“Nature is always lovely, invincible, glad, whatever is done and suffered by her creatures. All scars she heals, whether in rocks or water or sky or hearts.”
— John Muir
Some inspiration from nature
Historic time
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.”
10 ways to help and save wildlife
- 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!
- 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.
- 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.
- One of the easiest and most effective ways to help wildlife is to preserve the environment in which the animals live.
- Participate in or hold your own local trash clean-up to help protect the habitats of endangered species and other wildlife.
- Reduce, reuse, and recycle!
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Be An Educated Consumer and Think before you buy. Learn more about consumer choices that are better for animals and the environment.
On Fire
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!
Happy New Year
Keep your eyes open. Have a happy, healthy and peaceful new year and may you treat animals with kindness.
Inspiring Couple
I thought it would be time for some good news, something inspiring and hopeful. I recently read about a Brazilian man and his wife who planted over 4 million trees to replant 1,502 acres of forest! It was so good to hear about someone doing beneficial for the planet, instead of destroying it. It took Sebastiao Salgado, Lelia Deluiz, and more than 24 workers about twenty years to do so and the results have been amazing. An area which was barren is now flourishing with 172 species of birds, 33 species of mammals, 293 species of plants, 15 reptile species and 15 reptile species. And there are now 8 natural springs which had previously dried up, hydrating a drought prone area. When humans work with Mother Nature, creation and rejuvenation spring eternal.
24 Hours of reality
Join in for 24 Hours of Reality with Vice President Al Gore and many others on November 20th and 21st.
The time is now! http://24hoursofreality.com
On Target
Here is what Greta Thunberg said at the UN on September 23rd and she was spot on target.
“This is all wrong. I shouldn’t be up here. I should be back in school, on the other side of the ocean. Yet you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you!
“You have stolen my dreams, and my childhood, with your empty words. And yet I’m one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money, and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!
“For more than 30 years, the science has been crystal clear. How dare you continue to look away, and come here saying that you’re doing enough, when the politics and solutions needed are still nowhere in sight.
“You say you hear us and that you understand the urgency. But no matter how sad and angry I am, I do not want to believe that. Because if you really understood the situation and still kept on failing to act, then you would be evil. And that I refuse to believe.
“The popular idea of cutting our emissions in half in 10 years only gives us a 50% chance of staying below 1.5 degrees [Celsius], and the risk of setting off irreversible chain reactions beyond human control.
“Fifty percent may be acceptable to you. But those numbers do not include tipping points, most feedback loops, additional warming hidden by toxic air pollution or the aspects of equity and climate justice. They also rely on my generation sucking hundreds of billions of tons of your CO2 out of the air with technologies that barely exist.
“So a 50% risk is simply not acceptable to us — we who have to live with the consequences.
“To have a 67% chance of staying below a 1.5 degrees global temperature rise – the best odds given by the [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] – the world had 420 gigatons of CO2 left to emit back on Jan. 1st, 2018. Today that figure is already down to less than 350 gigatons.
“How dare you pretend that this can be solved with just ‘business as usual’ and some technical solutions? With today’s emissions levels, that remaining CO2 budget will be entirely gone within less than eight and a half years.
“There will not be any solutions or plans presented in line with these figures here today, because these numbers are too uncomfortable. And you are still not mature enough to tell it like it is.
“You are failing us. But the young people are starting to understand your betrayal. The eyes of all future generations are upon you. And if you choose to fail us, I say: We will never forgive you.
“We will not let you get away with this. Right here, right now is where we draw the line. The world is waking up. And change is coming, whether you like it or not.
“Thank you.”
Join in
Please join the Global Climate Strike on Friday, September 20th. Greta Thunberg, who I featured in an earlier blog, will be there. Climate change affects all of us, and we have to stand up for the animals and children of this world.
WHERE: Union Square, NY, NY
WHEN: 12pm, September 20, 2019
WHO: You, your friends, your family, your co-workers
https://globalclimatestrike.net/
Summer wishes
May you have a healthy, enjoyable rest of the summer, and may you have a positive impact on others.
