Social Media's Big Tobacco Moment

I've seen "it" slated as "Social Media's 'Big Tobacco' Moment" in at least a half dozen locations.

What is the "it?" The "it" is the fact that social media court cases are starting to loudly prove that yes, social media is an addiction, and it can cause harm to kids. 

Two landmark trials have been in the news in the past six weeks. Earlier this year on March 24th Meta (parent company to Facebook) was ordered by a jury in New Mexico to pay $375 million due to violating state consumer protection laws, viewing both the Facebook and Instagram platforms to be "a breeding ground for predators." The very next day, March 25th, a lawsuit in California sided with a 20-year-old female who was suing Meta & Google (who owns YouTube), awarding her $6 million for causing years of mental health issues. The endless scrolling, algorithms, and purposeful addictive nature created by social media companies were ruled to be the blame for endangering children. And while tech companies are appealing these verdicts, multiple additional lawsuits are cropping up. The very loud message: tech companies knew the dangers in these devices, platforms, and programs... and sold them to our kids anyway.

So the table is turning when it comes to technology, apps, doomscrolling, and more. 

For those who don't get the "Big Tobacco Moment" reference, here's the backstory. Smoking, which long goes back in our historic timeline, really became glamorized throughout society from the 1920s to 1960s. Seemingly everyone smoked. Despite growing scientific studies over time that this is not a healthy habit, smoking had been pitched as "It's all on the person, and it is a personal choice." Awareness and science began leaning more heavily to "The product is the problem, and we need to pitch the product as such." Tobacco companies put a lot of money into advertising and debunking these claims. The tide slowly began turning in 1965 when a Congressional ruling stated that cigarette packages need mandatory warning labels. Then, TV and radio ads were banned in 1970. But despite all of this, smoking continued to be a large part of global culture, with people viewing it as "cool," relaxing, and socially acceptable, regardless of what science had to say. 

Things significantly began changing in 1994 when several cigarette company CEOs came before Congress to say that nicotine was not addictive nor dangerous to your health (despite scientific evidence proving otherwise). The downfalls continued to come with multiple lawsuits. In 1998 there was a Master Settlement Agreement for over $206 billion, covering 46 states and making it the largest settlement in US history. This loudly emphasized that yes, smoking causes serious health risks, diseases, and cancer. This led to a 2-3 decade decline in smoking, where now in 2025 less than 10% of American adults smoke. Clearly the pendulum has swung and a majority of Americans now outwardly see the perils of this habit.

Which now takes us back to "Social Media's Big Tobacco Moment." With the first iPhone coming out in 2007, we are now nearly 2 decades into this "social experiment" of allowing handheld mini-computers into our daily lives. Not just adults, but kids and teens too. Throw in iPads, tablets, and ready-to-use laptops at every age, where are we now? Many of us (grownups and kids alike) are completely sucked into our devices:

• autoplaying the next video,
• scrolling scrolling down the suggested path created by stronger and more stringent algorithms than even a decade ago,
• fearing the loss of our "streaks"which brings us repeatedly back every day,
• riding the comparison mentality, stuck in social media with FOMO (fear of missing out),
• neglecting those around us while being addicted to what our online friends have to say,

Then insert AI in here, which makes everything even more complicated, addicted, and fuzzy as to where the blended line separating reality and "fake news" actually exists. All of which leads to an overwhelming state of loneliness and disconnectedness despited the moniker of "social" media.

And none of these features came by accident. Designers and programmers built these devices to act exacty in this way: holding our focus, bringing money to the company through our hijacked attention, and profiting off our clicks. 

And I must admit: I fall just as victim to it as all the rest! I am no better than any of the rest of us. Despit my "tech teacher, book reading" self! It makes us feel weak for getting sucked into the vortex and having no self control. And I'm an adult. What about our kids and our teens and our young adults?

But maybe... just maybe... it's all in the addictive nature of the dopamine-hitting design versus our own willpower. Just like the addictive nature of tobacco. Souds like it's not a fair fight. How are we ever to win? Perhaps though more guardrails that tech companies clearly need to help protect us all, old and small.

What that means is that we all need to both become informed citizens, and then start behaving like them. Advocate for safer design and legislation--especially those that protect our kids. That might look like taking action, signing petitions, or voicing your concerns to your community.

Additionally, we the parents, educators, and consumers all need to step up and fight the addictive nature and parent both ourselves and our children. This can also do include:

• Turning off all non-essential notifications to help us become less connected to our devices.
• Eliminating "tech-grazing time" by building in more boundaries in our homes and schools. This could look like "no-phone-zones" or windows of time where we don't use tech. (For example: before bedtime, right when we get up, less multi-tasking on multiple devices).
• Removing the apps on our phones that suck us in the quickest: games, social media, and other ones that get our most addictive attention. We need to break our own bad habits.
• Carefully curating your feed. Make it a space of inspiration, not gloomy news or topics that lend toward depression or anxiety, pulling you deeper into doomscrolling.
• Building in time limits on your kids devices, and creating opportunities where you "tech together" then play or learn together in no-tech ways too. 

The pull is hard. But it's not just us. The game IS rigged. And now by way of social media's 'Big Tobacco Moment," courts, doctors, researchers, educators, parents, and even some platform designers are saying what maybe we have already felt for a long time: The problems isn't just us or our willpower. The product is flawed by designed to keep us stuck. 

So it's up to all citizens to keep up the noise, the lawsuits, the conversations, the advocating for better guardrails, and the protection of our kids. It's also our role as parents and educators to really speak about how these tools work our brains, hearts, and emotions. Tech is a tool... but it isn't our everything or even a fraction of what is important. People are. That is certainly worth fighting for.

Images from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/march-30-social-medias-big-tobacco-moment-newslitproject-xf2ac/ and https://highschool.latimes.com/news/a-big-tobacco-moment-for-big-tech-the-cost-of-addictive-design/ and Time Magazine cover screenshot from https://onlineexhibits.library.yale.edu/s/sellingsmoke/page/big-tobacco--big-lawsuits and https://www.thetimes.com/business/companies-markets/article/social-media-addiction-lawsuit-tiktok-meta-mark-zuckerberg-5q2mbkmsn

Mother's Day 2026: Let Nature Mother You

Mother’s Day always comes with a fanfare: Hallmark stores, flower shops, advertisements, brunch reservations.... It's a revered holiday with a lot of hoopla, as well it should be! (Says the mother in me! Birthing is hard work, and we moms deserve a lot of credit for the houses we run and the parenting we do on the daily.)

But this year especially, I'm walking into Mother's Day differently, having said goodbye to my mom 4 months ago. We are also in the middle of closing up my childhood home--a family home that predates ME. Estate sales, papers to be signed, packing, real estate agents.... It is a huge memory flood over here. I'm moving that home to my heart where it used to be a house of which I have a key. I’m still figuring out how to carry my mom with me in a world where I cannot call or text her. 

It reminds me that that Mother's Day can come with tenderness and quiet complications for some. "Motherhood" and "mothering" take many shapes. It shows up in the care others offer us and the things we do for others. Aunts, grandmothers, step-mothers, foster families, teachers, mentors, friends, pet mamas, good neighbors, self-kindness...we all mother (and are mothered) in our own special ways. Even if it's tricky or complicated or non-traditional.

In this time of loss for me, I've noticed that nature has been mothering me a lot lately. A beach trip a few weeks ago did wonders for my equilibrium. I've found myself marveling at the birds and critters that abound. A lot of my gratitude journal points lately have been the warmth of the sun and the flowering of the trees after a really long, hard winter. Mother Earth has reminded me of how therapeutic she really is, especially when we need it. It also reminded me that while grief doesn't really take a holiday, it doesn't cancel out joy. Both can peacefully coexist, simultaneously... which is pretty heavy sometimes for an overthinking gal.

May this spring and this Mother's Day, remind you of all the special memories you cherish--whether it be with your own mother, your mother-figures, your children, or Mother Earth. The good, the messy, and the imperfect. May this "May day" help you "care-forward" (for the planet, for your people, for you) in one of these many ways by letting nature mother you:

•  Take a slow walk somewhere that feels like “home ground.” It might be a backyard, a neighborhood sidewalk, or a local park. Soak in your senses as you walk, taking note of three or more things someone taught you to notice: birds, clouds, the feel of grass, the blossoming flowers, the smell of rain. the warmth of the sun.

• Plant something. A tree in your yard, herbs in a pot, or flowers in a community garden. Plant it in honor of someone who mothered you or simply as a thank‑you to the planet that keeps mothering us all.

• Find an old photo (digital or printed) of you and your mom or someone else who's meant a lot to you. Soak in the memories of that space and place. 

• Reach out to someone who has "mothered" you by making that phone call or writing them a note, text, or email. Share with them how much they have meant to you. Send it or pay tribute in a way that is meaningful to you.

• Hug the people or pets in your life you have mothered. Feel it deeply, and lock in the moment.

• If Mother’s Day comes with emotions you can't handle, you always have permission to step away from the noise. Spend an hour outside doing one quiet act of care for you: bird watching, tending your garden, picking up litter, creating art al fresca, or simply sitting under a tree and breathing.

This Mother’s Day, I'm going to try to let nature be the lead. I'm going to try pay attention and be in the moment, soaking up what I can, and honoring the myriad of emotions that pass through (even as they change at any given moment). I'm going to try to be the best mom I can be to my own kids--the furry one too. I'm thanking the universe for the gifts I've been given and the memories I hold. I'm going to let nature mother me... and may she do the same for you.

Happy Mother's Day.

Photo created at Canva.com with my photos.

Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

I recently spent a week breaking up with my childhood home.

Why? Well, it was a one week marathon whirlwind of a week, going thru my ol' homestead because my my mom passed away 2 months ago. All this happening on the cusp of her 86th bday. 

It's the home she and Dad moved into a year after they were married.

It's the home I came home from the hospital from on day "just a couple."

It's the house that's walking distance from my elementary school, down the road from my middle school (which is now a Target), and a bus ride home from my high school....and all the memories in between.

It's the place where friends came, we ran around the neighborhood, we had sibling laughter & snits galore, where my kids came to visit their grandparents, where gardens were planted, parties were had, were suitcases were packed for vacations, and holidays were celebrated with all the traditions.

It's the only childhood home I've known.

It's been the home my folks lived my whole entire life. It's where my mom lived 6 decades of her own, with 45 years of that being with my dad before he passed away in 2011. 

It's now the home that's down the road from the cemetery where they both are, the home that is 6 states away from the home in which I now live. 

During my week of discovery, it was not at all surprising that this house holds a lot of stuff. Those 60 years of stuff... and it's not a small house. Mom was really good at collecting and organizing. What I've learned over my own lifetime: if you are good at organizing, you can pack a whole lot in. It's true here.

It's hard saying goodbye to a house. Goodbye to a lifetime of memories. Goodbye to lots of "stuff." Sentimental stuff and the other stuff. Stuff that crops up one of a gazillion memories. Emotional landmines abound. Boxes of photos and scrapbooks (so many scrapbooks) need to be "just packed for now" because there's so many memories, and not enough time in only a week to go thru it all. So those boxes you carefully pack become the emotional landmines you take with you for another day--to your own overstuffed house to put in your own overstuffed corners of way too much stuff.

Ironically, I landed on this article just a few days after "my week of overhaul/week of discovery." It popped up in my Facebook Feed (don't tell me that FB isn't listening): Millennials Complain That Their Boomer Parents Won't Throw Anything Away. A Psychologist Explains Why." I'm not a Millennial, I'm a GenXer, but a lot in this article here holds true. I saw that in the many attic boxes with my name on it, packed with my old room stuff. Boxes my folks must have packed for me because I literally would not have saved some of this stuff. A small box of homemade confetti?! Seriously, why?! But, that level of scavenger hunt, opening box after dust-covered box, did indeed make me smile (and maybe roll my eyes a bit, with love for my crazy folks). 

It all can't go with you....but it also can't all go in a dumpster. And yes, this environmentalist had a dumpster. Because it's a week, and even with future estate sales ahead, there's stuff that needs to just go in a dumpster. Especially the now empty dust-covered boxes.

It does beg the question: Why on earth are we the collectors of so much stuff?

But it also begs this question in life: How can you not be? Some of the stuff is certainly some of the stuff of life. And the longer the life, the taller the stack o'stuff, right?

Luckily memories work that way too.

So my brother and I packed our Mom's house. We took pictures and videos. We lovingly wrapped and stacked what we wanted and were able to keep...leaving items to go forward in the estate sale. (And maybe leaving a little guilt along with those treasures as well.) Then we trekked them home to be sorted later. For us, that looked like 2 very full, overstuffed SUVs, resulting in loads of tall stacks in my brother's basement, to be revisited at a later date.

As for now, the estate sale was planned and happened and was rather a success. Next, the house went go on the market and after a handful of showings we got an offer and are now under contract. Our hearts are full and saddened with the loss--not only of our Mom but the house we called home even when we were no longer living there. But the memories are full. The momentos are tucked away. The photos are nearby. My heart will carry it all forward, no matter how hard it is to say the goodbye.

Author unknown quote created in Canva.com. Winnie the Pooh image from https://www.skiptomylou.org/winnie-the-pooh-quotes/.

10 Dynamic Eco-Women

March is known as Women's History Month, but who says you only have to pay tribute to women one month of the year? I certainly do NOT subscribe to that! Especially during the month of Earth Day!

This article from BBC Wildlife showcases these 10 amazing women: "10 Women Who Changed the World: The Pioneering Female Conservationists, From Jane Goodall to Sylvia Earle, who redefined Our Bond with Nature by Amy May Holt (10-2-2025). I love the videos that are included on many of these phenomenal environmental leaders.

Image created using www.Perplexity.AI with this prompt: Make a photo montage/collage of these environmental leading women: Jane Goodall, Sylvia Earle, Dian Fossey, Saengduean Chailert, Lily Venizelos, Margaret Murie, Wangari Maathai, Marina Silva, Leela Hazzah, Florence Merriam Bailey.

Happy Earth Day

 Here are some Earth Day words from Jane Yolen to help you center your day...      in the very best way.

Video from https://youtu.be/cx-awEhjsKY?si=MgD4wbXtX9TKmLLJ

Earth Day: Gamified

My students are major fans of Blooket.com, a website dedicated to the gamification of learning new information. Given that, here's my Earth Day Blooket I created to add some Earth Day knowledge to your classrooms! Perfect to play this April, leading up to Earth Day: April 22nd!

Teachers, create a free login at Blooket.com. 

Then invite students to go to the website https://play.blooket.com/ and log in with the game code Blooket generates for you.

Blooket game created by me and can be found here: https://dashboard.blooket.com/set/69baacc06b519e9ae3abb824

Earth Day: April 22, 2026

It's April which means Earth Day is on it's way! For some, it's a day to honor and celebrate the Earth. For others, it's a week. For others still it's a month-long celebration....while for others it's a daily mindset.

I always like to think about "darkening my shade of green" when it come to environmentalism and Earth Day, so here are some great resources to check out to make this Earth Day a memorable one!

🌏 EarthDay.org's official 2026 website is always a go-to source of information. This year's theme: Our Power, Our Planet. Here you can find an event, register your event, or find a wealth of resources at their Earth Hub. You'll find toolkits, ways to take action, online quizzes, news/stories, and fact sheets to take your Earth Day knowledge to the next level.

🌍 Population Education is always one of my favorite websites. I love the way climate, population, energy economy, global interests, and more all intersect to build integrated learning opportunities. Their Earth Day Lesson Plans & Resources are top notch for kids grades K to 12 and are divided along grade level bands.

🌎 Check out the Almanac online for some basic information on Earth Day. Plus, you'll find a short quiz to see just how dark your shade of green is to begin with! Additionally there's 10 suggestions of ways to make Earth Day your own in the way you honor it.

🌏 National Geographics Kids also has a wealth on Earth Day at their site, geared directly for elementary students on a wealth of topics.

Image created at canva.com

Easter 2026 & The Renewal & Resilience of Nature In Springtime

Easter comes every year, for both the religious and the secular folks. For some it might be just a date on the calendar. For those in Christian traditions, it's the resurrection of Jesus after His crucifixion. For others, it's all Easter bunnies, hidden eggs, chocolate, & family feasts. For still others, it's the coming of spring with nature waking up. For many, it is the mix of all. 

From the nature side, Easter is often the world outside your window and the start of Spring: unexpected blooms popping from the ground, the arrival of bird songs at dawn, mud prints from little feet on your kitchen tiles, and sunbeams cascading through your windows earlier than they did the week before. Spring has this quiet way of insisting that life keeps going, even after the meanest of cold seasons... which this year felt true, for sure.

The cyclical nature of ✨nature✨ is a comfort in the way it circles and returns each year. We can count on it. The freshness of the rebirth of warmer weather and longer days can be a comfort--especially for anyone who struggles with seasonal affective disorder and the long, dark, gray days of winter. We are waking up again. Warming up again. 

I find definite comfort and a "coming to life again" during this rebirth season of Spring and Eastertime. There is an additional comfort to that, especially in a time where our national and global headlines can feel heavy. Whether it's political, social, humanitarian, economic, or climate/environmental news, we as a planet of people are living in a time where the many stories can feel overwhelming and exhausting

And yet, even as the TV ticker at the bottom of the news telecast scrolls by with one hard story after another, outside our windows there is a different headline is running. The circle of nature shows consistency, rebirth, and the resilience of nature. People are resilient too. This is evident in the slow, hopeful work that we all do to repair and restore what is broken, what needs healing, what needs attention. That is the message in the biblical story of resurrection and Easter, but it also is the message in every good news story of conservation and environmental stewardship. Regeneration and restoration are real.

For those who are religious, Lent is the 40 day observation prior to Easter to focus on prayer, fasting, reflection, giving something up, or doing something extra. Perhaps this Easter, regardless of whether you are religious or not, we all could celebrate in a similar way, honoring the cycles of life and countering the the weight of the news we hear. Perhaps this Easter we all do something to lift ourselves up, showcase the hope, and do something meaningful outside ourself. Doing it for our hearts, our homes, our community, our planet. A random act of kindness, if you will: 

• Mend one thing. 
• Plant one thing. 
• Protect one thing. 
• Reuse one thing rather than throw it away. 
• Write a letter to someone to show how they made a difference in your life. 
• Share positive messages on social media to purposely make someone's day.
• Take food to someone who could use a helping hand. 
• Volunteer your time helping to beautify a park, pick up sticks from the winter, serve food at a homeless center, read to others at a community center or school.
• Donate to a cause that helps others.

We can’t fix every headline or heal every hurt, but we can choose to be part of the quiet, local restoration that happens in ordinary places with ordinary people. One small deed, one planted seed, one well-written read sharing gratitude may serve as the small, simple act of repair that says, “I see the brokenness, and I’m still choosing hope.” 

Imagine a world if we all did that, and these small gifts lined up side by side, across neighborhoods and nations. They would collectively add up to something bigger than any one of us individually. The outcome would be the creation of a community that keeps showing up for each other and for the Earth, again and again, just like Spring.

April 3rd: Jane Goodall Day

Jane Goodall has been a powerful influence on my environmental development since April 4th, 2008. It was a day after her 74th birthday, and she was visiting my new-to-me school: Gibson Island Country School. It was a Roots & Shoots Fair where she was the keynote speaker at this little school on the Chesapeake Bay, and I wasn't sure how I'd won this lottery. 

I was in awe of her level of serene powerhouse, especially when she made her iconic chimpanzee hoot for all to hear. 

Needless to say, I was quite saddened when she passed away last year on October 1, 2025. She's legendary, heroic, a woman ahead of her time, and was a non-stop agent of conservation and environmental stewardship.

To commemorate her lifetime of planetary achievements the Jane Goodall Institute has marked April 3rd as Jane Goodall Day as a global day of action. This year, she would have turned 92 on her birthday. Going forward, April 3rd will be an annual environmental day of celebration worldwide for this humanitarian and UN Messenger of Peace. A holder of hope, we need Jane Goodall's vision, enthusiasm, grit, and perseverance ... now more than ever!

In honor of Jane Goodall Day, you have two tasks today:

1. Learn more about Jane Goodall Day and Jane's legacy here at the Jane Goodall Institute. 

2. Go forth that day with a "Because of Jane, I will..." attitude of action. What can you do that would be "100% Jane Approved" for your neighborhood, community, world around you? Need some inspirational ideas, try one or more of these, and certainly come up with some of your own:

• Plant a tree, a pollinator plant, or some other local flora to support native wildlife.
• Go on a litter-pick up expedition somewhere in your community.
• Spend time outside taking in nature, sharpening your observation skills. 
• Reduce your plastic consumption by planning ahead with reusables.
• Write a letter/email to your local leaders/politicians to work for environmental protections.
• Learn about endangered species and spread the word.
• Donate to a wildlife conservation organization.
• Share the importance of Jane Goodall Day and her vision with friends and family to inspire others to take big or small actions.
• Spread kindness and patience so that ripple of empathy can move forward to others. We certainly need more of that!

Be inspired by Jane Goodall's spirit of hope and action. Because of Jane, what can you do to continue her legacy? What is one small, specific way you can live differently for this shared planet on April 3rd?

Image from https://www.greenteamgazette.com/2025/10/saying-goodbye-to-dr-jane-goodall.html with my photos taken from Jane Goodall's April 4th, 2008 visit to my school: Gibson Island Country School, which later became named Eagle Cove School; video from https://youtube.com/shorts/RguwGQGLyNY?si=Y0hTEAxdDpvHhUdh, quote image from https://blog.sleepingangel.com/jane-goodall-quote/

Earth Hour Tonight: 8:30--9:30 pm Your Time Zone

As mentioned in my last post, the 20th Anniversary of Earth Hour is upon us: tonight. Be inspired. Be present. Do something in that hour to give it planetary power through commitment, knowledge, thought, education, inspiration, stewardship. Be a part of something bigger than you.

What will you do tonight from 8:30-9:30 in your time zone?

Banner from https://www.earthhour.org/resources/brand-resource-center and video from https://youtu.be/AHhq1PtjANQ?si=D9357S36mKeoRNcZ

20th Anniversary Earth Hour ~ March 28, 2026: Choose Your Studio, Make Your Pledge

Earth Hour is March 2026, 8:30--9:30 pm in your time zone. This year commemorates the 20th Anniversary. What began as the inaugural event in 2007 in Sydney, Australia is now marking two decades as a global, environmental movement.

Earth Hour has always been about one powerful, symbolic act: "switching off the lights for 60 minutes to shine a spotlight on our planet." Over the past 20 years (and the last decade in particular), the call has grown bigger to“Give an Hour for Earth.” This call is to highlight that what we do in that one hour can ripple far beyond the glow of an hour of candlelight. 

This year, instead of treating Earth Hour as a one-size-fits-all event, imagine a Choose-Your-Studio Night. Plan and create a 60-minute creative adventure that begins by design and ends with a plan of attack, a creative commitment, and a pledge to go forward making a difference. 

Some studios to consider... pick one, mix or match, and simply find what fits to make the most of your Earth Hour.

The point is not to “do it all” in one night. The point is to start with an entry point that feels and sounds like you. To provide you with some time for reflectionn or creativity. To help you set a realistic pledge and intention. To inspire you to keep going!  

What studio will you choose? What's your pledge going to be? And what will you be doing during Earth Hour 2026?

Earth Hour image from https://x.com/earthhour; Slideshow created by me https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1-2PcXE3vsn9dBjjQAGoN4A3hcHtI5qdFRLmnf3ccO-Y/edit?usp=sharing

World Water Day: March 22, 2026

World Water Day is an annual United Nations observance that celebrates water, bringing to attention the global water crisis. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) #6 is to achieve safe water and sanitation for everyone by 2030. This year's theme is "Water & Gender: Where Water Flows, Equality Grows." It highlights how gender equality is tied to safe water and water acquisition... and what happens when they’re not. This also ties to SDG Goal #5 through gender equality. Through both of these, the message is clear: safe water and sanitation are rights, not privileges, for all people and all genders.

Unfortunately, women and girls are disproportionately affected by water problems because of many reasons: unsafe or distant water sources, poor sanitation, and the fact that women are often left out of the decisions about how water is managed. Additionally, women and girls in many countries are the ones fetching the water, walking for hours to access the water. This in turn prevents them from being able to attend school or working in a paid position. It also places them in multiple unsafe situations along the journey, leaving them exhausted and more prone to sickness. It also creates additional issues of sanitation during times when girls and women are menstruating.

Despite the fact that access to safe drinking water is a human right, billions of people worldwide still lack access and safe management of water and sanitation services. Globally unsafe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) are responsible for deaths of approximately 1,000 children aged 0-5 daily. 

When communities secure reliable, safe water, and sanitation close to home, you start to see:

• Girls who are able to spend more time in school and less time questing and walking for water.
• Women who are able to take part in paid work, community leadership, and decision-making.
• Health improvements overall--from individuals to families, which then spreads economically in their ability to work and then spreads to their communities. 

By ignoring women’s experiences and their knowledge when it comes to these factors, water systems fail the people who use them most. Women need to be at the table when it comes to these decisions. In doing so, it builds a more hopeful future, one drop of water and one decision at a time.

 To learn more about World Water Day, check out the following resources:

• United Nations World Water Day: Where Water Flows Equality Grows Overview
• UN World Water Day Background Page
• UN World Water Day Fact Page
• UN World Water Day Activation Kit with activities for schools (listed by age ranges), communities, and other ways to actively engage and spread information about the importance of women, water, and safety.
• UN "Where Water Flows, Equality Grows" Posters
• UN Trello page of World Water Day resources 

To find all of these resources in another language, go to the section about 2026 Theme: Women & Gender.

Images from https://www.un.org/en/observances/water-day-new/background-new and https://www.unwater.org/sites/default/files/2026-01/WWD2026_Posters_English.pdf and https://www.instagram.com/reels/CyL1C9IpH91/; Video from https://youtu.be/nFpcoji4gh0?si=e3eyf6aPMCaiZ2OF

A Lesser-Plastic Lifestyle

I landed on these infographics on Plastic Pollution Coalition's February 28, 2026 Facebook Post. These make for great reminders and helpful hints if you are trying to cut down on your own plastic consumption.

For more ways to work on reducing your plastic use, check out these websites:

• The EPA's page "What You Can Do to Reduce Plastic Waste
• Eco-cycle's "Reduce Your Plastic Use page.
• The University of Maryland's Center of Environmental Science "PlasticWatch: What Can I Do" page (which has a wealth of ideas, resources, links and apps to help your quest for a lesser-plastic-lifestyle.

Images from https://www.facebook.com/PlasticPollution/posts/pfbid02rALGPo6wGa91AN2QwUnD5U76GeRxQp3D72hZLyj5oXRHgThsT2WmVnUHCaoTtYzbl

The Four Winds of Change: Connecting the 1930s Dust Bowl & the 2020 Pandemic

A few months ago I listened to the audio book The Four Winds: A Novel by Kristin Hannah. It details the ten-year time period during the Depression and 1930s of the American Dust Bowl. Devastation hit farmers as drought and years of poor farming protocols let the topsoil to just literally go "flying in the wind." Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico all felt the ravaging devastation of this environmental crisis.

Having grown up in the Midwest, I know of those flat lands. Those farmlands. Perhaps that is why I was haunted by this book. I'm sure Kristin Hannah's powerful storytelling ability was also at play. She has a remarkable way of creating characters who rise through the resilience during hardship.

I also was struck by the similarities I noticed on the human impact of both the Dust Bowl (a major environmental issue nearly a century ago) and the COVID-19 pandemic (just 6 years ago in 2020): 

• There was economic fallout as people lost their jobs. Likewise, the ability to find and finance food was an issue due to supply and demand and availability issues, not to mention the logistical issues of transporting food. 

• Governmentally, policies needed to be shifted or newly put into place. This often came in both situations with push back and concerns.

• There were health, physical, and medical ramifications as as the air around us had the capability of making people ill. People needed to wear masks (or wet bandanas) to assist with breathing during the "black blizzards" of the Dust Bowl, just as we had to wear masks to protect ourselves from the germs of the virus in 2020. "Dust pneumonia" was a medical side effect based on the poor air quality of dust-filled air in the 1930s. Both epidemics resulted in respiratory health issues. Both epidemics resulted in thousands of people losing their lives. Both were certainly a time of a lot of stress.

• Socially, people were impacted in many ways, based on their decisions on how best to stay safe. Community gatherings couldn't happen in the same ways as before. This included schooling. Isolation was an issue. At times in both situations, people may have needed to move due to their circumstances. 

• Prejudice too was a parallel issue during both historic events: the "Okies" on the move to find work during the Depression were greatly looked down upon. Depending on your political slant during the COVID pandemic, you could get grief from friends, family, or neighbors based on how cautious you were or were not: Did you wear a mask? Did you wear it well or haphazardly? Did you scoff at the vaccine and the science that shifted as people learned more? The government leaders chose to make it a political, divisive issue, which created additional grief. 

From an agricultural sense, we have done a lot since the 1930s to farm smarter to maintain soil health over time. Purposely planting windbreaks and cover crops, promoting contour plowing, reducing over-tillage, and improving soil's water retention has made for a healthier culture of agriculture. But we can also see where if funding is reduced in any of these areas or if people use poor farming procedures, we can fall victim to Mother Nature when the rain ceases to fall. Droughts happen. Wind happens. Heat waves happen. Because of all of that, we need to be proactive with environmental policies. Climate change has significantly intensified all of that, and sadly the environment over the last decade or more has become political. 

Sitting here, nearly a century beyond the Dust Bowl, Kristin Hannah's The Four Winds reminds us that history’s lessons are never far behind. Environmental crises (whether dust storms or global pandemics) share a common truth: resilience begins when communities pull together and adapt with empathy, foresight, and innovation. Kristin Hannah's story and the insights we all gleaned in 2020 show us the importance of taking care of each other, honoring science, adapting as needed with resilience. These are some of the same essential traits we need to tackle global issues like climate change, biodiversity, food insecurity, pollution, environmental injustice and more. 

Dust Bowl, montage compiled by Vicki Dabrowka

In addition to reading Kristin Hannah's book The Four Winds: A Novel, you can learn more about the Dust Bowl here:

• Ken Burns: The Dust Bowl (PBS)
• Ducksters: Dust Bowl History
• The Dust Bowl | National Drought Mitigation Center​AAAS: Dust Bowl Wake Up Call for Environmental Practices
• Global Health Now: Covid-19 and Dust Bowl Parallels
• KidsKonnect: Dust Bowl Facts

Kristin Hannah's book cover The Four Winds from https://www.amazon.com/Four-Winds-Novel-Kristin-Hannah/dp/1250178614/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ZHk86GYtgb-Hz7mRQwjXx8OAIGc0VfaIf9tRRJg7KSH5JthzBNBP98Ii1BC8ar-XMWnqYVsq2TCTQI2nYmC6-mD-i2fXx8T03JvX4wd7OOxR27a_Lbp68ftKLGfTyW_ZuHCjC0re_6JBQVDTn4_wym4nJdMj0fBhL2qlHEZfvzJikdojYCFFi4PfXUon9hNpAeXok-MJ6BqKntAtUZxMWDpTbykS5rXW31e5pF1omSA.vQXQoncK9PexFwWoI_s42GHVUSqkc10acC67DGn7d4U&qid=1770577790&sr=8-1

Video created at Canva.com using images from TimelineTheatre's Instagram carousel post from April 14, 2024 https://www.instagram.com/p/C5v6pCzrD8C/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

Story of Stuff & Their Endless Pursuit on Sustainability

I've been a long time fan of The Story of Stuff Project and their many documentaries. Their very first one came out in 2007, and I've been writing about them for awhile.

They have a few new features out in their Movies page of their website. "Reuse Revolution" is fairly new, and their first movie details Okapi Coffee and it's circular economy solution to keep waste out of landfills by encouraging patrons to use reusable cups:

Go to Okapi's website to learn more about where to find participating cafes that are in their network.

I'm eager to see what else Story of Stuff comes up with for their Reuse Revolution series!

In the mean time, here are more of their educational movies you can check out.

• Their 13 video set of their "Story of ..." Movies.
• Their 6 video collection of their plastic pollution documentaries.
• Their 3 video series "Exposed" about Coca-Cola Company's attempts & advertising campaigns, all of which essentially shut down recycling their glass bottles. 
• "Burning Injustice" about incinerators in California and the toxic air pollution they create.
• Their 10 video set on plastic solutions in "Solving Plastics."
• Their set of 5 videos entitled "The World We Need" showcasing activists standing up to make a difference.
• Their 15 video collection "The Good Stuff" where they look at some pollution problems and some potential sustainable solutions that would benefit us all.
• Their 3 video set of "Water Documentaries" about clean water and bottle water sources.
• Their 11 episode series "The Shift" on the coronavirus epidemic of 2020.

With 67 video shorts (as of this writing) over the last 19 years, this is a powerhouse collection of environmental and sustability resources... all just a click away! What a bounty!

Video from https://www.storyofstuff.org/movies/reuse-revolution-coffee-without-the-waste/, image from https://www.storyofstuff.org/movies/the-reuse-revolution/

Things to Love This Valentines Day

It's Valentine's Day! Whether your heart is full with your loved ones, gal-pals for "Galentine's Day," or you are buying flowers for yourself to honor you, today is a day I hope brings you smiles. 

Here are some worldwide eco-wins to love and that are worth raising a glass of your favorite celebratory beverage to toast!

💖 A First For Clean Energy
3 cheers for renewable energy, which for the first time ever is generating more electricity globally than coal. Likewise, solar and wind power grew at record speeds in 2025. Love that it's no longer a hypothetical wish for the future, but a future that is happening and edging out fossil fuels and coal.​ 

💖 Cities and States Are Trendsetting Energy Leaders
What's not to love about states like Connecticut, Maine, and New York who are passing laws to speed up their push toward 100% clean energy timelines. This investment in climate solution will push toward expanding transit and lowering bills. Fun fact: Chicago's Midway & O'Hare airports and a large number of other city buildings are now powered entirely by clean energy. ​​

💖 Wildlife Comebacks For the Win
Once thought to be extinct, the black lion tamarin of Brazil is now counting at about1,800 tamerin-strong. Community-driven conservation and habitat restoration are to thank for that. Communities like the Sri Lanka Centra Highlands are putting in wildlife corridors which are helping to reconnect the leopards to their habitats as communities grow around them but with them in mind! New protections for the penguins in Patagonia are helping to protect their numbers and breeding potentials.​​​

💖 Rewilding Is On the Upswing
​Rewilding is when you let land and nature have the time and space it needs to heal from overusing the land. This is happening in Zimbabwe's Zambezi region where thousands of animals are being moved to enhance the health and biodiversity of their habitat and ecosystem. Another example is in Europe's Rhodope Mountains where animals such as red and fallow deer, wild horses, and European bison are reintroduced in order to create natural grazing and predator-prey relationships. The same is true with Argentina's Iberá Wetlands where locally-extinct specials like giant anteaters, pampas deer, and jaguars, were brough back to help the ecosystem 

💖 Communities Are Leading
Grassroots movements in many locations are working to make a difference to try to reverse harmful policies. Case and point: throughout Latin America, local communities worked to help conserve bird habitat across hundreds of protected areas. Other projects across the Amazon are being community-driven to protect millions of acres of forest. 

💖 Climate Education Is On the Rise
Let's toast states like Oregon, New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, California, and Illinois who are now incorporating climate and sustainability education in their K-12 public schools. Maryland has long had their growing network of certified Green School who are putting environmental education central to their curriculum. We build environmental stewards by weaving climate literacy into everyday life.​

💖 Policy in Action
Environmental policies are starting to show up in many places, really starting to make a positive difference. New congestion pricing in New York City means that vehicles pay a fee to enter the busiest parts of town during peak times. That helps make transit choices will reduce both traffic and vehicular pollution while also having that charged fee go to improving public transit. In other places, climate task forces are creating plans to help mitigate flood or drought risks, tackle heat waves or fire risks, open cooling centers when needed, or providing business incentives for affordable and efficient heat pumps, insulation, or solar panels. Bringing healthier and more affordable solutions is always worth a toast!

💖  💖  💖

So as you celebrate love this year, make sure it's not just about who we love, but how we love the world we live in. Take notice of where we are healing both as people and as a planet. Cheering on not only what's winning in our own life and the things/people we love, but also those on a larger scale. All things flourish that we shower with love!

Control Alt Achieve's Public NotebookLM with AI Policies, Guidelines and Frameworks

Eric Curts from Control Alt Achieve is one of my go-to edtech gurus. Not only is Control Alt Achieve an amazing resource for teachers, he was a dynamic speaker at FETC last year and one of my favorite follows. 

Eric had a recent post entitled Public NotebookLM with AI Policies, Guidelines, & Frameworks from January 20th, 2026. NotebookLM is an amazing tool for using AI to synthesize information. I learned about it last year at the 2025 FETC: The Future of Educational Technology Conference. It's known as a "thinking partner" where you are upload your own documents to use as your data set and you can interact directly with your own set of sources. You can learn more about NotebookLM here.

With his post, Eric included 40 resources (at this time of writing) in his AI Public NotebookLM. Additionaly, he has provided public access to that digital collection. Once inside this NotebookLM, you you can interview the resources through AI to answer specific AI-related edtech questions you may have based on your specific AI-centric goals or guidelines you'd like to create. He's included some of the Studio features of NotebookLM, including an informative podcast created to detail the givven information.

Be sure to click this link to get to his Public NotebookLM with AI Policies, Guidelines and Frameworks. Here you will get his details post that includes the link to get you to this robust resource. You can then ask your own questions and create your own tools to help create what you need for your own school or district. 

I know AI can still be so scary to people out there, but there are so many features about it that can really help you ramp up your productivity. Every teacher out there knows the saying "teach harder, not smarter." This is a classic example of using the tools that are there to help you level up and do just that, maximizing your time in the smartest way possible. Eric's post and public NotebookLM are great for doing just that!

Image from https://www.controlaltachieve.com/2026/01/notebooklm-ai-guidance.html

Google Takeout for Graduating Seniors & Moving Teachers

Moving schools (either as a graduating student or a teacher moving on to another school) comes with a lot. Especially if you are a Google School and you have created a lot of digital files.

I've fallen victim to this: realizing too late that my email/Google Drive was ending sooner than I thought and lost files. This happened to me when Eagle Cove closed down. Realizing a little too late that part of the packing includes those digital files and creations I made along the way! 

For that reason, I got pretty excited when I saw Chromebook Classroom's Facebook post about "Google Takeout" for graduating seniors (and leaving teachers) being able to transfer school documents to a personal account.

This video from John Sowash walks you through how to do it. (Note: As he details in the video, it can take a week or so to process the transfer....so definitely pay attention to timing!)

Video from https://youtu.be/LVF-qyRoKeQ?si=WgpFn1uSRayp3eEK and image created at Canva.com

The Gift of Snow

Waking up to the Wintery Wonderland is always a gift. The world of white abounds and surrounds. And it is still coming down.

I've seen reports of both 35 states being affected, and also ones saying that half the US being under snow storm forecasts for this weekend. That's a lot of people facing a lot of snow. At this writing Sunday morning, the federal government is already closed, but I'm awaiting our county's school district decision. I'm not too worried. 

The pace of life just seems to change when the blizzardarious conditions head your way. You stock up. You settle in. You hunker down. You bundle up and head out to explore--OR--you snuggle in and get toasty in front of a fire or under a blanket. Expectations change and it's all cozy and comfort food and time slows down. Some of it is the novelty and unexpected variety to your normal days, and some of it is just the inability to go anywhere because you are closed in with that blanket of snow and the plows not yet making their way to you. It is a gift. The gift of time.

With my gift, I see books being read. Blog posts being written. Shows being watched. Naps maybe being taken. Soup being made. Maybe a load or two of laundry getting tackled, or even a scary clutter corner or two. But the bar is low, as are the expectations. It's a rather cozy gift indeed....as long as the power stays on! 😉 

How are you going to spend your gift of time and your gift of snow?

Weather map from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/snow-storm-forecast-maps-winter-weather/; banner image created at Canva.com with my snow photos.

Squirrel Appreciation Day: Annually January 21st

One could argue that there is a "day" for everything. They just may be right. This week ahead (and annually), mark your calendar: Squirrel Appreciation Day: January 21st!

This annual environmental day was created in 2001 by Christy Hargrove, a wildlife rehabilitator from Asheville, North Carolina. 

The reason? She wanted to honor these little scampering scurriers who have a harder time in the winter landing on their next food source.

To appreciate our little furry neighborhood buddies, I used this National Wildlife Federation blog post for inspiration to write this "Squirrel" Acrostic! You can always click that link to learn more!

Scampering about our parks, cities, suburbs, and wooded areas,

Quietly going about your business in our backyards...

Under trees, then up in the branches you go on your quests,

In search of your next snack with those seeds and nuts that fall about.

Routinely one of our wildest mammals we see,

Raiding our bird feeders just a little too often.

Energy-crazed and zipping about, revving up our watching dogs,

Letting us all watch, these furry acrobatic squirrels bounding about.

And here's a little National Park Service social media I ran across about a year and a half ago that I tucked away, for this very day! Hope it makes you chuckle!

For the "Learn more" link above, click here to find out more at the National Park Service.

Social Media screenshot from National Park Service: https://www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice/posts/pfbid0aswwaxzHEzJW5u3iXcyqaYHSboKX5ZK7oDABJ19UBGSha9qLBVzA5GWb1CDZGSj5l; Photo from my back yard, Squirrel Appreciation Day image created at Canva.com