for-fun

I was looking back over our last several blog posts and realized it's been awhile since we've posted something "for fun." And while I usually save the "fun" posts for Friday--I figured, what the heck. I'll live on the wild side.

Speaking of wild side, I thought it would be entertaining to post some remarkable videos of animals in the wild (I'm sure your cat and dog are cute, but I'm specifically thinking wild animals). I've embedded two videos below that I find really amazing. Feel free to add a link to your favorite animal video!

Bottlenose dolphins mud-ring feeding

The Orangutan and the Hound

Just in case you don't plan to watch football all day tomorrow or go shopping on Black Friday, here are some fun Thanksgiving tips that Ideabite.com has published over the last several years.

Try serving food produced within a 100-mile radius of your house

Recipes for Thanksgiving leftovers

Go with pasture-raised, organic turkey (hey, the Pilgrims did it)

Have a great holiday!

Holiday season is nearly upon us, and you may soon be looking for the perfect gift for friends and family. Or maybe you'd just like to find a good deal on a little something for yourself. 

We've got more than 200 sustainable gifts, unique experiences, and trips near and far. Whatever you are looking for, you can find it by visiting nccn.cmarket.com. 

The starting bid for most items is half of their retail value, so we've got some great deals. Here are a few of the items you can bid on:

• many ways to Go Green!;
• beautiful necklaces, bracelets, and earrings;
• trips across North Carolina and travel further away;
• yoga, massage, reiki and other ways to improve your health and well-being;
• and much much more!

You can even create your own list to keep tabs on your favorite items. Just click on the "Register" link at the top of the page and then click the "Add to My Items" link on your favorite gifts.

It's my favorite time of year: our online holiday auction starts next Friday!  Check it out today!

Our online auction is an easy way to support the work of the NC Conservation Network and find some great holiday gifts.
Thanks to all of you who donated, we've got more than 160 great items -- with more added every day. To view all of the items, visit http://nccn.cmarket.com.

Here are a few of the great items you'll be bidding on:

• Handmade jewelry;
• Get-a-ways near and far;
• Items to help you Go Green!;
• Beautiful photos and art from across the state;
• All kinds of outdoor adventures including boat tours, a fishing class, and surfing lessons;
• and much much more!

You can create your own list to keep tabs on your favorite items. Just click on the "Register" link at the top of the page and then click the "Add to My Items" link on your favorite gifts.

Well, it's not really deep fried, but it's about the only thing at the NC State Fair these days that isn't. Haha. But seriously, cool article from WRAL about recycling, energy efficiency, and environmental education efforts at the State Fair this year! Read the whole article here.

For more info,check out www.ncstatefair.org/greennc/greeningthefair.htm.

I was searching the net to find a humorous, enviro video to post today for "Fun Friday," and couldn't find ANYTHING that wasn't either really really stupid, offensive in some way, or something we've already highlighted. So I decided to scrap that idea...and ask you to comment below and link to your favorite (non-offensive, please) green video. I'll pick the one I like best and feature it next week!

The Environmental Working Group has all sorts of great information on toxics, their effects on humans, and how to best avoid them. I can easily spend hours browsing around their website reading reports and news coverage on all of their issue work.

One thing I found today is their Everyday Pollution Solutions. It's a sort of top 10 list for going green and keeping healthy. Check it out for yourself, here. In addition to their top 10 tips, you can take a body burden test and a "step-by-step tour of your home to learn the toxic truth about how household products contribute to your body burden of industrial chemicals."

Happy Friday!

For those of you who follow the comics section each day, you may have caught today's Dilbert comic strip and its reference to global warming: http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2009-09-29/

We discovered that at www.dilbert.com you can add your own ending to the comic strip of the day. So we tried our comedic hand with today's strip - tell us what you think or come up with a better ending: http://dilbert.com/mashups/comic/70477/

It's almost time again for Campout!Carolina. See the info below from our friends at Western North Carolina Alliance for info on how you can help:

The statewide campout- Campout!Carolina- is happening again this year on October 9-11, and we need your help in making it a success! Last year we had over 2,000 campers registered, and in order to beat that number this year, we need you to help in promoting it. There are several ways that you can get involved:

• volunteer to speak at an REI camping 101 class
• be the local media contact
• promote Campout!Carolina on event calendars & through social media
• provide recipes, games, etc for the Camping Activities and Ideas webpage.

Also, be sure to check out these Environmentally-Friendly Camping Tips and the Campout!Carolina 2009 Press Release (perfect for posting on Facebook!) Plus don't forget to register yourself if you plan to join in on the camping fun this year!

Häagen-Dazs has launched a fabulous new campaign to protect the honey bee! From their website:

"We rely on honey bees for one-third of our food supply, so when honey bees are in danger, we’re all in danger.

At Häagen-Dazs® ice cream, we use only all-natural ingredients in our recipes. Bee pollination is essential for ingredients in nearly 50 percent of our all-natural superpremium flavors. Our goal is to raise awareness of the honey bee issue so that our communities to work together to bring them back."

Their interactive website has stats on how the honey bee affects our food supply, information about the honey bee crisis, and some great, fun videos to increase awareness of the issue. My favorite video is featured below. :)

For information on how you can help, please visit http://www.helpthehoneybees.com/#help. Also be sure to check out their bee-built flavors to support our honey bee friends!