08/28/14

Eco-Interview: John Hamilton, Children’s Book Illustrator and Conservationist

When did this all begin? Please tell us a bit about your work.

I am an artist and illustrator based in Manchester UK. My artwork has always been narrative /story-based, using oil on canvas, printmaking, and large-scale collage. My work includes characters acting out various scenarios and role play, as if from a film or stage play. I often include animals or people dressed as animals. I recently had a children’s picture book published called “The Boy Who Really Really Really loves Lizards” aimed at 3-7 year olds.

What is your educational background and what led to this creative path?

My background is in Fine Art. I did my degree back in 1990 and have been a practicing artist since then. A couple of years ago I did a Masters degree in Children’s Book Illustration. For the final project I wrote the story about my son Oliver who was obsessed by visits to the Manchester Museum, From the age of two he has loved the museum and would spend hours there.

What are some challenges you have faced and how did you deal with them?

When I was doing research at the museum for the book, I became friendly with Andrew Gray, the curator of the vivarium. He specializes in the conservation of frogs and has done a lot of work to project many endangered species from Costa Rica and other places. His passion and commitment to the Museum is amazing. He was also responsible for getting the museum to publish my book which is a playful look at my boys obsession with the museum and the lizards, frogs and snakes. I think we saw it as a way to engage the younger visitors and to perhaps encourage them to become aware of the conservation involved. The museum features heavily in the book.

What can people do to help this cause?

The museum allows the public to sponsor the frogs and to contribute to the cost of research and support for the museum. Oliver recently sponsored a tiger monkey frog and got to meet it and hold it at the museum! You can also buy my book too!

How do you reach your targeted audience?
Is it through your website, advertising or social media or another route? Which is most effective and why?

I am trying to promote my book at the moment and I have been doing that through Facebook and Twitter as they both allow you to reach a large volume of people very quickly. It is also a good way of keeping in touch with people and informing them of events and new work. There is also a website for the book where I post features, reviews and workshop projects done with schools and colleges.

How do you keep the audience engaged over time?

Updates on Facebook and Twitter and by creating new links with organizations and groups with similar interests.

Tell us about your events around the world and some of the campaigns you have started.

The book is only available in the UK so that has been my main target but I would love it to go further afield! I have had emails from people in South Africa, Australia, France and the USA who have received the book, many as presents from the UK – so that is exciting!

What is in the works for the future? What haven’t you yet tackled, but will want to do soon?

I am working on another picture book possibly about butterflies or snails! I am hoping the museum may show an interest in publishing this one too. I want to try and make this one a bit more factual and to include facts and information to allow children to continue their interest in the subject.

Would you like to add a bit more?

No. Just a thank you for the opportunity to talk about the book and hopefully reach a few more people and encourage some more young people to really, really, really love lizards and frogs!

To find John Hamilton online:

Website: http://www.johnhamiltonillustration.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tbwrrrll
Twitter: @JohnHamilton17

For information on the Manchester Museum and their work with frogs and about sponsoring the frogs visit:
http://frogblogmanchester.com

08/22/14

Recycling: Why Is It So Hard for Some?

Yesterday I had an argument with someone I know. She was mixing all the trash into one bag to put out on the street. No matter what I said, she refused to separate the trash. Why is it so hard for some people to follow the rules (the law)… not just because the city tells us to, but because it’s right for our community and our planet.

My community has a trash problem, city wide actually. The street cleaners (physical people) are currently at a minimum. I see someone maybe once a week and that’s not enough to pick up after citizens who believe there is someone walking directly behind them ready and waiting for their chip bag, pizza plate or empty soda can. What kind of parent doesn’t teach their children to respect others, our community, and has those same bad habits? Store owners don’t bother to come outside and pick up the trash right outside their door.

And… we’ve got another problem (worse than regular trash, if you know what I mean) with the homeless who are living on the streets, and don’t get me started on the dog poop.

Lately, the Riverview Neighborhood Association has pushed back against this with their own “clean-up” project, one street at a time. A very impressive initiative, which more neighborhood associations need to implement.

The City of Jersey City and Sustainable JC have hosted conferences in City Hall such as the Zero-Waste Conference, but of course the people who attend (like me) already care about this issue, so how can we reach the people we need to?

Anyway, in case you’re not sure what the “Trash/Recycling” law is, here in Hudson County, here are some details via the Hudson County Improvement Authority — http://hcia.org Visit their website, because there is a lot more information including what you cannot recycle!

Solid Waste Management
Each and every day, Hudson County residents generate more than 1,500 tons of solid waste! Much of this can be harmful to our environment if disposed of improperly. Making certain that this trash is disposed of in an environmentally sound and cost-effective manner is the highest priority for the HCIA and its Division of Solid Waste.

Recycling
In Hudson County, recycling has become an important method of waste management. Materials that were once thought to be unrecyclable are now being commonly recycled. However, there are still some materials that can not be recycled and those that can be need to be prepared correctly for recycling so that they can be reprocessed into new products.

Paper
Paper and paper products comprise approximately 32% of the waste stream in Hudson County. There are many different types of paper:

* Corrugated Cardboard
* Chipboard & Paperboard
* Mixed Paper
* Phone Books
* Hi-Grade Office & Computer Paper

Plastics
Plastics can be very mysterious because each type is made up of different chemical components. Therefore, it is essential that only similar types get recycled together.

For Better Recycling
Sorting different types of plastic is essential to producing high quality recycled products. Check with your local recycling coordinator as to which types of plastics are collected by your municipality.

Glass
Recycle only glass bottles and jars from food, beverages and medicine. Do not recycle light bulbs, glassware, ceramics and window glass, which are each made of different ingredients, and by different processes.

Aluminum, Tin and Steel Cans
Typically, the only kind of aluminum your town wants set out for curbside collection is aluminum beverage cans. You can test if a can is aluminum or steel by using a magnet: a magnet won’t stick to aluminum. Unless indicated differently, glass, aluminum, steel and tin cans can be commingled for collection.

08/19/14

Eco-Interview: Mike Maka, Mural Artist

When was your organization founded?
I’ve been a full-time artist since 2007, but making art since kindergarten, like when everyone else started.

What is your educational background and what lead to creating this organization?
(I’m not really an organization, nor am I especially organized.)

I studied in universities in New York, Adelaide, and Melbourne, but have learned a lot from friends and travel. Studies included illustration, fine art, graphic design, philosophy of art, etc. But working many years as a bike courier and enjoying the extreme side of life naturally led to climbing buildings, street art and graffiti. which has turned into a career or life.

What are some challenges you have faced and how did you deal with them?
I struggle with the business side of being an artist, such as pricing things, understanding the bigger market picture of what I offer, and finding a balance of creative projects with necessary business operations. I’m trying to get other people to do certain things, like social media, proposal writing, residency research and grants, and graphic design. Things that I am good with, but will let me create more art. I have learned over the years that the choices I make to do projects that are more fun, and the content or imagery that I find to be the most fun and challenging, without worrying about a client or people’s opinion in general, will lead to further projects in the same vain… and the money side of things takes care of itself. (Example: people will approach me to do paid projects for what I want to do, rather than when I started… I would compromise to suit a certain type of cafe for example.)

How do you reach your targeted audience?
Is it through your website, advertising or social media or another route? Which is most effective and why?

I paint a lot on the streets, which is a better feeling of ephemerality than canvas work. More people will see street works than in a gallery, but many more will see the art on the internet.

I don’t like to think in terms of advertising, or branding, as it kills the creativity.

There are a lot of bloggers out there who put my stuff on social media, but Instagram seems to be the main thing at the moment, and the best thing for me is it keeps me off Facebook with the direct share option.

How do you keep the audience engaged over time?
I think I have more of a problem of changing styles and content too much that would loose an audience, but again I don’t like to think about engaging an audience, but aim at an introspective view of my own mind. It does make me happy to know people enjoy some of my work, but also makes me happy when I can create something that isn’t main stream and doesn’t have mass appeal.

Tell us about your events around the world and some of the campaigns you have started.
I recently spent a month in New York City, painted many walls and went up to Toronto and through Los Angeles to paint a few walls. I’ve painted in around 20 countries and hope to paint more.

What is in the works for the future? What haven’t you yet tackled, but will want to do soon?

I have a lot of walls to do in Melbourne in the next month. September 6th will be the opening day of the new Everfresh Studios. October, I am planning a month long freedom drive up the east coast to link up 4 paid projects as well as whatever else I can find along the way. Living and working out of my bus (and probably a few friends houses.)

Later in November, I’m going to be the subject of a German documentary film crew, who will shoot an episode for their series.

I also plan on being back at the Miami Basel in December, and have plans to build a pyramid in Tulum or Playa del Carmen, which will be an art piece, but also a functioning permaculture garden prototype.

I am looking at art residencies in some Latin countries, and hope to be able to make this happen in 2014. Hopefully, Portugal, Brazil or somewhere Spanish speaking.

Bonus Bite:
The big snail wall has a frog reference, on the post box bottom right in the rubbish, the Puerto Rican guy who owned the building asked me to do his tattoo, a native symbol of his homeland, which is a famous frog, I can’t remember the name, but it was taken to Hawaii for some reason to do with people working there. I think they missed the sound it made, but they didn’t take the natural predator, so it thrives in Hawaii now… (this is the Coquí, Eleutherodactylus coqui)

To learn more about Mike Maka, visit the links below:

Website: http://www.makatron.com
Instagram: Instagram.com/mike_maka
Facebook: Mike Makatron
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/mikemaka

08/10/14

Gecko In Turks & Caicos

The island of Providenciales in Turks & Caicos is one of my favorite vacation spots and I have been there many times. The sand is pinkish white and as soft as talcum powder. The sea is the perfect color of turquoise and crystal clear. When you enter the water all you see are little fish and if lucky, while swimming, the local dolphin that comes over to greet visitors.

Turks & Caicos beach plants and sea beyond. Photo by Susan Newman

On one of my trips as I was unpacking my things, I noticed a little gecko in my room and just left him to wander around. At the time, I didn’t know that much about them, but he/she was so cute, I didn’t bother it. Over the next few days, my friends were complaining about the mosquitoes and kept asking me, how come you aren’t bitten up like we are? I didn’t really know.

This went on for days until I told them about the little gecko in my room, who like to come inside where the temperature is to their liking and are safe from predators. OH! They said, it’s eating the mosquitoes in your room, that’s why you aren’t having the problem we are.

Tropical House Gecko (Hemidactylus mabouia) by Thomas Brown

Well, it is many years later and I know more about geckos, salamanders and frogs. I wanted to share this little story because most people wonder how the decline of frogs and amphibians directly effects them. As you can see, just one gecko in my room on vacation, made all the difference for me having a more comfortable trip than my friends. Just imagine how insects will bother us if there are no frogs or geckos around to eat them?

08/10/14

Frog-Friendly Gardens

For most people making your garden a friendly area for frogs seems like a strange idea, but what we often don’t have is understanding. These often misunderstood amphibians are one of the nicest critters you can attract to your garden. In many ways frogs can be amazing survivors, however changing habitats over the years have caused them great distress and they are disappearing at an alarming rate [1]. You should keep in mind that introducing non-native frogs to the local ecosystem is a pretty bad idea, sometimes even forbidden by laws and for a good reason [2]. You can, however do your best to attract the local frogs to your garden, as they will be quite useful and great companions.

Frog pond by Eagle lake in Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island, Maine. Photo by JR Libby.

You would do well to avoid simply introducing the frogs into your Bayswater garden, instead you should do your best to invite them by creating the right conditions for that.
If you happen to have kids living with you, then they can learn to interact with the frogs. There is nothing to fear from most common variety frogs, so they can even be caught and picked up, just remember to treat them with respect and care.
You can make a useful garden pond to allow amphibians to live there, but that means your pond will need to have shallow edges that taper off into surrounding moist vegetation, such as nice and leafy mulch. Frogs will need shelter from summer heat, though they tend to enjoy moving around most after moist and rainy weather. Overhanging trees are welcome, as long as they don’t completely cover the pond in shade, as the frogs will still need sunlight. You need to use a good mix of native pond plants, such as marsh marigolds, water violets and the like if you want to have good vegetation around and in your pond. Check a garden center for more information and the type of plants in your area you can use. Your pond should be about 2-3 feet in depth for optimal conditions.
Another thing worth mentioning is that frogs will keep most insects away from your garden, since they dine on moths, mosquitoes, slugs, snails, flies, cockroaches, beetles and more. If you have a good combination of plants and shrubs native to the area as well as mulching your garden beds and keeping a good compost heap, then you will have a garden much more welcoming for amphibian guests.
Having a good garden pond will also improve the conditions where they can breed in peace, but it mostly depends on how much peace they get while living there. Shade and good plant life will create exactly what they need for living there.
There are some things to watch out for, which can be hazardous to frogs. If you do have frogs in your garden, you should pay special attention at all times when you’re using a string trimmer or mowing, or else you may hurt or even kill them. You must use a nylon mesh to keep your garden plants protected and that its size is good enough, such as at least 2 inches, as this will keep them away.

Sources:

1. Why are Frogs Disappearing?
2. Why Are Coqui Frogs a Problem in Hawai’i?

Guest post by Ella Andrews, who is a writer and blogger with great flair for gardening and landscaping. She is focused on writing the best possible way and is always searching for new inspiration sources. Her present article offers non traditional methods for garden care.

08/5/14

Baby Iguanas As Prizes?

We’ve all been to our local county fair, rode on the ferris wheel, sprayed the water in the clown’s mouth, maybe even won a big stuffed frog. But what’s happening in Ohio (and perhaps other places) is the wrong way to get young people interested in caring for wildlife. Naturally, as people walk by a booth and see what seems like an easy game to win and the prize is a real, live, baby iguana, they are so tempted. Yes, they’ll win a baby iguana! This is so very wrong and has to be banned, now!

Here’s the story by Keith Gisser, founder of Herps Alive!

The Ohio State Fair in Columbus featured a booth that offered live iguanas as prizes.

It started as one of those non-funny jokes. A friend posted this photo on Facebook last Tuesday and tagged me, asking, “How soon until you start getting calls on these, Keith ?” The answer turned out to be Sunday. That didn’t take long at all, did it.

An Ohio State Fair booth was offering baby iguanas as prizes. The needed skill? Not knowing how to care for a live animal. Let alone a tough-to-care-for properly green iguana (Iguana iguana). But knowing how to toss a Ping Pong ball into a fishbowl.

These days most places don’t even give away love goldfish. They give a coupon for the goldfish. That makes sense. Win. Think about if you really want the animal. Go to pet store. Buy proper equipment. Then flush him two weeks later (the expected life span of a goldfish is two weeks. I am quite sure of this).

But not so with iguanas. A young man won his and brought it back to Cleveland (a two-hour plus drive plus who knows how long carrying him around in a box while enjoying healthy far food like chocolate dipped bacon. And a ride on the Tilt-A-Whirl. He was there with friends and mom and dad were a bit surprised. But they did the right thing. They went to the pet store, started reading the care sheet and realized this was way beyond what they were prepared for. They called around and eventually the Cleveland Zoo referred them to the Herps Alive Foundation. I was doing an outreach event at a Petco store and arranged to pick him up.

The iguana in question.

Fortunately this little hatchling is pretty healthy and eating. With full spectrum light and heat he should live a long and happy life. We hope to find a permanent home for him soon.

You might be surprised that after my bad experience with reptile laws in Ohio, that I really think we need a law banning these guys (and all live animals) as prizes. Many states and localities ban this practice, but not our state. Time for a change. Or a change.org perhaps. Give ‘em a coupon. Or a stuffed iguana.

Keith Gisser runs the Ohio based, award-winning, nationally recognized interactive reptile and amphibian program Herps Alive! He has been a herpetology educator for over thirty years and currently maintains about 100 reptiles, amphibians and crocodilians, nearly all adoptions or rescues, about half of which are used in his programs.

Frogs Are Green

Environmental Organization Helping to Bring Awareness About Frog Decline Around The World

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