Environment

The plant I never needed, until I did.

I have this plant.  Well maybe had is a better word for it.  I got it from my mother- in- law, healthy, in perfect condition, straight from her garden to mine.  It was a beautiful plant.

It sat for a few days, unplanted, as I needed to weed and clear out my garden, which I had left untouched since we moved in 7 months ago.  Finally, I basically cleaned out the garden, enough to see the beauty that lie underneath the weeds, and planted the gift from my mother-in-law.

At the time I planted it, there was a kitten being raised under a huge bush in front of which I had planted the gift.  The first day I took my dog for a walk after planting, she ran over to try to find the kitten, and knocked the plant out from its new home.  After the walk, I replanted it.

The next day, the scene repeated itself.  And the next, and the next, until I finally got sick of replanting each time anew, and just left it?promising I would plant it the next day.  The next day came and I didn't replant it?three weeks passed and I still hadn't gotten around to replanting it.  By then it was basically dead.

Two days ago, my husband and I went to the beach.  He refused to put on sunscreen, and effectively got burned.  A few hours after arriving home, his back was hot as an oven, and I decided to go to the garden, which is shared with our next door neighbor (she doesn't really work on it either), to see if we had any Aloe to soothe my husband's back.  My neighbor was outside and I asked her if we had any Aloe in the garden.

"Wasn't that the plant that died?" She asked, less of a question, than a statement.  It was.

By giving up on it, and getting impatient with trying, I had let the one thing that could have soothed my husband, simply "go away".

Isn't that exactly what we are doing to our Earth?  One day, when we finally realize that we need it, a gift that had been given to us to care for, it may no longer be there to help us.

Coral reefs are in serious need of a vacation!

Our coral reefs are in serious danger.  This time, the boogeyman that is hurting the reefs, probably doesn't even realize what he is doing?

Although pollution and fishing are some of the major problems that the coral reefs are facing today, another serious cause of the destruction of our coastal coral reefs is our desire to see them and enjoy their beauty.

Coral reefs are like little bustling cities- there are a million and one things going on at all hours of the day.  Lots of different creatures make the coral reefs their home.  But the reefs are extremely fragile?they are basically one very condensed ecosystem.

So what are we doing that is causing so many devastating problems? Snorkeling and scuba diving. 

When we swim down to visit the reefs whether by scuba diving or snorkeling, we add to the destruction of our reefs by touching and taking things from them; but the majority of damage comes from our fins.  When we kick at the water to propel ourselves, the power from the kicks hits hard against the reef we are visiting.

Think of it like a hurricane hitting a coastal city.  The destruction is tremendous.

The problem with the fact that our interest in the reefs is causing the damage, is that it is a major tourist industry.  The reefs bring in a lot of revenue for the associated countries, and in our world, money talks.  For that reason, although many reefs are endangered, not much effort is being put into fixing them, if anything, the countries are trying to find ways to raise tourism and generate more revenue?even at the expense of the destruction of their coral reefs.

It is up to us to be informed world citizens and to be conscious of our actions.  Even though the reefs our beautiful to see, is it fair to do that with the full knowledge that swimming down to see them is literally killing them?one kick and touch at a time?

Trash is not what makes the beaches beautiful!

It is a wonderful experience to enjoy nature such as beaches or forests, but all too often people forget the pristine environment they are in and litter.

Although the prevalent thought is basically that one person's litter won't make difference, but that is simply not true.  Even if it is just aesthetically, a clean place is a beautiful place.  Plus, it is not normally one person who litters; it is one, then another, then another?

Just think of any natural place that you went to, where people had littered?it dampens the experience.

There are some great things that we can do, apart from the obvious of not littering which can make an immediate and satisfactory difference in your world.  You can organize a group of people or go by yourself to clean up an area.  When you finish, you can rest assured that you will love the difference it makes.  Have fun with it, make a picnic, take pictures, and enjoy the day.

Another great thing that you can do is carry a plastic bag with you when you are walking, and pick up a few pieces of trash on your way.  You don't need to pick up everything, but every little bit makes a difference.

When I lived on the beach, I would see random different people out every day with plastic bags, just picking up the trash?their efforts kept our beaches spotless, and their only reason for doing it was because the cared about the beaches and their environment.  It is simple and it makes our world beautiful!

Raise your motivation...take advantage of the great things the world has to offer! 

You know, in order for us to be willing and to want to help to make a difference in the world, we need to help ourselves. Yes, I mean that sometimes we need to be selfish. I'm not talking about the nasty selfish, where we try to take everything for ourselves and don't think about others. I am talking about the kind of selfish where you take advantage of all of the great things around you. Maybe take a break from the 24/7 saving the world that I know all of you, my loyal readers are doing, and just enjoy the world for a while. Think about it: there is no better way to gain enthusiasm for something than to enjoy it, right? If you don't take the time to enjoy what it is that you are working towards, you eventually will run out of steam, and lose some of that will to help the world around us! So take a break, be selfish! Today, for example, is hot as hell, so I am going to take the rest of my afternoon off, and go play in the ponds by my home. Friday, it is still going to be hot as hell, so I will go to the beach. Sometimes I go to the top of the mountain near my home and enjoy the sunrise or sunset. Other times, I go hiking in the forests, in shallow rivers (don't take any chances, obviously!), or just go to a nearby field and walk. And it feels good! I may be busier than most people I know, I may have a lot of things hanging over me all the time, but I always, always have some energy to put towards helping the world around me, and I truly believe that, at the least, part of it is because I take advantage of the fruits of the Earth, I selfishly enjoy my world - and that makes it impossible for me to not want to give back ten fold what it (the world) gives to me!