Refresh

It has been a hard week in the United States. The election of Donald Trump has created an exhausted public full of fear and sadness.

Don’t let this president-elect drag us down. Like VP Harris said, “Fill the sky with a billion stars!”

Everyday spend time outside, expend positive energy and kindness, and do something positive for the Earth. Drive less, eat less meat, and use less plastic.

Make telling the truth a priority. Always tell the truth and insist everyone around you tell the truth. Never share ideas that might not be true.

Take a deep breath and take care of yourself. Reduce your social media exposure, smile, be kind and love our earth.

He and SHE seeks!

Try this: When anxiety or overwhelm creeps in, step outside for a 10-minute nature break. Notice the clouds drifting overhead, listen for birdsong, or simply feel the breeze on your face. Even in the heart of the city, a nearby park’s grass and trees can provide this natural reset.

Let nature amplify your joy – whether that’s watching a spectacular sunset, watching a bird or finding a beautiful tree.

We need to go through the stages of grief, and everyone deals with grief at different rates. Give people space. Our values have been rejected and it takes time to come to grips with such a big loss. Read about the stages of grief here.

Please work for peace, harmony and joy for yourself and those around you

Find a beautiful tree

Enjoy and protect nature.

PEACE

Have you voted yet?

Please vote on Tuesday, November 5.

Always vote for Truth!

To me this election is about an intelligent articulate woman and a despicable former president. The former president has no sense of what is right and wrong. He belittles people and constantly lies. This former president has no understanding of what is true and what is not true because he lives in a world of conspiracy and corruption. Someone that lies about everything should not be a world leader. There is no way we can trust him! Neither his own citizens or other countries believe what he says.

Be kind

Choose listiening, compassion and understanding over hate

Below is an editorial from former Startribune reporters:

On Nov. 5, voters must choose between one candidate who respects the rule of law, and one who doesn’t. One who possesses personal characteristics like integrity, honesty and honor, and one who doesn’t. One who abides by the norms of civilized behavior in a democratic republic, and one who trashes the norms, flouts tradition and makes a mockery of virtues like courtesy and a commitment to the peaceful transfer of power. Every presidential election carries enormous importance, but this year’s stands in a class all its own: Do we vote to preserve our democracy and to embrace an invigorating “new way forward,” or do we choose to elevate to the highest office in the land a man who has threatened over and over to end that democracy?

Read the entire endorsement here

The choice is clear!

Happy October

Be sure to vote

Yes, the world is a disaster. It is being dominated by many very evil men and being ravished by effects of climate change. It is hard to be optimistic for the future. but our own mental health depends on doing something good for the earth and taking good care of ourselves. So, this October do something good for yourself and something good for our planet. Start by using less plastic, use less sugar, drive less and spend more time outside. But most important GO VOTE!

The calendar below gives you some ideas:

Wow, please vote!

Madame President

“Unless American voters stand up to him, Mr. Trump will have the power to do profound and lasting harm to our democracy” NYT

Endorsement for Harris from the New York Times:

“It is hard to imagine a candidate more unworthy to serve as president of the United States than Donald Trump. He has proved himself morally unfit for an office that asks its occupant to put the good of the nation above self-interest. He has proved himself temperamentally unfit for a role that requires the very qualities — wisdom, honesty, empathy, courage, restraint, humility, discipline — that he most lacks.

Those disqualifying characteristics are compounded by everything else that limits his ability to fulfill the duties of the president: his many criminal charges, his advancing age, his fundamental lack of interest in policy and his increasingly bizarre cast of associates.

This unequivocal, dispiriting truth — Donald Trump is not fit to be president — should be enough for any voter who cares about the health of our country and the stability of our democracy to deny him re-election.

For this reason, regardless of any political disagreement’s voters might have with her, Kamala Harris is the only patriotic choice for president.”

Read the entire endorsement here:

Opinion | Kamala Harris is the Only Patriotic Choice for President – The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Holding Exxon Accountable

“ExxonMobil lied to further its record-breaking profits at the expense of our planet and possibly jeopardizing our health” Attorney General Rob Bonta

peace on earth

Plastic is harmful to our earth and to our bodies. The producers of plastic should be held accountable.

“For decades, ExxonMobil has been deceiving the public to convince us that plastic recycling could solve the plastic waste and pollution crisis when they clearly knew this wasn’t possible. ExxonMobil lied to further its record-breaking profits at the expense of our planet and possibly jeopardizing our health,” Rob Bonta, Attorney General, California

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/california-sues-exxonmobil-saying-company-deceived-public-about-plastics-recycling

A coalition of environmental groups have joined together to take ExxonMobile to court. Surfrider Foundation, the Sierra Club, Heal the Bay, and San Francisco Baykeeper are taking on the world’s largest producer of single-use plastic polymers for their claims about plastic.

The lawsuit was filed in San Francisco, California and states that ExxonMobile knowingly hid the truth about the harm caused by plastic and misled the public about its recyclability.

Niall McCarthy, partner at the law firm that is representing the coalition, said:

“Some of the greatest progress in American history was caused by civil lawsuits holding the powerful accountable for their actions. This is another such case brought by the most prominent environmental nonprofits in California who are willing, for the public good, to take on a company worth billions. The case will expose the devastation caused by single-use plastics and the deceptive recycling myth pushed by plastic producers such as ExxonMobil. The case, at its core, is about accountability.  ExxonMobil’s promises of being a good corporate citizen are divorced from the reality of its conduct. As detailed in the complaint, ExxonMobil’s single use plastics are smothering California’s environment.”

https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2024-09-23/california-ag-files-suit-against-companies

Plastic People

The ground-breaking feature documentary Plastic People investigates our addiction to plastic and the growing threat of microplastics on human health. Almost every bit of plastic ever made breaks down into “microplastics.” It was first shown at SXSW and this is one of the first community showings in the country. 

  • Date: Wednesday, September 25th
  • The doors open at 6:00 for tabling and the film starts at 6:30.
  • There will be a short discussion following the screening lead by Lucy Mullany with Eureka Recycling and Mary Kosuth, who is finishing a PhD in microplastics at the University of Minnesota and is a featured scientist in the film.
  • The film is free.
  • The location is Hamline University, Drew Science 118, 1536 Hewitt Ave, St Paul, MN 55104. 
  • RSVP: bit.ly/3zaX2U3

I hope it works for you to join us. 

August Anxiety

Or September Scaries on Lake Superior

I love summer and the long rich days, and the summer days get even longer as you go north! Holding onto summer daylight and comfortable temperatures fades as the calendar turns to fall. Already the nesting birds have migrated south, and I miss their joy. I also miss the magnificent butterflies, and there was a summer shortage this year that concerns and scares me.

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A foggy wet horizon on Lake Superior

Summer brings joy, and the nature of that joy diminishes with the fading daylight. Below are some of the last plants standing:

I love the red stemmed asters!
A carpet of big leaf asters
Purple cone flower

Summer could be defined by comfortable days, and Lake Superior wind pattern dominance which shifts from hot and humid to breezy and cool. This [ast summer was weird how much moisture was in the air. Many mornings it was hazy looking across the big lake. Warmer air holds more moisture, and it was a humid summer. We have just lived through the most humid summer on record. Read about it here.

Change your Shopping Habits

My life changed when I discovered bulk shopping. I love to choose my own amount, and I feel good about not having to purchase items in plastic. Instead of using plastic bags, bring your own reusable containers,

Shopping bulk helps to manage two big issues that contribute to our climate crisis. A shopper can reduce tons of plastic packaging, and choose as much as you need. This reduces food waste. Bring reusable containers, both big and small. Use whatever you have. I reuse glass mustard jars, pasta jars, pickle jars or cloth bags

The article below from Hennepin County tells you how to shop in bulk. the customers and the store personnel are all willing to help you through this journey. I hope you like this new independence as much as I do!!

Deciding where to shop

Pile of potatoes in grocery storeDifferent stores and markets offer varying options for how you purchase food, so your ability to buy just the right amount of food may depend on where you shop.Get familiar with what your grocery store offers for produce and bulk goods. There may be more options than you noticed.
Person putting produce in grocery bagOpt for unpackaged produce when possible. If your store sells packaged items, try nearby stores offering loose produce. By purchasing only what’s necessary for your meal plan (especially fresh produce), you could significant cut the amount of food you waste.

Buying from the bulk section

Bulk section

No, we don’t mean buying in large quantities like at Costco. The bulk section of a grocery store has self-serve food containers where you can take as much or as little as you need. Using the bulk section for things such as grains, beans, or spices can help you purchase just the amount you need and avoid waste.

Here’s how to buy things in bulk:

  1. Choose the item you want to purchase.
  2. Grab the provided bag or, if your store allows it, your own clean container. If you can use your own container, record the weight of the container when empty, before you fill it up.
  3. Fill your container or bag with the food.
  4. Write the product number, listed as PLU, for the item on the bag or on a sticker or twist tie label.

August Joy

“The environment is where we all meet; where we all have a mutual interest; it is the one thing all of us share.”
— Lady Bird Johnson

The Monarch butterflies charm me as they play tag, the hummingbirds zip from one flower to the next, and the goldfinch quietly sit on the monarda and eat the seeds. Enormous bees gorge themselves with a bounty of pollinator plants they love. The consistent rains of this summer have created a healthy blooming habitat. All this pollinator activity creates joy!

A Monarch on liatris Hummingbirds love cardinal flowers, and Joe Pye Weed.

Native deep-rooted plants fix many things that are wrong with our world. They do not need fertilizers or chemicals, they don’t need to be watered, and their deep roots absorb water run-off. They help to keep our waterways clean, keep our air clean, and they are beautiful,

Native plants are healthy for wildlife. Birds, bees and butterflies love them and they create vital habitat which has gone missing in recent years.

Pollinator Passion