All posts by naltneu

Animals, Children

Vote

Vote

Vote because you care about your children’s future.

Vote because you care about your grandchildren’s future.

Vote to protect wild animals and endangered species.

Vote to keep families together.

Vote because women are human beings and not sex objects.

Vote to stand for a unified country.

Vote to bring people together and not tear them apart.

Vote because you care.

Please vote, your voice matters!

Thank you.

Previously published in 2018

Animals, Leadership, Life

Do Something Now

To say we are living in challenging times is an understatement.  We are witnessing great tragedies among us and are facing many divides.  What I would like to say is that we are all in this world together.  We may not have the same beliefs or backgrounds but we all wish to be safe, we all wish to be loved, and we all wish to have a home.  That goes for human beings and animals alike.

Fires are whipping through California destroying homes, crops, and killing animals.  COVID-19 has taken many loved ones away from us.  And artists, the ones who inspire and uplift us, are struggling to make a living and pay their rent.  I urge you to support them, as it is the painters, musicians, actors, and dancers who touch us and make us better people. 

Go buy a piece of art directly from an artist such as Donna Grande.  Her art is stunning and the link is below! Donate money to a struggling performing arts group or an animal welfare organization like the World Wildlife Fund.  Please do something  –whether you spend a dollar or $2,000.  Just make a positive difference.  Lives are in your hands.

http://www.donnagrande.com

Nature

Nature’s Power

Blue Ridge Mountains by Nicole Altneu

“Man has created lovely dwellings

some soul-stirring literature.

He has done much

to alleviate physical pain.

But he has not…..

created a substitute for a sunset,

a grove of pines,

the music of the winds,

the dank smell of the deep forest,

or the shy beauty of a wildflower.”

Harvey Broome

Carbon Footprint Reduction

6 Months to go

Green Economy

The International Energy Agency shared plans, last month, for a green recovery.  It said we need to change how we generate energy and consume it.   We should focus on using solar power and wind, make buildings and industries more energy efficient, and the modernize electricity grids.


As governments spend more than $9 trillion to reinvigorate economies over the next months the priority should not be on rescuing the high carbon economy, such as fossil fuel companies, but on the green economy and jobs of the future.


Carbon emissions fell by 17% in April but are already starting to go back up.  Experts say we have 6 months to avoid a complete rebound.  And they warn that we need to keep emission levels falling in order to avert some of the worst catastrophes to come.

The good news, investment in a sustainable recovery plan would create almost 9 million new green jobs each year.

Animals, Climate Change, Water

No clean air, no clean water?

We all need clean water and clean air.

Right now, more than ever, we need clean water, clean air and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.  Clean air and clean water are integral to our health, and to the lives of animals.  Without them our immune systems are compromised and we are less able to fight off increasingly virulent viruses.  If we keep increasing the amount of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide (all greenhouse gases) in the atmosphere the planet will continue to heat up.  This in turn, will help to further the spread of deadly illnesses.

Sadly, the Trump administration shows no concern for any of the aforementioned things.  In fact, it is busy weakening or rolling back 98 environmental rules.  His administration, for example, has loosened rules to reduce toxic emissions from industry, has weakened fuel mileage standards for cars, has relaxed air pollution emission levels from new power plants, has lifted a ban on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, is now allowing coal companies to dump mining debris into streams, is allowing hunting in wildlife refuges, is putting more endangered marine mammals and sea turtles at risk to be killed by fishing, and is making it more difficult to protect wildlife with changes to the Endangered Species Act.

It is time to speak out again.  It is time to reach out to your senators and congressional representatives to tell them to protect our water, air and our environment.  Please call or email them, time is of the essence.

Leadership, Life, Nature

Historic time

Anne Frank 1940

There is no doubt, we are living through a historic moment in time and our whole way of being in the world is being challenged because of COVID-19.  Some people have already lost their lives and we are all struggling to find order in the midst of the anxiety-producing situation at hand.  May we remember that kindness is a gift we can all afford to give and that nature is and can be a balm to our souls.

Ann Frank, a young Jewish girl who was forced into hiding for two years during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, said it well, “The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely, or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God.  Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.”

Animals, Kindness, Leadership

10 ways to help and save wildlife

Mountain Lion in Grand Teton National Park
  1. Urge elected politicians and government agencies to support policies—such as ivory bans and other restrictions on wildlife trade—that protect animals.  Your voice matters!
  2. Visit a national wildlife refuge, park, or other open space and learn about the endangered species and other animals that live there. Stay informed and support policies that keep these areas wild and protect native species.
  3. The Endangered Species Act has proven to be an effective safety net for imperiled species—extinction has been prevented for more than 98 percent of the animals under its care. Urge your elected officials to preserve the important safeguards in the Act.
  4. One of the easiest and most effective ways to help wildlife is to preserve the environment in which the animals live.
  5. Participate in or hold your own local trash clean-up to help protect the habitats of endangered species and other wildlife.
  6. Reduce, reuse, and recycle!
  7. Save energy. Driving less, using energy efficient vehicles and appliances, and simply turning off the lights when you leave a room reduce energy use. Many power plants rely on coal and other fossil fuels that damage animal habitats when they are extracted and pollute the environment and contribute to climate change when they are burned.
  8. Plant native flowers, trees, and bushes in your backyard. This gives local wild animals food, shelter, and a place to raise families. Avoid chemical pesticides and fertilizers.
  9. If you see an animal at the park, on a nature trail, or near a water source, let them be and do not remove them from their environment. These animals survive best in their own habitat. Take a picture instead.
  10. Be An Educated Consumer and Think before you buy.  Learn more about consumer choices that are better for animals and the environment.
Animals, Nature

On Fire

Badly injured koala at Lake Innes Nature Reserve

Australia started the beginning of 2020 on fire. I saw horrific photos of kangaroos badly injured or burned to death. The number of animals that have died is approximately 1 billion, and this is on top of the animals who were lost in Australian bushfires in 2019!  This is more animals than the population of humans in the United States.  Entire species are thought to have been wiped out.  Okay, folks, things have to change and we have to reduce our carbon footprints quickly!!! There is absolutely no time to lose.  We all want to be loved, to be happy and to be safe.  Animals do too.  Climate change is contributing to the fires.  Above is a photo of a burned koala bear.  Work to save Earth’s inhabitants now!

Please donate to the World Wildlife Fund, WWF: https://donate.wwf.org.au/donate/appeals/emergency-fund/wildfires-appeal-2019-2#gs.qhbolu

Human Society International, HSI: https://donate.hsi.org/page/36521/donate/1?&ea.tracking.id=artm-ausfire-20-website&_ga=2.26927807.382743097.1579567943-1976509624.1579567943

International Fund for Animal Welfare, IFAW: https://secure.ifaw.org/united-states/save-wildlife-australia-bushfires

Thank you!