Chris Jordan's photography

From the photographer Chris Jordan:

These photographs of albatross chicks were made in September, 2009, on Midway Atoll, a tiny stretch of sand and coral near the middle of the North Pacific. The nesting babies are fed bellies-full of plastic by their parents, who soar out over the vast polluted ocean collecting what looks to them like food to bring back to their young. On this diet of human trash, every year tens of thousands of albatross chicks die on Midway from starvation, toxicity, and choking.

To document this phenomenon as faithfully as possible, not a single piece of plastic in any of these photographs was moved, placed, manipulated, arranged, or altered in any way. These images depict the actual stomach contents of baby birds in one of the world's most remote marine sanctuaries, more than 2000 miles from the nearest continent.






Five tons of garbage end up in the bodies of albatrosses each year, in one of the most remote islands on Earth... something to think about..

Check out more on Chris Jordan's site.

CocaLife: Coca-Cola for social good?

I've often been amazed, while traveling to the most remote places on Earth, of Coca-Cola's reach.
From small African villages in the middle of the jungle, to isolated communities in the mountains of India, Coca-Cola ads and drinks bring you a sense of familiarity that can be disturbing in the surrounding context.

Coca-Cola has managed distribution like no other company in the world and overcome many of the transportation challenges that aid agencies are still struggling with in countries where the lack of infrastructure is a serious obstacle.

Innovator Simon Berry has been working for the past couple years on the CocaLife campaign to use the efficiency of the corporate giant to benefit the needs of the world's poorest and most isolated. His idea is simple and started with a simple thought 20 years ago, while he was working on the British Aid programme:
What about Coca Cola using their distribution channels (which are amazing in developing countries) to carry 'social products', such as oral rehydration salts? Maybe by dedicating one compartment in every 10 crates as 'the life saving' compartment?

While the idea never initially took off, new social media has given it a second life and its supporters are growing every day. The campaign created enough pressure on the corporation that Berry was invited to address the heads of Coca-Cola and, while progress takes time, the project is moving slowly but surely.


Become a fan on facebook and help the campaign grow!

Quote of the day

"Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world."

~Howard Zinn