One of DJ Spooky’s latest projects involved traveling to Antarctica to use the ice, wildlife, footsteps and other sounds to construct an album and multimedia performance. Using ambient sound as source material is older than using vinyl samples, but Terra Nova: Sinfonia Antarctica is a multimedia performance that comes at a key time in the life of the icy continent. As my homie Joe Block once said about one of my raps, “I woudn’t go bumping it in my car or nothin’”, but I have to hand it to a real hip-hop icon for doing his part for the struggle.

People have been going nuts about Nancy Pelosi’s mouse protection provision in the recently passed stimulus package. At first, I thought this was just another example of government waste and local politicians using the systems to aggrandize themselves within the local political arena. Then I saw a talk by Cheryl Davis of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.

The SFPUC administers the water supply that feeds San Francisco and neighboring areas. The task of bringing water from the Hetch Hetchy reservoir to the Bay Area is no small feat. Much of the transit lines are undergoing seismic retrofits to better secure the San Francisco water supply. A water interruption due to an earthquake could cost up to 28.7 Billion dollars, not to mention the panic that would overtake the city. The Hetch Hechy water, which comes mostly from the Sierra snow pack, makes its way via tubes that traverse both private and public lands. After the water arrives to the bay area, it is stored in the reservoirs West of the 280 Freeway until it makes its way to the city. These reservoirs and open spaces contain not only precious watersheds, but also many endangered species including the much-maligned Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse.

I agree that protecting a mouse does not provide “stimulus”, but by recognizing that everything in the environment is connected and by protecting the weak species, we may be protecting ourselves. It is possible that once we go down the road of runaway budgets there is no turning back, but it is certain that once a species is gone, there is no getting it back.

Here are some of our favorite moments from our interviews this past year:

This is a cool video in which Roger Doiron of Kitchen Gardeners International puts his hoe where is mouth is. Since he had been campaigning for the president to start a food garden in the white house lawn, he decided to take it upon himself to convert his own yard into a garden. Truly an inspiration to all of us who want to be the change we’d like to see in the world. (Via Justin)

The NPS has shown that it’s never too late to get into podcasting. Realizing that technology and the environment need to coexist, several parks have put together audio tours and podcasts to entice and educate the public. The survival of the National Park Service depends on an active citizenry enjoying in and voting to protect them in the future. There is no budget for TV ads, and since our nations youth are spending less and less time in front of the TV, it only makes since that the parks go digital.

One of my former coworkers from the Presidio had an idea for rangers across the National Parks to do a Where the Hell is Matt type of video campaign with different rangers dancing in front of iconic NPS sites. Still sounds like a good idea… if you’re reading this NPS.

Here is a partial list of their Podcasts:
(via Podcasting News)

Antietam National Battlefield

Everglades NP

Gettysburg National Military Park

Glacier NP

Grand Canyon NP

Yellowstone NP

Yosemite NP

The Green Rapper hiking squad recently conquered the treacherous elevations of Half Dome and lived to tell of their adventure. See and hear how they survived the “Granite Steps of Insanity!” This video review gives great recommendations for any one considering this hike:

We talk about a lot of serious stuff here on Greenrapper.com, but we never pass on a chance at having a laugh. So, when my old MSU buddy Matt recently visited the bay area, we put together a pilot for Channel 101 New York. Channel 101 is a monthly film festival that started in LA and now has a New York version. We shot all of the footage in one day, mostly in the Golden Gate National Parks. Specifically, we did some guerrilla shots in the Presidio and Fort Mason. Though our pilot was not voted back by the audience, we did manage to pull off “Top Failed Pilot”, and our video is featured on the front page of their site. The soundtrack is peppered with songs by James Taylor, Lawrence Welk, Kafani, Little Wayne, and Iggy Pop. Here it is: