Starry Night in the Dark Sky

Jane Taylor's simple rhyme from 1806 still hold true here, now 220 years later. There's nothing like a sparkling star-filled sky above, especially here in the summer. Of course, how much are any of us seeing in our neighborhoods given the light pollution we all encounter.

But imagine what all we would see in deep dark sky. DarkSky International is dedicated to helping you find that. On their website they have over 270 certified Dark Sky Places in 22 countries listed, ready and waiting for you to help you see the stars and all that nighttime nature that thrives under dark skies.

Makes you want to go out stargazing. Find the darkest place you can, or check out a Dark Sky Places to find a Dark Sky Sanctuary, Reserve, Park, Community, or Urban Night Sky Place near you. 

Twinkle Twinkle Image from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txQOWkxTz-A, Protect the Night Image created using Perplexity.ai with this prompt: Use this website to create an infographic about the importance of dark sky locations that are free of light pollution: https://darksky.org/

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.

Warm Hearts & Fresh Starts: A Top 10 List To Wrap Up One Year & Lean Into the Next

A lot of people have an extended break or take extra time off while visiting family over the holidays. That week sandwiched between Christmas and New Years might leave you finding yourself reflective with a bit of extra down time during the holiday. If that's the case, here's a Top 10 list ideas to help you wrap up your year. May it help you ring in the new by finding a merry mix of innovation, nature, sustainability, and creativity to get you living in the moment and making some extra holiday memories as you lean into the new year ahead.

1. Tech-Boosted Wildlife Bingo Walk

Hit the trail with apps like Seek by iNaturalist or Merlin Bird ID or Google Lens and then make a game of winter wildlife spotting. Hot cocoa or movie choice for the Bingo winner!!

2. Unplugged Board Game Bash

Declare one night a phone-free zone. Dust off your Scrabble board, grab the Chutes & Ladders or Candyland, deal out the UNO cards, go for a Yahtzee, or find a new found favorite (maybe one that was recently unwrapped during the holidays), or invent your own!

3. Schedule Your Eco-Resolution Reminders

Program recurring “green prompts” into your own or your family's shared digital calendar (whether that's Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple, or more)—for monthly nature walks, tech-free afternoons, or local volunteering.

4. ABC Outdoor Scavenger Hunt

Enjoy the fresh air while getting a little exercise, hunting out alphabetical finds as you go. Maybe a snow Angel, Boots, Chimney, Dogs and/or Decorations, Evergreen....

5. Gratitude Graffiti

Cover your fridge, a hallway, or one window in sticky notes with little things that brought you joy this year: holiday memories, summer vacations, fun times with friends, popcorn and movie night, beautiful moonlit nights, roasting marshmallows with family or friends.... OR, turn it digital by creating a photo collage or movie of video clips of these sentiments along with photographic proof of the good memories and grateful moments of the year.

6. Green Garland Challenge
Make a winter garland from foraged pinecones, popcorn, leaves, or scraps, then hang it outside for birds to enjoy. The Audobon Society has some great ideas on just how to make some sweet treats for your backyard on their website.

7. Digital Declutter Dash

Grab your phone, iPad, or computer & set our timer for 15 minutes. Ready, set, go: who can clear the most emails or delete the most blurry holiday photos in 15 minutes. Celebrate by putting on some good music and moving, grooving, and doing a happy dance & getting your moves on!

8. Silent Star-lit Night
Take a moment to be in the moment. Bundle up to take a nighttime walk. Spot constellations, listen for the sounds of silence or the city under the streetlights, reflect and reminisce together or go solo. No need for devices, just take in the awe of the night.

9. Curate Kindness
Use your own brainstorming (and bring in your favorite AI platform if you need to) to generate personalized ideas for small acts of kindness you can sprinkle on friends, families, neighbors, and co-workers. Then put them into action, like a secret agent kindness mission. It's a great gift that keeps giving.

10. Digital Dream Board for 2026
Build a solo or shared vision board on Padlet or Canva that collects inspiring eco-quotes, dream destinations, nature wishes, family-personal-or-sustainability goals for the year ahead.

Whatever you do (from this list or from your own imagination), I hope the roll from 2025 to 2026 fills you with both reflection of the past and a ready spirit for what's ahead. 

Image created at Canva.com.

Outdoor Groups Supporting & Celebrating Diversity

I am a firm believer of "representation matters." 

I ran across this Field Mag article on the Children & Nature Facebook page, and felt it was the perfect follow up to my pride Month post: "Pride Month: Out In the Wild." In the article, aptly named "28 LGBTQ+ Outdoor Groups Supporting & Celebrating Diversity in Nature," you get the location, mission, structure, Instagram page, and a donation link to 28 LGBTQ+ friendly organizations. The list is divided into both national organizations and regional groups.

Additionally, from Children & Nature's "LGBTQIA+ Youth & The Importance of Safe, Outdoor Spaces Stat Sheet" (see the side bar on this page), these statistics further emphasize why both representation and finding affinity groups is important: 

• 5% US high school teens are questioning their gender identity.
• 9.5% US teens (aged 13-17) identify as gay, bisexual, or transgender
• LGBTQ+ teens are twice as likely to feel sad, depressed, or a sense of hopelessness than their straight peers.
• 52% people aged 14-24 identified spending time in nature as improving their sense of calm and overal mental health.
• Suicide attempts are 2.5 times higher among LGBTQ+ teens who do NOT feel they are respected for their identity and pronouns than their LGBTQ peers who are.

So what are you into? Hiking? Camping? Adventure trips? Surfing? Snowboarding? Skateboarding? Climbing? Outdoor education? Communing with nature? Connection with a view? Community with a social justice slant? Environmental stewardship? If you are in LGBTQ+ and in need of finding "your people," definitely check out Field Mag's article "28 LGBTQ+ Outdoor Groups Supporting & Celebrating Diversity in Nature." 

Honoring & supporting pride should not be merely one month!

Image from https://www.fieldmag.com/articles/lgbtq-outdoor-groups-nonprofits

Wonderful Ways to Embrace the Summer

The heat and humidity are here, and we are knee deep in the middle of summer. I've already mentioned how this is my time to rebalance my equilibrium. I landed on the amazing Facebook page of Ordinary & Happy, where they have created a lot of lists on a myriad of subjects. I found my favorite 10 of their nature-minded, summer-centric, outdoors-oriented lists. These will help anyone who is starting to get into a summer rut by helping you figure out creative ways to beat the heat and embrace the outdoors, living in the moment with the chunk of summer we have left. I interspersed the lists with some classic summer imagry to give digital viewers a little eco-meditation between lists. How many creative ways can you still get outdoors these last 2 months of summer.

Wonderful Ways to Get Outside this Summer by Vicki Dabrowka

Images created at Canva.com, using Canva images and Ordinary & Happy's Facebook pages https://www.facebook.com/ordinaryandhappy Presentation link: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGrdlXbb1A/ubmcu_vGl5V24clXE88-mg/view?utm_content=DAGrdlXbb1A&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=hb8637527c4

Independence Day & The Declaration of Interdependence

The summer is clipping along and the 4th of July is here. Our nation's birthday. Next year on this date, it will be our country's 250th anniversary of our country's birth.

Where are you on your Civics education? When was the last time you read the Declaration of Independence, written July 4, 1776? If it's been awhile, you can read it here at the National Archives. 

The 4th of July brings with it all the celebration of a national holiday and a day off of work: parades, pools, barbeques, and fireworks. Bigger than that though, it brings with it the ideas central to our nation: freedom, autonomy, self-determination. 

But, in a world growing more complex by the year with digital advancements, AI, social media, innovation, technological growth, environmental issues, climate change, and more--perhaps we're also on the cusp of needing more. Yes, we're celebrating our independence, but maybe there's also a need to celebrate our interdependence. Ways that we are all connected to each other and our planet, requiring not only life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but perhaps also an approach and vision toward shared responsibility. 

In doing so, we take note on how local actions ripple outwardly to our global community. How our stewardship of the Earth is tied not only to our greater purpose but also our greater connection. A vision toward sustainability and how caring for our shared home will impact everyone with the cleanliness of the water, air, the soil that grows our food, and the energy that powers this planet of ours. 

Knowing and understanding this interdependence is what environmental literacy is all about. 

Maybe this holiday as we are thinking about flags, fireworks, and freedom, maybe its time to think about freedom not about standing alone, but standing together. Maybe its worth create your own Declaration of Interdependence by filling in the blanks below, in the style of the Declaration of Independence's Preamble:

Creating a Personal Declaration of Interdependence by Vicki Dabrowka at Canva.com using Canva Code; Top image created in canva.com

Pride Month: Out In the Wild

June. Pride Month. A time to honor our right to joy, resilience, and a reminder

that we all have the right to be free and to be our own personal selves. 

Nothing in nature asks for permission to grow--nor should we feel like

we have to ask for similar permission.

 

Pride month is a month of identity. It's biodiversity in human form. It's a good time to grapple with deeper questions like: Who gets to feel safe? Who gets to be seen? Who gets to belong? The answer is--we all deserve that right. 

The waving rainbow flags are pretty and the parades and events can be entertaining. But more importantly, they are empowering. Just as the planet needs biodiversity to thrive, so do we as humans. There's no thriving in nature on sameness. We need the richness of diversity to keep our food webs and habitats healthy; in doing so, we keep our plants and animal species from becoming endangered or extinct. Our wild variety is what maintains our environmental resilience. Our communities and cultures, like our ecosystems, are the healthiest and most vibrant when varied and diverse. Skin colors, sexual/gender orientations, religious beliefs, and all the differences in between. 

Nature seemingly is neutral--and yet, that isn't always the reality. Politics have creeped into environmental issues in more ways than one--and with the onset of social media, there's certainly way too much politics.

Additionally, the outdoor world isn't as gender-non-specific as you'd imagine. A lot of the outdoor industry is geared to straight, white males. That can make it hard for LGBTQ+ and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) folks to feel comfortable out in nature. Instead, they can feel more "outsiders" than "out in nature-ers." Outdoor spaces may not always feel safe--both physically and as a place to feel emotionally safe to be out and openly queer. Hate crimes are real, and sadly, LGBTQ+ people are at a higher risk of being victims of these.  People not only deserve safe places, but they want and need to feel included, represented, and like they are a part of a community of like-minded individuals...where they are surrounded by connection versus limitations, segregation, or exclusion.

Along those lines, representation and seeing yourself in certain circumstances matter. People matter. Everyone's uniqueness matters. The right to feel comfortable in spaces where you want to be...they matter. Everyone is entitled to the right to be comfortable in their own skin, living a life that works for them, being treated with kindness and respected for who they are. Outdoors or environmental education affinity groups can help to build a more inclusive outdoors, as can the knowledge, the acceptance, and the intersection of LGBTQ+ pride along with racial or environmental justice and outdoor recreation too.

There’s a growing field of study known as Queer Ecology.  Queer Ecology counters the assumption that nature is rigid or binary. There's a lot of fluidity out there in nature: species that change sex (clownfish and slipper limpets) and same-sex partner paired animals (penguins, bonobos monkeys), and male-birthing seahorses. Imagine if we had that level of openness in our human species and greater communities.

So maybe for the remainder of this Pride Month, now that schools are out and kids, teens, and grown-ups alike are all out and about, playing outside more than before, we can celebrate not only the healthiness of nature's biodiveristy but that of our human kind too. Inviting anyone to climb trees, hike trails, and find their space and place in nature, in a safe way, in a welcoming way, in an everyday way!

For more resources that embrace the intersection of pride, planet, environmental & social justice, check out the following:

• National Forest Foundations' article: These LGBTQIA+ Leaders are Creating Space for Pride Outdoors

• Sierra Club's article:  Out, Proud, & Outdoors: 5 Organizations that Help Members of the Queer Community Experience the Outdoors 

• Pride Outside's resource page: Organizations and Initiatives Connecting the LGBTQ Community and the Outdoors

• National Park Foundation's article: Finding Pride Outside: The LGBTQ Community is Overcoming Barriers, Finding Joy, Sharing History, and Creating Space Outdoors

• Children & Nature's Celebrating Pride Month (which includes links to many resources, organizations, and inspirational stories)

• Muddy Paddle Club's post: Why We Need Pride in Outdoor Learning

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Postscript:

This Pride Month post was already in the works when this past Wednesday's decision came out that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is closing the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services program, effective July 17, 2025 (30 days after the announcement).

Timing, as they say, is always everything.

Given this, please take note if you or a loved one need these of a crisis lifeline service, the Trevor Project is here for you. The Trevor Project provides advocacy, affirmation, eduation, and crisis support 24/7 for LGBTQ+ youth. Crisis services include:  

• Lifeline—The only national 24/7 crisis intervention and suicide prevention lifeline for LGBTQ+ young people under age 25, available at 1-866-488-7386.

• Chat—A 24/7 free instant messaging service for LGBTQ+ youth that provides live help from trained counselors, open daily.

• Text—A 24/7 free service through which LGBTQ+ young people can text a trained counselor of The Trevor Project for support and crisis intervention, available daily by texting START to 678678.

• To learn more, go to the Trevor Project's website.

"Biodiversity" image from https://www.muddypuddleclub.co.uk/post/why-we-need-pride-in-outdoor-learning; "Our Minds Matter" from https://ourmindsmatter.org/2022/05/31/lgbtq-minds-matter/, "It's Pride Month" image from https://www.nathab.com/blog/wild-about-pride-the-nature-of-belonging; Trevor Project logo from https://www.thetrevorproject.org/; Pride Month quote picture created at www.canva.com using their Magic Media tools

Lunar Eclipse Ahead: March 13--14, 2025

Mark your calendar, there's a "Blood Moon" ahead. Named due to the red coloring a lunar eclipse offers, it's not as scary as it sounds, however it does come with its own folklore due to the life and times before science figured out what a lunar eclipse is:

• The ancient Incas believed it was a sign of their moon goddess Mama Quilla's being attacked by a jaguar. The noise of howling dogs would help scare the jaguar away and bring back the bright full moon.
• The ancient Mesopotamians hid their king during a lunar eclipse to protect him from danger of attack, parading out a faux king instead.
• In India, it was seen as a bad omen. People covered their food and performed cleaning rituals as a form of protection.
• Native American tribes of Hupa & Luiseno saw the moon as injured or ill, so tribal members would sing songs of healing.
• The people of Togo and Benin in Africa saw it as an argument between Sun and Moon, which helped them put aside old feuds as a sign of reverence.
• Old Testament Christian beliefs tie it to the wrath of God and the beginning of the end.

However, science negates it all. A lunar eclipse is when the sun, Earth, and a full moon all line up, and the moon travels in the Earth's shadow.

We have one ahead here this week during the late night of March 13th and the morning of March 14th. It will be visible in parts of every continent except Antarctica. You can check out a video visualization of the photo below at the NASA Scientific Visualization Studio.

To learn even more about what a lunar eclipse here with SciShow Kids. (Notice, this video is older and details an upcoming 2015 lunar eclipse).

You can also check out these resources to learn more... before going outside and checking it out yourself!

• Space.com: "What is a Blood Moon?"
• NASA.com:  "What You Need To Know About the March 2025 Total Lunar Eclipse"
• Kiddle.co: "Lunar Eclipse Facts for Kids"
• Forbes: ""

This is a screenshot from the Forbes' article on the timing when you might be able to see it in your area of the United States.

Image from https://www.accuweather.com/en/space-news/moon-to-turn-red-wednesday-total-lunar-eclipse/950118 and https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/moon/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-march-2025-total-lunar-eclipse/, and https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2025/03/06/blood-moon-2025-ultimate-viewing-guide-to-north-americas-total-lunar-eclipse/; video from https://youtu.be/_UH_h99CI1Q?si=1oSX06WRrwnvA3Sk

Leaf Peeping 2024

The beauty of fall abounds. I'm underneath a gorgeously brilliant yellow-turning tree as I sit outside typing this morning. Not only is the weather amazing today, but so is the view. These glowing yellow leaves and the fire red trees of fall may be my favorite! I just love the subtlety of change with the colors every day during this time of year.

I ran across this image on Facebook from a meteorologist in my home state of Maryland, marking peak days across the state. Looks like we are hitting the prime "leaf peeping" days as the fall foliage color changes abound. 

Marylanders, you can get the Fall Foliage Report week-by-week here.

If you are like me and can't get enough of the beauty of the changing leaves, here are some resources to check out:

• My own GTG's "Mapping Out Your Quest for Fall Foliage" from last year -- Here there are 2 links to data visualization websites to track nationwide how the leaves look this year on given dates. You can also glean some science along the way.

• GTG's "Fall Foliage 2021" -- Here you can find a link to the Farmer's Almanac and a state-by-state list of when peak colors have peaked, or soon will.

• If you are wondering how climate change affects the leaves, check out this PBS article from September 2023 entitled "How Climate Change is Making Fall Foliage Less Colorful.

In the meantime, get yourself outside and check out some leaves of your own. Watch them fall for a little while--for it IS... FALL! Shuffle your feet and take advantage of hearing the crunch underfoot. Make it be ones of the treats of Halloween Season!

Fall tree image from my camera, map from Justin Berk, Meteorologist's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02v5eMZ4SBdbGJLcjB54RtreEC7L5E33LgmgGVCx8cLgxzrHw1w7x7h2iqhesGu2DAl&id=100044454488732, original image from https://news.maryland.gov/dnr/2024/10/24/fall-foliage-report-for-october-24-2024/

The Art & Science of Going Barefoot

One of my favorites on Instagram to follow is @aesthetic_logophile. The posts are always a pairing of a beautiful scene with an unusual word defined. It's a wonderfully lovely way to pair words and nature, two of my favorite things. 

One I recently came across was "nelipot"--a word I was not at all familiar with (which is the frequent point of this Instagram page and posts).

Having recently come back from the beach, where toes in the sand are a must, it's no surprise it spoke to me. Maybe too because it's Labor Day Weekend, and the last hurrah of summer. The barefoot days of summer (which are dwindling a bit faster each day) just sing of freedom, comfort, and a state of greater relaxation. But I think it also stayed with me because I like to live life barefoot most of the time. I'd work barefoot if I could get away with it!

There's a science behind this, called "grounding" or "earthing." As both names imply, it is all about getting energy from the earth through physically connecting with the Earth via touch. Typically this is done through bare feet, but it also could come via sitting on the ground and placing your hands on the Earth as well. 

Historically as people on this planet, we were more in touch (literally) with the land. Thinking back to the hunters and gatherers, then later the planters, we used to have more direct contact with the soil, the ground, the earth. Yet we all now have become inside people--complete with all the digital distractions that come with it. Further illustrating our collective Nature Deficit Disorder. 

Research has found that by being in contact with Earth's electrons (and unplugging from your indoor, digital environment), you can get benefits including natural antioxidants that help reduce inflammation, lead to better sleep, lower stress and anxiety levels, & improve blood flow and healing. Furthermore, according to WebMD, a 2020 report indicated the health benefits of grounding to "counteract cardiovascular, respiratory, neurodegenerative, and auto-immune conditions, type 2 diabetes, and cancer." All those benefits? Definitely worth a try!

Thinking about it, it's another part of the full sensation of Vitamin N: Nature in that it is another way to engage all your senses in nature. Sights, smells, and sounds are common connections we think of when we think about the benefits of nature. Additionally, we often think of the Vitamin D we get from the sun; but, we often don't think of how energy can come below us. Ironically, according to WebMD, grounding sometimes is called Vitamin G, which adds to our alphabet soup of eco-vitamins!

There also is a whole level of products you can purchase to bring some of that grounding (and its benefits) indoors, but I like getting Earth's energy from the source--being barefoot outdoors and the beauty of the nelipot concept.

I've written about grounding twice before:

• Barefoot Badminton & Exploring the Idea of Earthing (May 28, 2016)
  
• Footloose & Fancy Free--Sans Shoes (July 3, 2019)
  

So next time you've had a stressful day of work (or maybe even this Labor Day weekend), maybe what you really need is to kick off your shoes and stretch your toes in some backyard grass or some beachy sand, soak energy from beneath your feet while maybe even the sun from above. It literally may make you feel more grounded!

Nelipot photo from https://www.instagram.com/aesthetic_logophile/?hl=en, Grounding/Earthing facts from https://www.webmd.com/balance/grounding-benefits, Health benefits image from https://nexusnewsfeed.com/article/consciousness/studies-show-what-happens-to-the-human-body-when-we-walk-barefoot-on-earth-1

4th of July 2024

Happy Birthday America!

4th of July, our country's birthday, is definitely one of our biggest national holidays in the US. 

Parades, picnics, barbecues, flags, festivities, and fireworks all are part of this national celebration.  

Were there to be a red, white, and blue birthday cake, we'd be placing 248 candles on the cake for the country that was "born" on July 4, 1776.

Every 4th I like to post a little something about the holiday:

• ways to celebrate in an eco-friendly way; 
• ways to add a little environmental green to your red, white, & blue routine;
• ways to honor our country by getting outdoors, etc. 

To check out my thoughts on all those topics and what I've written in the past, you can easily go back into the archives for 4th of July. May they serve as inspiration to tie together patriotism and environmental stewardship.

In thinking about what to write this year, I started thinking about the symbolism of our nation's colors, thinking about how they can tie in to both environmentalism as well as the meaning of the holiday. It led me to become a bit philosophical and even include a little play on words:

♥️ Red

The color word "red" is a homophone for the past tense of the verb "to read." As Americans, we definitely should be well-read! My challenge for you is that during this week of our nation's independence, make time and take time to read. Read it all: history, biographies, environmental stewardship, social justice issues, the news, non-fiction, and more. With it being an election year, being informed, well-read citizens is the best present we can give our country!

🤍 White

The color white can symbolize a lot of ideas: purity, honesty, innocence, cleanliness, equality. It even is the color of those racing, chasing arrows on our recycle symbol. All good food for thought. The white daisy photo above reminds me of the adage "stop and smell the flowers." Which of course is synonymous to "live in the moment." This is something that holidays often tend to help us with because they are rare and precious, and we tend to NOT take them for granted, not in the same way we often do during our "regular days." Smell the flowers this 4th of July. Appreciate your holiday. Treasure the gifts of your nation, your friends, your family. 

💙 Blue

Being both the color of the sky and of water, blue is the perfect symbol for "being outside." Take time this holiday weekend to soak up some sun, get some Vitamin N (Nature), and romp around outside. Ground yourself in nature. Unplug. Counter your tech time by spending some time in the great outdoors. Breathe in the beauty that surrounds in the world outside our walls! 

May this Independence Day be filled with many remarkable moments

and memories in the making!

♥️🤍💙      

Images created at Canva.com.

Simple Ways to Make Your Memorial Day More Sustainable

As mentioned in my last post, he semi-official start to summer is Memorial Day weekend. Fun in the sun for everyone. With both summer and the summer holidays of Memorial Day and 4th of July ahead, use these ideas as a way to bring some sustainability into your summer celebrations. (Pssst...these also work for low key summer days too!)

Additionally, for an interesting article about the intersectionality between Memorial Day, social justice issues, and environmentalism, check out EarthDay.org's 2022 post: The Tie Between Environmentalism and Memorial Day

Ideas combined from the two articles: https://www.earthday.org/the-tie-between-environmentalism-and-memorial-day/ and https://kab.org/how-to-celebrate-memorial-day-while-respecting-the-environment/ to create the graphic from Canva.com

Eight Ways To Celebrate Earth Day

Happy Earth Day 2024

If you are still looking for ways to celebrate your Earth Day, here are 8. Take care of Mother Nature today in order to feel your personal impact on the planet!

Erase Plastics in your life! With the 2024 Earth Day theme "Planet vs. Plastics," what can you do to eliminate your own plastics. How long can you go without plastics? A day? A few days? A week? A month? More? 

Also, check out the "End Plastic Pollution Earth Day Calculator" to see just how much you use...and what you can do to eradicate it.

Announce, applaud, admire, accept, and adopt a mindset that kindness, social justice, anti-racism, a sense of community, equality, fair treatment, and the betterment of society are all environmental justice issues. So often, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) populations and lower income/poverty level communities tend to get the negative effects of climate change, pollution, and more.. NIMBY ("Not In My Backyard") is an attitude of influence, prejudice, privilege and entitlement when it comes to polluting factories or landfills "should be over THERE" (aka: not here, in my backyard, where I have to see it and live with it.). Don't be that guy (or gal)! Abandon your prejudices and biases and argue in favor of equality!

Really go all in with all the R's...Repair something or reuse it versus replacing it. Reduce your waste. Refuse to trash something or buy it to begin with. Remove the need to keep up with the Joneses, buying what you don't need. Think responsibly. Act rationally, radically, and rally together, sharing ideas. Remind others of all they can do to help your local and global and planetary community!

Take an online quiz via Gapminder.org. Gapminder is an independent educational non-profit fighting global misconceptions, with their mantra "Upgrade your world view." Use their non-partisan, fact-based tools and teaching materials to get a true handle on what life is like in the world.

Some good Gapminder quizzes to start with include: Global Warming, Plastics in Ocean, Threatened Species, Electricity Access, Water at Home, and many more.

Help out by a nearby park, neighborhood, schoolyard, or stream by going by and staging your own environmental clean up. Remove trash and litter to help create a happier habitat for the plants and animals that live there!

Downgrade your transportation needs for the day. Can you find a better way to get from Point A to Point B? Consider carpooling, biking, walking, or taking public transportation as a cleaner way to get around today, this week, or this month. Downsize your commute and your environmental impact by working from home if you can.

Abandon a wasteful mentality. Turn off the lights when leaving the room. Stop the faucet flow when brushing your teeth. Buy only what you plan on eating so you don't have to worry about cleaning the refrigerator or throwing away old food. Do you need 14 or the same shirt or with one or two suffice. Bring your reusable shopping bags so you don't need single use plastic or paper grocery sacks. Use a real fork or plate versus a consumable or plastic one. Going out to eat? Take your own reusable containers for your leftovers you want to eat at lunch tomorrow.  Argue against that idea that you need extras when you have enough!

Yearn to learn....never stop. "Yomp" as you go and explore nature and the natural world (aka; move quickly and energetically toward your goal with "determination and resilience"). Yield to new ideas that embrace a global perspective, a vision of human connection, and an attitude of environmental stewardship.

Happy 54th Earth Day, everyone! 

Would love to hear what YOU did 

to take care of our planet!

Earth Day sign and letters created with letter frames and pictures on Canva.com.

The Power of Parklets

Funny....sometimes when you run across something for the first time, the next thing you know is that you are seeing it everywhere. 

This is what happened to me regarding parklets.

A parklet is a little do-it-yorself mini park, which urban areas and city dwellers are creating more and more of to counter green up the space, cutting down on the concrete jungles of urban areas. They help soothe both our physical and mental health by providing these pockets of green.

I ran across parklets in the the OneTreePlanted article by Gabrielle Clawson entitled Good News! 30 Positive Environmental Stories From 2023, which I used for the creation of my March 6th blog post "Postivtive Environmental Stories for 2023." Parklets was listed as Clawson's #12 item. 

Parklets reminded me of downtown Annapolis during the pandemic. Restaurants took away parking places on the street to bring out planter boxes and more tables so that people could have the restaurant experience while dining outside. String some lights, make it cozy, bring in the greenery, and voila--goregous outdoor seating, with friends and family, for safer, accessible, open air dining during Covid times.

Next thing I know, parklets and their nature and health benefits are everywhere!

Parklets started their modest beginning in 2005 in San Francisco, and since then have begun popping up in many different ways. They bring about greater connections and a sense of community. They widen and invite greater outdoor living. It all is part of what makes a community "livable."

Looking for all the benefits parklets provide: Check out any of these articles: 

• Happy Eco New's Parklets: A Small Way to Make Big Cities More Livable
• Guardian's More Flowers, Fewer Cars: The Rewilders Turning Parking Spaces Into Parks
• Georgetown University's Creating Community and a Sense of Place, One ‘Parklet’ at a Time
• Washington DC's Department of Transportation Parklet's Program Guide
• National Association of City Transportation Officials' Urban Street Design Guide

In the market to make your own? Check out Happy Eco New's How to Build a Parklet DIY.

With spring having sprung, makes me want to go out and find a li'l parakeet of my own to go and just soak in the sun, maybe a snack, and enjoy a little people watching along the way!

Images from https://scs.georgetown.edu/news-and-events/article/7858/creating-community-sense-of-place-parklet and https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2023/1/19/baltimore-wants-permanent-parklets and  https://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/citywiseblog/covington-parklets/ and https://www.capitalgazette.com/2019/09/01/parklets-in-west-annapolis/

The Beauty of Each Season: Spring

Spring is my season! The warming of the days. The daylight getting longer. The freshness and color that starts sparking the world. The winter hibernation coming to the end. 

It is the season I wake up. 

The first day of spring this year happened on March 19th. 

I'm always curious why sometimes it's the 21st or the 23rd, and know it has to do with the rotation of the planet and it's tilt, plus throw in a Leap year, and it always shifts slightly. In fact, this year is the earliest it has ever been in the 128 years of recording this data.

But spring is here, and there truly is beauty all around.

Following suit from my last "Beauty of Each Season: Winter," I popped back to @PositivelyPresent's Instagram page and found her graphics on Spring--so whether it is your season or not, my you find some love and lessons in this season!

Images from https://www.instagram.com/positivelypresent/?img_index=1 and spring photos from my camera, compiled in canva.com

Things to Love This February: #FeedTheBirdsDay & The Great Backyard Bird Count

It's that chilly time of year where some parts of the country are blanketed with either white, cold, or a combination of both. This is the time that animals who have stockpiled their food supply may be running low. It's that time of the year where our neighboring nature creatures are start really having a hard time finding find food. This is especially true for our feathered friends. 

Given that and given that February is National Bird Feeding Month, every year on February 3rd is Feed the Birds Day. The first official one was in 1994, proclaimed by Congressman John Porter, encouraging people to hang their bird feeders to offer food to flyer-by. Additionally, you can help by setting up bird baths for drinking water or birdhouses for shelter. 

Also tying in to all this, the Great Backyard Bird Count is held annually for 4 days in February. This year it is February 16-19. The Great Backyard Bird Count gives you an opportunity to be a citizen scientist. Lowest level commitment to participate: find a 15 minute block of time during those 4 days, then record your findings online at birdcount.org. (As I tell my students: you can always do more!!) Your recorded observations will then help scientists get a flavor of the biodiversity in your area, as well as helping to better understanding of global bird populations. You can always learn more at their website.

Whether you are a tried-and-true bird watching aficionado or a casual backyard enthusiast, you can take part during this last leg of winter. Help pump up those extra calories to help them stay warm and help make their search easier. Fill your feeders and embrace that mantra from the 1989 movie Field of Dreams: "If you build it, they will come." Make your backyard a fly-through dinner spot for your neighborhood feathered friends this month, especially here on the 3rd of February!

Video from https://youtu.be/6RdXDGcqHTg?si=DNGto7Y_6fy4HOgR, pictures from my backyard, Backyard Bird Count Logo from https://www.ogeecheeaudubon.org/new-events/2020/2/14/the-great-backyard-bird-count-zyx3g, Feed the Birds Day graphic from https://www.postermywall.com/index.php/art/template/79d7cf62b65886934167e721e61b0e25/feed-the-birds-day-design-template