The Earth Savers Blog

LOL: No Laughing Matter

Over the past few years I have come to know more about Lyme Disease than I ever cared to. 

I do not have Lyme myself- yet find myself realizing that this could change at any moment given that it's one of the fastest growing natural threats lurking outside in everyones back yard. 

It does not play favorites, and instead can affect and infect anyone regardless of your color, culture, age or social status.  It does not discriminate even based on species.

Human, dogs, cats, and other mammals are just as susceptible to getting it simply by getting bit by a tick sometimes no bigger than a freckle.

Most alarming to me that been the conflicting messages about how to prevent identify, treat or heal Lyme and it's many co-infections. Undiagnosed it can manifest and mimic many other diseases and without proper treatment can wreck havoc on the body's immune system, muscles and joints, and brain. 

I've been hearing about Lyme disease ever since i was little ( my dad's friend had it) and since then I have grown to know countless friends, family members and associates who all have their own experience with the disease and it's devastating effects.

Now, years later I have over fifteen close friends who have Lyme, or whose children have Lyme.  Education continues to be extremely conflicting, and the medical community is wary of patients who continue to have chronic symptoms *after they have been "effectively" treated with antibiotics. 

My own sense of frustration and helplessness mounts as time passes and i bear witness to the suffering and the lack of response and so I reach for what I know how to do, to see if perhaps in organizing voices that together the shout out can be loud enough so that our friends, neighbors and family members can take a quick minute out of their busy day to listen up and learn a few things that may just save their lives or he lives of their children.

Please join us at Lyme Out Loud as we share resources, stories, and treatments to stop the suffering, misinformation and ignorance about Lyme Disease.

Green Pals for Kids

Earth Day is upon us and as we contemplate how what we can individually and collectively do to make the world a greener place, a natural suggestion is to think about these things more often than once per year. 

The other part of the equation is simple education. What is the difference between someone that recycles and one that doesn't, or someone that minimizes their carbon footprint and the person that doesn't? For the most part, it is simply being taught about the importance of these things.

Yesterday the New York Times published an article about the importance of not only teaching children to care for the earth, but of children's role in teaching their parents.

Global Green Pals are not just dolls or ways to teach children about recycling, clean air & water, etc., rather they embody the idea that children can be powerful influences for change. Whether it is the four teenagers referred to in the NY Times, that have become leaders in the environmental movement, or 7 year-old Charlie Simpson who raised $240,000 for Haiti, children are capable of so much more than we think because, in the words of 12 year-old prolific writer Adora Svitak,"They don't think about limitations, just good ideas."

I hope Global Green Pals will inspire children across the country to think in terms of positive solutions, and even small things that they can do to make a difference to their world. You can read more about the different "Pals" and hear what they have to say on the Global Green Pals blog.

(This article Inspired by Robert Wilson)

How to Build a Global Community

Think of no one as “them”
Don’t confuse your comfort with your safety
Talk to strangers
Imagine other cultures through their poetry and novels
Listen to music you don’t understand*Dance to it
Act Locally
Notice the workings of power & privilege in your culture
Question consumption
Know how your lettuce and coffee are grown: wake up
and smell the exploitation
Look for fair trade and union labels
Help build economies from the bottom up
Acquire few needs
Learn a second(or third) language
Visit people,places, and cultures – not tourist attractions
Learn people’s history*Re-define progress
Know physical and political geography
Play games from other cultures*Watch films with subtitles
Know your heritage
Honor everyone’s holidays
Look at the moon and imagine someone else,
Somewhere else, looking at it too
Read the UNs Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Understand the global economy in terms of
people, land, and water
Know where your bank banks
Never believe you have the right to anyone else’s resources
Refuse to wear corporate logos: defy corporate domination
Question military/corporate connections
Don’t confuse money with wealth, or time with money
Have a pen/email pal*Honor indigenous cultures
Judge governance by how well it meets all people’s needs
Be skeptical about what you read
Eat adventurously*Enjoy vegetables,
Beans and grains in your diet
Choose curiosity over certainty
Know where your water comesfrom
and where your wastes go
Pledge allegiance to the earth;question nationalism
Think South, Central, and North-
There are many Americans
Assume that many others share your dreams
Know that no one is silent though many are not heard
Work to change this

Artist: 

Text: Members SCW Community ©2002. Illustration: Melinda Levine, cut paper

Compost Catalyst

The New York Times recently reported a story by Malia Wollan about San Francisco's tough recycling laws. Amazingly the state has started fining those who do not adhere to their strict recycling laws by fining residents or business owners of up to $1,000 but the best part is that these laws now include composting.

YEA SAN FRANCISCO!!!

    "The city already diverts 72 percent of the 2.1 million tons of waste it's residents produce each year away from landfills and into recycling and composting programs."

The goal for this inspiring city is to send zero waste to landfills by 2020. Three bins will help the city manage it's goal with help from it's citizens by issuing three bins: one for recycling, one for trash and the new GREEN one for compost.

I remember doing an interview with John Bradford last year where he said "There are two simple things that every citizen in the world can do to make a difference, and that's recycle your plastics, and compost."

He went on to explain that by doing this we close the loop by reusing our packaging,  and replenishing our land with the nutrients it needs to grow nutrient rich foods.  Composting is easy for anyone to do- but just like developing a discipline for recycling can's and bottles- it's now adding that new action into your routine each day. 

Our family keeps our composting bin by the sink. Instead of throwing our veggie peels, and fruit cores and rinds into the sink or trash it goes into the compost bucket and the kids take turns walking it out to the compost pile in the yard at the end of each day or every couple of days.  It's a matter of being conscious as you run through your meal routine that is likely on auto pilot.

Here are a few recommendations to get started:

• Kids are great team players - so enroll their help telling them about composting and it's benefits to the planet. They also make great police so if you want someone to remind you when you go to throw those egg shells in the trash, they can blow the whistle until everyone gets in the habit.
• Make a list of all the items that can be composted- or an image of the veggie or fruit or shell and stick it on the fridge for everyone to reference
• Invest in a compost bucket or ceramic urn with a lid- you can check out other options here.
• If you want additional facts on how to compost or why it's so beneficial you can look here. 
• If you want more info specifically geared toward kids you can go here.

 

Plato's Allegory

    I mentioned last time that I would be posting about this book I am teaching. Ishmael, By Daniel Quinn is a book that looks at our culture and civilization through the eyes of a telepathic gorilla. Once you get past that little bit (meaning you accept that gorillas can be highly intelligent teachers) (oh yea.. little bit... get it?) the conversation really takes off and plows through SOOO much about who we are and how we got to be this way. As a culture I mean... how did we come to view ourselves as separate from the rest of the planet, here to dominate and conquer, here to make our own rules and follow little other wisdom.

    So I am beginning to teach the book by introducing a wonderful tale told by an ancient master. Plato, in The Republic, tells the tale of a group of people chained in a cave.  Plato's Allegory is a very insightful tale, as you might imagine coming from such a thinker.     The folks in the allegory can only look in one direction, in front of them is a wall on to which shadows are cast, behind them a great fire and a runway for puppeteers to cast shadows on the wall. This image has many versions but they all demonstrate the basic idea.

    The high school lesson that I will be hoping to impart is that the captives here relate to the shadows on the wall and the echoes of their captives as the real thing, which they are not. They know nothing else so they are bound to make the only connections there to make... they do not know that they do not know. Truth is not possible for them, not until they are freed from their captivity and able to "turn into the light" and see the error of their understanding. 

    Plato's point to his young student is that philosophy allows man to turn into the light and see the truth of their existence. My point to my students is that this book, I hope, will make a very simple truth clear to them. Not only do they share much with the captives in Plato's tale, they also have the chance now to see the civilization they are part of for what it is, and act accordingly. I'll keep you posted. Get it?

Notes on Planet Earth Pt. 2

Thoughts Under Water

The Earth is warming up due to the fact that humans are adding more greenhouse gases to our atmosphere at an accelerated rate, mainly by burning fossil fuels. 

We burn them to create energy, which we also use to make electricity. 

Fossil Fuels are mined from under ground and burning them (coal, Oil, and Natural Gas) gives off the greenhouse gas CO2. Too much greenhouse gas stops the Sun's heat from escaping and makes the world hotter. 

As the planet warms up, huge bodies of water are also greatly effected like in the arctic where large pieces of Ice are braking up and melting.  More greenhouse gasses mean that the water is getting warmer too. This is greatly compromising the life of species everywhere that depend on the consistency of their habitats temperatures. Extra water from melted ice also causes the sea level to rise, jeopardizing coastal towns, and Islands. Warmer water also means the death of Coral Reefs which are the home of the greatest variety of sea life anywhere in the world. 

The earths surface is 70% Water, and the oceans have provided food for people for thousands of years, but now as the threat of warming waters, overfishing, and pollutants are killing it's inhabitants, it's becoming a less likely and more dangerous food source for human beings.

Notes on Planet Earth Pt. 1

Our earth is one of eight planets that circle the sun & together they are known as the solar system. Life on the Earth could not exist without the heat and light of the Sun. Heat from the sun generates winds, ocean currents and all of our weather. Heat and light from the sun generate the energy needed by all living things.

The Solar System is just a tiny piece of a huge universe.
The reason we can live on earth is because it's surrounded by a blanket of gasses known as the atmosphere. The atmosphere gives us air to breathe and water to drink.  Other planets have atmosphere too but it would be impossible to live on them...Mars for instance, but is inhabitable due to lack of water and breathable air.  It's also very cold on Mars.

Our atmosphere contains gases known as greenhouse gasses and without them the Earth would freeze and humans would be unable to live. The main gasses contained in the greenhouse gasses are CO2 methane and water vapor. The Earths atmosphere is delicately balanced, and any changes to this balance will make it harder to live on Earth.

The Earth is warming up at an alarming rate due to the fact that humans are adding more greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere, and we are doing this by burning fossil fuels. We burn the fossil fuels to make energy which we convert to electricity. We also use energy to heat our homes and fuel our vehicles. When we burn it, we give off greenhouse gas or CO2. Too much Greenhouse gas in the atmosphere stops the suns heat from escaping and makes the world hotter. This is known as global warming.

Bringing School Back to Nature

So how can our children's schools bring nature into the classroom? How can we bring school back to nature?

First we need to create the listening inside the classroom on the topic of conservation, and before you can do that we have to create a relationship between the current state of the environment and explain to children where it all began.... History? Anyone Anyone?

I'm not talking about the story of creation or suggesting any religious story. I am suggesting that teachers and educators create a "context" for children within which this conversation will reside. There is in fact so many great history lessons within this story that a history teacher might add into his or her lesson plan for the year.

So if you are a kid, you want to know the following:
Who? What? Why? Where?

How did the planet get sick in the first place?
What is global warming?
Where did it all begin?
Why did we create so much waste and why did we not know any better?
Who did this?
How are we going to fix it?

As adults I believe it is our responsibility to let children be children. I don't want to burden them with the problems of adults, and certainly I think that the topic of global distress if not delivered effectively can even cause a more dangerous result: fear, and resignation.

What we really want to do is leave our children in a place where they can empathize with our collective humanity.
Realize that as a human species we've made some mistakes, and actualize with their own tendencies to make them. It's very freeing for a child to get a lesson in an adults humility. Ultimately we want to leave them empowered to want to make a difference, and teach them not only the power of one, but the power of community, forgiveness and resolution.

There is a very valuable lesson for all of this in the face of the environmental crisis we find ourselves in and so we should embrace the opportunity and not try to overstep the responsibility and the explanation we owe our children.

That said I'm sure it begs the question of how then do we actually start a dialog with children on this topic?
My solution is to create a story form. Allow a child to relate to characters in a story line that allow them to make their own parallels, and draw some conclusions. Inspire their imagination, and harness their can do attitude to help us.... I'm not a particularly religious person ( I grew up in a strict catholic home) but I do know that the Prophet Jesus said "and the little children will lead us...."

I believe that children today if given the right tools, can be the thought leaders for our future generations.

My intention is to create a story that I will offer here in episodes on this blog in the category of The Earth Savers Episodes, and you are welcome to use them, embellish them or alter them to suit your own household or student body.

The goal of the series is to awaken inspiration, self actualization, and elevate environmental consciousness in the lives of children and their communities.

Good Vibes..... Zach a.k.a. Energy Saver

•

• Zach is the most “electric” of the characters. He is charming, witty and charismatic. He gets things done quickly, is innovative and inventive, and loves anything that goes fast. He is obsessed with cars, facts and statistics and especially loves sharing his ideas with others.
 

•He grew up and went to public school in inner city Detroit, Michigan, home of the Motor City. In school, he is always in the principal’s office because he cannot sit still. During summer vacation, he taught himself how to program computers and today, wants to build a place where kids like himself can meet each other and share ideas, no matter where in the world they are.

STATS
Fav Hobby:           Building Computers

Favorite sport:     Cross Country Running

Favorite Food:     Cold Pizza

Favorite Animal: Cheeta

Best Known For:   Getting things done quickly

Eco- Peeve:          Leaving the fridge door open

Future:                    Wants to be a solor power whiz when he grows up
                          Sign:                         Sagittarius
                          Element:                 Fire 

Floating in... Lets Give a Warm Welcome for Alison Atmosphere Saver

Alison is an Earth Saver for the atmosphere.

STATS

Favorite Hobby:     Bike Riding
Favorite Sport:          Hang Gliding
Favorite Food:        Popcorn
Favorite Animal:     Albatross
Best Known For:      Being a Tom Boy            
Eco Peeve:             Idling Cars and Automobiles
Sign:                       Gemini
Element:                 Air         
  

Alison is always keeping us on our toes, guessing about what she will say or do next.  She is wonderful and mischievous, and a tomboy at heart. She is gregarious, and impressionable with a passion for uncovering the truth at almost any cost. She is daring, bold, and fiercely loyal. From Big Sky, Montana, she loves the rough and tumble.  Alison is a  contradiction, and a  champion for the underdog. She will be a powerful personality for teaching others the importance of diversity and the acceptance and tolerance of others.