Nature Trails

Hi Again!

Happy New Year to All! I hope you have all been well and you will stay that way in the new year. I regret that I have not been as diligent with this blog as I intended to be when I started it. I have been struggling with health and wellness issues so I will use those as my lame excuse.

I have not been inactive though... there are many ideas peculating in this loosely congealed mass of grey matter. One that has struck me was tickled by an article in a small regional newspaper called the Blue Stone Press. The BSP holds a special place in my heart as it was the first paper to hire me as a freelance reporter. Didn't know it when I was hired, but the Owner/Editor and I went to college together at SUNY Potsdam... small world, eh? Anyway, even though I rarely write for them now, I am still on their mailing list. The BSP serves a regional area known as the Mid-Hudson Valley, located about 100 miles north of New York City. It is a unique place as it includes mountainous areas, valleys, and a vast number of rivers. It is gorgeous and diverse. A wonderful place if you get to visit.

In the 12/5/08 issue of the BSP, Ann Guenther offered an essay in her column, Nature Trails, discussing the options that we, as individuals, can do about climate change and the environmental crisis that face us. Entitled Breaking the Laws, Guenther addresses theses issues with a clear and motivating message: No matter how small the change you make... IT HELPS! SO DO IT!

I am posting the whole article (with permission of the BSP and Ann Guenther) so that you too can read this valuable article. I hope you enjoy it.

Breaking the Laws

Chief Oren Lyons, wise and soft-spoken Native Ameri­can leader of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Nation, addressed four hundred students, faculty and local citizens at SUNY New Paltz three weeks ago with this message: "Do not challenge the laws of nature because you will not . . prevail ... Nature has no mercy, only laws." Chief Lyons then cautioned us about the dangers of global warming, citing the "350" indicator. But we've done it. We've broken the law. We've passed the 350 mark! "Three-fifty" is the parts per million of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere that global climate scientists say will keep the earth's climate in relative equilibrium. We're now at 385 and rising daily- meaning that our planet is on a roll, heading toward some truly wild and woolly changes."

Two weeks ago, people from all over the Hudson Val­ley gathered at Mohonk Mountain House to learn about "Meeting the Challenge of Climate Change; Taking Action in the Hudson Valley:' Municipal leaders, concerned citizens, business professionals, water managers and a variety of officials listened as a respected NASA scientist laid out the probable realities we will face, even if we DO stop the acceleration of C02 into the atmosphere. State and local officials painted pictures of immediate and future challenges to our local towns and cities. Panel discussions dealt with how we will have to cope with increasing temperatures, droughts and floods, damaged infrastructures, threats to health - and the additional challenge of paying the costs.

What's a person like you or me to do with this kind of information? For many of us, the news is so overwhelming and scientifically complex that we simply go about our lives with "que sera:' Some cling to the hope that technology will fix it, while others believe the earth will magically respond and correct itself. But the people who "get it" are gearing up for action. These include a few of our true leaders who have taken up the challenge with a determination not seen since our country galvanized for the Second World War.

Switching to cleaner, renewable energy is a start. Changing light bulbs wasn't so hard. But that tini­est of steps is surely insufficient to push back the tide of rapid climate change.

Chief Lyons offered some ad­vice. Instead of giving us specifics, he posed a question: "How do we come back from a consumer nation to common sense?" The audience was silent. "I don't know either, but awareness is the first step:' He went on to explain: "We have to become related again. We are related to everything on the earth - and we must take time to understand that.'

For me, that means spending more time in nature - alone, if possible; or at least in silence. That way we can "listen" better to the plants, trees, animal, sky, clouds, moon and stars. And since we, too, are a part of nature, we can also listen more deeply to ourselves, not just to chit chat.

On these chilly mornings, I often pause on my way to the car to enjoy the crunch of frost on the grass or greet a few migrant Chickadees who arrived in the night. Driving along, I reflect on those events. What emerges could be a mix of joy, sadness, or wonder - as' I then experience myself woven into the amazing web of life. Being part of that web makes me feel more secure, more satisfied. The result is that I have less need to consume.

I'm also enjoying the fascinating game "What's the result of my action?" Let's say I do decide to go shopping, thus needing to drive my car. The result? Burning fossil fuel and using up other resources. What are my options? Remember to bring shopping bags. Consolidate my trips to town, carpool, or even stay home and call a friend instead. After playing this game many times, I'm spending less time literally "spinning my wheels:' And because I'm actually doing something to reduce global warming, little as it may be, I feel less anxious.

I'm even limiting my time on the Internet so that I can read more and be inspired. Recently, I took solace from an editorial in YES! magazine that focused on solutions to global warming: "We might find that a less materialis­tic, more locally based way of life taps a whole new level of creativity ... And our grandchildren will thank us for leaving them a world where they too have a shot at a good life.

Not breaking the "laws" could have some real benefits.

Quck blog on some articles that were published recently...

Hi All!

Been busy with the start of school, holidays, and family... I found some interesting tidbits today that I thought you all might be interested in...

This is the link to the carbon offset site that allows you to figure how much of an impact your wedding, or any event, will have and ways to deal with that... http://carbonfund.org/

This is a link to an interesting site on eco-related news and advice that probably won't make the mainstream media ... eco-cide

and at the end of an article from the Puget Sound Area (Hi Mary!) comes some great quick green advice...

Five ways to “green” your wedding:

1. Provide environmentally-friendly travel options for your guests.

2. Have an outdoor ceremony, or light the ceremony with candles.

3. Serve only locally-grown, organic food with recycled plates, decor and silverware.

4. Don’t bother with wedding favors. Instead, make donations to charities dedicated to helping the environment.

5. Spread the message of sustainability and demonstrate your eco-friendly lifestyle to guests.

More in a day or two.... peace to all

Family influnce... Jackie helps out

I was going to write another segment on synthetic diamonds but I kept procrastinating so I am going to write about something else for now and go back to diamonds later…

I went to a family gathering at a cousin’s house this past weekend. I saw lots of cousins (there are a lot of us), lots of kids, lots of non-green eating utensils, and lots of eating and drinking in general. Except for the paper and plastic in abundance, it was awesome to spend time with everyone. I think the party topped out at about 35 cousins and another 40 or so friends and assorted relatives of family (not related to me but might as well be). It was great to see everyone and spend the hours catching up, discussing politics, swimming, sharing family news and pictures.

I spent a good portion of the afternoon talking to Jackie. Jackie is my cousin’s mother-in-law and she is awesome. Jackie has been a florist for the past 25 years and is now branching out into event planning. We talked a lot about what goes into a wedding and she has agreed to help me with advice for this blog.

We brainstormed a lot about what and how to green all the elements of a wedding and we both got excited about the possibilities. One of the things that Jackie confirmed for me is about flowers. She has been doing floral arrangements for weddings and other events for a long time and she does them beautifully! Unlike years ago, flowers can be imported year round and seasonal flowers are now available anytime… for a price. And what a price! Not just monetarily but environmentally. Hot houses and overnight shipping from anywhere in the world has changed the way a bouquet looks and a bride’s options. Think about spring flowers in the middle of winter…where do they come from? What about the chemicals used to grow them? And the energy and fuel to transport them? Wow!

Jackie suggested walking through the woods (if you can) in the fall and using found flora for a fall or winter wedding. Sprigs of pine with pine cones and a ribbon make a beautiful bouquet. Fall oak and maple leaves are perfect for any bouquet and can be strewn on tables as a decoration.

Another suggestion is finding a florist who has a greenhouse and is organic. They are out there. Another idea is to force tulips or other bulb flowers in your home and asking the florist to use them. This is easily done and in a future entry I will get Jackie’s specific instructions for this. She also suggested growing straw flowers. These flowers, if you are not familiar with them, actually grow already dried! And they are beautiful!

So, this is just the beginning…. upcoming topics include discussion of dress materials and where the dresses are made, more on flowers and synthetic diamonds, music (can you ‘green’ music?), food, and much, much more. Stay tuned.

Dirty Gold...

OMG! Gold mining is one of the dirtiest types of mining out there! Until I started researching for this blog, I didn’t know this. It is estimated that the production of one, I repeat, ONE, gold ring creates 20 TONS of mining waste! Most modern gold is mined in open strip mines and many such mines have displaced whole communities. The process itself creates horrendous leach fields of toxic waste. Then the gold is sent to smelters for separation where it releases tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. There must be a way around this! There is… use recycled gold to create your perfect ring! There really is a market for that old gold they keep advertising for on television. For more info on gold mining, check out www.dirtygold.org.

You may have gold that you can have recycled or you can talk to your local reputable jeweler to help you find a source. It is possible that you may find it is cheaper to have a local jeweler or jewelry craft person to create your unique, one of a kind, recycled gold band. It will take some work but the benefits for the earth and your conscious are going to make the work worthwhile.

One such alternative is a link I found on the dirty gold site. It is for wooden wedding rings, some plain, some with inlays. Here is the link: www.simplywoodrings.com There are many other jewelers who make wooden rings but I thought these were worth a look. I found some links to titanium rings and looked into them… They seem to suffer the same ecological impact as sold and silver… major pollution in the mining process. A disappointment since I was looking for some other alternatives. So, I will keep looking. If anyone knows of any alternatives, leave a comment and I will include them in the blog (after I make sure about the impact).

Kermit said it so it must be true...

It’s not easy being green… but it is possible. Your conscience can get the better of you as you lean in to toss that plastic water bottle into the trash and you put it into the recycling box instead. There is a report out there somewhere (wish I could remember where I read this, anybody have a source?) that only 2 out of every 10 plastic water bottles makes it to be recycled. That floors me. I tend to drink tap water and use bottled water only when I am travelling. I have been refilling the bottles and freezing them for the hot summer months for several years now. But I am not going to lie; I have thrown out my share. So what does recycling water bottles have to do with greening your wedding? Well, it is just one more way to reduce your impact.

There are ways to include eco-friendly elements into your wedding day from the very start. These days engagement rings are usually diamonds. In the past, most people didn’t even give or receive engagement rings! But with diamonds being such a popular symbol of the pending nuptials, being green about them only makes sense.

Many of you may be aware of what is known as “Blood Diamonds” from the movie that starred Leonardo DiCaprio and came out in 2006. Also known as ‘Conflict Diamonds,’ they are often credited with funding and continuing violence, slavery, death, and wars in several African countries. The U.N. initiated and maintains the ‘Kimberly Process.’ This procedure requires each nation to certify that all rough diamond exports are produced through legitimate mining and sales activity. All rough diamonds from these nations are to be accompanied by certificates stating that the diamonds were produced, sold and exported through legitimate channels. You should insist upon a sales receipt that documents that the diamond originated from a conflict free source.

The really nice thing about the Kimberly Process is just how much is being done as a result of increased legitimate profits from the diamond industry. It is reported that diamond revenues enable every child in Botswana to receive free education up to the age of 13; revenue from diamonds is instrumental in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic; conflict diamonds have been reduced from approximately 4% to considerably less than 1% since the implementation of the Kimberley Process in 2003 and Sierra Leone is now at peace and exported approximately $125 million diamonds in 2006. For more information on the Kimberly Process and the participating countries, go to www.kimberlyprocess.com.

Most diamonds are mined in strip mines so even though they may be morally correct they may not be earth friendly. The mining process is and has been very destructive to the earth. There are a few mines that are reducing the ecological impact on the earth through innovative techniques that take into account not only the type of mining but the impact of the mining on the animals and environs of the area. Most of the diamonds from Canada are mined in earth friendly mines. Even DeBeers, one of the most offensive mining companies as well as THE most influential one, has come around to low-impact diamond mining… at least in their Canadian mines. So look for Kimberly Process certification and where the diamond came from to ensure a ‘green’ engagement ring!

Going Green...

There has been a lot of discussion about just how much impact one person can have on the earth and global climate change. To my mind, it will take a huge, world-wide effort by all of the earth’s nations to truly fix these problems. But each of us can help. By making an individual commitment to reducing our ecological footprint, each of us sends a message to our governments, our neighbors, and ourselves that we and our children are worth the effort.

So what am I doing to reduce my footprint? Well, I am what is know as a green wannabe. Why? Because economics has a major impact on how much each person can do. Before I became as ‘green’ as I am now, I bought an SUV (when I had a little more cash than I do now) and I still have it. I would give it up if I could replace it with… dream? a hybrid or a smart car. Reality? Anything! On the upside of this SUV, I don’t drive it more than 25-50 miles a week and I always combine lots of errands when I do use it.

I recently went to www.planetgreen.com (a great TV channel for green info) and measured my ecological footprint. It came out with a whopping 17.2 acres for ONE person. This isn’t too bad as I live on 4 acres of land that is wooded and natural but I was shocked! I recycle. I compost. I wash dishes without a dishwasher. I hang my laundry. BUT… I rent my home so I cannot make a lot of physical changes. I do not have solar or wind power. Nor do I have any passive solar.

So I decided to take what I know and what my friends know (very ‘Green’ friends) and apply it to something else I know. Weddings. So here are my thoughts on how to green your wedding.