This is from the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
A Thought for Meatless Monday
Category: healthy
Celebrate World Water Day!
Happy World Water Day!
International World Water Day is held annually on March 22 as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. http://www.worldwaterday.org/
The water on our planet is the only water we will ever have. There is no getting
more of it! We need to appreciate our waterways and take are of them.
On this World Water Day what sustainable practices protect our waterways?
My simple suggestions are: 1. Appreciate our water 2. Go chemical-free 3. Re-use the water that runs off your
house/garage/property /
4. If you have water property, plant a buffer-strip of plants/trees to collect run-off from your yard/agricultural land.
And a video of migrating sand hill cranes on the Platte River
Happy Day!
March 20, the first day of spring, and International Day of Happiness !
The latest happiness report is here. Norway is the happiest country with Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland and Iceland in the top five. The United States is 14th on the happiness scale.
“What works in the Nordic countries is a sense of community and understanding in the common good,”
Stories to give you Positive Energy
To make the world a better and safer place we must generate positive energy. This is another round of amazing news stories that tell us in what direction the future is moving. I congratulate these countries and communities for their sustainable goals and effort. This is my occasional series on great news stories. Renewable energy, managing trash and gender equality are some of the positive energy stories of the past week!
1. In September Kenya is going to ban plastic bags. Read about Kenya here. 
2. Georgetown, Texas, a conservative town in oil country is fueled by wind. Wind power saves them money over oil energy. Read about it at Georgetown
3 Iceland will be the first country in the world to make employers prove they offer equal pay regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexuality or nationality, the Nordic nation’s government said on International Women’s Day. Read about it at Iceland
4. The United States installed a record-smashing 14,762 Megawatts (MW) of solar power in 2016 — a 97 percent jump over 2015, according to data just released. For the first time ever, solar was the number one source of new generating capacity, beating out wind and gas. Read about it at solar power.
5. A water wheel is cleaning up Baltimore’s harbor picking up plastic and other trash. Read at Baltimore
6. Sweden is on target to be powered entirely by renewable energy by 2040. An amazing goal for this dark northern country. Read about at Sweden.
What sustainable exciting things are happening in your community?
Corporate Greed and Our Health
“It is horrifying we have to fight our own government to save the
environment” Ansel Adams
We now have a government that is dismantling all protections the American people have from corporate America. Corporate profits now take priority over the health of people, wildlife and the entire planet earth. The United Nations released a report this week stating how harmful pesticides are to people and the planet.
“The chronic overuse of pesticides across the world has caused “catastrophic” harms to human health, human rights and global biodiversity, according to a report presented to the United Nations human rights council Wednesday.
The UN-solicited study on toxic chemical impacts to global food sources criticizes pesticide manufacturers’ “systematic denial” of the broad harms caused by their products and calls for a transition to healthier farming methods that move away from the current dependence on pesticides.” Read about it here. And more about it from Ecowatch.
And read about the state of our bees from pesticide use and habitat loss.
In his book, Poison Spring: The Secret History of Pollution and the EPA, published in 2014, E. G. Vallianatos, who worked for the EPA for 25 years, wrote:
“It is simply not possible to understand why the EPA behaves the way it does without appreciating the enormous power of American’s industrial farmers and their allies in the chemical pesticide industries, which currently do about $40 billion per in year business. For decades, industry lobbyists have preached the gospel of unregulated capitalism and Americans have bought it. Today, it seems the entire government is at the service of the private interests of America’s corporate class.”
We can only control our corner of the world. I hope you will think twice before putting pesticides on your yard, and speak out against the use of chemicals in agriculture and in our parks! 
Jane Goodall: How Can We Believe It Is a Good Idea to Grow Our Food With Poisons?
March 15, Action
A March 15 action item: Send a postcard to Donald Trump. Send at least one card, but it is hard to stop at one. Weekly, I have been sending postcards, and it is good for the soul.
What issues are you passionate about? What are you upset about? What do you think of the first few weeks of this administration? Time is now to express your thoughts. March 15, is “Send a Postcard to Donald Trump Day.”
Spread the word! Everyone on Earth should let Donald J. Trump know how he’s doing as the president of the United States.
No postcards? Make you own. Cut 4 inch by 6 inch pieces from poster board. Walgreens usually has poster board, but they also might have postcards.
On March 15th, mail your messages to:
Donald J. Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
My postcards this week will be about clean water/clean air, the Great Lakes Restoration Fund, healthcare for everyone, enormous tax cuts for billionaires, travel bans, and all the lies coming out of this White House. I believe in being positive, don’t loose sight of the important issues facing us all. There are so many concerns and so many issues, go for it!! Remember, Wednesday, March 15. Thank you.
In Celebration of Women
“In celebration of International Women’s Day, Air India completed an around the world flight with an all-women crew! Congratulations!! Read about it here.
I am Hopeful
This is a collection of hopeful stories I have read the past week.
I love the hopeful stories of this past week. These are stories that give an exciting projection of what the world is going to be like in the future. This is my occasional series on hopeful good news stories happening throughout the world.
1. Cedar Rapids, Iowa is planting 1,000 acres of native prairie to create bee/butterfly/bird/wildlife habitat by planting native prairie plants. 99.99% of Iowa’s native habitat is gone. Information at Iowa Let’s hope other communities will do the same!
2. IKEA has created growrooms which are large, multi-tiered spherical gardens that are designed to sustainably grow enough food to feed a neighborhood.
3. India: This one is beyond my understanding: Scientists in India have captured carbon and are turning it into baking soda. Read about it at India
4. Indonesia: Indonesia, a nation of many islands, has strong goals to cut plastic use. Read about it here.
5. Texas: “I never thought that wind would pay more than oil,” said a Texas landowner. Wind power is paying ranchers more money for wind than oil. Read about it at Texas.
6. Hope for the Paris Climate Agreement. Ivanka Trump and her husband seem to support the historic climate deal.
7. Copenhagen now has more bikes than cars which is no surprise if you visit this biking city. Their bikes lanes are as wide as car lanes. See video bikes in Copenhagen
Water Is Life
No one should be allowed to pollute our water ways, no one! The water we have on earth is the only water we will ever have and we must take care of it. Mr. Trump has proposed to roll back regulation for our waterways, but says he is for clean water??? The water on earth belongs to all of us, not to just big business or farmers, but to everyone. We depend on clean water for drinking and recreation, and wildlife needs clean water for survival. We cannot choose profits over the health of people. It will take time and much litigation to eliminate these rules, but we all need to speak out for clean water. Read about rolling back clean water protection here. Pay attention to actions not to worthless talk!
Donate to the following organizations that litigate for clean water:
NRDC, (Natural Resources Defense Council)
It’s Reality
We don’t appear to have a government that will protect us from carbon pollution and our warming climate. Because of this, we all need to take more personal responsibility for our earth. It is amazing what we can do working together. How can we all reduce our carbon footprint? This week, try a car-free day, my car is put away for the week. Also, eliminate beef, and celebrate Meatless Mondays. Pasta and spinach salad for dinner at my house tonight. From One Green Planet on meat consumption.
Health4earth 