• With My Own Two Wheels: “The story of four people whose lives have been deeply changed by bikes.”
• One Plastic Beach: A pair of artists “have collected plastic trash along a one-kilometer stretch of beach near their home in Northern California”. They make art from the debris, which they collect at a rate of up to “35 pounds per hour.”
• Chasing Water: “Photojournalist Peter McBride sets out to document the flow of the Colorado River from source to sea.”

More information is available on the Festival tour website.

“Topping the list is the Ogeechee River where a textile manufacturing plant in Screven County is blamed for a fish kill earlier this year in which 30,000 fish perished. Rayonier’s pulp mill in Jesup, the proposed Savannah River Harbor deepening project…”

The  group identifies a lack of regulation as a key cause of pollution in Georgia Rivers:

” The Coalition blames continuing funding cuts to Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division (EPD) and a lack of political will to aggressively enforce state and federal environmental laws and implement state policy that better protects and manages Georgia’s water.”

This is the first year the list has been compiled. The complete report can be viewed here.

“The Skidaway Marine Science Day is a campus-wide open house with activities geared for all ages from young children to adults. These will include programs, tours, displays and hands-on activities, primarily related to marine science and the coastal environment. The event is open to the public and admission is free.”

More information is available on the Institute’s website and in this Connect Savannah story by Jessica Leigh Lebos.

Needed items include:

• Heating pads (w/o auto shut off if possible)
• Large Rubbermaid containers with lids
• Heating lamps
• Large backyard portable pools like found at Wal-Mart
• Disposable Towels
• Plastic Trash Bags
• Plastic Trash Cans
• Newspaper
• Linens
• Sheets
• Toothbrushes
• Heavy Duty Rubber Gloves
• Kennels (Small to X-Large)
• Adhesive Bandages
• Shovels
• Rakes
• Stand by fire extinguishers
• Bottled water
• Detergent – (Biodegradable)

The supply drive will end June 30, at which time Green Lifespace will deliver the collected items to Apalachacola River Keeper in Franklin County, FL and St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge. “I believe strongly in the power of people coming together for a common cause,” said Maria Castro, President and Founder of Green Lifespace. “As an avid animal lover and environmentalist in Savannah Georgia, I felt it was my responsibility to step up and take action and invite others to do the same in support of our precious wildlife being affected.”

In addition to the supply drive, Castro will attend training on cleaning oil spill by PEC (Petrolium Education Council) so that she may volunteer her efforts while in Florida. Businesses or individuals interested in contributing toward the supply drive and travel expenses may contact Maria Castro at mfcastro@greenlifespace.com or (912) 844-3184.

Will the realization that it could come here lead to any action besides the emotionally satisfying, but ultimately useless, railing against BP and the government that has been our only response to the spill? Will the possibility of oil slicks from Miami to Maine cause us to comprehend our role in this cataclysm? Will it help us to finally understand that it’s our unrelenting demand for cheap oil that made deep water drilling a viable business proposition? Will it prompt us to take a hard look at how we have built our communities and the way we choose to travel in our daily lives?

Here’s an excellent list of 10 ways cities and towns can kick the offshore-oil habit. How many of these are we doing locally? Aside from the wonderful expansion of on-street bicycle parking, spearheaded by Sean Brandon of the City of Savannah’s Parking and Mobility Services department, the sad answer is not much. In fact, some of the ideas mentioned in the list, including increased density and reduced automobile parking, are fighting words around here! Having been shown the consequences of our oil dependency via television coverage from the Gulf of Mexico, can we now talk seriously about our problems and begin to make responsible decisions about how to make our communities sustainable and livable? Or will it take oil drifting into Wassaw Sound to get our attention?

The Greening the Southeast Regional Summit

• Farming and Forestry
• Non-traditional Funding Sources
• Climate Change, Renewable Energy Sources, Food Access and Watersheds
• Successful Grassroots Models
• Green Action Plans for College Campuses

For more information, visit the summit Web site.

While movie buzz has surrounded the shooting of Disney picture featuring the star of the Hannah Indiana franchise (Sorry, I’m unfamiliar with her work), another arm of the Disney empire was making news in Savannah, according to the Creative Coast:

Disneynature has acquired the North American and Mexican distribution rights to the exciting new underwater film “OceanWorld 3D,” the first feature-length nature documentary ever filmed and released in 3D, it was announced at the Blue Ocean Film Festival by Jean-Francois Camilleri, executive vice president and general manager for Disneynature, and Francois Mantello, chairman of 3D Entertainment.

The festival’s goal is “to honor, promote and share films that inspire people to protect our oceans and the life within.” A schedule of screenings, which includes films with local focus, can be found on the BLUE Ocean Film Festival Web site. The festival concludes on Sunday.

Any other garden tips?

The Wheelie will ride again this year and RecycleRama is back too, with organizers accepting paint, electronics, eye glasses, tires and other materials. The Festival is organized by the environmental affairs office of the city’s Water and Sewer Bureau. For more information, contact Sarah Barlow at 912-651-6943 or sarah_barlow@savannahga.gov.