Big Problems, Little Steps

In the face of the massive oil leak caused by the sinking of British Petroleum's leased oil drilling rig, the Deepwater Horizon, it's tough to feel like you're doing enough to protect the environment.

The fact is, I could jump into the political protest realm with both feet. I could have majored in environmental policy instead of environmental science; I could have used my communication skills to fight the battle with pen and microphone and oil-soaked-mud slinging slingshot.

I could have, but I didn't. Those of you that know me know I'm just not a fighter. I want to hear the science, not the rhetoric. I want to focus on the positive, while encouraging others to eliminate the negative from the consumer side of the equation.

I've never been a great fan of the oil companies, but of all of them, British Petroleum has the most green reputation and the best green record.

It's sad that this tragedy and environmental catastrophe had to happen to the greenest petroleum company, but maybe it's also what was needed. It would be too easy to write off the whole incident as a case of negligence if it were the fault of one of the companies with an uglier track record (you all know who I'm talking about - that "tiger" hasn't been in my tank since I had a car of my own).

If an environmental disaster of this magnitude could result from the work of a careful, pro-green oil company - imagine what might befall us at the hands of the less careful oil companies - and there are many of them.

So, do I want greater regulations on the production and transport of crude oil? Yes, of course I do.

Do I want a moratorium on expanded offshore drilling? Yes, of course I do.

Do I want to eliminate all oil drilling off our shores? Eventually, maybe. Certainly not with the flick of a switch now - the resulting shortage of oil would be a kick in the gut to our faltering economy and would make us more reliant on foreign oil.

What I really want is to see our consumers vote with their actions and their dollars - and cast that vote in favor of energy conservation and energy diversification.

There are more than 300 million people in America. We are arguably the most powerful group of consumers in the world. Let's act like it.

Here are a few little steps I take every day to reduce my use of crude, and how they connect to the need for less drilling:

1. I drive a hybrid car, a Toyota Prius. Correction: I don't just drive they hybrid Prius, I LOVE driving my Prius. I average over 40mpg on every tank, and it fits my family of five (two adults, one kiddo, and two large dogs) and all of our stuff happily!

We bought the 2004 model Prius used in 2006. It currently has 130,000+ miles on it and runs like a champ.

2. I use cloth grocery bags. Plastic comes from oil, folks. Use fewer plastic grocery bags, and we need less oil. (Besides, if I see one more plastic grocery bag blowing in the wind or stuck in a tree or filling the stomach of a sea turtle who thought it was a jellyfish, I'm going to lose it.)

3. I don't buy water in plastic bottles. We have about a dozen BPA-free reusable water bottles in the house and we use them constantly. The second benefit of this is that we don't have plastic bottles clogging up the trash. (There's still no recycling in Slidell. That's a whole other blog entry, though.)

4. I buy local produce. Whether from the farm stand, from the local produce market, or from the grocery store, I choose the most local fruit and veggies I can find.

I miss certain fruits when they're out of season, but the local stuff tastes so much better, and I'm not encouraging people to fly/ship/drive my produce all the way from Timbuktu. I figure I'm helping to save a few of the millions of gallons of fuel we use to get our pineapples here from Hawaii or our grapes here from Chile.

5. I buy organic products whenever possible. Most of the chemical fertilizers and pesticides in the U.S. are made from yes, you guessed it, oil. So, when we choose organic, not only are we choosing a healthier ecosystem and a healthier product, we're choosing something that wasn't doused with oil-derived chemicals.

Okay, I'll now step down off of my plastic (but re-usable and likely post-consumer recycled) crate.

Because I live in south eastern Louisiana, I've volunteered to help with oil spill clean up operations. I will have a chance to do something with my own two hands to undo this environmental disaster. That makes me one very lucky "tree-hugging, bunny-loving, dirt worshipper".

But those of you farther away can make the choice to prevent disasters like this one every day - in what you choose to buy, in when you choose to drive less, in how you make the effort to wash and re-use rather than drink and dispose.

Environmentally speaking, it's not just the big choices, but the little, every day ones, that will keep us out of the deep water. Let's make them before we're in over our heads.

Happy Earth Day!

In honor of Earth Day tomorrow (April 22) all purchases on the website will receive 22% discounts via refunds!

http://www.worldofcolorgallery.com

Nature Quote - April 7, 2010

A hummingbird visited my nectar feeder this morning! To watch that emerald gem dart, sip, and hover was a blessing and a gift. This one's for you, ruby-throated hummingbird:

"A flash of harmless lightning, A mist of rainbow dyes, The burnished sunbeams brightening From flower to flower he flies. " - John Banister Tabb

Nature Quote - March 25, 2010

The mockingbird singing in the oak tree outside my window lifts my heart better than chocolate. For him, and for the fair lady he woos with his sweet spring singing, I found these quotes:

Spring would not be spring without bird songs.
- Francis M. Chapman

I sincerely congratulate you on the arrival of the mockingbird.

Learn all the children to venerate it as a superior being in the
form of a bird, or as a being which will haunt them
if any harm is done to itself or its eggs.
- Thomas Jefferson

I hope you love birds too. It is economical. It saves going to heaven.

- Emily Dickinson

Nature Quote - March 18, 2010

"All the world is a laboratory to the inquiring mind." ~Martin H. Fischer

This one is for the wonderful eighth graders of St. Margaret Mary's school (and their learned, local parent and teacher chaperones), with whom I was lucky enough to spend the day.

We laughed and learned together at a marsh pond near the University of New Orleans' Coastal Education Research Facility.

I got to teach them how to touch fish and not to be afraid of spiders.

They got to teach me my favorite new word "cockaho" minnow.

Thanks, guys and gals of St. Margaret Mary's - it was a blast!

Nature Quote - March 15, 2010

"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade." ~Charles Dickens

This is exactly the kind of weather we're having today! Of course it's Dickens who can capture the moment perfectly in words.

In pictures, today's weather reminds me most of Windflower. Check it out:

http://www.worldofcolorgallery.com/Gifts/Unlimited%20Photographs/Gallery_Unlimited_Floral.html

Winter’s Well-Timed Waiting Game

This article was written for the March issue of Moonshine magazine online.

While most of the north is still wrapped in a winter blanket of white, here on the Gulf Coast there are already signs that spring is waiting just round the corner.

Waiting being the key word.

Though my toes ain’t froze and my streets ain’t snowed, I’m still anxious for spring. I note each tiny sign of impending primavera with a little heart’s leap for joy.

The red swamp maples are blooming. Joy!

It’s time to start putting out nesting materials for future pairs of mama and papa birds. Joy!

It’s no longer dark when I serve dinner (we eat on a three-year-old’s schedule, which is early, but I’m still counting this one)! Joy!

And so my mind finds two types of creative input from Mother Nature late this winter season: a.) Treasure the tiny things. Revel in the smallest details, and b.) Enjoy the waiting. The longer you have to hold back, the more energy with which you can spring forth!

These are not easy tasks to accomplish, especially in a world so full of over-inflated words and gestures, big screen TVs and high-definition speculation, loud and louder personalities. But, then, the best accomplishments are never easy.

Though the end of winter is when we long for color and indulgence most, through a little focus and restraint we can learn and grow creatively and re-ignite our artistic passions even before the spring sun begins to heat them up.

A few suggestions to get you going (or stopping, as the case may be):

• Don’t touch the instruments of your preferred medium for a week. If you’re a photographer, no camera. If you’re a painter, no canvas. If you’re a writer, no keyboard. Though most of us have been taught to work on our craft every day, a purposeful break will renew our perspective and appreciation for our work. Keep a journal of ideas you have, or write them down on scraps of paper, but refrain and restrain from action.

Take an extra hint from the animals, though, who have spent their winter break feeding themselves well and stockpiling supplies . . . when you’re done with your break, you’d better have materials ready, because you’ll be as busy making art as the spring animals are making babies!

• Refuse to accept that winter is a colorless season. Each time you go out, look for Roy. ROY G. BIV, that is. At first, brown, white, and green will be the only shades you see, but nature will give you an example of each color, I promise. (The advanced version of this little exercise is to grab a few paint chips at the local home improvement store, and grab one each time you leave the house. Find the exact colors on your paint chips, and you’ll train your eyes to see much more accurately.)

• And, as always: go outside. (Being in a car doesn’t count.) Your body needs the vitamin D from winter’s weak sunshine and your mind needs some space into which it can expand.

So, even if you’re bundled from head to toe and it’s only for five minutes, be in nature purposefully. You may not yet be able to DO anything outside, but you can be there and think there and let your heart beat a little there. You can relish the tension of winter’s waiting and delight in the dream of spring.

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