9 Days Till Earth Day

*9*

How many times do we, in our efforts to be effective, actually make it harder than it has to be?.....

Safe Havens By Bill Holbrook, dist. by King Features Syndicate

How many times are things that are good for you also beautiful?

Marvin by Tom Armstrong, dist. by King Features Syndicate

Plant a tree! If you own a yard you can plant a tree. All you need is a shovel and 15 minutes.

The Arbor Day Foundation has a nice list of benefits trees provide such as
~ saving energy by reducing air conditioning needs
~ breaking down carbon dioxide (which contributes to global warming) bonds to release oxygen
~ decreasing water run off and soil erosion
~ increasing habitat niches for other living things
~ increasing property values
~ reducing our stress levels as measured by blood pressure and muscle tension within five minutes after visualizing a tree (Dr. Ulrich at Texas A & M)
~ and they're beautiful! (that's my contribution!)

Trees can make a world of difference.

10 Days Till Earth Day

*10*

Ok, 10 more days. So have you decided what you're going do to celebrate Earth Day?

Well, if everything I've put up so far hasn't given you any ideas perhaps you want to just get in touch with your artistic side. We are often motivated more by creative, positive messages than gloom and doom sermons. Today we'll look at some of the art generated by celebrators of Earth Day.

These first two are from the NOAA website (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) but I don't know who the artist(s) is. I wish I could reproduce them bigger - the details are stunning.

I'm afraid I don't know where I got this. It really will take people from every continent to save our planet.

The winning entry by Belarusian 11 year old Hanna Kutuzava in the 2007 Earth Day art contest. She titled it "We Have But One Way."

I don't remember where I got these next two images but they clearly illustrate the concept that your food choices affect global warming and the health of the planet. I guess even art can project gloom and doom!

This one is one of my favorites. It's copyrighted by R. Kanatnikov.

From the More4Kids website.

From an Earth Day art contest in Bulgaria 2007, also one of my favorites.

Don't know where I got this but it's cool.

From the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy website.

Several of my family members and friends are very artistic. I would love to see a creation in honor of Earth Day... any takers?

11 Days Till Earth Day

*11*

Be careful.... there are a lot of tricksters out there....

My Cage by Melissa DeJesus and Ed Power, dist. by King Features Syndicate

I'm glad the environmental movement is more popular than it used to be, but it worries me. First of all, if it is "In" now, soon it'll be "Out." Our country has a very short attention span and the problems won't go away just because people are ready to move on to the next fad. Secondly, I worry about people trying to appear like they give a s**t, when really they just want the most fashionable new water bottle. Thirdly, many well-intentioned people will want to buy the latest environmental gadget without knowing if it actually helps in any way. The last thing we should be doing is buying more "stuff."

So be careful. Do your research so you don't get suckered into supporting someone's misleading venture instead of something that will really make a difference.

12 Days Till Earth Day

*12*

by Dan Piraro, dist. by King Features Syndicate

"The livestock sector is responsible for a significant share of environmental damage." - p. 284 of the U.N.'s report titled, "Livestock's Long Shadow."

Meet the world's top destroyer of the environment. Livestock are responsible for 18% of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming. This equals more damaging gases than all cars, trucks, trains, airplanes, and boats (all forms of transport) put together. I've blogged about this before.

You can find the U.N. report in its entirety here, but it's long, very long. Let me list some of the topics to show you how pervasive the problem is:
~ geography of livestock-related land use
~ hot spots of land degradation
~ livestock's role in climate change and air pollution
~ livestock in the carbon cycle
~ livestock in the nitrogen cycle
~ livestock's role in water depletion and pollution
~ livestock land-use impacts on the water cycle
~ livestock's impact on biodiversity
~ livestock's role in biodiversity loss

To address the issue in the cartoon, methane gas...
CAFO (concentrated animal feeding operations) or factory farms, feed cattle grains instead of grass. Not only are grains cheaper but they can add all sorts of antibiotics, growth hormones, and animal byproducts to these mixtures. Cattle's digestive tracts are not suited for a grain diet and have much difficulty digesting these intruders. What's the result? (short life spans and) GAS!

Of course the big push these days is towards grass-fed beef. In general, I appreciate the difference this makes in the life of the cow; it eats what its GI tract can comfortably digest and theoretically the animal is out in the field instead of crowded together in a feces-covered factory enclosure. What I've read, however, is that this does not help the methane problem. Apparently methane gas is a natural end product of ruminant digestion and is produced no matter what. What's the result? GAS!

My conclusion: true environmentalists don't eat meat.

So today, 12 days before Earth Day, I propose an idea for you to consider: between now and April 22 go without meat. Try it. It's not so hard... try it.

13 Days Till Earth Day

*13*

Sometimes it's hard to know what to do...

Pardon My Planet by Vic Lee, dist. by King Features Syndicate

I am always trying to figure out what we can do to be more earth friendly, but sometimes you just don't know what to do. Certainly recycling is a good thing, but even better is reducing the amount you buy, and reusing what you already have.

Reducing:
* buy less stuff - this is really big. How much do we really need? Where does everything go that we throw away?
* use less water generally and less hot water specifically - take shorter showers, use cold water for your laundry, use the water from the cats' water bowl to water the plants (not while they're drinking it)
* don't drive if you can walk or ride your bike; consider combining errands and map out the shortest route; go to the closer restaurant or store.
* buy products that have the least packaging/wrapping to throw away
* please watch (or re-watch in my case) "The Story Of Stuff" (see video below)

Reusing:
* reuse real plates, forks, and coffee cups at work instead of disposable (yes, you'll have to wash them)
* reuse an old folder/purse/gift bag instead of buying a new one
* reuse last year's Easter grass, last year's Christmas lights
* carry a refillable aluminum water bottle instead of buying more plastic ones
* reuse canvas grocery bags. Keep them in the trunk of your car so they are always "with" you; you just have to remember to bring them into the store :-)

So... don't start loading up on paper so you can recycle it, but do evaluate your daily choices and habits and look for ways to reduce your contribution to the creation of waste and use of resources.

The Story Of Stuff video:

The Earth Day Countdown Begins

* 14 *

April 22 is only 14 days away. What are you going to do to celebrate Earth Day?

One Of My Favorite Indian Authors

I just finished "The Sound Of Language" by Amulya Malladi. I have read all her books and this is her most recent. I loved it so much that I read it in two days.

Each of her novels is different: different settings, different subject matter, different organization, different plot set up, and this time, her main character is Afghani instead of Indian. She writes honestly and develops the main characters so well that you feel like you know them; they stay with you long after you've read the last page. The characters are complex; they don't necessarily fit the commonly projected stereotypes and the protagonists exhibit the full gamut of talents, strengths, faults and weaknesses.

The basic plot of this story is the life of an Afghan refugee, Raihana, who comes to live in Denmark with distant family members after the death of her husband by the Taliban. Equally important is the life of a Dane named Gunnar, who is recently widowed and very depressed. Raihana, as part of her acculuration program, is assigned to Gunnar to help him with his beekeeping activities. She benefits by learning Danish faster and the skills of beekeeping, and he benefits as she helps to pull him out of his depression. The interesting complications come from their family members, as East meets West and assumptions and prejudices are challenged on both sides.

Spring Blossoms

The trees in our parking lot at work put on a beautiful display every spring; I begin to look for them in late February. By late March the blossoms are snowing down their petals which collect along the curbs like little snow piles. Driving under the blossoms as they fall is a surreal experience. Next year I'll try to remember to capture that on video.

Compatants

No, I didn't misspell that title. Combatant + Companion = Compatant. Saeed called me into the living room the other day to observe a near miracle. Tippy, though a miracle in her own right, was not what I was brought in to see - it was the three tan boys on the couch:

Obi, on the left, is the smallest male and the oldest. Thinking himself the alpha male, he has to make up for his size with a lot of noise and aggressive posturing to the younger but larger Frosty (middle) and Calvin (right). Typically Frosty just ignores his antics with distain but Obi can really freak out Calvin. One squawk from Obi and Calvin goes running for cover. Fortunately nothing physical ever happens; it's a lot of "bark and no bite" animal communication.

Now, a true miracle would be if there was any touching of tails, but we'll enjoy this arrangement in our own version of the peaceful Garden of Eden.

Addendum to "The New Office"

On March 12 I put up a post about the new office I'm working in. I had neglected to take a picture of the front of the building because I never go in that way. Here's the front:

To go to this office I drive directly east into the rising sun. It's a wonder I'm not blind by the time I get to work.

And, yup, you guessed it - on the way home I'm driving west directly into the setting sun. Well, was... the sun sets later now so it won't bother me again till next fall.