From May 3rd-15th thousands of people, on six continents, took action to break free from oil, natural gas and coal. Please watch this short video to see what they did.
Category Archives: Leadership
Life and its Lessons
Sometimes life does not go as planned and we have something terrible happen to us, or we see animals who are harmed or dead on the roadside. Pema Chodron gives some wonderful advice below.
“Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know…nothing ever really attacks us except our own confusion. Perhaps there is no solid obstacle except our own need to protect ourselves from being touched. Maybe the only enemy is that we don’t like the way reality is now and therefore wish it would go away fast. But what we find as practitioners is that nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know. If we run a hundred miles an hour to the other end of the continent in order to get away from the obstacle, we find the very same problem waiting for us when we arrive. It just keeps returning with new names, forms, manifestations until we learn whatever it has to teach us about where we are separating ourselves from reality, how we are pulling back instead of opening up, closing down instead of allowing ourselves to experience fully whatever we encounter, without hesitating or retreating into ourselves.”
Exciting work – Animal Bridges!
I just learned about some exciting work which is happening in the western United States and Canada and in African countries such as Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Angola and Namibia. Wildlife corridors, or animal bridges, are being created which allow animals such as elephants, lions, bears, and antelopes to safely travel from one land area to another. This is very important because these animals need to be able to roam freely and travel on their ancient migration routes. It is also necessary for genetic diversity and more importantly, for survival. When animals are enclosed in small areas genetic diversity is compromised and often results in the dying out of a species.
With these new corridors, which often connect national parks, we can spare animals from being killed by cars on highway routes or shot by fearful humans. The corridors look like tunnels or bridges and can be below or above highways. How many times have you seen a dead animal lying on the ground because it was hit while it was trying to cross a heavily traveled road?
Animals need room to roam. Author David Quammen stated it well, “we need to find ways in which people can live with wildlife and wildlife can live with people”. And biologist Craig Packer said if we want to take these species in the future with us we need to take responsibility and assure their survival. Please be an advocate for these wildlife corridors. Animals need us as much as we need them.
For more information you can watch “Wild Ways” which was featured on the television series “Nova”. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/wild-ways.html
In Honor of Earth Day
Tomorrow is Earth Day and I wish to share the wonderful piece of advice below.
“Treat the Earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” –American Indian Proverb
Thrombosis – What is it and can it affect you or your pets?
I became aware of thrombosis and pulmonary embolisms about five years ago and wanted to share what I know about them with you. In a nutshell, thrombosis means your blood is clotting. Blot clots occur for a number of reasons including immobility, damage to a vein, or because of health and environmental reasons. When a clot blocks a blood vessel it can cause serious health problems and even death. An embolism occurs when the clot breaks up and pieces of it enter the lungs.
I urge you to learn more and protect yourself, your loved ones, and your pets. And perhaps you would like to support the fundraiser noted in the photo to help promote awareness and prevent needless tragedy. Sadly, the young lady pictured above died because people in her life (including doctors) were not aware of the signs and symptoms of deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism.
Some signs and symptoms include: redness, swelling, and difficulty breathing.
For more information and tickets please go to the following website. http://www.katiesvoice.org
Thank you.
Racing Extinction
Last week I had the chance to watch the film “Racing Extinction”. It tells the amazing story of people who are making a difference, saving and protecting animals every day. These people include race car drivers, former chief executive officers, artists and scientists. Don’t miss it.
The Lorax Quote
“The Lorax” is a great book and film designed for all ages. Please read the book or see the film.
Check if Your Favorite Celebrity is on This List
There are nine celebrities who are advocating for climate action.
They are listed below, in no particular order.
Robert Redford
Pharrell Williams
Emma Thompson
Mark Ruffalo
Jessica Alba
Don Cheadle
Ian Sommerhalder
Leonard DiCaprio
Arnold Schwartzenegger
http://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/nine-celebrities-changing-conversation-climate-action
Holiday Wishes
I wish you and your loved ones a very happy and healthy holiday season. Let us be grateful for our blessings and may there be peace on Earth.
Were the Paris Climate Talks a Success?
Were the Paris climate talks and the climate agreement a success? It depends who you ask. Below are two comments from leaders who would say yes and two comments from leaders who would say no. Personally, I feel the agreement is a good start but we have much more work to do.
In case you missed it, almost 200 countries signed a historic climate agreement on December 12th to hold global temperatures to a maximum increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Former Vice President Al Gore said, “This universal and ambitious agreement sends a clear signal to governments, businesses, and investors everywhere: the transformation of our global economy from one fueled by dirty energy to one fueled by sustainable economic growth is now firmly and inevitably underway.”
French President François Hollande said, “This is a major leap for mankind. The agreement will not be perfect for everyone, if everyone reads it with only their own interests in mind. We will not be judged on a clause in a sentence, but on the text as a whole. We will not be judged on a word, but on an act.”
Bill McKibben, founder of environment movement 350.org said, “The power of the fossil fuel industry is reflected in the text of the agreement, which drags out the transition [to clean energy] so far that endless climate damage will be done.”
Kumi Naidoo, Greenpeace international director said, “The deal puts the fossil fuel industry on the wrong side of history. But emission targets are not big enough. The nations that cause this problem have promised too little help to those people who are already losing their lives and livelihoods.”