My first trip to the Everglades was in 2012. I was excited to see this marvelous and unique
place. President Obama was there for Earth Day to discuss the hazards the Everglades face with our fast changing climate. See video below:
https://www.facebook.com/billnye
http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/22/politics/obama-everglades-florida-climate-change/index.html
Updated on June 11,
Minnesota has moved from drought to flooding. The drought was a problem, but now can we manage all this heavy rain? We have been trained to get this water away from our houses and off our land, but does flushing all this water down the storm drain help our yards and gardens? Some of the rain is absorbed, but most of this rain rushes into our storm sewers washing winter salt, and chemicals from our houses and yards into our lakes and streams. What can we do to slow water down and keep more water working to water our gardens and yards? How can we keep our lakes and rivers clean?
You don’t want this water in your basement so it needs to be diverted 10 feet away from your foundation as you manage this water, and try to keep it from gushing down the street and alleys
A few things you can do to improve water quality:
1. Redirect downspouts onto your lawn.
2. Plant native grasses and deep rooted plants to absorb water
3. Use less winter salt and less lawn chemicals.
4. Learn about rain gardens and find out if one is possible in your yard. http://bluethumb.org/raingardens/
5. Keep sidewalks, driveways and streets free of leaves and debris.
6. Let your turf-lawn grow longer (3 inches)
7. Install a rain barrel to capture rain, and use this for watering plants.
All water is connected. Even if fracking and the California drought seem far away from us, both have an impact on all of us!
Fracking, a process that uses large amounts of water, uses 700 chemicals in its process,, and causes earthquakes. This just can’t be good for us, for wildlife, or our earth. This should cause all of us to question the amount of gasoline and energy we consume. Watch this short video of a farmer making a very good point about fracking:
Watch Viral Video: Nebraska Man Asks Oil and Gas Commission One Simple Question: ‘Would You Drink It?’
http://ecowatch.com/2015/03/31/nebraska-oil-and-gas-commission-fracking-fluid/
Each day, the oil and gas industry uses more than 2 million gallons of water on average in California on dangerous extraction techniques such as fracking, acidizing, and cyclic steam injection. At a time when California is facing the worst drought on record, when farmers and cities are both struggling to find ways to conserve water, the oil and gas industry continues to use, contaminate, and dispose of staggering amounts of precious water resources each day.
Second, California is in a crucial drought stage and new procedures have just been announced by Governor Brown. Because we are so connected to California agriculture this affects everyone, no matter where we live.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/gov-jerry-brown-california-change-whats-comfortable-address-drought/
http://ecowatch.com/2015/04/02/kansas-fracking-earthquakes/
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a report on Friday that found there are nearly 700 chemicals used in the fracking process.
Below is from Plastic Pollution Coalition: http://plasticpollutioncoalition.org/
Take The Pledge to Use Less Plastic Every Day http://actnow.surfrider.org/app/sign-petition?0&engagementId=58936
Change Begins Onshore
Plastic lasts forever… our oceans are turning into plastic soup.
It doesn’t biodegrade and no naturally occurring organisms can break it down. Plastic photodegrades, which means that sunlight breaks it down into smaller and smaller pieces. Those small pieces drift in the ocean and are mistaken for food by fish and birds.
It is undisputable that plastic pollution is killing marine life through ingestion and entanglement in plastic marine litter.
Up to 80% of the plastic in our oceans comes from the land – us. Single-use is ocean abuse. So, make a pledge today to make these simple 5 changes, which will have a huge impact on our oceans health:
1) Use cloth shopping bags. For each reusable bag you use, it’s estimated that another 400 plastic bags will be kept from being used.
2) Forget bottled water and carry a reusable canteen. Every reusable water bottle will keep another 167 plastic bottles from entering the environment.
3) Bring a reusable mug when you go to your local coffee shop.
4) Skip the straw, which are one of the top 10 items found on beaches.
5) And, of course, Recycle!
TAKE THE PLEDGE: COMMIT to Rising Above Plastics! http://actnow.surfrider.org/app/sign-petition?0&engagementId=58936
http://www.organicgardening.com/living/5-key-strategies-plastic-free-life
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/great-pacific-garbage-patch-is-destroying-the-oceans/
Health4earth 