Category Archives: Leadership

Bees, Butterflies, Kindness, Leadership

Gratitude

We are about to enter into one of my favorite times of the year –the holiday season which encompasses Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas.  I realize that life is far from perfect and there are so many humans and animals that are suffering.  With that said, may we try to treat one another with kindness.  May we have gratitude for all of our blessings, and may we protect this world with all of its beauty.

Here is a photo of a monarch butterfly and a honeybee which unexpectedly came before me while I was walking in a nature preserve.  I was and am in such admiration of their magnificence and strength.  Most butterflies only live 2-6 weeks, and the ones which migrate from Mexico to North America can live from August or September to April.  Bees live 5- 7 weeks and are incredibly valuable to the planet.  One out of every three bites you put in your mouth was pollinated by honeybees. 

Remember, life is short and precious.  Live it mindfully and share your love with others.

Animals, Carbon Footprint Reduction, Children, Climate Change, Kindness, Leadership, Life, Uncategorized

Hope

I hope you all had a nice summer and enjoyed some time with your loved ones. There is so much hard news out there and devastating forest fires in Canada, the United States, Greece, Spain, Croatia and Vietnam. People and animals have lost their homes, and many died from smoke inhalation. And yet, I remain hopeful that we can turn this situation around. There are so many people working to mitigate climate change and make sure that the Earth’s temperatures stop rising and start to decline. So, this is message which is meant to be encouraging in its nature. In the words of so many, we can do this. We each, individually, and collectively, can make a difference to help our fellow humans, and the precious animals of the world. Please reduce your carbon footprints, eat less meat, consume less, and take a walk in a forest or swim in the ocean. I have said it previously, each minute counts. Each one of us matters, and we can positively impact the future.

Animals, Carbon Footprint Reduction, Leadership, Life, Nature

Canada’s Wildfires

I write this blog while scorching wildfires race through eastern and western Canada.  Honestly, my heart is quite heavy and I fear greatly for our precious, livable planet.  The fires are out of control and over 9.4 million acres have already burned.  The fires affect countless people, pets, and wild animals.  The smoke from the fires is so bad it has reached down to New York, NJ, and Washington DC.  Air quality levels have been frightening and New York City ranked among the worst cities in the world.  People have been told to stay at home and schools are conducting remote classes.  As I think about all of the animals inhaling smoke who can’t shut themselves in an enclosed space with air purifiers, I shudder.  I wonder about the animals in Canada literally fleeing the fires and dying.  I had to bury two dead birds that I found lying on my lawn.  When will we end this chaos?  When will we all wake up and drastically cut our carbon footprints and change our ways of life?  This matter is so urgent and time is of the essence.  Please, we must WAKE UP!!!  We must make different choices.  It is truly a matter of life and death.

@climatereality
@gretathunberg

Animals, Carbon Footprint Reduction, Climate Change, Leadership

The Motivation of Hope

I recently watched this moving video (below) where David Attenborough, a British biologist and broadcaster known for his natural history television series, talks about reducing the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and hope. He said, “Nature is a key ally. Whenever we restore the wild it will recapture carbon and help us bring back balance to our planet.” He went on to state that “we must use this opportunity to create a more equal world. Our motivation must not be fear but hope.” I urge you to continue to make a positive difference in this world.

Climate Change, Kindness, Leadership

Helping Hands

As the death toll climbs from Hurricane Ian we are reminded, yet again, of the increasing severity of climate change. We must continue to reduce our carbon footprints, and positively impact our world. I am heartened by all of the people volunteering to help those who have lost their homes and rebuild communities in Florida and Puerto Rico.

I am also buoyed by friends, colleagues, and others who are planting trees and working to increase biodiversity across the world. We know that we must continue to join together so that we have a livable planet.

Birds, Leadership

We Can Do Better

Seagull

As many of you know, I love the beach.  There is something very restorative about feeling my feet in the sand, hearing the sound of the waves roll back and forth, and swimming in the ocean.  Yet I was sadly confronted with a painful reality.  I saw a beautiful seagull desperately trying to dislodge a fish hook that it had swallowed.  All I could see was a fishing line and what appeared to be blood on the bird’s beak.  While I reported the injured bird to the lifeguard and he said he would call it in, my thought was that the bird would die or starve before too long.  Please, if you fish, have the decency to recycle your fishing lines properly, and don’t throw them back in the water.  Or better yet, don’t fish.  We can do better than this, folks.  Birds don’t deserve to suffer at our hands.

Animals, Leadership

Some good news

Active panda climbing tree
  1. China’s giant pandas are no longer endangered.
  2. Renewable energy generation hit an all-time high in 2021.  The world added 290 gigawatts of renewable power production capacity, according to a recent report from the International Energy Agency.
  3. A marine-protected area around the Galapagos will be expanded by 60,000sq km (37,282 sq miles).
  4. A hole in the ozone layer is healing.  The ozone layer protects the Earth from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun.
  5. There is some recovery happening in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef which has been suffering from coral bleaching and storms.  Scientists are using in vitro fertilization (IVF) to regenerate the reefs.