Environmental activists have been known to take residence in the branches of trees for days or even months to ensure these trees do not get cut down. Other environmentalists have chartered their own large boats in attempts to non-violently stop whalers in Japan. Still, some environmental groups have decided that one way to help Mother Earth is by distributing hundreds of thousands of condoms in order to call attention to the human tendency to overpopulate and the impact this has on species that are already on the endangered list.

This new condom campaign is a clever approach to a pressing environmental issue. The condoms have been marketed with colorful wrappers that display pictures of various endangered species like jaguars and polar bears. Each image has an appropriate slogan attached to it like, “Cover your tweedle, save the burying beetle,” or “Wrap with care, save the polar bear.” Over 3,000 people have volunteered their time to help distribute these condoms in various public places including schools, concerts, bars and grocery stores. The executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity, Kieran Suckling, states, “It’s a way to make people laugh, shock people a little bit and get them talking.”

He reminds us that there are a number of different ways that the growth of the human population daily affects these endangered species, including new housing developments, highways, an increase in greenhouse gas emissions and water resources that are going by the wayside. Suckling goes on to inform us that one of the main goals of this new campaign is to get a global conversation going about these overpopulation issues that have become taboo topics.

Suckling states, “Overpopulation is the driving force behind virtually all environmental problems — air pollution, water pollution, the extinction crisis, global warming, yet it is rarely ever addressed by conservation groups. They are really afraid of touching the issue and appearing antihuman.” The topic of overpopulation has been known to ruffle some feathers. One example is a study recently done by researchers from Oregon State University that determined the amount of carbon dioxide emissions that could be attributed to bearing a child. Paul Murtaugh, a professor of statistics from Oregon State University, states, “In discussions about climate change, we tend to focus on the carbon emissions of an individual over his or her lifetime. Those are important issues, and it’s essential that they should be considered. But an added challenge facing us is continuing population growth and increasing global consumption of resources.” Many people immediately responded to this research project. One reader wrote, “So to save the world, we need to destroy our species. Great theory.”

This new condom initiative is, naturally, not without its own critics. One person wrote, “This is sick. Not that condoms are bad. But the reasoning behind this is disturbing and seems driven by sociopaths.” On the flip side, in a poll taken in a website referencing this new condom campaign, the question is asked, “Should environmental activists distribute free endangered-species condoms in Orange County?” Approximately 50 people responded and 30 of these responded with a “yes.”

The Center for Biological Diversity revealed that the first 100,000 condoms ran out fairly quickly. Currently an order for half a million condoms to continue this mission has been made. Despite the campaign’s apparent success, Mr. Suckling assets that he never intends to make a profit on this campaign by selling the condoms. He states, “The value of getting these out there means more to us.”

Right before Thanksgiving, I had to fly for some training at my company’s headquarters in a different state. Having two small children under 4 years, my husband and I have not traveled by plane in a few years, so I was unprepared when I checked my baggage and the attendant asked me to cough up twenty bucks. I looked at her confusedly and said, “For what?” She said, “Twenty bucks to check your luggage.” I asked if it was overweight and then reminded her I only needed to check ONE bag of luggage, not twenty. She informed me that recent directives had tacked on that extra charge. Nice. Fortunately, the ease in which travel companies tacked on that extra charge may make it easier for them to offer other more charitable initiatives. In fact, pretty soon, air travelers will be able to donate two bucks or more in order to fight the AIDS epidemic ravaging third-world countries.

All donations will be given to the Millennium Foundation through this new MassiveGood initiative. This organization works hand-in-hand with the United Nation and aims to fight diseases like malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS. The foundation was only recently developed in 2008 and had a hefty goal of designing inventive ways to fundraise for and financially back health goals established by the UN. This foundation is joining resources with UNITAID, an organization backed by the UN that aims to supply lower-cost drugs to developing countries.

Recently, Travelport, Sabre Holdings Corp. and Amadeus (all distributors of airline tickets) made announcements that they would add the option of donating for travelers by early 2011. Naturally, the donation is optional for all those involved in the process of ticket selling and buying, including travel agents, corporate buyers and online travel websites. One part of the process that has not been fully determined is how the travelers who are buying their airline tickets will know they are able to make such a donation. For example, those websites that offer buyers to purchase their tickets online are not going to be part of this new initiative. In addition, there has not been a solid decision whether or not those purchasing for corporate travel will be allowed to make donations.

Pam Wong, the spokeswoman for Sabre, says that her company is currently working on a pilot program “with a small number of agencies, with the goal of having a seamless process in place for travelers to make donations to the Millennium Foundation by early next year.” Wong did not remark on the fate of these changes within Travelocity (a website where buyers can search for discount airfare, hotels and car rentals), which is owned by the Sabre company.

The CEO of Travelport, Jeff Clarke, stated that the option to donate will be available on those tickets purchased in Germany, the U.K. and the United States in the early part of 2011. The option to donate should be as easy as choosing an option to add a hotel stay or car rental to the buyer’s itinerary. He states, “This is just one more choice for the consumer.” He also noted that the companies that provide this option to donate will not receive one cent of the donated money. He adds, “We view it as an investment in goodwill for our customers and the industry.”

Imagine a festival so huge and elaborate that eighty percent of an entire country’s beer consumption takes place in the span of one week. No, it isn’t Mardi Gras we are talking about here. In Brazil, this weeklong event that virtually puts the country at a standstill for an entire week is called Carnival (or Carnaval in Portuguese) and it is full of food, drink, dancing and lots of sex. This festival is held forty days before Easter (much like the beginning of Lent for those Catholic readers out there) and is so named because many Christians stop eating meat (carnelevare is a term that means “to remove meat”) on specific days during Lent. Simply put, the Brazilian Carnival is an elaborate way to bid farewell to all those religiously “bad” things that will be given up during Lent.

Brazil calls itself “the best public party on earth.” During this week of debauchery, thousands of locals and tourists will line the streets and fill up all surrounding hotels. Meanwhile, parades will be held and floats will be topped off by women who are dressed in nothing more than delicately placed sequins and feathers. Both rich and poor dress up in masks and costumes while they dance in the streets. The anonymity afforded by such costumes coupled with the booze creates a sexy and sweaty atmosphere perfect for casual sexual encounters.

This is why health officials in Brazil have instigated an AIDS awareness campaign that has a goal of distributing 55 million condoms during this weeklong festival. Advertisements have already hit the airwaves to promote this new initiative. One such advertisement has a talking condom as its spokesperson and it alerts viewers (especially the younger crowd) to carry condoms at all times when attending the festivities.

Jose Temporao, Brazil’s Health Minister, stated that the focus of the 2010 campaign is to educate the youth that condoms need to be use for protection against unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. The slogan for this year’s campaign is “The condom. For love, passion or just sex. Always use it.” It sounds clear and to the point to me. In 2009, the Brazilian government distributed close to half a billion free condoms throughout the country. This comes to over two and a half condoms per Brazilian. As of yet, the Brazilian government has not published how many condoms they plan to distribute throughout the current year.