Social Media Monday

I posted on Facebook this link about a large number of bees found dead. The article was connecting the bee deaths with pesticide (which isn't really surprising, is it?) and with an already declining bee population, it made me sad. I wondered what I could do. My initial reaction was to call a local organic lawn company, so I'm not hiring someone to care for our lawn that is just bringing harmful chemicals. Still researching, but might have one I like. I don't spray my apple trees, either. My apples are eaten by bugs each year and we don't get any of their harvest, but we have several bees who come and pollinate. I also noticed, when I went to trim off the growth of my basil plants, that they were full of bees before I could trim the flowers off them. Hoping to help them in my yard, at least. We need them!
Here is an article from PBS about how we can help the bees.
This article is 5 Ways we can help from the Mother Nature Network.
Last, here is the News Tribune's article on how you can help.
Take a look at one or all of these articles, and do what you can to help our bees! Have a great week, Reader!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Hope your day is going well! This holiday means only, here in our house, that I make corned beef and cabbage every year. Its smell is wafting through the house as I type. (ahhh) I do not wear green or pinch those who don't and need to brush up on my "St. Patty's Day" facts, as I don't know where the holiday came from.
The weather is absolutely delightful, a sunny 69 degrees. (Great grilling weather, if it wasn't for the "holiday".) This morning, when it was 43 degrees, I went running, and got five wonderful miles in. I was scheduled to have jury duty, went at the appointed time and two hours later the cases were taken care of, without the need of jurors, so I got to come home.
Reading the Lost Memoirs of Jane Austin, currently. It's good so far. Finished Coraline and yikes, it was scary. I was not sure if I mentioned that I was reading it with my daughter for her book club. The last 6 chapters were what nightmares are made of.
We tried a new recipe this weekend, while watching college basketball: honey garlic chicken wings. They were good, but not so delicious that I would want to eat them every night.
It is March and that means "March Madness", my favorite time in sports. My husband and I would order pizza late in the night while watching the first weeks of the tournaments in college. We have a tentative plan for him to come home for lunch on Thurs or Fri to see the games over subs. It is a fun time of year.
I'm still running and working on watching what I eat, especially during the day. When I'm home and not subbing, I catch myself snacking, if there are goodies available. It's helped that I've given up wine and chips for Lent-it has been hard, though! I haven't been to the gym since last Thursday, but am hoping to go for yoga this evening, as I enjoy the class and teacher so much.
My bluebirds are still around, but I caught sparrows going in the birdhouse twice today... I've gone out and emptied their nests. I feel guilty doing so, ruining their hard work, but am still hoping the bluebirds will be able to move in... My pictures from last week didn't turn out too well, I'm afraid, but here's the best one.














Speaking of outdoors, the sounds of children playing kickball in our front yard is coming in through the windows; a great spring/summer sound.
Well, I'm off to do my daily devotional/Bible reading. I hope you've had a wonderful start to your week!

Quote to Ponder

Was reading Saving Planet Earth by Tony Juniper yesterday. Really a lot to think about, some of which is very overwhelming, but wonderful words and excellent photos. One of the last things I read was "In 1961, President Kennedy mobilized the United States of America to send a man to walk on the moon before the end of the 60s: It took nine years to do what most people thought was impossible. The saving of planet Earth requires such an effort, but is easily within the abilities of the human race." I loved that, and the words on the last page, that the power is in us, within our reach. Just an interesting book and I wanted to share.

Today's Run & Other Info

I got another 4 miler in. Still using my thedailyplate.com site and it's helping me watch what I eat better.
Also, some things I did today to help the environment:

• Dried my laundry out on the patio, less electricity used by the drier (which is one of the biggest electricity devourers in our homes, and that electricity is produced by coal, a non-renewable resource)
• Turned our air conditioning off, and when it's on, I leave it on 80, except overnight, when it's 72.
• Haven't turned any lights on all day, and no tv. (We didn't watch tv at home all weekend!)
• Recycled
• Bought and ate organic meat, cheese and milk
• Phased out plastic bags from our home. Using cloth bags (that we take back and forth) from our grocery and our library
• Used organic shampoo and sunscreen, so that when I shower, my wastewater isn't contaminating the place it ends up. Many water treatment plants can't filter out all the make-up, hair and body products we use, so it ends up effecting wildlife (hmm, what does it do to us, then? :)
• I haven't been blowdrying my hair, like I used to do daily, also an electricity sucker.
• Empty the dehumidifier we have recently placed in our basement onto our plants instead of using more water from the tap/dumping the dehumidifier in the sink...
• Planning our weekend trip to a state park this coming weekend, where we will be camping!!
• Instead of driving to our local library (which is about 4 miles away) which we do multiple times per week, we're biking tomorrow! :)
• I have avoided the highlights in my hair. Chemicals, right? I used to go every 6 to 8 weeks... I haven't been since April 8. I could probably use a trim, but I can ride my bike when I need one. :)
  

Now, I'm not saying I don't have a very long way to go, but I'm happy with the things we're implementing at home. We're trying, and we're trying to teach our kids. Think of the things you've done lately. Have any good tips to share?? I'd love to hear what you're doing! I hope you're well.

2 Books

Two must read books:

1. 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth by John Javna, Sophie Javna and Jesse Javna. A great read filled with tasks we can do to save the planet-if enough people read and try some of these it will make a big difference.
2. Climate Solutions; what works, what doesn't and why A Citizen's Guide by Peter Barnes I haven't finished this book, so, I don't necessarily agree with all of it. My careful disclaimer. :)

I have read the save the Earth book and find a lot of the solutions very feasible. I read some of the climate book and find it necessary to stop our carbon production.

This leads me to my thoughts of our current president who thinks we should be offshore drilling... yes, ruining the environment further, for a short term resource, a non-renewable resource, instead of pushing our country into other sources...Why improve things, let's keep everything in its same state, after all, just a few more months as President, right?

Starbucks

I found out today that my favorite location will be closing in less than a month. Yes, it is expensive coffee. However, they are one of few places who use recycled/recyclable products (cups, materials, etc). They even save the grounds in a "Use for your Garden" bag after they've produced coffee, so I can bring it home and put the grounds on my garden. They also use coffee beans that are not a detriment to the environment. Starbucks is on a short list of coffeemakers that are triple certified, meaning it is organic, shade grown, and fairly traded. This is why I don't mind shelling out more money to get my coffee at Starbucks. Also, I love the staff that are trained to know my name, my usual drink, and be friendly, as well as correct and swift in making the drink. No, other places in the area do not share these distinctions. I used to enjoy the other places, but the workers act like you're interrupting their day and inconveniencing them when you order. I don't like to start my mornings that way.
What a life I have that I can be sad about my way-too-much-per-cup-of-coffee-place closing and not something more important, hm?

Girls and books

The girls seem to be feeling better today, although ear pain is worse for them. Our youngest slept great last night and seems to be feeling better.

I finished Steve Martin's book "Shopgirl" last night. Not great. Felt anticlimactic, to me, but it just wasn't my kind of book from the get-go.

Now I'm reading a new book. I'm on page 33 of 394, I think. A long way to go, but already tons of info. It's called "Big Green Purse: Use Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World" It is about protecting our environment and health, and the different ways we can do that. This book talks about global warming, greenhouse gases, water and air pollution, health hazards from everyday chemicals... sounded overwhelming and depressing when I first started reading, but it has already given me tips on how to prevent some of these things, and things to watch for. I already feel more informed. For instance, on page 27 I read that a vendor can give his livestock as little as five minutes of fresh air and still call it "free range". I thought "free range chicken" was as good as organic... totally not so. The USDA is very vigilant in it's "organic" labeling, though. If it says "100 % organic" labeled by the USDA, then they've thoroughly checked it and it is. If a food item says "contains organic" peas or tomatoes, then those things are organic, but not other things in it. I've also learned that there is no governing body that decides if something is "biodegradable", "natural ingredients" or "hypoallergenic" so the company can put those on it if they want to... even if it isn't. Obviously, if it says caution, warning, danger, or poison, that's a signal.

A few sites I found interesting lately, some of which were mentioned in this book (none are meant to offend, just to be a link to information if any reader is interested...):

• Green-e "Look for the logo and reduce your impact"
  
• Organic Consumers Association
• Scientific Certification Systems
• Forest Stewardship Council
• Humane Farm Animal Care
• Leaping Bunny lists cosmetics that are cruelty free
• msc.org which shows where you can get seafood
• This one I got from an environmental blog. It's a bit graphic, although cartoons. I am a meat-eater, not a vegetarian, but I want my meat to come from somewhere other than this... so I'm a more informed consumer, after seeing this: http://www.themeatrix.com/
• USDA consumer home where there is information on certified organic products

I'm working on getting more information so I can be a better consumer. Just thought I'd pass along some of the beginning information I have found. :)

Blog Action Day: The Environment

I read on the always-informative-Ali Edwards'-Blog that today is Blog Action Day: The Environment. So, here are some new sites that I have found to help out or salute the environment:

• http://www.saveourenvironment.org/
• http://www.seql.org/100ways.cfm
• http://zenhabits.net/
• http://www.wikihow.com/Save-the-Environment-at-Home
  
• http://dave-lucas.blogspot.com/2007/10/blog-action-day-2007-salute-to-al-gore.html
• http://greendimes.com/
• https://www.directmail.com/directory/mail_preference/
• http://www.paperrecycles.org/recycling/index.html
• http://www.worstedwitch.com/
  
• http://www.fightglobalwarming.com/
  

"Do Just One Thing"

I was reading the {A} blog and Ali referred to a site online that intrigued me. The post was called Speaking to Me. The post was great, by itself, about whole living, but then I followed the link to Body and Soul Magazine. Then, while I was there, I clicked on the Do Just One Thing page, which talks about how it isn't hard to change the world and save the environment. To go green, so to speak. There was a pdf list of things you can do and I thought so many of them are doable! So, here's to you: a challenge to change the world....101 and ways to go green. Good luck in making the world an even more positive place!

(added note: Anyone tried anything new from the list?? Hope so! And hope your week is going well!)

Smart Energy Sources

I have been very busy since I last wrote. My husband, kids and I headed down with my in-laws to see my sister in law in a neighboring state. We went to the coutry's largest garage sale, which occurs every year at this time. http://www.127sale.com/ My sister in law had perused local stops before we had arrived, so she knew which ones were junk and which ones had good stuff we might actually buy. :) We spent some time looking and then headed to a nearby state park, which was very nice. We were only gone from home a total of twenty-four hours, but it was a very nice trip. The car ride down was pleasant visiting time with the in laws, too, as there is always good conversation. We have also been school shopping and had Vacation Bible School this week at our church. We head up to the grandparents' cottage to visit this weekend, as well.

Onto the title. I have been thinking a lot about what I can do to preserve our environment... something President Bush has apparently no interest in. Politics not being my main point, I have been researching other means of energy. A friend of mine and her husband have geothermal heat and it really works for them, so I have been looking around for information to share:
geothermal heat is an environmentally safe and sound, renewable energy. Here is a website with general information http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/space_heating_cooling/index.cfm/mytopic=12660
" According to the EPA, geothermal heat pumps can reduce energy consumption—and corresponding emissions—up to 44% compared to air-source heat pumps and up to 72% compared to electric resistance heating with standard air-conditioning equipment. GHPs also improve humidity control by maintaining about 50% relative indoor humidity."

Another reliable energy source is the sun: solar power. There are small solar power kits you can use to work as your energy source which are reliable and pollution free. http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/electricity/index.cfm/mytopic=10710
http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/electricity/index.cfm/mytopic=10720
Here are some other ways to reduce energy use:
http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/electricity/index.cfm/mytopic=11140

A non-renewable resource we are using at a tremendous rate is oil. Now that artic drilling has stopped...which shouldn't have taken place in the refuge as it was, so a viable renewable resource is ethanol. http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/afv/eth_vehicles.html
http://www.greatlakesethanol.com/

Why isn't our government working on these things, making them more available, and cost effective?? Maybe our President likes oil...using up the nonrenewable resources

Speaking of cars and other alternatives, there is a new documentary coming out that sounds interesting, although I have yet to see the trailer all the way through, called "Who killed the electric car?" "Plot Outline: A documentary that investigates the birth and death of the electric car, as well as the role of renewable energy and sustainable living in the future."
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0489037/

A blog I recently found on alternative engery that is pretty interesting, as well.
http://alt-e.blogspot.com/

One last side note, referring to an earlier post and environmental safety, I have gone back to using dishsoap and water sprayed onto the leaves of a plant for the beetles. I have to spray it on after every rain. The pesticide only killed some and others came from around the neighborhood to replace them, so this soap answer isn't perfect, but it's working as well as the other stuff, and it's better for us and the environment.

Garden Pests

Well, another two weeks of summer have flown by since my last post. We have had our wine party-which turned out to be a great party! We served stuffed mushrooms, sausage on rye toast, a raspberry and nutella on puff pastry dessert, cheese and crackers, crab cakes (which everyone raved about so here is the recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_27332,00.html
We love Paula Dean!) We also had some pastries with cream cheese fruit dip and fruit, shrimp cocktail, a few other appetizers and many wines. :) A few we didn't even open. We had a chardonnay, a few rieslings, a moscato, a couple cabernet sauvignons, a malbec (my new favorite) and a zinfandel. Our guests stayed, well most of them, until almost twelve thirty, which is late for us! :)

We've also had a wedding in the state we met at college, a trip to my homestate and a great time with the family at my paternal grandparents' lake cottage. We also brought my maternal grandmother home with us until tomorrow. We have had a busy and fun week with Gram. We've tooled all around our area and shopped more than I normally do.

Onto the title: Garden Pests...Ugh. My flowers in my perennial and annual garden are growing so nicely and then they returned for their annual buffet: the Japanese Beetles.... for those of you who are lucky enough to not know these munchers, I educate here: http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/entfacts/trees/ef409.htm
They have thoroughly attacked my purple loosestrife, my daisies, my purple and white coneflower and my black-eyed susans! They eat or kill all of said plants in a short amount of time, but the traps only attract more as does squashing them one by one...yes, I've tried it and I've also tried organic and pesticidal methods of destruction. They have not led to the demise of the beasts in the several years of my attempts...so I'm about to break down and call a pest control company and pay an arm and a leg to get rid of them. Wish me luck!

What to focus on?

Today I have many topics I'd like to type about, but a short matter of time to write about/weigh in on them. I mentioned in a previous post that the Earth is getting hotter and glaciers are melting, and CNN.com has just released an article on the web about said heating. Take a look, inform yourselves about global warming! http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/06/22/global.warming.ap/index.html

VP Cheney said that Iraq pullout would be "worst possible thing"...hmm, I saw this headline and thought, I bet if you asked the families of lost soldiers, they'd say the deaths of those soldiers would be the "worst possible thing" but that's just me... http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/06/22/cheney/index.html

In more personal, unworldly news, the wine tasting party is getting nearer. We are set up with a sitter, we bought the wine last night and settled on food to pair with the wines. We have a wide variety and I'm a little nervous that we got a little carried away there: Most things I've read about wine tasting parties are to pick select topics like "New World vs. Old World" or "Chardonnay vs Reilsling". We, however, will be starting the evening with the wines that the guests are bringing (we don't know what those will be). My hubby will put a tasting amount in plastic cups for each guest and bring out "tasting #1" and then we all taste, write down thoughts, cleanse pallette with bread or cracker and then try #2, and so on. Once we have done this (for four red and four white, if the guests don't produce this amount, we have others to fill in) we will go into the kitchen for food and wine pairings. Hopefully my studying has been correct and the pairings will work together! :) We hope for nice weather so we can migrate out to our patio and the firepit as the evening progresses, too.
http://www.stratsplace.com/winetaste_informal.html

In other news, personal news, I finished an awesome book yesterday: "Marley and Me". If you are a dog lover, and I believe, if you aren't, it is a wonderful, descriptive, emotion-filled book. Did I mention that I loved it??!!
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&isbn=0060817089&itm=1

Greenland's Glaciers Melting

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/02/16/greenland.glaciers.ap/index.html

This is an interesting article on glacial melting!! Here is a bit of the article found at the address above:

"An increase in surface air temperatures appears to be causing the glaciers to flow faster, albeit at the still-glacial pace of eight miles to nine miles a year at their fastest clip, and dump increased volumes of ice into the Atlantic.

That stepped-up flow accounted for about two-thirds of the net 54 cubic miles of ice Greenland lost in 2005. That compares with 22 cubic miles in 1996, Rignot said."

Global Warming

I still want to be informative, so here is are also some facts to inform you about global warming. I found these at: http://www.pewclimate.org/global-warming-basics/kidspage.cfm

Global Warming

Welcome! The fact that you are already here shows that you know how serious the issue of global warming is to our futures. Here is some basic information on what global warming means, and how you can help to stop the process. Thanks for visiting with us!

Do scientists agree about global warming?

Scientists who study the climate are still arguing about how fast the earth is warming and how much it will warm, but they do agree that the earth is warming and that it will keep warming if we don’t do anything about it.

What is causing global warming?

Scientists agree that the burning of fossil fuels like oil and coal cause greenhouse gases to escape into the air and that these gases are causing most of the warming. Another cause is deforestation (cutting down trees). Trees soak up carbon dioxide, one of the greenhouse gases, from the air.

What is the difference between "global warming" and "climate change?"

"Global warming" refers to the increase of the Earth's average surface temperature, due to a build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. "Climate change" is a broader term that refers to long-term changes in climate, including average temperature and precipitation.

What will happen if global warming continues?

There are already some changes happening because of global warming. Sea level is rising and some animals are already moving to new homes. It’s already too late to stop global warming completely.

If the warming gets worse, as scientists expect, there may be some kinds of plants and animals that become extinct (disappear completely) because they can’t move to new homes. There may be more storms and floods. Sea level may rise so much that people have to move away from the coasts. Some areas may become too dry for farming.

What is being done about global warming?

Global warming is a very difficult problem to fix. People are having a hard time agreeing on what to do about it. For example, everyone agrees that wasting energy is a bad thing to do. But some people think that the federal government should make laws about it, while other people think it should be up to each person or business to decide what to do.

Many states and businesses in the United States are not waiting until the federal government decides what to do. They have already started working on the problem.

What can I do about global warming?

You don’t have to wait until you are grown to do something about global warming. Scientists agree that the burning of fossil fuels is causing global warming. Since these fuels are burned for energy, and everyone uses energy, everyone can help stop global warming just by using less energy.

Think about the things you do each day that use energy. The lights in your house use electricity. The TV and computer use electricity. The washing machine, dishwasher and dryer all use gas or electricity. Every time you ride in your car, it uses gasoline.

There are some very simple things that everyone can do to help stop global warming:

· Turn off the lights when you leave a room. Use fluorescent bulbs in your room.

· Turn off your computer or the TV when you’re not using it. Unplug chargers when not in use.

· Wait until you have a lot of clothes to wash before using the washing machine. Don’t use the machine for one item just because it’s your favorite shirt.

· Take shorter showers. Heating water uses energy.

· Close the blinds on a hot day if the sun is shining in. Dress more lightly instead of asking for the air conditioning to be turned up, or use a fan.

· Dress more warmly when it’s cold, instead of asking for the heat to be turned up.

· Offer to help your parents keep the air filters on your AC and furnace clean.

· Walk short distances instead of asking for a ride in a car.

· Plant a tree.

· Learn more about global warming so you can talk to people about it.