A New Perspective

New things that have never been seen before can be revealed with just a change of perspective. This is the type of mindset that famous French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand held when he released his first documentary film, Home.

The film is a commentary of the impact that humans have on their cumulative home, Earth. What makes Home stand out is that it gives viewers a new look at their home, as the whole film is shot in an aerial perspective. With the film, Arthus-Bertrand shares his love and concern for the beautiful world. Interestingly, given the nature of the film, the whole production was carbon offset with sums of money that was paid towards providing people with clean energy. Below is the trailer that was released for the film:

The whole film was released by Arthus-Bertrand to the world for no cost, and it can be viewed on various video streaming websites.

Good Happens.

Pay it Forward!

Live Peace with Kijani Grows

Each Saturday we like to highlight an organization or movement that is making Good Happen! Today we are shining the spotlight on an organization focused on sustainable eating called Kijani Grows!

Kijani Grows is an organization that produces and installs “smart aquaponics” systems for schools, homes, and companies. They also offer courses teaching students how to build their own aquaponics system. The difference between regular aquaponics systems and the “smart” ones that this organization makes is that these gardens use a variety of sensors that allow you to monitor your garden when away from it.

The video below shows the founder of Kijani Grows, Eric Maundu, as he walks us through the proponents of his system.

Kijani Grows has various projects, including their One School, One Garden project, in which they plan to teach students how to build a smart aquaponics system and how to configure it to work on the internet. They also have the San Mateo EcoVillage in which they plan to use three 3×8 grow beds to feed residents of the EcoVillage.

Good Happens.

Pay it Forward!

DIY Project: Repurpose a Light Bulb!

Ever wonder what you can do with a burned out lightbulb? Here is a creative and eco-friendly idea found on instructables.com that will help you repurpose your old lightbulbs into mini terrariums or planters! One IMPORTANT note: make sure NOT to use fluorescent light bulbs as they contain phosphor which is toxic.

First, follow these steps on how to hollow out a lightbulb. Please make sure an adult is nearby to supervise these steps. Then go ahead and fill your mini terrarium with moss, soil, and rocks from your backyard! To stand up your lightbulb, some ideas include using an aluminum ring from an old hard drive, or constructing a stand from a piece of wire.

Get creative and have fun with this project!

Good Happens.

Pay it Forward!

Meatless Monday: Chickpea, Beet, and Apple Panini

Happy Monday! Start off your week with this delicious panini.

Here are some statistics about a the meat alternative to this vegetarian delight, the cheeseburger. According to Open the Future, 66 to 3000 grams of CO2 emissions are produced per cheeseburger. This does not include emissions from the restaurant operations and energy from driving to the restaurant. “Estimates for the average American diet range from an average of about one per week, or about 50/year.” Replace what might be your weekly burger with a healthier, savory sandwich.

Chickpea, Beet, and Apple Panini

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas, or 1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 Tbs. vegan mayonnaise
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. chopped fresh tarragon
8 slices sesame semolina bread (8 oz.)
1 medium golden beet, peeled and sliced
1 Granny smith apple, thinly sliced
¼ cup broccoli or radish sprouts
4 Tbs. prepared black olive tapenade

Directions:

1. Pulse chickpeas, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and tarragon in food processor until chunky.

2. Spread chickpea mixture on 4 bread slices. Top with beet and apple slices, and sprouts. Spread remaining 4 bread slices with tapenade; close sandwiches.

3. Spray panini with cooking spray. Coat skillet or grill pan with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Place panini in pan; weight with smaller-diameter saucepan weighted with 2 cans. Cook 3 minutes. Flip, replace weight, and cook 2 minutes. (Or cook 4 minutes in panini maker.)

Recipe originally posted on Vegetarian Times.

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out!

Meatless Mondays: Eggplant Panini with Pesto

Happy Monday!

Check out the Center for Investigative Reporting’s video on the Hidden Costs of Hamburgers as part of the their Food for 9 Billion challenge.

Eggplant Panini with Pesto

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant, about 12-14 oz
• kosher salt to taste
• olive oil spray (I used my misto)
• 12 oz french bread (or baguette), cut into 4 pieces
• 4 slices part skim mozzarella cheese (Sargento )
• 2 tbsp skinny pesto 
• 8 thin sliced tomato

Directions:

Slice the eggplant into 1/4-inch thick slices. Place the eggplant slices on a paper towel and season with salt; set aside about 30 minutes. This will help draw some of the moisture out of the eggplant. Pat the eggplant dry with paper towels. Preheat panini grill. Lightly spritz eggplant with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. When the grill is hot, grill eggplant about 7-8 minutes, turning once half way through. Set aside. Slice the bread open and place 3 slices of grilled eggplant, 1 slice of mozzarella, 1/2 tablespoon of pesto, and 2 slices of tomatoes on each sandwich.

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out!

Living Peace Series: A Day with Dr. Jane Goodall

This past Tuesday, October 2nd, we had the honor of hosting Dr. Jane Goodall of the Jane Goodall Institute and Roots and Shoots! We are thrilled that over 1,000 guests were able to hear Dr. Goodall’s wisdom at the speaking event in the UC Irvine Pacific Ballrooms. We wanted to share photos from the speaking event and the following VIP reception.

The live broadcast of this event will be available on our website for a limited time! Stay tuned for more details.

Chancellor Drake welcoming Dr. Goodall to the stage.

Dr. Goodall enthralling the crowd.

Dr. Goodall speaking to the audience of over 1,000 guests!

One of the giant peace doves from the Living Peace Projects flying at the front of the room.

Dr. Goodall greeting guests at the VIP reception following the speaking event.

Center for Living Peace staff members with Dr. Goodall.

Guests at the VIP reception.

Dr. Goodall and our founder Kelly Thornton Smith at the VIP reception.

Celebrating UCI Vice Chancellor Parham’s birthday!

Big thanks and gratitude to our lovely photographers: Alex Abercrombie and Jason Niedle. We also wanted to thank UCI, all the students, staff and faculty that came out to hear Dr. Goodall, Apples & Oranges for filming the speaking event and Orange County Films for streaming the event for us! And of course, a big thank you to all of the guests who joined us. We are so grateful to have such an amazing community helping us make peace real!

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out.

‘Sunny Chernobyl’: A New Kind of Ecotourism

Andrews Blackwell’s book, Visit Chernobyl and other Adventures in the World’s Most Polluted Places, describes his encounters with deforested areas of the Amazon, oil sand mines in Canada, the infamous Chernobyl, and Linfen, China, the most polluted city in the world. Black realized that even though he cared about the environment he had never been a witness to the damage being done to it. He found that even though these places had been plagued with unthinkable harm to nature, they were still beautiful; a different kind of beauty but beauty nonetheless. The purpose of the journey was to” find what’s still natural, what’s still beautiful, what’s still worth caring about.” He believes that it’s just as important to see these places as the majestic waterfalls and valleys that ecotourists seek out.

Take a look at Andrew Blackwell’s list of recommended destinations and his reasoning for why they would be worth your while. This would definitely be a new kind of eye opening traveling experience.

Listen to All Things Considered’s interview with Andrew Blackwell and learn more about his book on his website.

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out!

Live Peace with Roots and Shoots

Roots creep underground everywhere and make a firm foundation. Shoots seem very weak, but to reach the light, they can break open brick walls. Imagine that the brick walls are all the problems we have inflicted on our planet. Hundreds of thousands of roots & shoots, hundreds of thousands of young people around the world, can break through these walls. We CAN change the world.

- Dr. Jane Goodall

We are very excited to welcome Jane Goodall this October for our Living Peace Series!

Jane Goodall’s world renowned work with Chimpanzees has led to receive titles such as, National Geographic explorer-in-residence, United Nations peace messenger, and the president of Advocates for Animals. However, her work with the Jane Goodall Institute and it’s youth component Roots & Shoots, deals with more than just the wellbeing of animals, but the interconnectivity of the wellbeing of humans, animals, and the environment.

Roots & Shoots was founded by Dr. Jane Goodall and a group of Tanzanian students in 1991 in order to motivate young people to make positive change. It has grown over the years, with chapters in more than 120 countries, to include a variety of projects and campaigns that have a global reach. The program is built on campaigns that are designed to unite a “global network” with common initiatives.

Get involved with Roots & Shoots at our International Day of Peace celebration on September 23rd where Shawn Sweeney, Roots & Shoots Youth Outreach and Engagement Manager, will speak on careers in peace! Youth involved will build and fly giant peace doves and receive premiere seating at Jane Goodall’s speaking event on October 2nd. You can sign up for the youth event on our website.

You can also become a Roots & Shoots member, find a group to join in your area,  sign up for their newsletter, and visit their website for more information.

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out!

DIY: Milk Carton Lunch Container

Here’s a simple repurposing project and convenient use for your milk cartons. This is a perfect fit for a sandwich or snack!

Milk Carton Lunch Container

What you’ll need:

• 1 gallon milk carton
• marker
• scissors
• thumbtack
• adhesive-backed velcro dot

Instructions:

1. Mark the carton as shown and cut along the lines
2. To make the crease lines use a thumbtack to pierce a row of dots at 1/4-inch intervals across each side of the jug, 1 3/4 inches up from the bottom.
3. Fold the flaps at these dotted lines, then open them and fold them in the opposite direction along the lines (this will make the flaps easier to open and close).
4. Fold up the box and add an adhesive-backed Velcro dot closure.

Project originally posted on the Spoonful.

Find ways to repurpose your household items to reduce your carbon footprint. Every little bit helps!

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out!

Meatless Monday: Sunrise Citrus and Tofu Breakfast Salad

Happy Monday!

Did you know that if the global population shifts to a low meat diet (70g of beef and 325g of chicken/eggs per week), around 15 million square kilometers of farmland would be freed? Help reduce your meat intake by choosing alternative meals like this breakfast salad at least once a week.

Sunrise Citrus and Tofu Breakfast Salad

Ingredients:

2+ cubes Citrus Seared Tofu Cubes - recipe here
2 cups spring mix, organic
1 Tbsp dried cranberries, organic
1/2 white grapefruit, peeled/sliced/deseeded
1/3 cup mandarin orange slices
fine black pepper
dressing: macadamia nut oil/apple cider vinegar/agave/pepper
1 cup brown rice, short-grained
1/3 cup avocado cubes tossed in lime juice
1 Tbsp pistachios

Directions:

The Greens: Either something chilled and crunchy like a flavorful slaw or something super light like a spring mix or spicy arugula. Romaine hearts are nice too. You could also do something heartier like kale or even broccoli – but start out light and build to suite your taste buds. And of course you can add other “veggies” like shredded carrots, radishes, beets, sprouts and more. “Greens” really means veggies. However, leafy greens are the base.

The Grains: Add a scoop of whole grains, like brown rice or quinoa. For ease, grab one of those microwavable brown rice packs and scoop about 3/4 cup of grains over top of the greens. The grains really give the salad more weight and the slight warmth of the grains is a nice accent to the cool veggies. You could try: wild rice, white or brown rice, millet, barley, quinoa..

The Fruit: Add an accent of fruit, Citrus is especially good. Freshly cut grapefruit segments, mandarin oranges, or tangerines are lovely. Also try berries, apples, grapes or tropical fruits like banana and papaya. Dried fruit is also a nice touch. Fruit gives the salad some zing, adds hydration and adds a subtle amount of that ‘sweet’ you may be used to.

Recipe originally posted on Healthy Happy Life 

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out!