World Environment Day: June 5th

Annually, June 5th is World Environment Day. Led by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), this date is meant to unite people across the globe to heighten awareness for environmental action.

Eons ago, I submitted a blog post about World Environment Day to try to win a trip to Rwanda that UNEP was hosting in honor of World Environment Day. I didn't win. But it also shows how long this day has been a calendar date of awarenessfor GTG & me..

This year's theme is coined #GenerationRestoration, with the focus on land restoration, ending desertification, and working toward drought resilience.  According to UNEP, an estimated 3.2 billion people are hit hard by desertification. Additionally, droughts are anticipated to impact 3/4 of the world population by 2050. Yikes!

Some featured resources on their website include:

Musical playlists for #GenerationRestoration

A guidebook of solutions of things we can do to make a more resilient planet.

"Weird & Wonderful Fun Facts about Terrestrial Ecosystems" and their Key Messages about this year's theme.

Test yourself by taking the UNEP quiz "How Much Do You Know About Degraded Land, Deserts and Droughts?"

A list of UNEP World Environment Day events, including the mention of the 2020 documentary "Kiss the Ground," now currently a movie available on Netflix. Here's a trailer (narrated by Woody Harrelson):

Additionally, for my teacher friends out there, here are some more classroom resources:

• NASA Express' STEM Connection to World Environment Day
• TeachIt's World Environment Day 2024 Resource
• Larry Ferlazzo's World Environment Day Teaching & Learning Resources from 2021

video from https://youtu.be/Cfl9QVOnRgQ?si=P6WuN-8G4Ynvxc-R and https://youtu.be/K3-V1j-zMZw?si=hSGOqDoB6ghjag4m, logo from https://socenv.org.uk/global-theme-announced-for-world-environment-day-2024/

Visualizing the Ripple Effect of Climate Disasters

I ran across this amazing data visualization graphic on FutureEarth's Instagram page. 

Created by Federica Fragapane (whose entire gallery can be found here). A little bit more digging and I discovered that this visualization goes with Scientific American's February 1st, 20224 article "Visualizing Climate Disasters' Surprising Cascading Effects" by Lori Youmshajekian & Federica Fragapane.

Just like a stone thrown in the water creates a myriad of ripples that go out from the inner circle, this graphic shows the ripple effects that happen with climate change-related disasters. It becomes an extensive and interrelated dot-to-dot. Some of those outer rings of dots connect to surprising effects that one wouldn't suspect like allergies, food insecurity, skin infections, mental health issues, malnutrition and more. 

Everything is connected. Given that, we need to use our connections to make sure to live better. We need to use our human connections to collectively make our planet a better place, and help protect it from the climate hazards that could be ahead if our planet keeps heating up.

Image from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/visualizing-climate-disasters-surprising-cascading-effects/

Maui's Fires and the Climate Tie-In

Once again, we are seeing devastating news of natural disasters with the wildfires of Maui, where approximately 1/5 of the island is in severe drought. In part, this is due to decreased amounts of rainfall in Hawaii over the last 100 years--90% less, in fact, according to scientists' calculations.

The Maui fires are coming on the heels of the March-Summer 2023 Canadian wildfires which were impacting the air quality with their particulate matter in much of the Eastern US and at times the upper Midwest as well. 

Just as the Australian wildfires of 2019-2020 caught global headlines, here we are again. Before that in 2018, the Carr & Mendocino fires of California were ripping through headlines. Wildfires and drought conditions are becoming more and more prevalent.

This isn't just a freak of nature--there is a cause. That cause is climate change and the effects of extreme weather. Especially in a year that is proving to be the hottest on record. After 8 of the last 10 years of maintaining this same record-"winning"-title, we keep heating up--landing with the same "Hottest Year Yet" headline. The cause itself isn't climate change, but rather with raised temperatures and an overabundance of heat, everything dries out, intensifying the fire, and ultimately the devastation.

This information from climate scientist Katherine Hayhoe helps shed some light on just how climate change and massive wildfires are related:

The devastation to communities, landmarks, wildlife, and individuals is immense, horrific, and heartbreaking. To learn more about how to help the people of Maui, learn more at this PBS News Hour article about ways to donate.

One can only hope that out of this tragedy, there can come the tiniest sliver of a silver lining. As more global natural events like wildfires, droughts, or hurricanes happen, mainstream media is FINALLY starting to focus more news time on climate news and our human impact. As more and more people get educated about what is happening in the world, human change hopefully will follow. Through more open dialogue and detailed, science-based information, perhaps legislation and policy will also take place--leading to a global community committed to takinge care of our planet and ultimately each other.

Video from https://youtu.be/00qL_jupv0o, image from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/aug/11/hawaii-fires-made-more-dangerous-by-climate-crisis

Handling the Emotions of a Rough August

August has been a hard environmental month. The start of September hasn't been any better with Hurricane Dorian rearing its ugly this past weekend, dumping copious amounts of water and destruction over the Bahamas, and now moving along the East Coast with its ultimate landing yet to be determined.

What makes it both maddening, saddening, and worse: all of the events of the last month have essentially come at human hands, emphasizing the perils we pose to the planet. A brief synopsis:

1. Iceland's Glacial Funeral
Funerals are always hard. No one likes seeing the passing of someone (or something) important. The same holds true when glaciers cease to exist, all because of a warming that should not be.



2.  The Wildfires of the Amazon
My son was highly perturbed by the lack of news about the fires in the Amazon rainforest. In fact, he brought it to my attention days before it came on the national news front (having seen it along social media). Sadly, the news cycles in a way to show our priorities, and sadly climate change and planetary problems often fall lower on the news hierarchy than a lot of other published pieces.

3. But wait, there's more!
These are the other climate events that have occurred this past summer. Ones that didn't get quite as much news coverage. I ran across them in the August 28th WGBH article "Flooding, Melting And On Fire: 6 Stories That Show The Dramatic Impact Of Climate Change Now" by Emily Judem. In it, along with mentioning the Amazon fires, Judem details 5 other news-worthy climate events this past August. Everyone of them ultimately came about at the hands of humans, over time. Listed here are the main stories Judem shared (but you should read her whole article linked above):

• Miami Is Flooding – The Washington Post, Aug. 8, 2019
• Rhode Island (And The Rest Of The Northeast) Is Heating Up – The Washington Post, Aug. 13, 2019
• Siberia Is On Fire – Vox, Aug. 14, 2019
• Greenland Is Melting – CNN, Aug. 15, 2019
• Alaska Is In Drought (And Also On Fire) – Reuters, Aug. 19, 2019

Judem also mentioned some other "minor," even less-publicized incidences such as home-destroying rains and floods in Freetown, Sierra Leone and destructive wildfires in Indonesia, the Canary Island, Greece, Turkey, and France.

All of this follows NOAA's announcement that July 2019 was the hottest month on record. Hottest. Month. Ever. It's still early in September, so time will tell where August 2019 falls in the record books. And just like the August events listed above, July also had its own climate anomalies.

*Sigh*  It's heavy. And disheartening. And a whole lot of bad news.

* * *

As I was pondering all of this, I was sharing my concerns with a very dear and equally die-hard environmental friend. While we were commiserating via email this past weekend about the weight of it all, I shared with her a text from my middle-school son. Last week he texted me at work asking me if it was true that we only have around 17 months to fix our planet before it's past fixable. That's a lot of weight for someone so young. I answered him as best as I could, but it left me wondering what to do with all of this weight, other than bury my head in the sand or curl up in the fetal position due to the fatigue of such fatalistic news.

Ironically, in the exchange with my friend, we both landed upon the same conclusion--simultaneously, while separate. When we continued our conversation, we discovered that we were (again) of like minds. She stated it so much more succinctly than I did:

"I saw a scientist on NPR last week who was giving all kinds of climate change information, but he was so optimistic. He didn't talk about 'we missed our chance' or 'if we don't do it by this amount of time...' or anything like that. So I got to thinking: why not be optimistic? Anything we do will help to make it less worse. What's the alternative? Why not be optimistic? Not ostrich optimistic. We have to travel through this life until we die. I don't want to spend my time being fearful, regretful, and defeated. We have to keep caring and pushing and doing. And voting."

Yes. I came to that same place of optimism as I was staring at my trees from the happy place of my pool this Labor Day, and again later as I was biking through a local park. We can't get consumed by the doom and gloom--as easy as it feels to land there. We have to embrace the hopeful variety of optimism, because truly, what other choice is there. We have to fight for it by doing everything we can. We need to get outdoors and encourage our loved ones (both our young ones and our older ones) to get outside, to appreciate the beauty and magnitude of our planet. By loving it, we will protect it. By becoming stewards and by building young stewards, we can make a positive benefit. We can create the next generation that may actually be able to show us all how change happens. Perhaps it's in feeling the potential loss that we can all actually reach out, grab it, and protect it like never before!

We owe it to ourselves, our future generations, and our planet itself!


Emily Judem's article which was heavily referenced here: https://www.wgbh.org/news/international-news/2019/08/28/flooding-melting-and-on-fire-6-stories-that-show-the-dramatic-impact-of-climate-change-now;  Video from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrTzejIAsh8
Images from https://climatechange.lta.org/february-2019-ranked-fifth-hottest/ and https://www.cnn.com/americas/live-news/amazon-wildfire-august-2019/index.html and https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/reading-between-the-headlines/201307/the-power-hope and https://maycalendar.net/august-2019-calendar/

Upcycled Dog Toys

We have a rowdy and rambunctious dog that lives with us. He's mouthy--both when it comes to noise (obnoxious barking) and chewing. At times he can be sweet--but that's usually when he's sleeping, or tired. We have a backyard pool that he loves (he is a Portuguese Water Dog) and is a major fan of chasing the tennis ball or some other toy. Those are about the 2 only ways we can wear him out.

I was at Target the other day and got him a little nylon floating Frisbee, thinking that this could make for extended fun, combining his love of fetch with his love of the pool.

That Frisbee seriously lasted less than 3 days. There may be a smidge of life left in it, but not much. Now I have another something that's going to wind up in a landfill.

Clearly, I ran across this resource from 1MillionWomen.com about 3 days late: do it yourself dogger toys. The material of choice: old T-shirts. It makes perfect sense. Who doesn't have an extra, old T-shirt (or 20) laying around? [It reminded me of the braided jump rope I made years ago out of "plarn" (aka: plastic yarn made out of plastic grocery bags).]

What I really liked about the 1Million Women article was their emphasis on how clothing waste "wears" on our environment (pun intended). Especially in the era where everyone is "Marie Kondo-ing" and clearing out all the clothing that is not "sparking joy" in their closets after decades of trying to stay with the fashion trends, fashion waste is a huge thing. Additionally, the water that's sucked into the creation of  cotton clothing makes huge demands on our water supply--especially when some areas are experiencing droughts while other areas struggle with clean drinking water. Makes you wonder if that water is being well-purposed. Upcycling also has a greater value than even donating those old clothes to charities. By repurposing your T-shirts or other clothing, not only have you given your pup a little bit of entertainment, you're saving yourself some money and keeping things from getting dumped.

To make your own dog toys, check out these two sites for directions--your fur-buddy will thank you for it:

• How to: Make Your Own Upcycled T-shirt Dog Toy
• 5 Different DIY No-Sew T-Shirt Dog Toys

All the pictures from my own trusty camera.

Our Hearts Go Out To California

California has had a rough year--with the wildfires of the summer, and intensified by the fires here this month. The Mendicino and Carr Fires of July 2018 had previously been named the #1 and #7 worst fires in California of all time by Fire.Ca.Gov. Those were the ones that caused us some concern when we were planning our San Francisco/Silicon Valley trip this past August. (We were fine and well beyond an area of concern, though locals during our trip talked about noticing the diminished air quality even that far away.)

By mid-month November, Northern California's Camp Fire (northeast of San Francisco and Sacramento) had repacked those July statistics, and was now slated as the deadliest and most destructive fire California has faced. The Woolsey Fire, with its proximity to Los Angeles, has made this one it's own deep concern. Both fires are creating poor air quality for the entire area and both major cities. Additionally, smaller fires pepper other areas of California as well.

This video was posted by The Years Project on November 15. Just 3 days later, numbers of people who had perished in the fire nearly doubled, and well over 1,000 people were missing. The video blames heat, drought (and less snow pack), the jet stream on causing this heightened level of fire outbreak in California. Clearly, climate change is at play as reported by climate scientists and California fire experts (despite our president's assessment &/or opinion).

Here during the season of Thanksgiving, may seeing this turmoil in California serve as moment to shift our own personal perspective to see the wealth each one of us has. May it grow gratitude in each one of our hearts. Additionally, now is a wonderful time to give thanks to the many firemen and women and first responders who have been there all month long, doing the hard work.

May it also serve to strengthen scientific facts: we desperately need to embark on a number of innovative ideas to battle climate change to help restore our hurting planet.


Map from https://www.cbsnews.com/live-news/fires-in-california-camp-woolsey-paradise-wildfire-evacuations-death-toll-map-2018-11-18-latest/video from https://youtu.be/_aK_p_jw_OY

World Water Day 2018: March 22nd

We are in the season of environmental days:

• International Day of Forests, Next Wednesday:
• Created by the United Nations General Assembly
• Annually March 21st since 2012
• Earth Hour is coming up: 
• Annually the 4th Saturday of March since 2007
• This year, March 24th--stay tuned for up-coming posts!
• Earth Day is a month away:
• Annually April 22nd since 1970
• Definitely, more to follow!

And then there's World Water Day, which is next Thursday: March 22nd. Celebrated annually since1993, World Water Day is an international observance to bring about active awareness and consciousness about how vital water is to each of us on this planet. Unfortunately, clean, safe drinking water is a commodity which not everyone can access.

The theme this year is "Nature for Water." The focus is on how to use nature to best support our current day environmental concerns for water. Their fact sheet is chock-full of both statistics (like in the video below) as well as some ways nature-based solutions to guide our management of this precious resource.

Here's a video I created using Adobe Spark with images provided on World Water Day's Resource page. May it inspire you in multiple ways to think twice before that long shower or that running faucet while you brush your teeth.

For more environmental days to mark your calendar, check out these 3 sites:

~ Global Stewards Calendar of Global Environmental Events

~ Sustainable Communities Special Days & Dates for the Environment For 2018
~ Wikipedia's List of Environmental Dates

Calendar clip art from http://clipartpen.com/clipart-pen/calendar-eting-pencil-and-in-color-calendar-clipart-55360/; logo from http://worldwaterday.org/, video created on Adobe Sparks with images from World Water Day's Resource Page: https://spark.adobe.com/video/n3uP8TOXpRgGB; 

Jeff Goodell's "The Water Will Come"

Back in January I mentioned that I got a trio of eco-reads for Christmas.

I saved Jeff Goodell's "The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Civilized World." I think I saved it for last because the title is a tad daunting, and too close to Christmas didn't quite feel right for what I knew would be a hard-hitting book.

I read the bulk of it over a three-day period. every chance I got.

On the cover, Elizabeth Kolbert, author of The Sixth Extinction and Pulitzer Prize winner, is quoted as saying "Deeply persuasive and deeply unsettling." Yes, both sentiments are true.

Goodell is an excellent documentarian, a riveting storyteller, and writer with a no-nonsense approach and the facts to back it. I wouldn't say it's a feel-good tale, but I would say it was an excellent read. A necessary read. A mandatory read for all. I know some climate deniers, and I still can't seem to wrap my head around that. He quoted one of my favorite Neil deGrasse Tyson quotes: "The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it."

It's coming folks.

I marked up many-a-passage while reading the book, and it does indeed haunt me. Especially in the wake of the current political climate and administration of the United States, the disappearance of climate science on the governmental websites, and the apparent allergy many politicians have with the words (and science of) "Climate Change."  Goodell addresses this, as the book is quite current--having been published in November 2017.


His topics are many: walled cities (by seawalls), raising cities, floating cities, canaled-cities like Venice, climate refugees, Arctic ice melting, Climate Apartheid (the separation between the wealthy and the poor), temperatures rising alongside with oceans, greater susceptibility to hurricanes and wildfires, leaving for higher and/or safer ground, pollution issues from rising water and sewage situations, the climate leading to security risks, Northern geoengineering, and more.

One of my biggest takeaways is that it's not a matter of "if" climate change is to happen (along with those rising seas)... but more a matter of when and how quickly.

My other big takeaway is that Miami, with it's proximity to the coast and reliance on pricy real estate, may very well be screwed in the next 50-100 years. And Miami is not alone in this.

There are a lot of parallels here with the details Goodell brings up with the ability of many to not access clean water (and some of the water issues I've written about recently). One of my former colleagues (from my teaching days at my uber-green environmental school) said that she thought Water was one of the two main issues we shall face as a global society over the next few decades. (She felt Artificial Intelligence would be the other.)

I will admit: I found myself writing "yikes!" in the margins more than a few times!!

Again, I say it again. Innovation is the answer to our environmental problems. We just might want to start getting a move on it to be able to manage this water crisis in a timely manner.

Add this to your "What to Read Next" list. We all need to be educated. This would be a good book for everyone--especially our public officials!

Book cover from https://www.amazon.com/Water-Will-Come-Remaking-Civilized/dp/031626024X/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8, "Book Snap" photos of my notes in Goodell's book, pages 52 and 170.

The Day The Faucet Dries Up

Cape Town, South Africa is currently between a rock and a hard place. They are at a critical water crisis due to historic drought, leaving their 4 million people fearful about "Day Zero"... the day when the water is done and dry and officially turned off at homes and businesses. Right now that day is slated for May 11th of this year. Less than 3 months away. Scary.

At Day Zero and beyond, citizens will need to hit up one of the 200 ration points in the city to collect water. Daily limit will be set at about 6.5 gallons of water. That's hardly enough for the drinking, cooking, bathing, and toilet use they'll need each day.

Here in America, this is what 6.5 gallons of water get you (you get to pick only one of the following):

• 2 flushes of the toilet
• A 3 minute shower
• 2-3 minutes of running water while brushing your teeth.
• less than 1 dishwasher load.

Or, this graphic from the Water-Use It Wisely Twitter Page is striking (from March 2017)

 But Cape Town is not alone in water crisis. Here are 11 other cities that run the risk of following in the same footsteps:

1. São Paulo, Brazil
2. Bangalore, India
3. Beijing, China
4. Cairo, Egypt
5. Jakarta, Indonesia
6. Moscow, Russia
7. Istanbul, Turkey
8. Mexico City, Mexico
9. London, England
10. Tokyo, Japan
11. Miami, Florida, USA

Striking from that BBC February 11, 2018 article:

"Despite covering about 70% of the Earth's surface, water, especially drinking water, is not as plentiful as one might think. Only 3% of it is fresh.  Over one billion people lack access to water and another 2.7 billion find it scarce for at least one month of the year. A 2014 survey of the world's 500 largest cities estimates that one in four are in a situation of "water stress."According to UN-endorsed projections, global demand for fresh water will exceed supply by 40% in 2030, thanks to a combination of climate change, human action and population growth."

Infographic from https://twitter.com/wuiw/status/840292429756534785, faucet image from https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/day-zero-moves-closer-after-high-water-usage-in-cape-town-20171219

Our Hurricane-Filled Hearts

My heart has been with Florida for the last week. I've been glued to the news about Hurricane Irma, watching the reports, searching out the spaghetti models, studying the changing "cone of uncertainty," stalking social media and the posts of friends and family as they have been prepping for the onslaught of this record-breaking storm.

I know about hurricanes first hand. We had to reroute our wedding 24 hours beforehand due to a power outage of our venue (for both the wedding and the reception) due to Hurricane Floyd in Maryland in 1999. About ten years ago, I lived and taught in the Tampa Bay area for 6 years. Shortly after we moved there, we experienced a tropical storm. I was a nervous wreck. Fast forward a few years, with time and experience of living in Florida, I found myself saying things like, "Oh, it's only a Category 1-2 storm, it's not that bad." Comments like that become part of the Florida culture. Ridiculous words really, ones that sound amazing to anyone who has never lived in an area with frequent hurricane watches and warnings. During the bigger storms, we headed over to the Ft. Lauderdale area to my sister-in-law's family's home. Likewise, they did the same by heading our way when storms were headed towards them.

For Hurricane Irma, my husband's sister's family, along with the estimated 6.3 million other people in Florida, evacuated. However, as Irma moved and tracked more westward, it caused more Floridians to make decisions--without the luxury of as much time. The movement of the storm more westward during its final days put all of Florida in harm's way, at one point or another. My stress level was through the roof, watching and waiting for the storm to hit... and I'm several states away! As a Florida teacher, I remember "hurricane days" off of school--they are not anything like "snow days" (which are far more relaxing). "Hurricane days" leave you with a lot of house prep and work to do--sometimes in beautiful weather where you can't believe you are a day (or hours) away from some potential destruction and disaster. You watch the littlest change in the spaghetti models and satellite tracking. I can only imagine the stress level of my friends and family as they were doing their security measures and boarding up.

On the heels of Hurricane Harvey, while watching the swirling Jose & Katia also out in the water, it begs the question, again, about climate change. I'm comforted to see Miami's Mayor Tomás Regalado pointedly saying to Donald Trump, “If this isn’t climate change, I don’t know what is."

An often-used comment when it comes to connecting hurricanes and climate change is "I'm not a scientist." Well, I'm not a scientist, but scientific facts are facts. Hurricanes form more readily over warmer water, and high water vapor causes more rain which leads to more flooding. Drought also leads to a higher likelihood of wildfires--and the west right now has a bounty of those. At this writing, according to the National Interagency Fire Center, there are 67 actively burning wildfires in Montana, Oregon, California, Washington, Idaho, Colorado, Nevada, Wyoming, Utah, and Alaska. (I purposely arranged them in order of the number of fires, from most to least.)

This short video was created a few days before Irma made landfall on Florida by "Years of Living Dangerously." It puts those scientific facts out there visually and statistically. We need the climate change conversation now. How many more horrific storms will it take to open our eyes?


My heart goes out to the people of Houston, who are still trying to rebuild their city and their lives.

My heart goes out to those who have lost everything due to raging forest fires.

My heart goes out to all of you in Florida who had to evacuate then come home to your new reality.

My heart goes out to those my friends in the Tampa area who were shaking while the wind blew during the night and the rain came pounding down.

My hope is that all of you in Florida and the Islands are safe and comforted by that amidst your loss... and that your loss, in the big picture, is very minimal.

My other hope is that people will start paying attention and tending to our planet before we have to encounter more loss due to harmful legislation and human carelessness.

video from https://www.facebook.com/350.org/videos/1481467578606962/, images from http://www.islandpacket.com/news/weather/hurricane/article172065577.html, http://themostimportantnews.com/archives/hurricane-irma-is-being-called-a-lawnmower-from-the-sky-and-fema-warns-it-will-devastate-the-southeast, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/09/07/heres-how-big-hurricane-irma-compared-florida/644635001/; "Don't Pray--Vote for a Gov't" meme found circulating from many on Facebook.

An Inconvenient Sequel, Revisited

Ever since seeing "An Inconvenient Sequel," I keep revisiting movie points in my mind. (It helps that I have about 3 pages of written notes, front and back, that I took in the dark theater, trying to capture all the #eco information. I can indeed go back and physically revisit those movie points!)

Perhaps it is that the daily news (and noise) doesn't help.

After seeing the movie, I keep pondering where we are.

It's almost like I'm walking on an icy pond: are we at the "tipping point" or the "turning point?" (Two phrases used in the movie.) Or, are we still carefully stepping somewhere in the middle, hoping for the best? It's sort of like that "hope & despair" struggle, which climate change often has us precariously teetering on as well.


After watching the movie...

After seeing the data of "hottest year on record" for several years in a row now...

After seeing images of super storms, hurricanes (especially the damaging effect of Hurricane Harvey this weekend in Texas), "rain bombs," floods, and drought-induced wildfires...

After seeing images of climate refugees who are left with only destruction from these above-mention natural disasters...

After seeing the statistics, facts, and the science reports by experts in the field...



How. Are. We. Still. Here?

Burying your head in the sand like an ostrich doesn't change what's around you. Yet there are so many around us that are doing just that. As if the science is debatable or negotiable.

Insert *sigh* here.

Rather than debating that point though, it comes to the point that we all, as citizens, need to do our part. Al Gore ended "The Inconvenient Sequel" with the following quote, typeset and screen-filling at the end of the movie:

Fight like your world depends on it....Because your world depends on it.

Given that, here's an infographic I created to share a few places to start!

It is through taking action, in both little and big ways, that we can instill change. Cheers to those of you out there who are fighting along side me. May we all have the same resurgence of power that DSCOVR did.


Images from Buncee Windpower/Solutions poster from https://app.edu.buncee.com/buncee/4008141366444e9f84e0227ae48bae6e;"Inconvenient Sequel" Movie Poster from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6322922/; ice pond image from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1241374/What-thinking-Woman-ignores-ice-warning-sign-leads-young-girl-frozen-pond.html; Climate graph from https://www.quora.com/Where-can-I-find-a-list-of-the-scientists-that-believe-that-global-warming-is-occurring-Where-can-I-find-the-scientific-paper-that-says-that-97-of-all-climatologists-believe-that-global-warming-is-occurring; top 10 hottest years graph from http://www.climatecentral.org/gallery/graphics/10-hottest-years-on-record

Global Weirding

Katharine Hayhoe is a climate scientist at Texas Tech. 2017 has proven to be a rough year for climate scientists. The turnout at the People's Climate March in DC in April this year definitely illustrated that!

Katharine Hayhoe is also the creator of a 12 episode video series called "Global Weirding." I told my husband, that the series title speaks to me. Of course, he always teases me for being weird with my #eco & #edtech obsessions, so this didn't surprise him at all. 😊 

The series, produced in coordination with her local PBS station & as part of the PBS Digital Studios, first aired Sept. 28, 2016. They are released every-other-Wednesday. Checking out Katharine's bio, you'll see that she's quite involved with a lot of projects and committees! You can also follow her blog on her website too.

It was on her Facebook page where I learned of the "Global Weirding" episode that she shares with those she knows who are "anti-climate change." She shares that the facts & science alone won't serve your goal since those people counter the idea view it as an innate part of "who they are." Hmmm... I'd guess that serves for other political beliefs as well, which also sounds a little bit like dogmatic American politics this year!

Need even more climate science to feed your soul? Here's Katharine Hayhoe's TEDx Talk from 2015. Of course, it was 2 years ago... and the warming data over the last 2 years has indicated that 2016 was the warmest year on record. And 2017 is tracking the same way. So it is still very relevant. In it, she details the fact that climate scientists have found 26,500 indicators around the world of planetary warming. Additionally, Texas has "enough solar potential to power the entire world two times over." Just think of what we all could do!

 

To check out or subscribe to Global Weirding, go to globalweirdingseries.com which will take you to her YouTube channel. She's working away on Season 2 of Global Weirding, so stay tuned for new episodes to air every-other-Wednesday starting this September.


Global Weirding episode from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkMIjbDtdo0 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nvr8WJwKcIA; TEDx Video from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtrYNGs9oRM; Global Weirding logo from http://www.rewire.org/pbs/not-sure-global-warming-try-global-weirding/

Water Out of Thin Air

"Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat!"  The proverbial catch phrase of a magician. Making something happen when it is seemingly impossibly, out of thin air.

Making water out of thin air feels just as magical, but it's not. It's innovation at it's finest as this movie illustrates.

Not to mention, quite necessary when you consider that 1 in 3 people globally don't have access to clean drinking water.










This turbine, or the WaterSeer (as it is called) condenses water from the atmosphere in a low tech, low cost way that is a win for all. Best part: no added chemicals or power, making maintenance cheap and easy.

To learn more about the specifics of how it works, check out this article and watch the video below.

Video from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPjoNNhTh1o, image of WaterSeer from http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/innovation-wind-powered-device-produce-37-litres-clean-drinking-water-every-day/1/785837.html, Infographic from https://www.canva.com/design/DACCXuzey54/6OdtizxY6UEYjzvvX2YXjA/view?utm_content=DACCXuzey54&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=sharebutton and created by GTG.

MidMonth #Climate Manifesto: 10 Year Anniversary of "An Inconvenient Truth" #AIT10

What were you doing 10 years ago?

(Here's the part where we all start doing our own historic, personal & mental math, figuring out just exactly where we were and what we were doing, way back when.  And hopefully it is NOT a scene similar to the one from the 1989 movie When Harry Met Sally when Billy Crystal [in an attempt to make conversation] asked his young girlfriend where she was when Kennedy was shot, and the pretty young thing answered, "Ted Kennedy was shot?")

So, 10 years ago = 2006.

10 years ago yesterday (May 24th), An Inconvenient Truth came out.  For those of us who lived through the "dangling chad" era of the Bush-Gore Election of 2000, An Inconvenient Truth brought a new light to politics and to Al Gore himself, 6 years later. Seen more as an intellectual than an a fallen future president, Al Gore and his image instantly turned (with the tables) with this movie alone.  Well, at least for those of us in the environmental sphere. "Al Gore for the Win!"...regardless of presidential status.

Given all of this, history leads to hashtags this week as #ait10 is sweeping the Twitter-waves.  Take Action has inspired this hashtag along with the invitation to share our story of our memories and how this pivotal film has hit us--both then and now.

“In this 10th-anniversary year of the release of the film, I am proud of the progress we have made. Solutions are now within reach. But more than ever, there is no time to waste. We must bring these solutions to every corner of the globe.”— Jeff Skoll, founder and chairman of Participant Media and executive producer of An Inconvenient Truth

Here is a good place to follow up on #ait10 and see some pretty amazing video commentary.  Some of the featured speakers:

• Jordan Howard, Jordan Howard, activist, Social Goods Strategist
• Ed Begley Jr., actor and environmentalist
• Bill McKibben, founder, 350.org
• David Suzuki, cofounder, David Suzuki Foundation
• Michael Brune, executive director, Sierra Club
• Tara Deporte, founder and executive director, The Human Impacts Inst.
• Lilly Belanger, program director, No Impact Project
• Davis Guggenheim, director, 'An Inconvenient Truth'
• Gregg Renfrew, founder, Beautycounter
• Nancy Pochis Banks, artist
• and more!

I love watching these commentaries and how this movie impacted each of these individuals.  You see the birth of activism.  It's empowering.  It's what we need.  People being strong, believing in "whatever" it is that they believe in.  It gives passion and purpose to people.  It moves you to be moved.

I am only sad that we are still arguing the existance.  Dan Gutman, children's author and novelist, put it poignantly the other day on Twitter:

Seriously, people.  On the spectrum, what's more important? Our existence or which bathroom we use.  And let's just make sure we are washing our hands, regardless of which bathroom we use!

On this 10 year anniversary, I re-watched An Inconvenient Truth... it's probably my 3rd or 4th viewing ever--but it's certainly been awhile.  Seemed like the reflective thing to do, here, 10 years later.  Again, my eyes opened, and again I pondered... so what if we are wrong,, and the worst case scenario is that we improve our planet. OMG! What if we improve the planet!!?!

For those of you who haven't seen it in 10 years....or forever, you can find it at Amazon and you can rent the DVD at Netflix.  I'm sure you can happen upon it elsewhere as well.

If you're like me, and you can't quite get enough, as it feels like it just propels you to become one with the Earth and your own inner activist, go forth and check out these TED Talks:

• Case for Optimism of Climate Change (Feb. 2016)
• What Comes After The Inconvenient Truth? (Feb. 2009)
• New Thinking On the Climate Crisis (March 2008)
• Averting the Climate Crisis (Feb. 2006)

Images from http://www.postonline.co.uk/IMG/604/91604/10-years-ago.jpg; http://www.postonline.co.uk/IMG/604/91604/10-years-ago.jpg; http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/national/gore-top.jpg; Dan Gutman screenshot from https://twitter.com/DanGutmanBooks?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

World Water Day: March 22, 2016

Since 1993, March 22nd has been a United Nations' internationally-designated day centered around water related issues. This year marks our 24th World Water Day.  It's a day to bring about awareness on the importance of clean water, especially given that approximately a billion people world wide don't have access to clean water.  That one billion people--that's 1/7 of our global population.  That's mighty!

This year's World Water Day theme centers around the power of water and jobs, and their transformative nature to make a difference in lives.  Not only does water quality impact people, but water is vital for all jobs--therefore all employees need both access to quality water as well as fair labor laws. 

For more information, resources, or even donation opportunities, check out the following resources:

• GTG Archives
• UN World Water Day Official Website
• CharityWater.org
• UNICEF

Additionally, you might be inspired to take a break and unplug from your technology by taking the UNICEF Tap Project Challenge.  By opening up UnicefTapProject.org on your cell phone (this is the important part), then NOT touching your phone, you can help the UNICEF donors give funds for water for those in need.  This is open for the entire month of March, and this is what is certainly called a win-win all the way around!

World Water Day 2016 pic from https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cctca93W0AAkMgJ.jpg; Water Infographic from https://twitter.com/UNICEF/status/182937665925169152/photo/1; World Water Day 2016 Video from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJhHUqwtnmY; UNICEF Tap Project video from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI9L3WysWf8,

Bill Nye's Nat Geo Explorer's "Meltdown"

This past Sunday night (November 1st), over at the National Geographic Channel, you could find Bill Nye lying on a couch.  He was stretched back on his therapist's couch, bemoaning how he was feeling with the angst & grief of his planet.  His therapist, Arnold Schwarzenegger, told him that what he is facing is "climate change grief."  Arnold told him (as only "Ahr-nold" can do) that he's going through the 5 stages of mourning about climate change:

1. denial
2. anger
3. bargaining
4. depression
5. acceptance

It is from the couch of the therapist's office that Sunday night's "Meltdown" began, from National Geographics' Channel's show Explorer.

Although the show is a little humorous in places, it certainly isn't humorous about the loss, potential future loss, & subsequent grief we will face if we continue on the trajectory we are currently on.  The stunning quote from NatGeo's own web news article by Michael Greshko states:

"According to the National Wildlife Federation, more than 200 million Americans likely will bear some mental health hiccup because of climate change and related events."

That's a lot of people, and a lot of hiccups.

If you haven't seen the show, check the listings to see if/when it is going to be replayed.
Sunday, Nov. 8th 9 am EST looks like it might be the next time it plays.

In the meantime, check out:

The "Cool It!" Special Issue of National Geographic's Magazine--centered around climate change.  Check out the interactives & online additions here.

.

Video from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEoZV4htuXo, pic from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/10/151131-climate-change-grief-bill-nye-explorer-television/

Water, AJ+, & Their "Running Dry Playlist" @YouTube

We've all heard it before:  "Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink."

Fitting for this oceanic planet of ours where 71% of the earth's surface is covered in the wet stuff. Additionally, according to USGS, the oceans hold approximately 96.5% of that blue liquid gold. But, no one is going to go out and grab a glass-full or a garden-full of oceanic salt water for survival. 

Hence why these stats (though interesting) are less-than-helpful at solving the drought problem.

While solving the drought problem is a doozy, we can begin to tackle it with information.  Here's where my newly-discovered li'l info-gem of AJ+ enters.  AJ+ is a news medium that has made it their mission to change the way we look at news.  Gearing it toward the video-and-visually-minded, social media-oriented consumer, AJ+ tells the news through video stacks, and an active social media presence at YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.  There's also an app for that (both on iTunes & for Android).

Their vision:  

"AJ+ is a global news community for the connected generation. We highlight human struggles and achievements, empower impassioned voices, and challenge the status quo. We bring you the stories that are shaping our world. Do you ever laugh, cry, get angry or inspired? You’ll fit right in." ~ From AJ+'s About Page on Facebook

This month of August, AJ+ is dedicated to the drought and bringing about awareness of water scarcity.
At YouTube, they have created their "Running Dry Playlist" which currently has 12 videos. Some are entertaining--all are informative.  (In fact, the Drought Hack of Lawn Painting was one that came up in the GTG conversation not too long ago.) 

My favorite 2 from the 12 (which was hard to narrow down, as they are all good--I mean, who doesn't want to learn about Water Wars with stop-motion LEGO animation?):

Perhaps if we flood all avenues with this type of environmental conversation, more people will start opening their eyes while simultaneously starting to make a difference! 


Planet Earth pic from http://pmm.nasa.gov/education/lesson-plans/freshwater-availability-classroom-activity; All AJ+ images from www.ajplus.net and AJ+'s Youbtube channel; Videos from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZvaXQ3Sb9g and https://youtu.be/0ZvaXQ3Sb9g?list=PLZd3QRtSy5LPVhmGqHam_a-2EPkyVf5c_