Visions of Green and Blue: July 2009

Edible and not-so-edible fish

There is an incredible amount of information available on the subject of the declining fish populations of our planet; yet many people continue to consume vast amounts of seafood, ignoring the inherent danger of destroying our oceans as we know them.
Below are two quick lists of the seafood we should and should not consume.

Fish we should not consume:
Atlantic cod
Atlantic halibut
Atlantic haddock
Atlantic salmon (farmed)
Bluefin tuna
Caviar
Chilean sea bass (Patagonian toothfish)
Grouper
Orange roughy
Sharks, skates, and rays
Snapper
Swordfish

Fish that is okay to consume (occasionally):
Blue whiting
Herring
Hoki
Horse mackerel
Lobster
Mussles and Oysters
Pacific halibut
Pacific salmon
Pollock
San eel/sand lance
Sardine
Striped bass
Tilapia

There are also many sites that offer endless amounts of information on the ethical consumption of seafood as well as printable seafood and sushi guides.
http://www.blueocean.org/sushi
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_whatsnew.aspx

Earth Alert, A Photographic Response to Climate Change- Seoul, S. Korea

India Ghoramara Island, Sunderbans 2007. Image by: Robin Hammond/Panos

The British Embassy Seoul and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea UK have come together to put on a fantastic exhibition of 90 photographs commenting on the effects of global warming around the world. The images of destruction and devastation which were taken by 13 British and Korean artists, are beautiful and depressing. Images likes these make it impossible for us to ignore the ruin that we have and continue to bring to our planet and makes it clear that we can no longer continue to live the way that we do today.

Curated by Colins Jacobson, Stephanie SeungMin Kim:

Many people are confused by the concepts of climate change and global warming. They understand there is a problem but cannot quite get to grips with the implications. Millions of words have been written on the subject but photographers have found it challenging to find an effective way to tell human stories that involve the audience. In this exhibition, we offer different photographic perspectives from Korean and international practitioners who have tried in their own ways to relate to the magnitude of the problem. In some cases, this involves the perceived causes of climate change such as industrial pollution and deforestation but in others, photographers have tried to engage with those directly affected by climate change in their everyday lives. By incorporating both the physical evidence of climate change and the human cost, this exhibition seeks to encourage a broader audience to participate in the debate about global warming; to gain a wider understanding of the issues at stake; to take personal responsibility for their contribution to the problem and to demand concerted action from their leaders. Moreover, by providing this platform for those photographers who have already sought to confront environmental issues head on, we hope to encourage other photographers to seek new and thought provoking ways of influencing public opinion.

The exhibit is showing at the Daelim Contemporary Art Gallery in Seoul. It will run until August 23 and will then move to the Korean Cultural Center in London, England from October 13 - November 28.

To get to Daelim Gallery take line Number 3 to Kyongbokgung station and take exit number 4. Walk towards the Palace and turn left at the intersection. Walk approximately 10 minutes and the gallery is on the left.
It is open 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m (Closed on Mondays) and admission is W4,000.00.
Daelim Contemporary Art Gallery website: http://www.daelimmuseum.org/e_index.jsp

The unnecessary paper trail.

Labels: paper

My generation seems to be transfixed by the internet. Truthfully I cannot imagine living without it. I do everything from check the weather to watch my favorite tv shows online. One of the most important uses of the internet for me is checking my financial balances. For each bank account, credit card, or loan I have an online account so that I am able to check my status from anywhere in the world. As I moved away from home after high school this became a necessity, as I was no longer living at the address where my statements were going, and I did not always want my parents to witness the balance in my accounts.
When I went home to visit I would always find that my mother had stacked my mail in a pile on my desk. The majority of the envelopes always came from banks or my credit card company. Most of the envelopes contained statements but others were cheques that my credit card company was trying to get me to sign up for and other various 'junk mail'. I always followed the same routine of disposing of the paper with personal information by shredding each piece. And then I began to wonder; "Why is it that I receive 2-3 pieces of mail per month from the credit card companies when I already get all the information that I need online?". The answer was staring me in the face the entire time - all I had to do was click one button while I was on the companies website to stop the endless flow of unwanted paper: "Stop receiving paper statements".
If you have not yet created an online account for your banking, I suggest trying it out. It makes it much easier to keep up with your finances, as you can check it anywhere, and anytime. Once you have gotten online find the 'Stop receiving paper statements' button and help minimize your contribution to the destruction of our worlds forests. And if at anytime you require a paper statement it is just as easy to find the 'Start receiving paper statements' button.