What does it take for you to survive a day?

A great cup of java? A beautiful, sunny day? We know...a really good meal and better yet, if someone cooked it for you right?!?!?! Well, that is a pretty good survival kit but have you thought of the basic elements that are necessary to create a true day of survival? Clean, nontoxic water (for your java), fresh, clear air (to breathe on that sunny day), and non polluted, chemical free soil (to grow natural food for your meals).

If we want to continue to survive a typical day, and we want future generations to survive as well, then we've got to take care of the basic elements on this planet.

Gandhi had it right: Live More Simply, So Others May Simply Live.

Water, Air, and Soil - Just the Facts Green Girl!

It's easy to make a big change with a little bit of awareness.

Let's just take a topic and talk Global Warming . Right now, we continue to build coal and carbon power plants that account for almost 40% of greenhouse emissions. What does this mean? More emissions in the air = more heat. Warmer oceans feed storms, and the more crazy storms out there, the bigger the monster storms become (think Hurricane Katrina).Higher temperatures mean more droughts, more fires, melting ice, and higher sea levels. Ugh! Did you know that 99% of the glaciers in Alaska are melting?!?!? How do you explain the winter warming effect across the nation, and the blooms from flowers and trees beginning early - it's confusing the birds and butterflies! Nature is timed perfectly and when we mess with that, we are confusing all living things.

Check out some more interesting facts. These facts were collected from Laurie David's book The Solution is You!

• As long as CO2 levels increase in the atmosphere and wrap around the planet like a blanket, equally and uniformally, the thicker the CO2 blanket. The heat that is trapped inside the blanket can not escape. Susan Hassol, a climate expert, explained it best: "...imagine that when you go to sleep at night, you put a few blankets on to keep warm. At some point in the night, you kick them off when you get hot. But the Earth can't kick off its' "blanket" - the planet gets warmer and warmer..." Artic ice is one of the planet's natural air conditioners and because of global warming, the ice is melting. We are messing with the natural thermostat of the Earth - we are messing with Nature!
• We are the cause of Global Warming. Not intentionally. We didn't know better in the earlier years, however, we have grown accustomed to a way of life: We like lots of square footage in our homes to heat and cool down, large SUVs so we are more comfortable, many showers a day, we leave everything in the house plugged in, we like to wash and dry our clothes each time we wear them (and sometimes we only wear them for a few minutes!),and we drive a few blocks to get the mail instead of walking or riding our bikes - all this fossil fuel energy use contributes to global warming;
• Snowpack is the amount of yearly accumulation of snow at higher levels. It saves water when we don't need it in the winter for when we do in the spring. In the Western States, 75% of the water supply comes from snowpack. Since 1950, snowpack has declined as much as 60%! In the first half of 2006, the resulting dry conditions set off more than 50,000 wildfires, burning more than 3 million acres in the United States;
• In Ohio, maple trees are so confused by unseasonably warm winters that they bud too early for proper maple-syrup production - what about the pancakes?!??!
• Our ability to use the land to grow food will be severely affected as the heat sucks the moisture from the soil;
• Rain isn't just rain anymore; it's harder, faster, stronger - Paul Epstein of Harvard Medical School Center for Health and Global Environment, sees a clear pattern: heavy rain events of more than 2 inches a day are up 14%, and storms dumping more than 4 inches a day rose more than 20%. Here's what comical ...while most of New England experiences extreme rainfall and flooding, 45% of the US was in moderate to extreme drought!
• The changing climate is also affecting our animal kingdom - we're driving species to extinction! A 2004 study co-authored by 19 scientists from around the world, estimates that global warming will lead to more than a million species' extinctions by 2050. The Georgia state bird, the brown thrasher, may disappear altogether as warmer temperatures continue to affect its habitat. In Northern Alaska, walrus babies are being separated from their mothers and are drowning when the melting sea ice collapses beneath them. Polar Bears are also drowning, as they have to swim farther and farther out to sea in search of ice that they use as a platform from which to dive and catch their food - and sadly, for the first time ever, they are resorting to cannibalism because they are starving. It just doesn't seem right...
• Cool summer nights are being replaced with abnormal high temperatures that are as hot as the days - cool temperatures at night are nature's way of cooling your body to recover from the heat of the day. Insects and bugs multiply and the ragweed and pollen counts are going to thrive longer and later in the day because of increased temperatures.

People who don't believe global warming can yell about it loudly as they want, but it doesn't change the fact that the overwhelming scientific evidence and even the administration's own State Department have proven this over and over again. We must act now with the rest of the world to curb emissions so that we can leave our children a safer, healthier planet.

Senator Barack Obama.

It's Overwhelming! What could I possibly do?!?!?

It is...but don't let it stop you from making a change. All of us becoming aware and coming together with all of our small changes will make a difference. Don't think you have to be perfect either...no one is...take one step at a time. You don't have to be an all encompassing tree hugging, solar powered vegan (unless you want to) to make a difference - and don't feel pressure and be scared away - trust us... one thing, such as recycling your soda cans, will make a big difference!. Our planet's sickness is not just an issue for environmentalists, it's an issue for all of us. Take a look at the list below every couple of months or so to get used to ideas that you could implement into your lifestyle. We guarantee that you will be more conscience as the months move on and adding to your list of small changes will be exciting - especially knowing that you are making a difference!!

A lot of people go straight from denial to despair without pausing in the middle and doing something about it - the middle is where we are right now.

Al Gore

In Laurie David's Book, The Solution is You!, she had some great ideas that are bulleted below:

• Join the Virtual March to show concern for the planet and what we want for our future, our children, and all living things - sign up at www.stopglobalwarming.org - this website founded by Laurie David is a virtual march to "bring everyone together in one, clear voice of concern to urge our leaders to address global warming". Government doesn't change unless people DEMAND it!
• Send an email of a website, and article to a friend, make anyone aware of the issues;
• Unplug chargers from the wall, turn your computers off, turn off your lights - it all drains energy - the more energy produced, creates more CO2. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL), it uses 66% less energy than a regular light bulb and can last up to 15x longer. AND Get this!! If every household changed from using 5 regular lightbulbs to the CFLs, it would be equivalent of taking 8 million cars off the road for a year!
• Buy appliances with the Energy Star Label - it will use less than half the energy of a model that's 12 years old or older - don't prerinse dishes - don't preheat ovens - don't overdry your towels and clothes - clean vents, change filters;
• Bring your own reusable cup to your favorite java joint;
• Eat sustainable harvested fish to help protect the health of the ocean www.oceansalive.org;
• Watch the movies An Inconvenient Truth and HBO's Too Hot NOT to Handle and become more aware;
• Join the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) - the most effective environmental group in the country - membership is $15 - send their newletters on to friends and family - Government doesn't change unless people DEMAND it!
• Think Think Think - Be conscience of where things come from - where does my food comes from? Where does the gas come from to fill my car? Where does electricity come from? Where does my garbage go each week? How are paper towels made? These types of basic curious type questions will lead you to more awareness and "wow"! moments of where things come from. Paying attention and not taking things for granted will help save the planet;
• Recycle your toothbrush! Take a look at www.recycline.com/environment ;
• Think of how much water is wasted just by all the flushing of toilets! I laugh everytime I hear "...if it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down" - Not sure who said it but it's funny;
• Little things mean alot - ride your bike, wash clothes in cold water, find a green dry cleaner and bring your own garment bag, turn off the dishwasher's drying cycle, VOTE FOR CHANGE, skip the elevator and take the stairs, print on both sides of paper, don't use pesticides on your lawn, seal up your house, switch to a reusable coffee filter, sign up for online bank statement, reuse ziploc bags (Grandma had something there...), plant a garden, fill up your freezer, carpool, keep shades down in summer and up in the winter, shut your computer down at work or home, if you see litter then pick it up, and most of all...SPREAD THE WORD!

Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself

American Chief Seattle

Denial keeps us stuck. Recognition sets us free

Barbara Stanny

It sounds cliche, but why not resolve to save a few trees? Bring your magazines, newspapers, and books to friends, libraries, hospitals, nursing homes - Cut paper towel waste and cancel unwanted catalogs. Do you really need that Pottery Barn Teen catalogue the previous tenant of your home ordered? If you don't want to waste the paper, check out: www.greendimes.com, a group entirely dedicated to reducing junk mail.

Check out some more facts from the Green Dime Organization - 100 million trees are chopped down every year for junk mail sent to American homes - 28 billion (that's 28 with 9 zeros) gallons of water are needed to make all the paper used for junk mail - Paper makes up a third of the 235 million tons of waste Americans send to landfills each year - The typical American household receives about 70 pounds of junk mail a year - The amount of junk mail sent grows by 3 billion pieces a year.

Become a localvore. It can be hard to get to the local farmer's market every week. But the numbers might change your mind; food sold to supermarkets travels on those hulking 18-wheelers for an average of 1500 miles, heading down the interstate like army ants, belching air pollution on a 100 mile diet.

It's not about sacrifice, it's about change.

Tim McGraw

What about plastic bags?

We throw away 100 billion plastic bags a year; less than 1% are recycled!!! Plastic bags come from petroleum, and the manufacturing of just 14 bags uses the same amount of oil that it would take to drive a car one mile. Use canvas bags when you go to the grocery store - you can buy them cheap from a craft store - plus you get more groceries in a canvas bag (and it keeps your items colder as well if you pack them altogether) - most of these plastic bags end up in landfills, and guess what...you got it... emit global warming pollution!!! Check out Reusable Bags

And Do You Know What Your Carbon Footprint Is?

What is it Anyway? A Carbon Footprint is a measurement of how much impact you have on the environment. It's in terms with the amount of green house gases you create by your day to day activities. Your "footprint" is measured in units of carbon dioxide. A carbon footprint is made up of a primary print and a secondary print. The primary is a measurement of our direct usage of CO2 - examples include cars, planes, electricity, gas as a utility). The secondary is an indirect usage - like things you might buy (clothes, food, etc.) that require a truck and ship to travel thousand of miles (usage of gas, etc.) - buying your food local would decrease the amount of your secondary footprint.

Check out the chart of example usage from www.carbonfootprint.com

This graphical representation is from the www.carbonfootprint.com website.

What can I do to minimize my footprint? Well...run to this link for ideas: http://www.carbonfootprint.com/Minimise_cfp.html OR you can "OFFSET" your carbon footprint as well. Offset you say...what is that? Well...if you've been saving for that far away vacation to that quiet little island for a long time and the thought of not saving the planet sorta bums you out, you could "offset" your trip and compensate with some "Certified Carbon Credits". Click on http://www.carbonfootprint.com/carbon_offset.html for some ideas. We even have a new industry perking up with this exchange from a business standpoint. Take a look at the Chicago Climate Exchange at http://www.chicagoclimatex.com/

Did you know about your cleaning products?

Many of them are toxic to your health, pollute the air, and use petroleum - check out this website - www.seventhgeneration.com- interesting fact from their website - Effects of Petrochemicals on the Environment - While we've seen that household cleaning products may contain extremely toxic petrochemicals whose use can poison our homes and our families, the problems with modern cleaning products don't end there. Our reliance on petroleum causes a host of environmental problems. Petroleum pollutes the environment when we drill for it, when we transport it, and when we refine it. Oil spills average a million gallons a month into the environment and refineries release 8.25 million pounds of toxins into our air and water each year. Every time we use a petrochemical cleaning product, we contribute to this pollution. And we further deplete an important global resource whose supplies are expected to disappear around the year 2050. Also check out www.simplegreen.com> - this product is on all supermarket shelves! Great, safe product for children and pets!

Great Books and Magazines to Read:

• The Solution is You! - L. David
  
• 365 Ways to Save the Earth - H. Abrams
  
• An Inconvenient Truth - A. Gore
• This Moment on Earth - J. Kerry
  
• Red Sky at Morning: America and the Crisis of the Global Environment - A Citizens Agenda for Action - J. Speth
  
• Check out Plenty Magazinewww.plentymagazine.com
• Check out ODE Magazine - www.odemagazine.com
• Check out National Geographic's Green Guide

Don't give the man a fish to eat today, teach him to fish so he eats for a lifetime

Jesus

And take a look at the websites on the right of this page. They are excellent resources for further information if you are interested!

Global warming is a matter of national security. Will we live in a world where we must fight our neighbors for fresh water and food? Or will we take the lead now and leave to our children and grandchildren a world better off than the one we inherited from our parents? Shoulder to shoulder, let's march together to save what God loaned us, so our children and their children will live in a world we would recognize a hundred years from now. No excuses. No apologies. Take the first step today. We can't do it without you.

General Wesley Clark