"North Meets South" Eco MaG by mayah (c)2012    Revised  posted 5/23/2012:   I am discovering that some colors of paper don't do well when exposed to the sun. This MaG was up on my refrigerator for a few days before the color of the orange-pink paper started to show signs of fading in spots, so I revised it by putting a layer of white photo paper scrap over it. Now the polar bear and the penguin chick are standing on a field of white, more apropos to the subject of sea ice. I think I like this version better than the first!

"Eco MaG by mayah" (1) made from reused materials: nature photos from NRDC/BioGems(2) and World Wildlife Federation(3) magazines/catalogs/brochures, corrugated and other cardboard, paper scraps from other art projects; nontoxic glues, magnet backing.

This MaG depicts what would not be found in nature: a polar bear meeting a penguin chick. Yet both species face environmental hazards. As the oceans warm due to global warming, sea ice in both the northern Arctic Circle and the oceans surrounding the southern Antarctic continent are melting:

"Changes in the climate threaten life across the Arctic. A recent international assessment projects that the polar bear population will decline by more than 30 percent in 45 years due to reduced habitat range and quality. Warming induced changes in tundra vegetation and plant life threaten caribou, reindeer, and migratory bird populations. Loss of sea ice and wildlife also makes indigenous life in the Arctic increasingly difficult, endangering an entire way of life."(4)

"Climate change has hit species of Antarctic penguins by causing a staggering decline in their prey: krill. A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has found that both chinstrap penguins and Adélie penguins have seen their populations decline likely due to less krill, instead of habitat changes. Since 1970 krill populations have fallen by 80% in the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica. Because krill require sea ice to reproduce, shrinking sea ice from climate change has made it more difficult for them to breed...As warming continues, the loss of krill will have a profound effect throughout the Antarctic ecosystem."(5)

WHAT WE CAN DO

"Global Warming is a dramatically urgent and serious problem. We don't need to wait for governments to find a solution for this problem: each individual can bring an important help adopting a more responsible lifestyle: starting from little, everyday things. It's the only reasonable way to save our planet, before it is too late."

GO TO THE WEBSITE TO READ 50 simple things that everyone can do in order to reduce the Global Warming phenomenon: some of these ideas are at no cost, some other require a little effort or investment but can help you save a lot of money, in the middle-long term!" (6) http://globalwarming-facts.info/50-tips.html

Everything we do as consumers makes a difference. It Matters.

Related Blogs: 

Art: Plastic Wreath http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1971675 Eco Art with a social conscience: plastic bags are dumped in landfills and end up in the ocean by the BILLIONS each year across the United States.

Art: Rain Forest Toucan http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1928511
More Eco Art with a social conscience: Rainforest Alliance

Art: Gorilla Chocolate http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1928255   Eco Art with a social conscience: Fair Trade, Shade Grown, Organic Chocolate

Art: Protect the Spirit Bear: http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1880039 Spirit Bears only live on the coast of British Columbia. Their habitat is endangered by the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline that would carry 500,000 barrels a day of oil from the Alberta tar sands directly through the home of the Spirit Bear.



Resources:

(1)"Eco MaGs by mayah" are mini-art pieces made of reused materials from my own home and are backed with magnets to hang on the 'frig.
(2)National Resource Defense Council/Biogems: http://www.savebiogems.org/ Protect Wildlife and Wildlands  

(3)World Wildlife Federation: http://worldwildlifefederation.org/
(4) http://globalwarming.house.gov/impactzones/arctic  
(5) http://news.mongabay.com/2011/0411-hance_penguin_krill.html
(6)HOW TO STOP GLOBAL WARMING 50 ways: http://globalwarming-facts.info/50-tips.html



More Recent Eco Art by mayah:

Art: "Vision"  http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1939830
This art piece is an example of "shamanic art", when the energy of Spirit is felt very strongly and a message is given.

HomeMade Art http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1939828   Eco Art with frames from Goodwill Industries--I like the idea of reusing frames rather than buying brand new ones. Maybe my art will end up at Goodwill some day too; hopefully, someone will come along and reuse the frame and make something new out of the art work like I have!

Art: Fall Leaves http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1939820  
Yeah, I know, it's Spring but these are two Eco Art pieces I worked on this Mother's Day weekend that recycle my own art! Happy Mother's Day, Mother Earth!!

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