Each of the sustainable leather bags comes with it’s own Passport, detailing the products sustainable credentials and traceability.

For decades, fashion designers have looked to wildlife and the natural world for inspiration. Today, however, they’re taking it one step further at Paris Fashion Week. Gucci, the renowned Italian fashion house, is launching the world’s first line of designer handbags made with leather from Rainforest Alliance Certified ranches. These ranches have committed to protect their forests, so purchasing these bags is actually helping to conserve Amazon forest and the wildlife it contains.

National Wildlife Federation has been supporting solutions to deforestation driven by cattle ranching in Brazil for many years. We ran a program of workshops for ranchers in the Amazon, encouraging better environmental practices with Imaflora, Rainforest Alliance’s Brazilian partner. We learned that there was a ranching group, Fazendas São Marcelo Ltda, in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, aiming to be the first in the world to become certified by the Rainforest Alliance, which sets standards for ecosystem conservation as well as animal welfare, water quality and pasture management. The ranch became the first in the world to achieve this certification. However, there was not yet a buyer for the leather.

When we explained the significance of Rainforest Alliance certification to the founders of the Green Carpet Challenge, Lucy Siegle and Livia Firth, they recognized the opportunity and found a willing brand in fashion house Gucci. Once the ranches obtained certification, Gucci set to work producing a line of bags made only with leather traceable back to the certified ranches. The special line of purses announced in Paris includes Gucci’s iconic Jackie bag. They come with a “passport” explaining the journey of the leather and are going on sale in Gucci’s flagship stores around the world.

Stopping Deforestation

Cattle ranchers from the Sao Marcelo Ranch in Brazil. Photo credit: Pisco del Gaiso

Whether you realize it or not, many of the shoes, belts and bags of well-known brands today are made from leather that originates in Brazil and is exported to Italy and China for processing. Many consumers do not understand the link between wildlife, deforestation and the products they see at the store.

You may not be able to afford to buy this new Gucci bag, but you can still support the effort by letting your favorite brands know that you want products free from deforestation and asking where their leather comes from.

While Gucci is first (and only) designer selling products made from Rainforest Alliance-certified  leather, National Wildlife Federation believes this is just the beginning of an exciting new trend.

We’re thrilled to announce that The Voice’s Nicholas David will join our lineup of musical performers at the 2013 Green Inaugural Ball.

The singer/songwriter/pianist and second-place finisher is known for his creative twists on ‘60s and ‘70s classics. David also became famous for making his mentor Cee Lo Green cry after serenading his pregnant wife with “You Are So Beautiful.” Watch another one of his popular performances from The Voice below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Renowned Saxophonist and seven-time Grammy Award winner Paul Winter has also been confirmed. Winter’s “earth music” celebrates the creatures and cultures of Earth, and has led him to be awarded the Courage of Conscience Award for creating music that celebrates the sacredness of life. Take a listen to Paul Winter’s beautiful performance of “Sun Singer” here:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Additional notable attendees who will be attending the ball are:

Secretary of Energy Steve Chu; U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood; Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus; Governor Elect Pat Quinn (IL);  Senators Tammy Baldwin (Wisc.), Maria Cantwell (Wash.), Angus King (Maine), Bernie Sanders (Vermont) , Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.); and Representatives Ed Markey (Mass.), Bennie Thompson (Miss.).

Television legend and American science educator Bill Nye will also be attending, in addition to celebrity couple Nicole Ari Parker and Boris Kodjoe.

We hope to see you there! Don’t have your tickets yet? Act now, buy them here.

Heading to the ball? Tweet using the #GreenBall2013 hashtag, and don’t forget to include your #GreenWish.

Preserving America’s Wild Places for Our Children

By Donna Miller, Senior Design Director

In January of 1967 Trudy and Bob Farrand, former Curtis Publishing company executives, were asked by the National Wildlife Federation to start a new magazine for children. I was just finishing a degree in illustration at the Moore College of Art and was asked to interview for an art assistant position for the magazine, known then as Ranger Rick Nature Magazine. Three of us interviewed and I got the job.

I moved from my childhood home in the countryside outside Doylestown, Pennsylvania, to Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia and began my career in publishing. It is appropriate that I work on a nature magazine as my childhood home was on Swamp Road. There were no computers in those days, and the production of a magazine was a tedious process. My job was to hand-render, with felt markers, all the photographs and illustrations for each issue. I also helped cut and paste the type in place and aligned it with a T-square and angle. Believe it or not, I loved my job.

The environment movement was hot, and the magazine was well-established with 300,000 subscribers by the first Earth Day in 1970. It was about then that my employers moved me to what they felt was a more suitable job – working on a magazine for the Campfire Girls. That publication folded after two years, and I picked up a job designing a series of nature books for the National Wildlife Federation. After freelancing for a few years, including writing a children’s craft book entitled Egg Carton Critters, I was offered the position of Art Director of Ranger Rick.

I moved to the Nation’s Capitol and Dupont Circle and joined my old friend Ranger Rick once again at the headquarters of the National Wildlife Federation. For the past thirty years, a good portion of my life has been devoted to teaching children about wildlife and the environmental problems we face today. Through the use of beautiful photography and top quality design and illustration, I have tried to inspire and to give our young readers an appreciation of the natural world. It has been a very satisfying journey. Along the way I’ve learned so much that, to many people, I’m known as the raccoon, Ranger Rick. I’ve met and worked with many talented people, all of whom have helped make the magazine what it is today.

The production of the magazine is much easier today with the help of computers and digital presses, but our message and mission remain the same. The demands for open land and environmental problems caused by man continue to be a problem for wildlife and for all of us. We take our job of educating and inspiring generations to come quite seriously. They will inherit the remaining wild places in America and their values and actions will determine their future.

Whenever my husband and I travel to national parks and nature centers, we ask the young people working there if they read Ranger Rick as a child. Almost every answer is a warm, enthusiastic “YES!” It is very satisfying to know that in some way my years of work have helped inspire others to care about wildlife and the affect man has on our world. I hope Ranger Rick will continue for many more years and will be successful in getting America’s children out-of-doors again, away from TV and computers. Only then will they discover the peaceful, quiet gift only nature can bring.

Help us say “Thanks”

Do you have fond memories of Ranger Rick magazine, or do your kids love their subscriptions today? Join us in thanking Donna for her tireless efforts to spread the conservation message to America’s children by commenting below.

And of course, we know Donna would love for you to continue spreading the magic of Ranger Rick by sharing it with a special young person today. Learn more about subscribing to Ranger Rick and Ranger Rick Jr. >>

You can win four backstage tickets to a taping of Anderson Cooper Live via our auction on Charitybuzz.com/NWF.

1. Four VIP tickets to Anderson Cooper’s daytime talk show
2. A private tour of SpaceX (which designs, manufactures and launches the world’s most advanced rockets and spacecraft)
3. A Blackfoot River fly fishing trip in Montana with John MacLean (son of the author of A River Runs Through It)
4. A back-stage animal encounter experience with NWF’s own David Mizejewski during one of his live TV appearances
5. A meet-and-greet with movie producer Lawrence Bender, who worked with director Quentin Tarantino on films like Pulp Fiction and with Al Gore to produce An Inconvenient Truth.

We’ll also be adding more items over the next few days. Be sure to check Charitybuzz.com/NWF for more exciting items from Access Hollywood, Tesla, Ralph Lauren, Donna the Buffalo etc.! We’re adding new packages and experiences each day, so we encourage you to check back often.

Your Money, Well Spent

Take a look at our success over the years, and you’ll see how much of an impact your donation to NWF will have in protecting wildlife and habitat. For example, you can see 10 victories we had in 2011. During 2012, we’ve continued to build on those success, and we’ll do the same thing in 2013.

Bidding begins on November 13 and runs through December 5. Proceeds support NWF programs which conserve wildlife and wild places for our children’s future.

Good luck!

An oiled brown pelican floats in the Gulf during the height of the 2010 oil spill. Photo credit: Louisiana Governor’s office.

A 3-mile oil slick detected in the Gulf last month has been confirmed as oil from the 2010 Gulf oil disaster, according to Coast Guard reports. The slick illustrates what NWF has said all along—that the long-term effects of the spill are unknown and ongoing, and that BP must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law until the ecology and economy of the Gulf has been restored.

Drilling experts are claiming it’s unlikely that BP’s Macondo well is leaking again and the Coast Guard feels the residual oil “does not pose a risk to the shoreline,” but the slick is nonetheless a cause for concern for the wildlife and ecosystem of the Gulf—especially considering recent media reports suggesting BP has proposed a settlement offer that is significantly less than half of what it would face at trial.

Alarmingly, BP is attempting to once again shirk responsibility for causing the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history, purportedly offering a sum less than $20 billion. An amount so low would be inadequate to repair the Gulf and would allow the oil giant – which netted $25.7 billion in 2011 – to escape paying what is required by law, what it can afford and what is fair in a case with such egregious environmental damage.

Hold BP Accountable for Ongoing Effects to Wildlife and Habitat

Yesterday, NWF called on Attorney General Eric Holder to ensure BP is held fully responsible for its involvement in the 2010 Gulf oil disaster. We continue to not only monitor the spill’s effects on the ecosystem, but to follow up on holding BP responsible. Because despite BP’s advertising campaigns to the contrary, the Gulf is still reeling from the oil disaster.

We may not know the full impact of the oil on the Gulf for years to come, but we do know that the oil:

• Continues to show up on beaches in the form of tar balls and tar mats;
• Severely impacted bird nesting habitat;
• Negatively affected endangered sea turtles;
• Is probably at least partly responsible for a spate of dolphin deaths;
• Sped marsh erosion in heavily impacted areas;
• May have harmed plankton, a key link in the ocean food web.

It’s time for BP to stop stalling, pay up and make the Gulf whole. The sooner full payment happens, the sooner environmental and economic restoration can begin for this region. We owe it to our Gulf of Mexico – one of our national treasures – to make sure BP does right for the people, wildlife and habitat of this region.

Please like & tweet this post to help spread the word that despite BP’s big money propaganda, the Gulf’s not clean and the job’s not done!

Congress Passes Gulf RESTORE Act

More than two years into the worst oil disaster in U.S. history, Congress passed the RESTORE Act today, which ensures that money from BP’s oil spill fines will be dedicated to Gulf Coast restoration.

This is a HUGE win for brown pelicans, dolphins and sea turtles that are still being impacted by the oil spill disaster that began in April 2010.

>> Share this photo on Facebook and help spread the good news to your family and friends

Why was this bill so important? Under the Clean Water Act, BP could face as much as $20 billion in fines for its responsibility in the oil disaster.

National Wildlife Federation and our members and supporters have been fighting for two years to make sure the Gulf gets the help it deserves. Thank you so much to everyone who helped make this a reality!

Keystone XL Provision Rejected

The icing on the cake is that the legislation passed today does NOT include language that would have forced approval of the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline. This was a very real threat and would have put endangered whooping cranes and swift foxes at risk of toxic oil spills, while also driving a rapid expansion of habitat-destroying tar sands operations that could put the lives of thousands of Canada’s wolves and caribou at risk.

This tremendous victory for wildlife is a testament to how Americans can hold our elected officials accountable to protecting America’s wildlife.

Let’s go celebrate!

The Great American Backyard Campout on June 23rd brings together thousands of families for a night of outdoor fun at sites across the country. (Photo courtesy of Curtis Fisher)

Why is this important? As you probably know if you’ve browsed this blog before, more and more kids are giving up on regular outdoor play, favoring TV or video games instead. In fact, American kids now spend less time outdoors than any generation in modern history. Not only does this affect kids’ physical, mental and emotional wellbeing, but it greatly reduces appreciation of nature, and therefore thins the ranks of future conservationists.

Get Outdoors Day helps fight this trend by offering kids the opportunity to try activities like fishing, geocaching and camping, and learn about subjects like sustainability, health and nutrition (the event supports First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Outside campaign to eliminate childhood obesity within one generation).

To see all 130 locations hosting National Get Outdoors Day activities and find out whether there is a site near you, click here. You can also get involved by volunteering or hosting a National Get Outdoors Day event.

Every Day Can Be ‘Get Outdoors Day’

NWF has developed a few handy tools to help families fit nature into their lives and make any day ‘Get Outdoors Day’:

• The Great American Backyard Campout on June 23^rd brings together thousands of families for a night of exploration and fun at sites across the country. Sign up today! When you participate, you can support NWF’s programs to get kids outdoors as part of our Be Out There campaign.
• NatureFind helps you find local nature sites and events by zip code, city or state, including directions and visitor ratings.  It offers immediate information on 10,000 beautiful outdoor locales, and 50,000 events and organized activities.

• Our free parent guide to outdoor play, everyday provides information, tips and activities to help busy parents, kids and families overcome many top obstacles to outdoor play.
• Find a new outdoor activity in our Activity Finder database. Crafts, games, recipes and more. You can search by keyword, your child’s age, or level of difficulty. Every activity is designed for the outdoors or has a wildlife twist.

If you would like to learn more about NWF’s programs that help parents provide outdoor opportunities for children, visit our Be Out There ™ website.

Enjoy National Get Outdoors Day!

We’ve done our best to update our posts and provide answers to your questions, but we know some remain. So, we’ve asked National Wildlife Federation’s naturalist Dave Mizijewski to stop by for a live Q&A session. On Thursday (May 31) at 1 pm EDT, Dave will join us for an hour to give you the scoop on eagles and their young.

Dave has a lifelong fascination with nature and wildlife, holds a degree in Human and Natural Ecology from Emory University and is an expert on wildlife, our environment and green lifestyles. You might recognize him from his appearances on The Today Show.

Do you want to pose a question about eagles? You can do so in a number of ways. You can leave a comment here on this page, and we’ll forward those questions to Dave before the chat begins. Or, you can bookmark this page, and return for the live session. You don’t have to register or anything (though you can sign in using Facebook or Twitter).

Click here to view the embedded video.

They have experienced the work that goes into sustainability first-hand, and they’ve seen some of the results up close. That’s because earlier this spring, the Victorious! stars appeared at Thomas Starr King Middle School, an environmental studies magnet school in Los Angeles, for a unique service event that included a demonstration of practical environmental education by way of hands-on science, math and art lessons in the school’s garden. Eco-Schools USA and Nickelodeon’s The Big Help chose the school as a great example of conserving and teaching about the environment.

As part of the event, the cast helped sixth graders paint, plant, weed and mulch in the organic garden, transforming the urban school grounds into an outdoor classroom where students can hone their science know-how in a green ‘living laboratory.’ You can see photos of the stars helping out here.

Leon Thomas III:

“It was really fun helping out. I was impressed by all of the kids, their dedication and enthusiasm […] the best part of the day is knowing that the garden and the efforts to green the school are ongoing.”

Thomas Starr King has also been featured as an Eco-Schools USA case study. This spring, its students will be tackling three of the Eco-Schools pathways: School Grounds, Green Hour and Consumption and Waste. In the future the school will be expanding its garden thanks to a donation from NWF.

Kim Jones, a teacher at the school and leader of its Eco-Action Team:

“We want to guide our students to be environmental activists starting with our school site […] we want them to understand, and promote awareness, of how one person’s actions can make a difference in protecting the planet”.

If you’d like to learn more, you can check out the Thomas Starr King Middle School Eco-Schools USA case study and see all the registered Eco-Schools (including 81 in California alone).

Aquatic biologist and fishing enthusiast Ed Perry

2005 was incredibly warm—in fact, it was the hottest year on record, and I remember wading into the river anticipating its cooling waters. Unfortunately, the river felt more like bath water, and 6 miles upstream of Harrisburg, I recorded a water temperature of 91°F!  That weekend, we saw hundreds of fingerling bass floating downstream – bass we could easily scoop up with our hands. We didn’t know it at the time, but we were witnessing what would be the beginning of an annual kill of smallmouth by a common soil and water bacteria called Columnaris.

Prior to 2005, the middle Susky was one of the premier smallmouth bass fisheries in the United States. It would not have been unusual to catch 20 fish over 15″ in a day.

Those days are gone now. The fishery in the middle has experienced a precipitous decline and we haven’t been back to the river since 2008. I wouldn’t want to put any more pressure on those fish than what they are already experiencing.

The agencies are spending a small fortune trying to pin down the cause in the decline, and everything from pollution to water withdrawals is being blamed. There is no question the fish are being subjected to multiple stressors, such as diet pills, Prozac and all the other pills we take, in addition to herbicides and other pollutants. But the fact is, the dying started in the hottest year on record, in the hottest decade on record, it and continues to this day. What’s more disturbing is that the agencies are now finding diseased fish for the first time in other rivers, like the Allegheny and Delaware. Some of these rivers had water temperatures of nearly 95° F. Hot water holds less oxygen, so climate change may be the final straw that is breaking these fish.

Those of us who fish and hunt have special places we consider to be hallowed ground, places where, with friends and family, we’ve experienced the best that nature had to offer, often around a campfire. The Susquehanna was that place to me. It was my favorite trip in our great country—wading and fly fishing poppers for bass as the sun was setting on the beds of water willow and then heading back to our campsite for beverages and steaks cooked over river wood.

Due to the reproductive capacity of fish, the river could be teeming with fish again under the right circumstances. But it is clear to me that our country is embarked on a great experiment. We are willing to continue spewing out industrial carbon pollution unabated and allow our natural resources to suffer because some of our elected representatives are scientifically challenged and prefer to get their science from that great climatologist Rush Limbaugh instead of real climate scientists.

Fortunately, the Environmental Protection Agency is beginning the process of reducing industrial carbon pollution through their rules on mercury emissions, fuel efficiency, and new sources of industrial carbon pollution. But already, the fossil fuel industry and its allies in congress are trying to stop EPA. So, it will be up to us to join forces and convince our representatives to begin the process of getting us off dirty fossil fuels and on to clean, renewable energy. We owe it to future generations to get this right.

Protect the future of smallmouth bass, moose, and other wildlife imperiled by global warming by urging the EPA to finalize a strong standards to reduce carbon pollution from power plant smokestacks.

To learn more about how climate change is impacting American who hunt and fish, read the full report On Thin Ice: Warming Winters Put America’s Hunting and Fishing Heritage at Risk at NWF.org/CleanAir