Monthly Archives: June 2015

Elephants, Tigers

Wildlife, did you know…?

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“By destroying our planet in order to satisfy our greed for happiness we bequeath the future to the future generations a world damaged beyond repair with all the negative consequences that this will have for their lives. We must act therefore responsibly for our children and those who succeed us in this life.” Pope Francis

This quote makes me think about animals and illegal trade. Many people mistakenly purchase ivory statues or ivory necklaces for good luck or status. Other people buy medicines made from tiger parts. Sadly, at least one tiger per day is killed for use in traditional Chinese medicine. And the population of elephants in Tanzania is down by 60% because of illegal poaching. Those purchases come with devastating consequences, the death of 30,000 innocent elephants per year for their ivory and the death of innocent tigers for their body parts.

As I have mentioned before, animals are a precious part of our world. Without them we are impoverished. On a trip to Africa I once had the opportunity to watch a wild baby elephant happily play in muddy water and gleefully spray it all over herself. It was a sight that touched me to the core and one which I will never forget. Having said that, I have not seen wild tigers. Yet I am amazed by their beauty which clearly appears in this wonderful photo courtesy of tigersincrisis.com.

Illegal wildlife trade is one of the largest criminal activities in the world. It ranks in the top five of illegal business activities and is worth about $7.8 – 10 billion per year. Please demand strong enforcement, tougher penalties, prosecution, and better protection for animals. We can no longer afford to think only of ourselves. We must think about wildlife, and we must protect it.

Carbon Footprint Reduction, Children, Leadership, Uncategorized

Did you see the Pope’s latest announcement?

Pope FrancisThis morning Pope Francis released an encyclical about climate change. People have been talking about it for months and eagerly waiting to see what would be said. An encyclical is a papal letter sent to all bishops of the Roman Catholic Church. Of particular note, the letter basically establishes the church’s position on an issue.

The reason this document has attracted so much attention is the fact that the Pope has taken a stand on a controversial issue, human-caused climate change. Now I have not yet read the text, but the Pope was expected to speak of climate change in broad terms and bring moral, ethical and religious concerns to a debate which has often been framed as only an environmental one.

A leaked version of the encyclical quotes the Pope as saying “climate change raises the deepest questions about humanity…what is our ethical and moral responsibility to each other?”. And I will bet we will read something about climate change affecting those who are the poorest and least equipped to handle the burdens brought on by extreme drought, devastating floods, and horrific wildfires.

The encyclical should have far-reaching effects. It may change the nature of political discussions among the presidential candidates in the United States, and hopefully will positively affect the outcome of the United Nations Climate Change talks in Paris in December. A new global climate treaty is to be crafted at that time.

Critics of Pope Francis will say that he should not discuss scientific matters. That said, I am sure he has relied on the best scientific information.  And I am certain the Pope has listened to Caritas Internationalis (the Church’s overseas aid agency) telling him that development work with the world’s poorest is being undone by climate change effects. The bottom line, those who have contributed the least to climate change are paying the highest price in terms of its consequences, and that includes the animal kingdom.

Uncategorized

Good news and how to save some money

Dollar signIt is time for some good news and a suggestion for how you can even save some money.

Many of you may already be aware of the fossil fuel divestment movement which is spreading across the United States and the rest of the world. For those of you who are not familiar with the movement, it is a movement which encourages investors (large and small) to remove their investments from publicly listed coal, gas and oil companies. So, if you own a mutual fund which holds oil company shares you would sell that fund and buy another mutual fund which has no fossil fuel shares. One purpose of the movement is to combat climate change by reducing the amount of greenhouses gases in the atmosphere and to hold fossil fuel companies responsible for the role they play in climate change.

Getting to the good news, more and more institutions are selling their fossil fuel investments. The list includes Stanford University, the University of Hawaii, and the University of Maine. And it includes cities such as Boulder, Colorado; Providence, Rhode Island; and the city of Moreland in Australia. But the list does not end there, for there are churches of all faiths and various foundations which have divested. What is most telling to me is that the Rockefeller Brothers Fund has divested. If the Rockefeller Brothers Fund has made their decision, so can you. And here is how you can save some money. Sell your fossil fuel investments before their share prices go any lower. I am willing to bet fossil fuel stock prices will continue to drop. If they do, and you have sold your shares, you will be ahead of the game.

Historically, there have been other successful divestment movements. One, which comes to mind, helped end apartheid in South Africa. The fossil fuel divestment campaign is already proving to be successful. Join me and many others, and be part of it.

Oceans

What cruise ships do not tell you

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Powder blue Surgeonfish

How many of you take vacations on a cruise ship? I am sure you are tempted by the idea of traveling to tropical islands and quaint cities. You might also enjoy getting a suntan while sitting by the pool. Perhaps you enjoy all of the dining and entertainment options which are found on board a larger cruiser. You could eat a four course meal with wine on one evening, see a dance performance, or go gambling. If you saw pretty pictures of yellow and blue fish you could decide to go snorkeling or scuba diving. Just beware of what I am about to tell you.

About 20 million people board cruise ships each year. That said, the average cruise ship holds about 3,000 people but newer ones hold 8,000 passengers. What the cruise ship industry is not telling you is the average ship with 3,000 people and crew produces 21,000 gallons of sewage per day. That is enough sewage to fill ten swimming pools in one week. Where does that waste go? It goes, untreated, into the water. This means harmful levels of fecal matter, heavy metals, bacteria, and other contaminants are dumped into the ocean or river. Federal law says sewage only has to be treated if the ship is within 3 nautical miles of shore. Scuba diving or snorkeling might not sound so tempting right now.

The average cruise ships emits more sulfur dioxide than 13 million cars and more soot than 1 million cars. The industry could do better. One way would be use cleaner fuels and have ships plug into onshore power. Cruise lines could also replace sewage treatment technology which is 35 years old. If you don’t like the idea of swimming with sewage, tropical fish and dolphins don’t either. The next time you book a trip, opt for an environmentally friendly cruise line.