improve conditions in their native countries. Child sex trafficking is seen as one of the most egregious activities happening under our collective noses every day in American cities. This issue has garnered dozens of efforts to stop abuse, yet sexual exploitation of 12 and 13 year olds is still used to generate six-figure incomes.

Whether you choose to join any organization, task force or governmental agency, there is much you can do to promote human rights in your own community. Even simple actions such as maintaining an unbiased attitude and encouraging others to be tolerant of others can go a long way. If you see evidence of someone being held or forced to work against their will, report it to the authorities. It is, after all, you the individual who gives human rights their strength and substance.

Nick McNaughton is the Planning and Research Director of the Los Angeles Chapter of Youth for Human Rights International, an organization whose mission is to carry forth education programs that teach youth human rights and how to defend and protect them, to forward the message of tolerance and cooperation, and the ultimate goal of universal Human Rights.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_McNaughton

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Spring or Autumn is in the Air

healthyapproach — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 02:37:03 +0000

Depending upon where you live around the world, seasonal change is in the air. For the editors of LSV and the Green Living Series, it is spring and time to get out there and begin the process of creating your organic garden! What better way than to view and purchase our Organic Garden Video!

The video also applies to gardening principles around the world. In the southern hemisphere we are entering autumn and the opportunities for planting a winter garden are abundant. The wet has provided a great challenge for the food growth in Australia. As the rebuild and replanting begins, let us all take the time to think about how best to plant in a responsible and sustainable way to provide more nourishing and healthy crops!

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Green Solutions for Food Service: Biodegradable Disposable Plates, Bowls and Lunch Trays

LSVadmin — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 09:53:56 +0000

By Sarah Kritscher
Reprinted courtesy of SubmitYourArticles.com

These days, people everywhere are becoming eco-friendly, especially when it comes to take-out containers and eating out. Styrofoam clamshells became very popular in the 1950′s, but are now being outlawed by cities across the country. We are finally waking up to the fact that maybe Styrofoam isn’t as great as we once thought and we need to make a mindful choice to change.

Everyone is becoming more green these days, especially in terms of eating out and the take home food containers filling their doggie bags. Now that Styrofoam clamshells, which were the marvel of the 1950′s plastics boom being outlawed by cities across the country, we’re finally realizing that maybe the once-marvel isn’t as great as we thought it to be- and that maybe it is time to make a real change.

Many more eco-friendly options are now becoming more available every day in the food service industry which is great for business – and great for the planet. One of the principal materials being used today in place of Styrofoam for disposable tableware is bagasse( a byproduct of the sugarcane refining process). In layman’s terms, bagasse is what is left over after the sugarcane stalks are crushed to extract the juices. Since bagasse comes from the earth it is easily converted by nature into simple, stable compounds that are absorbed back into the ecosystem.

There are many attractive qualities of bagasse, one of many being that it is both biodegradable and compostable. This means that you don’t have to worry that your great-great grandchildren will be dealing with your take home food container from Saturday night’s dinner!

Biodegradable means that the product will break down into water, carbon dioxide, and biomass in a short amount of time. When something is “compostable”, it means that it is made of organic matter that will break down in a compost system or land fill.

Bagasse biodegradable food containers are quickly being recognized as a great eco-friendly alternative to traditional Styrofoam clamshells and plastic plates. Bagasse biodegradable food containers can be lined with a corn-starch based film called PLA (polylactic acid). PLA lining is a clear, thin sheet that acts as a complete moisture and grease barrier, protecting the container and allowing it to stand up against any and all types of food.

Here are some green facts regarding disposable tableware: – While recycling of Styrofoam is possible, it is extremely expensive and many recycling plants do not accept it. Styrofoam cannot be recycled to make new Styrofoam products. It can only be used to make other products such as packing filler. – Styrofoam does not break down easily and some studies indicate that it may release chemicals when it gets wet, contaminating our precious water sources. It takes up much more space than paper in our landfills. – Less water and energy is required to produce Bagasse than Styrofoam, paper, and recycled paper. – Trees can take up to 30 years to mature, while sugarcane only takes one year making it a very renewable resource. – Less CO2 is emitted by creating Bagasse over Styrofoam and paper. – Americans use and discard over 2.5 billion Styrofoam cups each year. Thinking green and moving towards the use of more sustainable resources is imperative. Going green when you eat out or order take home food is now easier than ever.

For your barbeques and gatherings it is now possible to buy eco-friendly, compostable, and organic disposable tableware including cups, plates, bowls, and cutlery made from the renewable resource bagasse.

There has never been a better time to go green ‘ particularly when you eat! It’s your earth – it’s worth it!

PrimeWare products are “Sustainable” and “Environmentally Friendly”. PrimeWare’s broad line of biodegradable plates, platters, bowls, trays, and containers are manufactured from 100% bagasse (a by-product of surgarcane). To learn more please visit our website: www.primelinksolution.com.

Source: http://www.submityourarticle.com

Permalink: http://www.submityourarticle.com/a.php?a=92702

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