Category Archives: Uncategorized

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.

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Some good news

1. The California Assembly passed a bill to have the state’s public employee pension systems divest from coal.
2. Enough solar reaches the Earth every hour to power the needs of the entire world for a full year.
3. The solar industry is creating jobs 20x faster than the overall US economy.
4. California was the first state to ban throw-away plastic bags.
5. Denver, Colorado has a tool library so you can borrow tools instead of buying them.
6. The Humpback whale population is on the rise and may even be removed from the endangered species list.
7. A 21-year-old, Boyan Slat, has a great plan to clean plastics from the oceans, and was crowned “Champion of the Earth”, the United Nations’ highest accolade.
8. Hawaii is going to 100% renewable energy.
9. 7 out of 10 Americans want their states to comply with the EPA’s Climate Plan.
10. General Mills is among many companies taking climate change seriously.

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.

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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.

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Hemp, the perfect plant?

I was aHempt the grocery store a couple of weeks ago and ate a sample of hemp seeds. Then I said to myself, what am I eating that costs $20.00 per pound? Well, I ate the seeds of a highly nutritious plant. Sadly, the U.S. federal government has not legalized hemp’s growth, production or planting. Why? That is a good question. Hemp could significantly help to heal the planet and be good for U.S. economy. So, why is hemp good? Hemp’s impact strength is ten times stronger than steel; in fact, Henry Ford used it to make a Model T car. Plus, European car plants are now making car part panels from hemp based composites. The panels are half the weight, bio-degradable, and safer than fiberglass ones.

Hemp is also great for your health. It is easily digested and provides 10 essential amino acids, 4 fatty acids and over 30% protein. And hemp oil keeps your skin from getting dry.

Here are other reasons to like hemp. It is stronger and softer than cotton, and can be used to make clothes and textiles. In fact, samples of hemp fabrics from China date back to 8,000 B.C. Additionally, it can fuel your car, and is mold and fire resistant when used for home building. And before I forget, hemp bio-degradable plastic bags would significantly reduce landfill waste.

Hemp was grown in the U.S. from 1776-1937. Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew it. In fact, the Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper. Yet U.S. farmers are not legally permitted to grow it. Germany, the Netherlands, the U.K., Canada, Australia, and other countries allow hemp plantings and commercial production. It is time for the U.S. to do so as well.