Voters for Dirty Air And Water?

Did voters on November 8, vote for dirty water and dirty air? I know one Trump voter who is totally against the Dakota Access Pipeline. I can’t believe that November’s vote was to trash our water and air! Please call your senators.

No matter where you live, call your senator and tell them to oppose Scott Pruitt’s confirmation as EPA Administrator: (202) 224-3121
You can use this tool to quickly find your senator and click to call them: http://on.nrdc.org/2kkFfOL

Below is from the NRDC, Natural Resources Defense Council:

Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt is the worst, most extreme nominee ever tapped to lead the U.S Environmental Protection Agency. We must stop him! As Oklahoma Attorney General, he has sued the EPA 18 times to fight clean air and water rules. Seventeen of these 18 he joined with fossil fuel companies in suing the EPA. Pruitt has gone to court to fight rules that would save up to 45,000 lives, and avoid hundreds of thousands of asthma attacks and heart attacks every year.. More than 1 in 10 children in Oklahoma have asthma, which is one of highest rates of asthma in United States.

He routinely allies with big polluters to promote prioritize their profits over the health and safety of ordinary people. How could he possibly be qualified to protect our air and water?

Bottom line: he is unfit to serve as the nation’s top environmental steward. We only need 3 senators to swing their votes the right way to stop him! CALL RIGHT NOW.

And if you live in one of the following states, it is particularly important to call these senators:
Sen. Joe Donnelly (Indiana) 202-224-4814
Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (North Dakota) 202-224-2043
Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) 202-224-2523
Sen. Dean Heller (Nevada) 202- 224-6244
Sen. Jeff Flake (Arizona) (202) 224-4521
Sen. Rob Portman (Ohio) (202) 224-3353
Sen. Lamar Alexander (Tennessee) (202) 224-4944
Sen. Joe Manchin (West Virginia) (202) 224-3954

Things you should never flush!

Even if they say biodegradable, do not flush!

We now have a federal government that will not protect us from water or air pollution. Many new burdens will fall on our cities to protect its residents. All of us need to do everything we can to keep city resources focused on what is important. By keeping the city sewers from getting plugged we can make a difference. There are many things that should NEVER be flushed down the toilet, and to send them to their death via the toilet drain is to risk significant plumbing problems as well as environmental pollution. The following list is from http://www.care2.com/

1. Bathroom and cleaning wipes – These “moist towelettes” are marketed to be flushed like toilet paper, these wipes are creating clogs and backups in sewer systems around the nation. Read the entire list of things that should NOT go down the toilet here

And read about the problem these wipes are causing to sewer systems . Please throw in the trash, not down the drain!

Marching Forward

https://www.womensmarch.com/

Saturday, January 21: March in solidarity for clean air and water, march for the protection of civil rights, women’s rights, and the health of our children. Imagine the world as we want it to be and work for it.

To a find a march location near you, Click here

Justice For All

"He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetuate it!" MLK — “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetuate it!” MLK

Martin Luther King would have fought for environmental justice too. Read about it here.

Fish for dinner? Where was it caught?

To think that people are going to stop eating fish is a heavy lift. Even the vegans I know will eat fish and sushi. Do you purchase fish and shrimp? Some things to consider:

Why would anyone purchase or eat fish caught in Viet Nam or China? I thought this was such an interesting and strange story, and It should be shared to heighten people’s awareness. Most Americans eat fish caught in Asia while fish caught in Massachusetts is exported to Europe. Why would anyone purchase or eat fish caught in Viet Nam or China? Watch the segment on Dog Fish, a sustainable fish, here.

In the United States it is possible to purchase sustainable Gulf caught shrimp and scallops, as well as wild caught cod, salmon and other fish from the Pacific Ocean. Also, fish from the Great Lakes is excellent.

Be a Climatarian, consider the planet when you make all food and fish choices, and buy local and USA products if they are available. And then there is the thought that we shouldn’t be eating fish at all. Read it here from One Green Planet

Use Writing to Make the World Better!

“Imagine a world where humankind lives in harmony, not only with itself but also with other forms of life, in balance with the planet’s resources. Imagine the world as you would like it to be.” Steve Wilbers

Writing coach, Steve Wilbers is imagining the world as he would like it to be. Can you imagine how powerful it would be if everyone held a vision of kindness, and imagined a world of kindness. Powerful!

His suggestions are timely: Write a thank you note, blog, write a letter to a newspaper. Read his article here. Write about your passions, your images of how the world should be. Speak out, write, and make the world a better place!

“You may say I’m a dreamer

But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one”

Imagine, John Lennon

Water Belongs to Us All

My thoughts on kindness continues.

https://health4earth.com/2017/01/01/plunging-into-the-unknown/

Plunging Into the Unknown

The year ahead is impossible to predict. As with every year, many unknowns lie ahead. Most of us like being in control, and the unknowns are scary. What can we control in 2017? How we treat other people, and how we treat the earth are things we can control. What kinds of kindness can we spread?

I hope 2017 fills you with kindness!

Does “climate change” exist in Wisconsin?

Ice on Lake Superior doesn't last long, and the lake is warming! — Ice on Lake Superior doesn’t last long, and the lake is warming!

As Wisconsin and the world have probably just experienced one of the warmest years on record, Scott Walker, governor of Wisconsin, is deleting climate change from existence, or trying anyway. Sorry governor, climate change is not going away!

I have a cabin in Wisconsin, and can rattle off the climate changes I have seen in just the last few years: First I have lived through three very dangerous storms. All three were 100-year events with flooding and loss of many trees. Second, Lake Superior and Lake Michigan, lakes surrounding Wisconsin, are warming at a pace never seen before. Third, good winter snow is a thing of the past. Either it doesn’t snow, or after it snows, it rains or warms up making winter sports icy and dangerous. We experience long droughts, then too much rain at one time. And finally, the night temperatures are rising; it doesn’t get as cold on winter or summer nights. Where I sit in Wisconsin the climate is changing!

The governor must feel the need for some attention, or maybe he is applying for a position in the Trump administration? What is the purpose, to waste taxpayer money?

As a taxpayer in Wisconsin I do not appreciate such a waste of time and resources. Can this be good for the Wisconsin economy? I know people who refuse to spend any money in Wisconsin. They drive through refusing to stop or spend a dollar. Why would businesses want to locate in such a backwards place?

Why should we care about climate change?

What is the future, when we can't accept the reality of the present — What is the future, when we can’t accept the reality of the present?

http://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change-deleted-dnr-website-2166939088.html

Good News! Humans No Longer Caused Climate Change, According to the State of Wisconsin

http://gizmodo.com/good-news-humans-no-longer-caused-climate-change-acco-1790641483

America Recycles Day

Garbage is a terrible thing to waste!

On America Recycles Day, what commitment can you make to recycle more? I live in a community where my one-sort recycle bin is picked up bi-weekly and compost every week. It is easy!! However, every community has their own rules on recycling and composting. Find recycling information for your community http://earth911.com/

It is a horrible to waste valuable resources by putting recyclables in the landfill where they might sit for hundreds of years(We don’t know how long plastic will last, maybe forever in tiny pieces!)

http://earth911.com/ has a great article on the mistakes we make in recycling. Read it here

Some ideas to help you recycle more:

Bottle caps should stay on bottles.
Magazines and glossy paper can be recycled!
Shredded paper is hard to recycle, it flies around. Compost shredded paper.
Food stained cardboard(pizza boxes) should not be recycled. Again, they can be composted along with paper egg cartons.
Do not put plastic bags in your compost bin. They jam the machines! Bring all plastic bags back to the grocery store for recycling, and reuse them over and over before you recycle them.
Choose glass or aluminum over plastic. Glass and aluminum are easier to recycle.
More ideas
Get into the recycle mindset
Good Luck!