Green Daily

Does Knut the polar bear need an attorney? Wanna watch Greenpeace scale and deface (re-face?) Mt. Rushmore? Looking for a new game to play while driving to work? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Update: Knut Stays in Berlin Everyone's favorite polar bear is at the center of an old-fashion zoo-on-zoo legal smack down. Knut's parents were on loan from another zoo when he was born and subsequently rejected by his mother. Since the Berlin Zoo saved his life, they get to keep him.

Mt. Rushmore Stunt Behind the Scenes OK, so you saw the banner hanging on Mt. Rushmore the other day, and it made you cheer/reflect/yell obscenities. Regardless of how you felt about the guerrilla banner action, you have to admit it took some major cojones. Watch the behind the scenes video.

iPhone App Makes for Blissful Driving An app called Bliss Trek uses GPS signals to gauge you speed, acceleration, etc. to turn your daily commute into a emissions-reducing game. The more efficiently you drive, the more points you get. You can even Tweet your score to show off.

An LEED Platinum Burrito They may serve burritos way too large for the average human, but at least one Chipotle restaurant is working to slash its carbon foodprint. With a wind turbine, rainwater catchment, and LED lighting, the Chipotle in Gurnee, Illinois just received Platinum LEED status.

Trees Get Barcoded In an effort to deter illegal logging, over a million hardwoods around the world have been given a plastic barcode. When harvested, the trees can be tracked from the forest to the lumber yard, even the stumps are barcoded. No barcode = illegal cut logs.

Green in a Flash:

• Mr. Postman's got a brand new eco-friendly ride.
  
• A man was gored to death at Pamplona's running of the bulls. Crazy.
  
• You know you want some crazy green sunglasses made from a recycled Sprite bottle.

The nation's "first dog" has been selected, polar bears and humans don't mix, and Kanye's launching a green beverage. Today's Eco-Beat has got the scoop on all sorts of awesome green news.

Obamas Disappoint with Kennel Puppy Most animal activists were expecting the Obamas to pick out a rescue puppy for the "first dog." Instead, it looks like they've decided not to recycle. Are you feeling betrayed right now, or are you OK with dogs from breeders?

Woman Bitten by Polar Bear at Berlin Zoo Yet another great example of why not to jump into a polar bear enclosure. Police haven't revealed why the woman thought it was a good idea to jump in. FYI, it was an older, grumpier bear -- not Knut.

Kanye: The Guru of Organic Energy Drinks? We knew Kanye had a flair for hip-hop, fashion, and moody blogging -- but did you know he was an energy drink connoisseur? He's teaming up with GURU to release his own line of natural, organic energy drinks. Get ready to guzzle some "Clean Energy for Dirty Minds."

Eco-Tourism Takes Off With the Airplane Hotel Wanna get away from it all in your own private jet? Book a night in the Airplane Hotel, near Quepos, Costa Rica. This awesome hotel (looks more like a B&B) was built in the fuselage of a retired 1965 Boeing 727 -- no need for carbon offsets.

America's Shrinking Weedprint Along with a rising interest in gardening across the board, many in the cannabis industry are switching to homegrown pot rather than importing it from Mexico. Does that mean the locavore movement has spread into the drug culture?

Green in a Flash:

• The Obama administration is going to buy 17,600 of the most fuel-efficient cars from the Big 3.
• Today's container ships are now traveling slower than yesteryear's sailing freighters to save gas money. Hmm.
• Watch Woody Harrelson talking about the end of the world as part of the hype-building for his upcoming flick 2012.

Remember Knut, the polar bear at the Berlin Zoo who was raised by hand because his mother rejected him? The inspiration for bad techno songs and dozens of letters from second graders, Knut propelled the Berlin Zoo to international attention, and financial stability. Also, a bit of notoriety among animal rights folks, some of whom believed that it was worse for a polar bear to be raised by humans than to die from neglect.

Thomas Doerflein, the keeper who raised Knut, was obviously on the "keep the baby polar bear alive" side of the argument, and selflessly stayed with Knut literally around the clock, feeding him milk and porridge at all hours of the day and night.

The public demand to see Knut was huge -- he was the first polar bear to be born and survive at the Berlin Zoo in over 30 years. Doerflein and Knut performed daily for gigantic crowds, and the pair became an international symbol of conservation.

Sadly, Mr. Doerflein was found dead at his home in Berlin. Although only 44, it is believed that he suffered a heart attack following a prolonged illness. From all reports, he was a private and modest man, who very generously gave his time and energy to a keep a baby polar bear alive. In addition to his friends and family, the Berlin Zoo, millions of fans, and Knut, all will surely miss him.

Knut is the well known and beloved polar bear born in 2006 at the Berlin Zoo, rejected by his mother and subsequently raised by one of the keepers. He was the subject of much media attention and controversy when animal rights activist Frank Albrecht proclaimed that Knut should have been allowed to die, rather than suffer the humiliation of being raised by humans. You can imagine how much this upset the millions of school children who adore Knut.

Positive attention has also followed Knut. He is an international symbol for conservation and he put the Berlin Zoo back on the map, bringing in the highest volume of visitors ever in the 100+ years since the zoo was founded.

There is even rumor of a movie starring Knut, voiced by little Miss Suri Cruise. That will be an easy movie to soundtrack -- there are several songs about Knut, as well as videos. Knut is even the beneficiary of some special attention from German techno bands. Check out the video and groove to the international sounds of Knut, Kleiner Eisbär.

In case you haven't heard, Knut the polar bear is a super star. The lovably endangered fluffy white bear has already graced the covers of books, magazines, and a host of calendars, occasionally taking time out from his busy schedule at the Berlin Zoo to sign autographs, kiss babies, and deflect rumors that he's considering a run for the White House in '08.

But seriously, Knut is famous -- so much so that he's been offered a $5 million movie deal by Hollywood producer Ash R. Shah.

And it gets better. Apparently Shah wants international toddler icon Suri Cruise to be the voice of Knut when he makes his big screen debut. No lies. Shah recently told reporters:

"With (Knut's) friendly character, he's serves as an ambassador for the Earth's problems - climate change and the melting polar ice caps. A movie about Knut would affect people all over the world. Suri could speak the English voice of Knut."

I'm not a big fan of the Cruise family, but I can guarantee you I'll be taking my 3-year-old to see this movie.



[via Tammy Bruce]