All posts by naltneu

Animals, Kindness, Leadership, Seals

Happy Seals

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Marine Mammals of Maine

I sometimes feature a nonprofit organization which is doing important work to save some of the precious wildlife on our planet.  So, today, I am sharing some news from Marine Mammals of Maine.  As you know, I love seals.  I am happy to report the group has admitted 48 animals into its facility.  Some seals needed critical care and others had been stranded because their mother could not care for them.

Here are two highlights – the organization responded to 100 stranded marine mammals in southern and mid Maine and it admitted 48 seals into its triage facility, including gray, harp and harbor seals.  In the past, it admitted an average of 40 seals over the entire year.

I am very happy to know many people are working to make a positive difference for these precious animals and I applaud them for their efforts.  Please consider making a donation of your money or time to your favorite animal shelter or animal welfare organization.  I also include a link below for Marine Mammals of Maine.  Thank you.

https://mmome.org/

Animals, Leadership, Life, Nature

Tofu versus Wildlife?

New work, led by Professor Ron Milo, and published in the “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences” stated that the world’s population of 7.6 billion people represents just .01% of all living things.  Plants, on the other hand, make up 82% of all living matter and bacteria makes up 13% of all living matter.

Part of the problem lies with the way we eat.  Of all the mammals on Earth, 96% are livestock and humans, only 4% are wild mammals.  That means that tropical forests and wild spaces are disappearing, at great cost to everyone.

Despite these numbers, we have had a huge impact on the natural world and have been expert at exploiting the natural resources of the planet.  Since the rise of human civilization, 83% of wild mammals have been lost, 80% of marine mammals have been lost, 50% of plants have been lost and 15% of fish have been lost.  One way you can make a difference is by eating differently.  Your dietary choices have a tremendous effect on the habitats of plants and animals.  So, choose a tofu burger instead of that hamburger.  Or try a vegan hotdog instead of a regular one.  They are better for the planet, and your health.

Animals, Dolphins, Leadership, Sea Turtles

Our Oceans – How You Can Make a Positive Difference

Every minute, one garbage truck of plastic is dumped into our oceans.

Sadly, much of the fish we eat has consumed plastic.

The mass of plastic dumped in the ocean is so large that is hard to picture. It covers areas that are bigger than some large countries, such as Mexico, or states like Texas. This pollution has an enormous effect on marine life. Can you imagine if someone dumped tons and tons of garbage inside your house –in your dining room, living room and bedroom?

If nothing changes, by 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish (by weight).

Fish and other marine creatures like sea turtles often can’t distinguish plastic items from food; the plastic they consume blocks their digestive systems and can often result in starvation. Marine wildlife like dolphins face other harmful consequences of plastic pollution since they get ensnared in bags and other items such as abandoned fishing lines and nets.

When you throw away a piece of plastic, you might think that you are just getting rid of a simple piece of garbage and someone else will take care of it. What if it ends up in the ocean? Have you ever thought about that?

One way you can help is to reduce the amount of items you buy which are wrapped or made of plastic.  You can also make sure your garbage ends up in a waste bin and not in the ocean.  Lastly, you call your senators and congress members and tell them efficient waste management structures must be put into place.  Trash thrown into improperly managed landfills is not what anyone wants, especially when that trash ends up in the water where you swim or in the belly of a fish you will eat.

Animals, Birds, Nature

Some Inspiration on this April Day

THE PEACE OF WILD THINGS

When despair for the world grows in me

And I wake in the night at the least sound

In fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief.  I come into the presences of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting with their light.  For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

–Wendell Berry

Children, Kindness, Leadership

A Young Woman and Her Video

Whether we know it or not, we all affect one another and are responsible for one another.  Yet we often close our eyes and go about our own daily business.  In this time, and in this world, we must realize we are responsible for the well-being of a complete stranger and of the smallest animal.  Once we recognize how inter-connected we are only will this world become a better place.

Take a moment and ask yourself, ‘How can I make a difference?  When you have your answer, go out and do it.

Please watch and share this heartfelt video from a young ballerina.

Thank you.

Carbon Footprint Reduction

New Year Resolutions

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May you have a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Here are some suggested new year’s resolutions.

  1. Weatherize and insulate your home.
  2. Build new buildings for very high energy efficiency.
  3. Use public transportation, bicycling and walking as modes of daily transport.
  4. Help create a food system that uses far less energy (which means primarily organic) and builds rather than depletes the soil (which can become a place to store large amounts of carbon from the atmosphere).
  5. Move toward local and regional manufacturing (relocalization as it is commonly called) to reduce the need for freight transportation.
  6. Move away from the consumer economy which prioritizes consumption and planned obsolescence toward an economy which prioritizes durability, repair and recycling.
  7. Schedule electricity use to accommodate the daily cycles that renewables are likely to exhibit.