March 8th, 2010 by Editor

WillJames Cameronslam Chevron at tonight’s Oscars? Rebecca Tarbotton, Acting Executive Director of the Rainforest Action Network,is hoping for just that.

Drawing a comparison between the story of Avatar and the real-life drama of the Indigenous Ecuadorean people who are battling Chevron, Tarbotton is calling on the award winning director to stand by his promise to use the movie to inspire mass environmental activism. If Avatar wins an Oscar, she hopes Cameron will expose Chevron’s actions in Ecuador during his acceptance speech.

According toChevronToxico, from 1964 to 1990 while drilling in the Ecuadorian Amazon, Texaco – which merged with Chevron in 2001 – dumped more than 18 billion gallons of toxic wastewater and spilled approximately 17 million gallons of crude oil in the region. Illegal environmental practices resulted in contamination of soil, groundwater, and surface streams which has caused the indigenous people to suffer cancers, birth defects, and miscarriages. Through the largest environmental class-action lawsuit of all time, Ecuadorians are demanding that Chevron clean up the mess it inherited.

Tarbotton writes, “If DirectorJames Cameronaccepts an Academy Award … he should also let his legions of fans know that while Pandora is fictional, what is happening to communities in Ecuador because of Chevron’s actions is as real as it gets.”

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By Daelyn Fortney
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Avatar, Award, Cameronslam, Celebrities, Chevron, class action lawsuit, eco, Ecuador, ecuadorian amazon, environmental activism, Executive Director, fashion, Oscar, Pandora, rainforest action network, Rebecca Tarbotton, surface streams, sustainability, WillJames

February 9th, 2010 by Editor

Human rights organization,Survival International, has taken out an ad inVarietymagazine pleading withJames Cameronto help the Dongria Kondh tribe of Orissa, India. The organization points to similarities between the Na’vi inAvatarand the Dongria Kondh.

“Just as the Na’vi describe the forest of Pandora as ‘their everything,’ for the Dongria Kondh, life and land have always been deeply connected,” says Survival International’s director Stephen Corry. “The fundamental story ofAvatar– if you take away the multi-coloured lemurs, the long-trunked horses and warring androids – is being played out today in the hills of Niyamgiri in Orissa, India.”

Survival International, which was established in 1969 and campaigns for the rights of indigenous tribal people, is hoping to get the attention of the award winning director by explaining that, “Avataris fantasy… and real.”

In the advertisement, Cameron is asked to watch a 10 minute film about the Dongria’s plight. Check it out below!

By Daelyn Fortney
Found on the net by our news bot

Celebrities, Dongria, eco, fashion, fundamental story, human rights organization, India, International, Kondh, lemurs, organization, Orissa, orissa india, Pandora, Stephen Corry, Survival, survival international, sustainability

January 30th, 2010 by Editor

Got theAvatar Blues? No worries! While we’d love to give all the credit toJames Cameron’simagination for the gorgeous world of Pandora, the truth is there are many places, plants, and creatures on this rock that probably helped inspire his alien landscape. So while you can’t yet hop on a spaceship and cryo your way to another world, take heart in the fact that there are plenty of amazing places here to explore. All you have to do is move your butt and experience them.

Click here to check out our gallery.

(Gallery assistance by Elizah Leigh)

By Michael d’Estries
Found on the net by our news bot

alien landscape, Blues, Celebrities, eco, fashion, Gallery, gorgeous world, Got, Leigh, Michael, Pandora, simagination, spaceship, sustainability, theAvatar, World