Health4earth

New November

“As long as you live, keep learning how to live!” Seneca

Be curious, ask questions, listen, volunteer, read a new book, take a new class, meet a new person, try something new!

What new things would you like to learn? I love this month’s happiness calendar. It’s about learning something new. A friend of mine attends the University Of Minnesota every weekday to study French, just for fun. She’s curious and learning something new! There is so much to learn and enjoy about the Earth and about difference cultures and ideas. So much to learn about science and geography, about history and literature, and on and on. I hope the below calendar makes you curious and helps you learn some new things. I hope it helps you set new goals, and that you have a “New Things November.”

Sundays: Super Sunday! A perfect day for kindness. How can you show people they are special to you, and that you are thinking of them?

Mondays: Make It Respectful Monday! Demand people show you respect, and show them respect back. Aim high, never gossip, lie, bully or make fun of people. Compliment, and active listen.

Tuesdays: Good Thoughts Tuesday! Give yourself a boost of positive energy. Enjoy the day and have fun. Turn off politics, Facebook and Twitter.

Wednesdays: Zero Waste Wednesday! Bring your lunch, use only reusable dishes, glasses and utensils. Cook your dinner, no take-out, and no wasted food! If possible leave your car at home. Have fun being good to the Earth!

Thursdays: Thankful Thursday! Think of all the people you are thankful for. How many times you can say, “Thank you.”

Fridays: Listen/Friendship Friday! Check in with an old friend or make a new friend. Listen and ask questions.

Saturdays: Smile Saturday! The more you smile the happier and better you feel. Good luck!

October’s Superior View

The leaves on these trees have survived some strong winds off Lake Superior.

October is a magical month. Nature’s paint brush thrives with the fall colors. The hues change from green to red to orange to yellow to brown. And the fleeting colors and leaves hang on for life as the wind blows. Today the leaves gently fell from the trees like the first light snowfall. The first half of the month was unseasonably cold, cloudy and rainy, but the bright autumn colors kept the landscape bright and happy. I love October!

The wind dominates the weather. Eighty-mile an hour winds were recorded with twenty-foot waves pounding the Lake Superior shore. Some days and nights the waves from the lake pound our sandstone cliff. The spray can actually travel 75 feet to splash our house.

Interesting birds are migrating through from the north. Yellow rump warblers eat flies sunning themselves on our house, hermit thrush jump in the leaf litter, palm warblers wag their tails, and my favorite white-throated sparrows look for food in the brush. The junkos, harbingers of winter, are everywhere, and groups of snow buntings have just arrived.

Wildlife and humans hunker down into thoughts of the winter ahead. The brisk temperatures and short days become a message that our warmth is fleeting. The chickadees, gold finch and nuthatches are busy emptying our bird feeder. It is amazing they can remember where they hide their seeds. The squirrels and chipmunks wait below for scraps to be part eating and hiding fun.

The big lake is seldom quiet. The sound of moving water and lack of human noise is refreshing. We love our sounds from nature, and our one square inch of silence. https://onesquareinch.org/

What Does a Climatarian Look Like?

Our everyday activities make a big difference and small positive changes by everyone, can make a big difference to the health of our Earth. A Climatarian thinks about their impact on the Earth everyday, and they work to reduce their daily impact.

The news just keeps getting worse and worse for our warming planet as some places are overwhelmed by drought and fires, and others are inundated with storms and water. Warmer air holds more water and has caused ocean levels to rise causing hurricanes to become more destructive. Wildlife and humans are on the loosing end of this destruction. The lives lost, and the struggle to survive and rebuild are staggering. We are facing a climate breakdown! Read about the latest climate report by the world’s scientists here.

Instead of trashing our air and water we need new paradigms to live by to protect our home. Our current United States government is determined to make this climate breakdown worse. Our warming planet is not going to heal itself. With a little personal responsibility to reduce our carbon footprint we can have cleaner air and water, and a much healthier planet. Let’s make it a team effort and make it a win-win for us all! As self-described Climatarian below are the things I work on everyday to reduce my footprint on Earth. To be successful start small, and when one thing becomes a habit try to add another.

Take personal responsibility to heal our Earth. My vision of a Climatarian is below. What is yours?

Bulk shopping reduces food and packaging waste. Refill your own containers

** Work for zero waste by reusing, refilling and refusing. This takes practice and commitment, but it is fun and easy once you get the idea of how, you can become an almost zero waster! Also, don’t waste food: Freeze and label your leftovers, and put them in wraps, stir fry or something you cook next. Be creative! Managing food waste takes constant vigilance. I will help you get started with zero waste, ask me how to begin????

** Reduce your meat consumption. We haven’t eaten beef or pork for many years, and I actually forget about purchasing from our local chicken source. Meat takes lots of water and energy to raise, and it is a terrible pollutant to our air and water.

** Drive less: No one wants to reduce their driving, but carpooling, public transportation and walking can be fun. Try it!!

This symbol means a lot more than to recycle. A circular economy manufactures and purchases goods from recycled materials.

** Consume less! The more we consume the more the planet suffers and the more garbage we generate. Buy less stuff and purchase things that last, and that you will reuse over and over. Try to become part of the circular economy.

And from EcoWatch, things you can do to avoid climate catastrophe. From the Washington Post things you can do for our Earth.

Work For What is Important

For many of us the past few days have been sad and disappointing. We so want decision makers that we can trust, and who see a vision of justice and respect for all. There is much work to do so we have to jump out of our sadness and work for a better world. Our world still depends on how we each live our life everyday.
The next month is crucial to talk to those running for elected office. Candidates will be everywhere, at your door, at community events and hopefully having debates. Tell them what you expect and what is important so get your one minute speech ready. Take action on the issues that matter to you.

Candidates for office need to hear us say how important clean water and clean air are to us. They need to hear us say that we need plastic bag and Styrofoam bans. They need to hear us say we need easier recycling and organic compost. They need to hear us say it needs to be easier for everyone to vote. They need to hear us say there are too many guns on the street, and of course women’s health care and women’s right to choose. What is important to you? What is your one minute speech?
The quality of our world still depends on how we each live our lives. Get out there make things happen: Vote and get others to vote, be healthy and stop using chemicals, pick up trash, and everyday work for zero waste. Our world depends on how we each live our life and there are many people out there doing magnificent things.

“TO BE HOPEFUL in bad times is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, …courage, kindness. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. To live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.” –Howard Zinn

Inspiration for a Happier World

Optimistic October

Our collective acts can make a big difference. Optimism makes us all happier. Share positive thoughts, work for justice, respect and kindness to create a collective positive effect on the world.

The Action For Happiness people are working on good thoughts and optimism this month. It makes me happy just thinking about it! Below are my suggested daily actions and the Actions for Happiness October calendar.

Sundays: Super Sunday! A perfect day for kindness. How can you show people they are special to you, and that you are thinking of them?

Mondays: Make It Respectful Monday! Demand people show you respect, and show them respect back. Aim high, never gossip, lie, bully or make fun of people. Compliment, and active listen.

Tuesdays: Good Thoughts Tuesday! Give yourself a boost of positive energy. Enjoy the day and have fun. Turn off politics, Facebook and Twitter.

Thursdays: Thankful Thursday! Think of all the people you are thankful for. How many times you can say, “Thank you.”

Fridays: Listen/Friendship Friday! Check in with an old friend or make a new friend. Listen and ask questions.

Saturdays: Smile Saturday! The more you smile the happier and better you feel. Good luck!

Think Meatless

World Vegetarian Day

Every year on October 1st, World Vegetarian Day kicks off a month of parties, potlucks, presentations, food tasting displays and lots of friendly discussions. For those new to vegetarianism, it serves as an enticement to give meatless fare a try (even for a day) and learn about its many benefits. And, of course, it’s the perfect occasion for vegetarians and those already moving towards plant-based diets to celebrate their healthy, compassionate food choices. Read the New York Times best vegetarian soups and stews here.

Eating vegan or vegetarian is awesome, but another thing is important also! Work to stop food waste!! Food waste is a terrible waste of water, labor and energy. Use up all those leftovers in soups, rice bowls, or wraps, How do use your leftovers??

http://www.savethefood.com

The Problem With Plastic

How are you reducing your plastic footprint?

Plastic lasts more than a lifetime! Humans have created 9 billion tons of plastic since 1950 and most of this plastic still exists on earth. Only 9 percent has been recycled, and 11 percent incinerated. That leaves much of the plastic ever produced floating around in our waterways, poisoning fish, or releasing chemicals in landfills. As citizens of this planet we should be doing everything we can to reduce the amount of plastic we use.

The PBS NewsHour is doing an interesting series on plastic this week. I hope you will watch. See below:

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/plastic-lasts-more-than-a-lifetime-and-thats-the-problem