OUTDOOR WEDNESDAY, WATERY WEDNESDAY - YANN ARTHUS-BERTRAND

Welcome to Outdoor Wednesday hosted by Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer and Watery Wednesday hosted by 2Sweetnsaxy 
Remember to click on the photos to enlarge them for better viewing.

I have quite a treat for you. The photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand has given me permission to use his photographs on my site. As much as Yann is an amazing photographer he is also an active advocate for ecological issues. He is the chairman of the GoodPlanet Organization and has participated in the creation of the Action Carbone project in order to persuade governments, institutions and individuals to reduce their individual impact on the climate.

Now to take such beautiful photographs Yann realized he is creating a carbon imprint on the world and greenhouse gas creation. With this in mind he has financed projects to promote renewable energies and to encourage reforestation.

In 1994 Yann (also referred to as Yab as in Yann Arthus-Bertrand) started a project called "Earth from above" to survey the state of the Earth as we went into the 21st century.

On his site Yab states:
"Year 2000 was almost upon us, and I wanted to tackle an ambitious long-term project. Since the lions, nature has been one of my chief concerns, though I was then less committed to sustainable development and more interested in the preservation of exceptional sites. However, working on location soon made me realise that Man cannot be dissociated from the landscape. Gradually, I became convinced that supporting the theories on sustainability was the way towards a reasoned form of development.”

 This project was not an easy sell however and the response from potential partners was very low. Eventually they managed to secure enough support and they started to photograph from above...even if the first project was Club Med piece.

The team has been to over 150 countries to photograph the Earth from above. In his work we see mountains that should be covered with snow that are bare. Rivers that are drying up. Landscapes that should be forested and green that have been denuded.
Yab also photographs people and animals. I love his animal shots.

Please visit his sites and see what they are all about. If you do contact them please let them know where you saw the photos. The more we do this the more likely it is that photographers will consent to the use of their photos for non-commercial blogs. It is about spreading the word.
An exhibit of Yann's work will be at the New York Public Library starting on April 1st. 2010

Remember bloggers...never use someones photos without their permission.

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