Plant Heist - Succulent Smuggling Documentary (SXSW Official selection)

Plant Heist - Succulent Smuggling Documentary (SXSW Official selection)

Thousands of Succulents, millions of dollars. a real world theft of highly prized plants that are worth BIG money.

In northern California, a Game Warden uncovers an illicit network of succulent poachers after mysterious packages containing native plants are reported, and with the help of citizens, biologists, and authorities, he races against time to halt the destruction before permanent damage is inflicted on the land. Winner of Emerald award Coronado Film Festival 2021 ✳️A note from the Filmmakers Hi there, it all began with reading a news article in The New Yorker describing the case and Officer Freeling's big break. We decided to call him up and ask to talk on camera about it, not really knowing where it would lead but understanding it was incredibly bizarre and interesting. We self-funded the whole project and are proud of what we were able to pull off with very little money. We're very grateful to have been accepted into prominent festivals like SXSW and Doc NYC. In documentary filmmaking, finding an audience that cares about the issues in your film is crucial, so festivals are huge. Please share the video; the more people who know that plant poaching is a real issue, the better! UPDATE⚠️: Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 223 by Assembly member Chris Ward (D - San Diego) into law, making it unlawful to sell, or possess with the intent to sell, any Dudleya illegally taken from its natural habitat on state lands. AB 223 makes it unlawful to sell or possess with the intent to sell any Dudleya illegally taken from its natural habitat and establishes minimum penalties of $5,000 per plant for the first offense, and $40,000 per plant for any subsequent offenses.

– – – It appears that there are so many Dudleya in cultivation now that the market for expensive poached and exported plants has collapsed 🙂 However, there is still plenty of poaching going on for other species of cacti and succulents. 🌵 Only take photos! and don't buy poached plants 🦊 Well, I should probably say that there are still probably some that will still want the "big wild plant" and pay big bucks for it. Definitely for other species... 😒

The Cactus Hunters with Jared D Margulies

Illegal trade in cacti and succulents is endangering many species.

🌵 Only take photos! and don't buy poached plants 🦊 

https://youtu.be/_HWRRWzFcko?si=Y5Aet0rSD3K409_M

Kill Your Lawn | NYT Opinion

#killyourlawn :: Kill Your Lawn | NYT Opinion

– Seen from above, it’s not the undulating rows of square houses that make American suburbia so recognizable. It’s the wide rivers of lush, almost neon-green grass that cut through the landscape. And on long, hot summer days, the lawn is where suburban living reaches its idyllic peak.

But while the lawn may be a powerful symbol of American postwar prosperity, it’s also an ecological dead zone that’s sucking the nation’s aquifers dry.

In this video essay we argue that it’s time to kill your lawn, not just to save the planet, but for your own health and sanity too. And while the idea of euthanizing such a beloved member of the family might seem harsh, we show the alternatives that could make the loss more bearable.

BIODIVERSITY, CLIMATE, ENVIRONMENT, KILLYOURLAWN, PLANTS, WATER, NATIVE PLANTS

#environment #climate #plants #water #nativeplants #suburbia

Kill Your Lawn Season 2 Teaser

Mar 30, 2024

First Episode Airs April 24th on EarthxTCrime Pays But Botany Doesn't

We need IMMEDIATE action to stop extinction crisis, David Attenborough

We need IMMEDIATE action to stop extinction crisis, David Attenborough - BBC

Biden approves the massive Willow project – Don't Give Up!

 This morning, President Biden formally approved the Willow Master Development Project, a massive oil drilling development across federal land in Alaska’s western Arctic.

Despite his promises to stop drilling on federal lands, and against the actions of millions who urged his administration to stop Willow, President Biden decided to approve the massive oil project. The project would lock-in pollution equivalent to the emissions of 76 coal-fired power plants over the next 30 years.

The world cannot afford to develop any new fossil fuel reserves to have a chance of keeping global temperatures below the 1.5°C threshold outlined in the Paris Agreement. The Biden administration must prioritize a just transition to renewable energy, stop new fossil fuel projects, and phase-out existing fossil fuel infrastructure. 

Developing new fossil fuel projects is incompatible with a livable climate and puts communities' health and safety at risk. The Willow project will disproportionately harm the Alaska Native Village of Nuiqsut, which is already burdened by existing fossil fuel infrastructure and the impacts of climate change.

We'll keep you updated about what's next in the fight against Willow. In the meantime, here are links to a few of the responses from us and our partners that you can read and amplify:

1. This statement from the Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic (SILA)on how the approval of the Willow project abandons our climate promises.

2. This TikTok from Elise Joshi of Gen Z for Climate Change calling on people to flood President Biden's social media with outrage over the decision.

3. This reaction from the People vs. Fossil Fuels coalition to the approval of the Willow project and abandonment of Biden’s climate promises.

4. This Twitter thread from us at Oil Change International echoing frontline calls condemning Biden’s approval of the Willow project.

Thanks,

Allie Rosenbluth
U.S. Program Co-Manager
Oil Change International

Oil Change International campaigns to expose the true costs of fossil fuels and facilitate the coming transition towards clean energy. We are dedicated to identifying and overcoming barriers to that transition.

Want to support our work further? Click here to donate.
We are a 501(c)(3) organization and all donations are fully tax deductible.

Montana’s wolf policies are finally, and rightly, getting taken to court

The general rifle hunting season opened recently across Montana. Thousands of hunters began pursuing elk and deer with the intention of putting meat in their freezer, hunting with a reverence for the wildlife they are pursuing. But there is another hunt going on, void of respect and with no purpose but to kill. So we sued.

WildEarth Guardians and Project Coyote sued the State of Montana, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (MFWP), and the Fish and Wildlife Commission because the state’s extreme anti-wolf hunting and trapping policies violate the law, the state constitution, and the public trust.

We sued because the laws and regulations currently governing wolf management are clearly not based on science and thus do not provide an adequate foundation for conserving this iconic Montana species.

We sued because the state’s wolf ‘management’ is based on a 20-year-old, legally invalid wolf management plan. The science of wolf conservation has developed significantly since 2002, yet, for the second year in a row, the state will allow nearly half of the wolf population to be killed while its management plan is 20 years behind. Wolf managers in Montana illegally relied on the outdated plan to set the current quota and hunting regulations…

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Montana’s wolf policies are finally, and rightly, getting taken to court