LIGHT ON EDEN

A CHILD SHALL LEAD

2011-08-13T00:17:00.003-10:00

It has been such a LONG time since I felt inspired to write, and much of that has come from a feeling that my voice has not been able to inspire the shift in awareness that I so long for, so why write? But then I hear the voice of this young, INCREDIBLE child, and suddenly I think we ALL need to speak up. The Earth needs ALL our voices, everyone who is willing to be bold, even when it seems no-one is really hearing. Speak up anyway!

One of the final lines in her BEAUTIFUL song: "If we do nothing it will all be gone". Yes Ta'Kaiya, thank you for INSPIRING us to speak out for the Planet! Or sing out, or dance out or even type! Just DO something. But don't stay silent in the face of what is happening. No more "business as usual."

I LOVE what she says in the beginning. Out of the mouths of babes. ENJOY! (click on the picture below)

Help Save Larsens Beach

2011-05-21T23:44:00.004-10:00

Hello my dear friends,

For 2 1/2 years now there have been a group of people trying to keep the forest above my beloved Larsens beach, pictured above, from being cut down and turned into cattle pasture. Many of you have read my other posts about this. Most of the focus in the community has been on maintaining current access, but there is a much more global issue at stake here, which is losing coral reefs all over the world.

Up until now we have managed to stop the rancher, but today the fencing went up at the top of the hill. So we need to ramp up the vigil. It is no mystery that reefs die when the vegetation is cleared from the land above them and they get buried in run-off. This reef has been protected for a long time and is one of the only pristine reefs left on this island. But this is not a local issue. It is global. We are losing reefs everywhere and they are SO important to the health of our oceans.

So I ask for your help in saving a specific one right here in my backyard. Please hold the thought with me that the rancher is stopped and the forest remains intact and the reef remains ALIVE.

Say YES! Thanks for listening.

EARTH DAY 2011

2011-04-22T14:16:00.003-10:00

With all the things happening in the world right now, I have not felt inspired to write for a long time. But how could I let Earth Day go by and not say anything?!!!! Forty one years ago this day was officially declared as Earth Day to bring awareness to what was already happening in the severe altering of this beautiful planet we all live on. But do you know what has happened since then? This is astounding: in the 41 years since that first Earth Day, we have managed to continue altering the Earth more than in all the thousands of years of previously recorded history! Doesn't that blow your mind? In just 41 years. Somehow the message of the first day didn't get through to the majority of the world. The things we were doing then to harm the planet we are now doing even more of. How did this happen? Part of it is simply population. In the last 40 years the Earth's people have gone from 3.7 billion to 6.8 billion!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes you read that right. In just 40 years. It took thousands of years to get to 3 billion, but only 40 years to add another 3 billion. WOW. There is no way the planet can keep up with this kind of growth and demand on her resources.

How do we turn this around? I know that every single one of those 6.8 billion people has choices to make, and every single one of us either helps or harms every day. There is no other planet to move to if we use this one up. So my prayer is that a WILD majority will magically appear that is conscious of how we are altering our home, and that we can shift this avalanche we have set in motion. What if by the next Earth Day it is an every day thing in people's lives to care for Her, not just once a year? This planet has forgiven us for a VERY long time, but now we are starting to see the consequences of the way we have chosen to live. It is time for HUGE changes in our relationship with the air we breathe, the water we drink, and where our food comes from, both land and sea.

PLEASE be part of the change. Before the next Earth Day how far can we transform our relationship with the Planet globally???? ALL people. Not just "environmentalists".

Be part of the healing. Right now. From now on. In EVERY choice. YES?
Thanks for listening, and acting.

SING TO HER

2011-04-22T14:08:00.002-10:00

Today is Earth Day, where our beautiful planet gets honored more than any other day of the year. I invite you to join me in singing a song to Her wherever you are in the world, and cover Her with musical vibrations of Love. Here is my wish, set to music...

ECO WHIMSY

2011-02-28T00:13:00.001-10:00

Wow, it has been a long time since I last wrote, and it's time for something "lighter". Most of the articles I read daily about our beautiful planet are dealing with how things are being desecrated, but every once in awhile I come across something that people have dreamed up to try and help our Earth that brings a big smile to my face, and hopefully to yours too. Here are a few of those moments of whimsy, all related to creating energy from unusual sources.

Dog poo lights.
Yes, it's true. Your dog poops, and you get light. How fun is that?!! There are several dog parks now that have set up incinerators right there at the park that people can scoop up their dog's gifts in a bag, drop it in, and voila: the energy creates power for the lights in the park at night. Think of the possibilities if there was one of those in your bathroom at home...

I-pad tapping.
Some clever person has invented a gadget that attaches to an I-pad to capture the energy from all the tapping on the screen and storing it in a battery to charge not only the I-pad itself but other electronics as well. Suddenly my friend who is trying to get her son to spend less time on the I-pad would in fact tell him to keep on it so she can power her house. Get back on that computer and TAP, I need to cook dinner!

Nightclub boogie.
More brilliance with using energy that we supply ourselves. There are nightclubs with specially rigged floors to harness the motion from all that dancing and turn it into electrical power. Dance marathons take on a whole new meaning. Let's get our groove on to create energy!

Pee Battery.
I couldn't make this up people. Urine is used to create a chemical reaction that powers a battery. Who invents these things? Brings me back to the dog poo lighted park. Maybe we need to put little cups on the sides of the trees and fire hydrants...

TreadMILL.
Do you have any idea how many people are walking every day and not GOING anywhere because they are on a treadmill? So all that energy is not actually propelling your body though space, it is just "wasted". Until now. A gadget has been invented to create power off the constant churning of the machine, and suddenly the name tread "mill" is appropriate. Like an old fashioned water wheel being pushed by people wanting to get fit. Be skinny for a good cause!

I hope you have enjoyed these as I did, and I would love to hear what other clever funny things you have heard about. We need some HUMOR in this quest to help the Earth!
Thanks for listening.

THE QUEST

2011-01-25T23:37:00.001-10:00

I love the word quest. It conjures up visions of long journeys through unknown and magical terrain. I have had many quests in my life, and here are 2 that are calling to me right now:
Continually looking for new ways to do more myself to help and not harm the Earth.
Finding ways to inspire others to do more to help and not harm the Earth.

The first one is so much easier than the second. I have become a voracious reader of online sites that have a wealth of new ideas for being kind to Creation, and I have friends who discover things and tell me about them. I get so excited when someone brings something new to me that I have not yet heard of or thought about to lessen the harm I do. But I have realized that I am very unusual in my desire to constantly find new ways to change my impact. I have some friends and family who welcome what I have to say, and even ASK me for ideas to do less damage. But then there are the ones who not only do not welcome what I have to say, but they somehow turn my efforts into a negative thing. I would like to explore this, because it feels REALLY important to me to not just give up in the face of opposition from people close to me. I recently had a very painful encounter of this kind. It is one thing to encounter animosity from someone you don't know or love, and quite another thing to be confronted with that when it is a person you cherish. And when the subject is something that seems like it should bring you TOGETHER, I am even more mystified. How does this happen?

Most of the people I know love God in some form. Most of the people I know love the amazing things God has created. But if I come to them with something they can to do stop harming Creation, suddenly it is not about loving God or Creation any more, but about me being "negative" or "attacking" them. Let me try an analogy. If you see someone beating up another person, are you "negative" for witnessing that? Are you "negative" for wanting to help the one being beaten? Are you "attacking them" for actually taking action to try and stop the person from being harmed? I see what God has made being damaged. I want to help this beautiful Creation. And I actually dare to take action to talk to the people I see doing harm to try and get them to stop. I have been told I should just work to change the impact in my own life, and not try to get other people to change what they are doing. But staying silent and not asking others to become aware and make new choices feels just like walking away when I see someone being beaten up. Why would I do that? Fear. Not wanting to "get involved". Not wanting to have their anger turned on me. But what are the consequences of NOT saying anything? More damage to something I love and am trying to help. Walking away is the exact OPPOSITE of finding new ways to help. Asking others to shift their choices IS one of the new ways I can help.

We need to find our common ground. We need to work together. We need to recognize that we DO love the same Earth and we can HELP each other to do less harm. And to do that we need to be willing to help, which includes being willing to hear when someone is telling you of something you do that is causing damage. We ALL cause damage every day because of the systems we have in place in our society. I am causing damage right now typing this on the computer, but it feels important enough to do it anyway. The quest is to find more and more ways to do less damage ourselves, and be willing to take action when we see others doing harm. If you are someone who dares to speak up, please don't just give up and walk away because others may turn on you. This Planet is worth taking some risks for. If you are one of the people who believes in God, then I ask you to act from THAT place inside you. Let your love of God and what God created on this Earth be the motivation for finding more and more ways to help and not harm. We need to make it not about the person who is pointing something out, but about the Earth.

Please be willing to find more and more ways to help. Please be willing to listen when someone comes to you with new ways that you can lessen the harm you do. Please be willing to ask others to help too. No more fear. Just love.
Thanks for listening.

SAVING LARSENS AGAIN???

2011-01-19T00:53:00.000-10:00

My dear readers, today the unthinkable happened. After my last post of pure joy, we were all so busy celebrating that this sacred place was saved, and meanwhile the rancher started putting up the fence TODAY. Turns out the surrendering of the DLNR permit was just a foil, because he had a permit through the COUNTY, so he is going ahead with that permit. He was actually down there today and he stated to me his intention to cut down the trees on the hillside and plant grass for cattle. It was SO hard to face him and just listen. The run-off is already 5 times what it used to be on the beach just from the small amount he has already cut, and he's only just begun. I can't imagine what will happen to this important and beautiful reef if he is allowed to do what he wants to. So what we thought was over, is not.

You can imagine where my heart is right now. I had to weep long and hard. So once again I find myself asking for your prayers, in whatever form you do that, to protect this amazing land. Visualize the picture at the top of this page with all the trees STILL THERE. And once more, I look forward to telling you Larsens has been saved, AGAIN! Hold that thought.
E malama i ka heiau.
Hold this land in Sacredness.
Thanks for listening.

LARSENS SAVED!!!!!

2011-01-11T20:49:00.009-10:00

A MIRACLE just happened. One year ago in October of 09 I wrote about my favorite place in the world, a beautiful coastal wilderness, being threatened with immense destruction. If you want to read it: http://lightoneden.blogspot.com/2009/10/saving-larsens.html The post finishes with the line "I look forward to telling you Larsens has been saved!!!" Well, it took a year and 3 months, but we GOT our miracle. Last night I received word that the permit to cut down the forest above the reef and turn it into cattle pasture has been surrendered! Incredible. When I got the news I didn't dance in joy, I sat very still in complete awe. Stunned. But somehow the whales already knew, because when I had been down there at the beach in the afternoon they were having a PARTY! There were DOZENS of them and I have never seen so much jumping in my life. At times there were 2 in the air at once, jumping again and again. Truly a celebration. Well this morning it really sank in, and I rushed over there to tell all the ocean creatures that might not have heard the amazing news, "your home has been saved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I like to think that on some level they understand. Then my own celebration began, and continues still. What a way to begin 2011!!

For those of you who have never been to Larsens this may not mean much. But this place has been a CONSERVATION DISTRICT for decades, and the forest on the hillside above the beach has kept the reef alive. It is the only place on the entire North and East shores where the endangered monk seals have their pups. I'm sure they have chosen it as a nursery because the reef is still protected. All that was about to change drastically. How a permit got issued to create cattle pasture in a conservation district is a complete mystery. But perseverance from those of us that wanted to see it remain protected has at last paid off. It has been long and exhausting in many ways, but entirely worth it!

So if you are actively trying to save something wherever you are, DON'T GIVE UP! Miracles really CAN occur, and one just did. THANK YOU to all of you who have lent your support through this. All the creatures of this place thank you as well. Let's go save some more sacred places!!!!! E malama i ka Heiau. Hold this land in Sacredness. YES!
Thanks for listening.

5 DAYS OF CLARITY

2010-12-13T01:17:00.000-10:00

During my daily swims I often find myself wondering what the creatures are thinking as they come close and look deeply into my eyes. I haven't yet learned to speak "honu" (Hawaiian Sea Turtle), or "seal" or any of the other languages out there in the ocean realm. But recently I had 5 days in sequence where I suddenly felt like I heard what they were saying, and it was SO powerful.

One of the delicious new things in my life is a practice of sacred council. A group of friends gathers in a circle, and a question is posed. In the last council the question was "What is Healing". Then each person gets to address the question through the use of a "talking stick". Whoever holds the stick may speak without interruption, so all others in the circle are just listening. It creates a beautiful and intense focus. I have attended a few of these councils now and they are always juicy!

Near the end of my swim each day is an area by one of the channels to the open ocean where the water gets deeper, about 15 feet, and the honu come and go through the channel so it is a wonderful place to encounter them. They often will swim up to me and circle me, but on the first day of this sequence a council was formed! I had stopped swimming as one approached and it stopped as well, just off to my right. Then another came and stopped to my left, and two more moved in diagonally and stopped, all facing the center of the circle we had formed! I realized the council had formed, but what was the question??? We all hung there for awhile, and then they began to disperse, and I found myself saying "wait, I didn't hear yet"!

The next day in the exact same spot one approached me and swam RIGHT UP TO MY FACE, looked in my eyes, and stopped for a moment. Then it swam off and the next came and did the same thing! And the next, and the next. I know they are trying to tell me something, but what?

On day three I have just had a conversation with a friend who talked about singing to the dolphins and how they LOVE it, so I thought I would try singing to the honu and see what happens. So I get to the magic spot and one swims up to me and I start to sing, and it literally JUMPS away from me in the water! I swear it frowned at me, and swam off. Thinking maybe that turtle was just crabby that day, I decided I would try again, and as 2 more came up to me I began singing again. The exact same reaction! But this time one of them turned to look at me as it swam off and this is what I heard: "What do you think I am, a DOLPHIN?" I started laughing SO hard inside my mask. I finally heard something! And then this revelation came. Turtles are completely silent creatures. Dolphins and seals and whales all make sounds and songs, but not turtles. O.k., so I will communicate in silence with them.

Day 4, and a HUGE ancient honu about 5 feet in length swims right up beside me and touches it's shell on my arm while it is looking deeply into my eyes. Then this enormous question washes over me: "Why are you doing this to my Home". I just started to cry. All I could say was "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Whether that question actually came from the honu, or from my own heart doesn't really matter. Because the answer is the same. I don't know why we are doing this to the ocean. Because we can? Because no-one is stopping us, and we aren't stopping ourselves. We are still dumping toxic chemicals down the drain every day, throwing plastic away every day, burning oil every day, eating seafood even though 90% of fish stocks have been depleted. Because we can. That is why we are doing this to the turtle's home. And the seals, and dolphins and whales. Because no-one is stopping us.

Day 5, and in the same spot there is a SEAL just laying on the bottom motionless tucked up against a coral head. I've never seen a seal do this before, and as I get closer I realize with horror it has what looks like a rope around it's neck. My first thought is it has been tangled in fishing gear, which often happens to the seals, and it has become stuck on the coral head and can't surface to breath. HELP! I have no idea how long it has been there already or if it is even alive, so I dive down to get a closer look, and it opens it's eyes. YES. So it is still alive. Then it begins to slowly move away from the coral head and I realize the rope is not attached to the coral. It swam right up to me and as it got closer I could see it was in fact not a rope but a scar from a rope that had been there, deep and black. And down the left side of it's body was a series of propeller scars from a boat strike, probably when it was entangled and couldn't get away. As it looked at me with those HUGE eyes, I heard a new question: "Do you see what you have done". More tears. Yes, I see. I see.

The addendum to this story came the day after I wrote this down to put it in a blog. Two honu came up to me, one nuzzled right up under my belly, and the other put it's front flipper on my right hand. This time I felt like they were thanking me, and this thought appeared: "We need you to speak for us. We don't have a voice."

I'm sure my experiences with these magnificent creatures are not done, but these are my 5 days of clarity where I finally heard. So I will speak for them. I ask the questions of you that they asked of me.
Why are you doing this to their Home?
And do you see what you have done?

Thanks for listening, and caring.

HEAL THE EARTH

2010-12-08T00:41:00.004-10:00

Well here it is folks. My first original song ever posted to Youtube! Sung for all of Creation.
Bring back the Sacred!
A sense of Holy we must renew.
May it be so.
Thanks for listening.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmmaOYfBPF8

THE 11th GIFT

2010-11-29T22:13:00.006-10:00

My last post was a blog called 10 GIFTS about alternatives in this gift-giving season that bless both the person intended AND the Earth by not harming her. Well I have participated in another one that is SO incredible it gets its own blog! Some of you Internet savvy people may already know of this, and organizations like it, but I'm fairly new to all this global computer connection thing and the wonders it can offer. So here is my new favorite thing.

It's found at http://www.kiva.org/ and the people who dreamt this up need all kinds of extra points from whoever is doling them out. It is a site where you can donate to help people living in poverty in countries all over the world. There are pictures and bios so you can pick who you want your money to go to and read about what they need it for. But wait, it gets better! This is done as a LOAN, so there is a re-payment plan set up! These people are too poor to qualify for loans from a bank, but they need money to help them out for some specific goal. It is empowering people rather than just keeping them in a cycle of poverty. Give them an opportunity and they do the rest. Often someone needs money as a start-up to buy something, and then they can fly! Sweet.

The first woman I gave a loan to lives in Cambodia and makes about 2 dollars a day selling veggies in a market. She was requesting a loan to buy a bike to help carry more produce to the market. Right now she probably carries as much as she can on her HEAD, and walks 10 miles with it! I saw that when I was living in Borneo so I can picture it. The minimum loan is 25 dollars, but honestly what is 25 bucks to most of us? It's one dinner at a restaurant. But to her it is 2 weeks wages. Wow.

But there's even more! When the loan is paid back it goes into my account at Kiva and I can withdraw it if I want to, OR I can use the same money to invest in someone else!!!!!!!!!!!!! Truly the gift that keeps on giving! You don't ever have to invest more money if you don't want to, but with the original gift you get to keep helping more and more people. Incredible. They have gift certificates on the site as well if you are doing the donation as a gift for someone you know, and that person can choose who they give the loan to! I'm so amazed by the whole thing.

So if you are looking for a beautiful gift for someone you love for this Holiday season, or throughout the year for birthdays or whatever, you could give gifts to 2 people at the same time! Someone in your life, AND someone who can use a helping hand. What could be better?
Thanks for listening.

10 GIFTS

2010-11-27T23:32:00.008-10:00

Yesterday was the "official" day when all the shop-till-you-drop craze begins leading up to the big Holiday Season. (Cue the music...) Gift giving is such a BEAUTIFUL thing, but it has become really manic and destructive in our society. People wracking up debt because they feel they have to buy and buy, literally harming others in the quest to get something they think they must have, so much stress, so frantic. How about we step out of all that this year?! I submit some suggestions for a loving and stress free holiday season, helping the Earth in the process. We can give and NOT pollute the land, water and air. YAY!

1. Buy Less.
Seems a no-brainer. The more things we accumulate that we don't really need from people who think they have to buy us "something", the more that winds up in the landfill. While it is really fun to give, most of the gifts now are so destructive to the world we live in. So much plastic! So much manufacturing waste. We don't need to add to that in order to give.

2. Re-Give.
(What an odd sounding word.) There are many things you may have received that you don't use or enjoy that someone else may need or adore! When I was doing my huge "cleanse" to downsize before moving to Kauai, it was so fun finding new homes for things I didn't want to take with me. I thought I didn't have much "stuff" to start with, but it was amazing how much I had to give in my closets. There is an organization online at http://www.freecycle.org where you can get things to give to others for free! Craigslist also has a "free" section under the "For Sale" column. And of course you can post things there you want to give away if you can't find another home for them.

3. Donate.
One of the wonderful traditions started in my family awhile ago is making a donation in someones name to an organization that person would want to support. There is money flowing to a fantastic cause, rather than to a "thing" that sits on a shelf or in a store room. It is exciting to me that the Earth can get extra help at this time of year if people are willing to give in this way.

4. Talents.
When we are kids we make things for people. Like the painting Mom still has hanging and says she likes, or the pot holder she still uses. (Yes, it's true). But who says we can't do this as adults? One of the most delicious gifts I ever got was a 2 hour massage from a professional massage therapist friend of mine. BLISS! Someone may be able to offer tutoring on a computer to another who is lost. (That would be me). Write a poem or song as a gift if you are a writer or singer. I have a friend who is a pianist and donates himself as entertainment for parties as a gift. Is there some skill you have that others could be blessed by?

5. Time.
Even if you feel you are a talent free zone, time is a gift that many can use. Babysit for a couple with kids so they can have a night out. Be a chauffeur for someone who has no car. Clean someones car, or house. (Well maybe not the WHOLE house...). You can create a "certificate" to be redeemed for a certain number of hours of your time. Lots of people need gifts of time!

6. Free Tickets.
Give a subscription to season tickets for something fantastic! Or maybe just a single show of something passing through. A year's admission to a museum, art gallery, arboretum. That gift keeps on giving the entire year.

7. FOOD!
O.K, who doesn't like food? Maybe you want to not like it so it won't tempt you, but you DO. Everyone needs to eat. Making food to give as gifts feels very special to the person receiving. "You made this yourself? Wow." Even if it's not yummy to them, the love that went into it is what is received. Your shopping is no more than a few extra items the next time you are at the grocery store.

8. Re-use.
A lot of the wrapping, bows and bags that things come in can be re-used. I had such a collection of gift bags and bows from packages I got over the years I gave a bunch away on my big "cleanse" and I still have more to use this year. Even the wrapping paper if it is taken off carefully can be used again another year. Just cut off the parts with tape and voila, new paper with no trip to the store. (Just don't give it back to the same person...hee!)

9. Recycle.
There is so much packaging on new products but lots of it can go to recycling rather than the landfill. And all those holiday cards and envelopes can be put in paper recycling. Here in Hawaii they do not have curbside recycling (on an ISLAND!...don't get me started...), but ALL paper can be recycled, and both cardboard AND paperboard, if you know where to take it. Check with your local recycling centers for what they accept. In most places none of it has to go to the landfill.

10. E cards.
Lots of people give cards only at the holidays, and have a HUGE list! But now we have the Internet and don't need to cut down forests any more to send a card. Of course there are cards printed on recycled paper, but they are still made in factories adding to the pollution. We can step out of all of that. There are many online card "stores", and most are free! Even better. The cards can be SO creative, even singing and dancing for the recipient. How fun is that?! So give tons of cards and create no waste. Wow.

I know there are lots of ways not mentioned here to give gifts that don't involve buying at a store and more stuff for the landfill. I hope this list has given you ideas to make your own holiday season this year more loving and stress free for both you AND the Earth! YES!
Thanks for listening.

THANKSGIVING

2010-11-25T01:24:00.000-10:00

It has been just over a year since I started writing LightonEden. A YEAR!!! Wow. That has gone really fast. Much has changed in the last year, and I would like to offer thanksgiving for many things that have happened.

I have no idea how many people have read these posts or how many may have become more aware of their actions and made shifts through reading them, but I would like to give THANKS for all the people who HAVE let me know of changes they have made to help our beloved Earth. I am SOOOO grateful every time someone tells me about some new shift or discovery they have made, so keep talking to me!!!! It gives me hope. And I also give thanks for the ones I don't know about!

I am truly grateful for the dear friends and family that I have who are actively searching for ways to do less harm and are willing to listen to my rants! It is always amazing to talk with someone who "gets" how important it is to everything that exists in this world that we as a species become aware of what we are doing. Thank you for caring enough to act.

I give thanks that environmental issues have become a GLOBAL conversation with more and more people realizing how we must act to help the Earth and do it swiftly. A few years ago "going green" was not the popular phrase it is now. More and more stores are offering CHOICES of things that don't destroy our planet, so as people become more conscious they can shop at the stores they usually do and still care for this place we all call home.

Then there is my Mom. I have been so moved by how determined she is to find ways to be kinder to Creation. This woman does research! I cannot tell you the number of phone calls and letters asking me about some new product to try or telling me of some discovery she has made to make a difference. And there are all the phone calls and letters to stores and companies to ask about Earth friendly products. Makes me squirm with delight. I am so thankful for all of it. YAY Mom!

Lastly, I offer here a song for this Thanksgiving celebration.

We come together to share our Stories
We come together to share our Love
We come together to blend our Voices
This is my Heart Song

We come together to walk in Sacredness
We come together to walk in Peace
We come together to join the Circle
This is my Heart Song

We come together to live in Thankfulness
We come together to live in Joy
We come together to be One Spirit
This is my Heart Song

So to all my readers, whoever and wherever you may be, I give thanks for you, and
Thanks for listening!

RAISING CARE

2010-11-14T23:34:00.008-10:00

Lately I have been watching a lot of videos on enviro things rather than just reading articles, and I keep finding more I want to share. Here is another brilliant one, only 2 minutes long, and so inspiring! (The link is different from what I usually do. Just click on the picture below.) I find it really powerful when it is YOUTH teaching us about caring for Creation. I love this line: "Stop trying to raise awareness, and instead raise CARE"!!!!! YES. I have found what he says to be so true; people may be aware of an issue but not necessarily care enough to DO something. And I cannot even count the number of times someone I am talking with dismisses a harmful action with "I don't do it very often", or "it's not that much". I LOVE when he says "people need to not do it AT ALL!". Tell it like it is J.D.
So how does one inspire care?
Thanks for listening, and caring!

GO WITH THE FLOW

2010-11-05T02:01:00.000-10:00

This gorgeous place that I swim every day has a sign at the top that reads "No Safe Swimming. Deadly unsafe currents have killed 14." So I get a lot of questions when people see me there every day with my swim gear! It is true that it is unsafe, if you don't know how to deal with a strong ocean current and don't know where the channels in the reef are that suck people out to sea. There are days that I can't fight the current even though I swim there daily, so I just have to get out. This daily shifting in the flow of the current got me pondering the phrase "go with the flow". I have read and heard SO many times that we need to learn to go with the flow and not fight it, and if we are not in the flow then we are going the wrong direction. My experience in the water and life has taught me something else.

Sometimes the "flow" is taking you someplace that you don't want to be, or someplace that is dangerous. Like being swept out to sea, or joining the majority in making destructive choices for this planet. In times like these we actually need to work to NOT be swept away by the flow, and find our way out. As an example, my parents just moved to a new city and my Mom called 6 different stores looking for recycled toilet paper so she wouldn't be contributing to cutting down trees! Go Mom! She could have just "gone with the flow" of whatever they had in the first store she went to. Too many people just LET themselves be part of the flow and continue to make choices that are harming themselves and the home we all live on, because it is too much "work" to not do harm, and mainstream society has set up this path that is not aware of the consequences of their actions.

No-one likes being told they are doing harm. When I bring it to someone's attention that they are harming themselves or someone else or the Earth by the enviro choices they are making, there is a large range of responses, from actually thanking me for bringing their attention to whatever it is, to making me the villain for "attacking" them. From me it always comes from the same place, GREAT love and compassion for the harm that is being done and a sincere desire to lessen or eradicate that harm. It never comes from a desire to be cruel to whoever that person is. I have no control over how they perceive my showing them the harm they are causing. I can do my best to be gentle, but their reaction depends on their own mental, emotional and spiritual health and their ability to face difficult truths. Some people actually WANT to know the harm they are doing and welcome someone who is brave enough to help them see it. Others somehow think that in pointing out how they could make different choices to lessen the harm they are doing, that I am being nasty or unkind. It becomes about me, rather than what they are doing, and takes the focus off themselves which is really where it needs to be. There is a HUGE risk in showing people how they are doing harm, because so often they turn on me in very negative ways. I will always be grateful for the ones who don't turn it into being about me, but rather are willing to really look at the harm they are doing and make different choices.

So why do I keep trying to show people they are doing harm when it is so painful and risky? Because I believe it honors the truth that LIFE calls us to. I believe God, or the Life Force, or whatever you want to call that power, does not want us to harm ourselves, others or this magnificent creation. I could just stay silent and observe all the harm being done, but then my silence is part of the problem, not part of the solution. Speaking up is difficult, but imperative if anything is going to change. And so I continue to step out into sometimes very painful interactions, rather than going with the "flow" of what people are doing that is harmful.

I would like to propose something radical. Be one of the ones who swims against the current! Don't just get swept along with the millions of people who "go with the flow" and are not interested in looking at the harm they do. Be willing to look at the harm you do and ways to lessen that. And be brave enough to challenge those around you to make choices that bring healing rather than harm to this Earth and themselves both. Imagine a day when the "flow" of the majority actually sweeps you toward CARING for our beautiful home! Let's build a new current. Will you help?
Thanks for listening.

YOUTH TRUTH

2010-10-30T01:47:00.001-10:00

Here is the video I promised in my last post. This kid is amazing. So full of passion and truth at such a young age. Tell it like it is! He packs a LOT of important information into a short period. Definitely worth 5 minutes of your time. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7Id9caYw-Y

FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD

2010-10-25T00:02:00.001-10:00

One of the extraordinary things about my current life is the ABUNDANCE of food that comes right from my yard on a daily basis. Besides my garden which of course I have to plant and tend, there are dozens of fruit trees that have been here for decades just giving and giving! The picture above is a yard harvest from one day. Beautiful! Since getting so deeply into enviro things, the old adage "you are what you eat" has become so clear and simple to me: what we put in our mouths becomes our blood and flesh and bones. If it goes in our mouths, it becomes part of us, unless we can somehow expel it. What has also become really clear is the circle that we are a part of. What we put into ourselves then travels into the Earth when we eliminate, and what we put into the Earth travels into us when we eat. So simple really, but it seems that most people don't make the connection between their own health and the health of this planet. The following are thoughts about food from a bunch of different articles I have recently read and there is much to ponder here about this circle.

This first one I have to quote directly because it is just so...well you'll see:

"The majority of people in America begin their morning with a cup of tea or coffee and a dose of DDT, malathion, paraquat, diazinon, and a bit of Round Up (sprayed on the plant). Milk or cream comes with acceptable amounts of bovine growth hormone, a shot of antibiotics, and a few steroid molecules for good measure. One or two teaspoons of sugar filtered through slaughtered bone ash prevents it from caking, and a bowl of genetically modified cornflakes carries up to 50 different pesticides just to bring it to the table on this lovely morning." YOWZAH. We are choosing to make this part of our bodies? Hardly seems possible, and yet there is the majority, every day.

We have SO many additives in food now and for quite some time it has become perfectly acceptable by the "masses" to consume all these things every time they eat. But now there are more and more studies appearing linking these additives to all kinds of diseases that are showing up in ever-increasing numbers. By the time the government "proves" the link and acts to remove the additive, great damage has already been done. The following is a list of food and drinks that have been "proven" to be carcinogenic, meaning they can and do create cancer in your body:

Red Meat

Processed sugar

Heavily salted and smoked foods

Farmed fish (wild caught fish has LESS toxins but still has plenty: 100% of fish tested in rivers had chemical poisoning above "acceptable" levels from agricultural chemical run-off. Again, the circle. We spray it on our plants, it goes into the stream or ocean, into the fish, and into us.)

Fries, chips and snacks with trans fats

All charred food

Artificial sweeteners like Aspartame

Excess alcohol

How many of you reading this consume some or all of these things? And how many of you actually WANT to get cancer. I'm sure the answer is no-one wants to. And cancer is not the only disease now linked to food choices. There are so MANY linked to food, from diabetes to heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, Alzheimer's, and on and on. So when does the majority start to connect what they want in health to what they buy in food? I know SO many people that think they can't afford organic food, but they pay HUGE health care bills because of what the non-organic food is depositing in their bodies! So would you rather pay the farmer or pay the hospital? (I must give credit for that last line to a VERY savvy teenager who did an incredible talk about our current food system. I need to post his video for you to see.) The latest research has now discovered that the chemicals sprayed on plants are not just on the surface. They are actually absorbed from the soil through the roots so there are toxic chemicals in the cells of the plants. Yikes.

There is another aspect to this circle of food and that is wasted food. Everyone knows that restaurants throw a lot away, but are you aware of how much food is thrown from U.S. households? The figure is 28%! Astounding. Just 5% could feed ALL the hungry in this country. And listen to this: more energy is wasted from food thrown away each year than is extracted from ALL the oil and gas reserves on U.S. coastlines in the same year. So we are extracting oil to manufacture, package and transport food that is going to be tossed. WOW! I have witnessed this kind of waste with my own eyes. Things get left in the fridge so long they can no longer be used and go in the trash. At the end of a meal all that is left over gets tossed. My niece used to call me "hoover" (affectionately of course) because I would clean up everyone's plate at the end of dinner so it wouldn't get thrown out. Why is it o.k. to throw so much out? Because we can. Because we aren't starving. Because we have money to go buy more. What if everyone suddenly didn't do that any more? What if you eat everything in your fridge before it goes bad and if you can't finish what's on your plate you put it away for another time? Think of the oil that wouldn't have to be pumped out of the Earth to keep this circle of waste going. PLEASE consider this the next time you are upset about an oil spill. How your own food choices are part of this circle.

We really CAN wake up people. And this beautiful Earth NEEDS us to wake up and look at ALL our choices because EVERYTHING we do is part of the circle. Even the cup of coffee or tea to start the day makes a difference. So go make a difference in every meal.
Thanks for listening.

SAVE THE OCEAN!

2010-10-22T00:43:00.006-10:00

This is an absolutely beautiful 5 minute video shot entirely here on Kauai including lots of footage at my beloved Larsens beach! YAY! The baby seal in the film is one of "my" pups that I babysat for. It is titled "Save The Ocean For Our Sake", and was not only filmed and edited, but the original music was written and played, all by the same young man when he was only 16!!!! He is wildly talented. It won the student award at the Hawaii Ocean Film Festival last year, and I was privileged to be there at it's debut. Gabe, who created the entire thing is the son of a dear friend here on Kauai, and there are more amazing films coming from this inspiring young man. Enjoy my island home!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBngyoSPP8M

BEYOND THE SURFACE

2010-09-30T00:28:00.019-10:00

Today I got a new gift in the water I've never seen before. I love that! I was doing my usual late day swim and it started to rain. If you have never seen raindrops from below the surface of the water, it is magical! From under water the surface looks like a solid rippling entity, like a sheet blowing in the wind. When the raindrops hit, rather than just breaking and becoming one with the ocean, the surface forms little cups that get pushed down several inches in little shafts by the raindrop before they blend into the rest of the water. Like upside down splashes! It is fascinating to watch. Well today, the SUN came out while it was raining, and this amazing thing happened. When the raindrops pushed the little cups under the surface, the sun would shine down the raindrop shaft so there were bursts of sunlight in little vertical splashes UNDER the water! Suddenly I was surrounded by hundreds of spontaneous columns of blazing light against the blue of the water. YEEHAH! I've never seen anything like it. And then the thought entered...sunshine and rain means....RAINBOWS! So I popped up above the surface and there was not one but two ridiculously beautiful arcs of color out over the open sea. So do I look at the beauty under the water or above? Decisions, decisions.

After the spectacle was done (sigh), I went ashore and began to clean up from the HUGE north swell that has come in the last few days. Big waves means lots of big trash, not just the small stuff I normally pick up over the summer months, but things the size of a toaster. And lots of them. It just breaks my heart to see all that is floating around out there in the beauty of the sea. But what makes me even sadder is seeing all the people that just walk by it and do nothing. It reminds me of the story in the Bible about the Good Samaritan. All those people in the story that saw someone who had been harmed, and walked by on the other side of the road. I am sure every one of them was a loving human being, but their love didn't come beyond the surface and manifest in helping. There was no spontaneous burst of compassion. It feels like that to me down at the water as I pick up the debris that is doing so much harm to the ocean and the creatures that live there. I'm sure all these people who just walk by it and do nothing are loving people, and would even say they love the ocean, but that love doesn't get transformed into helping her. So how can we get love to move beyond the surface into HELPING?

It occurred to me that people who don't spend time at the ocean have no idea how much washes up every single day, so here is a visual. This is from ONE person picking up on ONE day, on ONE beach, on ONE island in the Pacific. Multiply that by all the beaches in all the seas all over the globe, 365 days a year. Hard to comprehend. And the next day there will be that much again if there are big waves. The bottles in front are filled with smaller bits of plastic as this picture was taken before the big north swell when all the really huge things came in. Someone asked me once what is the point of picking it up if you are just moving it from one place to another. Well in a landfill it is buried and not becoming lunch for some un-suspecting sea creature like a dolphin or a whale or a seal or a turtle that then die from ingesting the poison we have created. Of course the best solution would be to not produce poisonous trash, but we already have, so at least take it where it will do the least harm.

On the first day of the big swell I didn't know it was coming and wasn't prepared with big trash bags. So as I began picking up I very quickly filled what I had with me, and began making piles of trash up out of the high wash line that I could come back and get another time. But there was so much and I had a show to go sing at, so I didn't have time to even move it all up so it wouldn't get washed back out again. I needed to ask for help. So I started asking others if they could please help since I had to go. I started with someone I actually know and talk with regularly, who I know loves the ocean. He was picking up shells and leaving all the trash, and I asked if he could please take some time to pick up the trash in that area because I had to leave. He frowned and said "maybe", and went back to picking up shells. WOW. Then came a couple who when I asked if they could help just gave me another bag so I could pick up more! Funny. And finally a woman who asked what I was "collecting", and when I showed her the trash in my bags and asked if she could please help, she looked at me as if I had just asked her to clean my toilet, and laid back down on her towel. All of them there because they "love" the ocean, and not one willing to help when they see her being harmed. How does all that love stay sequestered and not move beyond the surface of their hearts?

We need the love to come forth and manifest in helping the ocean. PLEASE don't just walk by when you see something harming her. We all need an internal rainstorm to create shafts for light to burst forth beyond the surface in blazes of compassion for our Earth. Anyone know any rain dances?

Thanks for listening.

GOOD NEWS!

2010-09-07T00:30:00.009-10:00

I have good news! We don't hear that very often regarding the damage being done to the planet. But I have some things to share that are good news for our Earth, in the hopes that if you are feeling despair, this may give you a reason to keep reaching for more ways to limit the harm we do. YES! With so much devastation happening to our home right now, it is sometimes hard to not get overwhelmed and feel like there is no point in trying to help. But there IS light that appears.

A big one came when the current administration in the U.S. put a stop to ALL new drilling for oil in the Arctic. WHEW! It is temporary, while they review possible effects of allowing drilling in seas that freeze over, but if enough people are willing to work to get off oil it could become a permanent thing to leave the Arctic alone! I read an article the other day about a recent survey after the Gulf oil spill that revealed 27 THOUSAND abandoned wells just in the Gulf!!!!! Hard to wrap my mind around that. That is our oil addiction speaking, and it's time to change what we are saying. We need to start saying we don't want more wells dug, and we say it with our actions. Words mean nothing if we keep our oil "lifestyles" going full blast. So let's CHANGE what we are saying, by the way we live, and keep the Arctic free of drills!

Another big one came from the International Whaling Commission when they decided to uphold the ban on commercial whaling. Even though whaling still goes on illegally, if the ban was lifted the numbers of endangered whales being killed would have been berserk. The Commission had been lobbied so heavily by those wanting to kill more whales that they were actually considering lifting the ban. WOW. I am soooooooooo grateful they chose to continue to protect these magnificent creatures, some of which we have brought to the brink of extinction already. Keep on protecting what is left!

On a smaller scale, but still significant, the retail giant Costco now has recycled paper products!!!! YAHOOO! Now people who shop there don't have to destroy trees when they buy toilet paper or paper towels in those enormous packages. Anyone who shops there knows things in Costco are hilariously HUGE, so each package makes a big difference. They still have paper products that DO destroy trees there, but at least people who shop there now have a choice. I know people who buy all their bulk items there and would never go to a health food store for toilet paper, so this may have a large effect when you multiply it by the millions of people who shop only there. More choices to save trees!

Another grocery store chain called Big Save is local here on Kauai, but has many outlets serving a lot more people than the health food stores, and they now have biodegradable grocery bags at the checkout! So even if you don't bring your own bag at least you are not walking out with a plastic bag that is toxic to the Earth. In all the times I have shopped there I have NEVER been in a line where anyone else has brought a bag with them, so again this is no small thing when you multiply that by the hundreds of bags going out of those stores every single day. Less poisonous plastic in the world!

Those of you who have read my other posts know that even though these are small islands there is NO island-wide household recycling program here. Incredible. On Oahu they outgrew the landfills and are now shipping garbage to California!!!! (Sorry California.) That seemed a better solution than starting an island-wide household recycling program???? Really? Here on Kauai there are a few depots where you can drop certain items off to be recycled, but they are few and far between, and those who care enough have to store their items somewhere until they can make a trip to the depot. The nearest one to me is 16 miles away! So this is not something people can do daily, and most don't bother to sort and store things, so it all goes in the landfills. So where is the good news in this? Well just this past summer there was a program implemented here on Kauai to put recycle bins next to most public trash bins, so people now have a choice to conveniently recycle when they are in public places! YAY! (I don't know if they have done this on the other islands as well.) But guess what? There is a beach bin between where I live and town that I stop at regularly to remove the stuff that can be recycled, and I thought my job just got easier because it would all be in the recycle bin now. WRONG. (Sigh.) There is trash in the recycle bin every time, and cans and bottles in the trash bin every time. How can this be? People now have a REALLY easy choice to make with no inconvenience, and still don't choose to help. This is amazing to me. But at least you now can recycle in public places, and hopefully more and more people will choose to care, especially when it has been made so easy.

In facing all the damage being done to the planet, I believe we need to notice and applaud the shifts that take place that are helping this precious Earth. These are the things that need to be increased. Let's pay attention to them and give thanks for them, because we need the caring to expand! I'd love to hear what good news for the planet you have witnessed lately, and I invite you to leave a comment below.

Thanks for listening and thanks for caring.

GO LIGHTLY

2010-08-30T01:03:00.019-10:00

Last month I went on an extended trip to the mainland U.S. and Canada and took this picture flying over the mountains of Washington State. Such beauty! I was on 10 flights over the course of the trip, and in 6 airports with some HUGE lay-overs, so I had lots of time to observe people coming and going. I became so aware of how when people travel they tend to abandon the things they would normally do at home to care for our planet. At least I HOPE they care more when they are at home! There really is no way to travel by plane and do no harm, but there ARE ways to do less harm.

I know people who are fairly conscious when they are at home, but that just goes out the window when they are "on the road". Why? Eat out rather than pack a lunch, buy a drink rather than bring a water bottle, buy a magazine rather than bring one with you, and then throw those single use items out. The same goes for food and drink on the plane too. Why is this o.k. when you are away from home? Of course some people do this at home too. Picking up take-out and buying a drink with it, and then throwing it all out. I know some people who get single use take-out EVERY DAY. Sigh. But I digress.... There is an astronomical amount of waste produced in airports every day all over the globe, and I got to see some of it first hand. I talked to one of the women whose job it is to pick up other people's trash, and was commiserating with her on how astounding it is that people throw so much. She changes the trash bins SEVERAL TIMES A DAY! So please pack a lunch and bring a bottle with you to fill at the water fountains.

Meanwhile there is more of an effort by municipalities to put recycle bins in airports which is fantastic!...if people would USE them. I watched over and over as someone would walk up to the bins and just toss something away without even LOOKING at the recycle bin right next to it. Of course some travelers might not read English, but most of the ones I observed were speaking English while they tossed their trash. There was one adorable child of about 7 who made me smile, spending a LONG time reading all the labels on the 3 side by side bins before deciding which one his trash should go in. SWEET!!! Let's have more of that! I was very sad to see that at my own Kauai airport the recycle bins that had been there on other trips were GONE, and when I asked about them I was told they were just putting all the trash together now. Why go backwards once you have started to care????

When I got back home and went to the post office to pick up my mail I was so HAPPY to see they now have a recycle bin for paper where people pick up their mail from the p.o. boxes! YAHOO! Progress for this island. But guess what? There was a woman emptying the trash bin next to the recycle bin and it was completely FULL of paper. So I asked her whether the recycle bin was full and that is why so much paper went in the trash, and she took the lid off the recycle bin and showed me an almost empty bin with 3 pieces of paper. How can this be when they are right next to each other???? She said it's not her job to put the paper in the recycling bin from the trash can, so she just throws it out. So guess what I do now? Every time I go get my mail I take all the paper out of the trash bin and put it in the recycle bins. Why is this so hard people? I just don't get it. I don't go into town much though so it only gets transferred about once a week. I think they should just remove the trash bin and FORCE people to recycle the paper! But then I suppose they would throw other things in there too like their take-out containers! Ayah.

How can we change this? Talk about it for one thing. Talk about what you see with your friends and co-workers. Bring awareness where there wasn't before. One friend of mine is on a campaign to eliminate paper plates from the place she works when people bring in snacks to share. YAY!

If you want to go that extra mile and try to compensate for jet fuel emissions as you travel, this site will guide you to purchase carbon offsets in various ways based on the distance you travel. http://www.terrapass.com/

So I ask you, whether you are just going to the post office in town, or on a long plane trip, please take all your care for the Earth WITH you and GO LIGHTLY. Someone may be watching, and learn from your example!

Thanks for listening.

MAJESTIC PLASTIC?

2010-08-22T00:31:00.004-10:00

For those of you who check this blog regularly, forgive me for my silence. I'm still here! This may be the shortest blog I ever do, but you have GOT to watch this video!!!! It's only 4 minutes long, and is BRILLIANT. Laugh out loud, and then be moved to live differently. Enjoy. And thanks for watching!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLgh9h2ePYw

WHAT NOW?

2010-07-21T00:11:00.013-10:00

With the oil spill in the Gulf continuing for so many months, there are MANY people that are really upset. Unlike other disasters that have lost media attention and therefore the attention of the masses, this one is staying in the spotlight, and people are getting more and more concerned. As horrific as this event is, there is an awakening that I have not seen before. People are not just walking away and going back to life as usual. They are asking questions they haven't asked before and looking for ways to change the oil habit we all have. This is a GOOD thing, rising from the horror of the spill.

I have been SO grateful every day that the water where I live is still clean enough to swim in. But it occurred to me that the plastic I pick up that washes up on the beach each day is also OIL!!!! So there IS oil pollution here too, but just in solid form rather than liquid. AYAH!

We all know that we use oil in our cars and machines, but I recently saw a list of items made from oil that was shocking. The list was published by an oil company as a boast, as in "look how many things in your life we provide for you". This list looks really different now. Look how many things in my life are part of why this oil was being drilled in the first place. As I scanned down the list it was alarming: I have that, and that, and that, and on and on. Have a look for yourself and see what is in your life on this list. (I had to laugh that ballet tights was the very first item!!!)

CLOTHING/TEXTILES
Ballet tights
nylon cord
women's polyester blouses
beads
pajamas
women's polyester pants
bracelets
pantyhose
nylon zippers
plastic hangers
permanent press clothing
dresses
purses
thongs/flip flops
earrings
ribbons
fake fur
windbreakers
sandals
garment bags
shoe laces
rain coats
iron-on patches
sneakers
sweaters
men's nylon undershirts
sofa pillow material
men's polyester shirts
men's polyester slacks
tote bags
umbrellas

OFFICE
Ball point pens
diskettes
thermometer
Ink
computers
typewriter ribbon/cartridges
business card holders
copiers
waste baskets
calculators
printer ribbon cartridges
microfilm
carbon paper
protractor
name tags
correction fluid
ring binder
erasers
rulers
letter divider
scotch tape
magic markers
telephone

SPORTS/HOBBIES/GAMES
Back packs
fishing lures
air mattresses
Polaroid camera
beach balls
fishing poles
hang gliders
vinyl cases
cameras
footballs
glue containers
puzzles
darts
Frisbees
golf ball/bags
shotgun shell casing
ear plugs
knitting needles
waterproof jackets
stadium cushion
earphones
yarn
kites
tennis racket
fabric dye
decoys
life jacket
nylon strings
face protectors
volley balls
model cars
plastic water gun
fishing bobbers
soccer balls
oil paints
parachutes
fishing cylume light stick
earphones
playing cards
photographs
mono filament fishing lines
diving boards
poker chips
goggles
roller-skate wheels
whistles
guitar strings
picks
rafts
ice chests
tents
sleeping bags
pole vaulting poles
motorcycle helmets
skis
rubber cement
plastic flower pots
water skis
hot tub covers
sails
snorkels
monkey bars
photo albums
wet suits
flippers
tennis balls
boats
insulated boots

INFANT/CHILDREN
Acrylic toys
baby oil
laundry basket
waterproof pants
baby aspirin
bath soap
mittens
pacifiers
baby blanket
bibs
rattles
double-knit shirts
baby bottles
disposable diapers
baby shoes
teething ring
nipples
dolls
stuffed animals
baby lotion

MEDICAL
Allergy medication
cotton-tipped swabs
inhalator liquid
Pepto-Bismol
aspirin
first aid cream
lancet for blood testing
pill case
band aids
first aid kits
latex gloves
prescription bottle
burn lotion
glycerin
mosquito spray
rubbing alcohol
chap stick
heart valve replacement
nasal decongestant
surgical tape
syringes
Vaseline
antiseptics
hearing aids
anesthetics
artificial limbs
eye glasses
antihistamines
cortisone
vaporizers
Bactine
oxygen masks
stethoscope
prescription glasses

HEALTH & BEAUTY
cologne
hair brushes
lipstick
permanent wave curlers
perfume
hair color
mascara
petroleum jelly
comb
foam rubber curlers
denture adhesives
shampoo
contact lens/case
hair spray
hand lotion
shaving foam
cough syrup
hearing aids
hair dryers
shoe inserts
dentures
Keri body lotion
face masks
skin cleanser
deodorants
laxatives
moisturizing cream
soap holder
disposable razors
leather conditioner
mouth wash
sun glasses
facial toner
lens cleanser
nail polish
sunscreen
tooth brushes
toothpaste tubes
vitamins
synthetic wigs
bubble bath
soap
capsules

KITCHEN/HOUSEHOLD
vinegar bottles
egg carton
meat trays
trash bags
bread box
freezer containers
melamine dishware
tumblers
cake decorations
jars
microwave divided dishes
utensils
candles
freezer bags
milk jugs
vacuum bottles
coasters
gelatin molds
nylon spatulas
wax paper
coffee pots
ice cream scoops
oven bags
mops
drinking cups
ice trays
plastic containers
fabric softener
detergent
liter bottles
plastic table service
drain stoppers
dish drainer
lunch boxes
pudding molds
sponges
dish scrubber brush
baggies
drinking straws
Styrofoam
paper cup dispenser
measuring cups
Teflon coated pans
table cloths
refrigerator shelves

FURNISHINGS
Carpet padding
Naugahyde
Venetian blinds
TV cabinets
extension cords
picture frames
flocked wallpaper
shower doors
Formica
refrigerator lining
vinyl-coated wallpaper
curtains
kitchen carpet
shag carpet
welcome mats
fan blades
lamps
shower curtain
patio furniture
swings
linoleum
upholstery material
rugs

BUILDING/HOME MAINTENANCE
caulking material
light switch plates
plunger
faucet washer
clothesline
measuring tape
polyurethane stain
water pipe
electric saw
paint brush
propane bottles
wood floor cleaner/wax
vinyl electrical tape
plastic pipe
shingles (asphalt)
light panels
garden hose
plastic wood
spackling paste
awnings
glazing compound
Plexiglas
spray paint
enamel
epoxy paint
artificial turf
folding doors
floor wax
glue
house paint
paint rollers
toilet seats
water pipes
putty
solvents
roofing material
plywood adhesive
sockets
propane

AUTOMOBILE
Anti-freeze
flat tire fix
street paving (asphalt)
car battery case
coolant
motor oil
tires
loud speakers
bearing grease
sports car bodies
traffic cones
car enamel
brake fluid
dash boards
windshield wipers
visors
car sound insulation
oil filters
car seats
convertible tops
fan belts
gasoline

MISCELLANEOUS
Ash trays
dog food dishes
tool boxes
cd's
balloons
dog leash
tape recorders
synthetic rubber
bubble gum
dog toys
flashlights
nylon rope
bungee strap
fertilizer
flight bags
disposable lighters
cassette player
flea collars
flutes
lighter fluid
cigarette case
electric blankets
tool racks
name tags
cigarette filters
ammonia
insecticides
newspaper tubes
calibrated container
insect repellent
food preservatives
phonograph records
crayons
ice buckets
dyes
pillows
credit cards
flashlights
fly swatter
plastic cup holder
dice
movie film
k-resin
plastic tie
polyethylene
polypropylene
rain bonnets
luggage
video cassettes
charcoal lighter
rayon
safety glasses
safety gloves
safety hats
shoe polish
signs
cassette tapes
toys
watch bands
waterproof boots
shopping bags
bed spreads
traffic cones
check books covers
tobacco pouches
clothes hangers
flea collars
flavors
masking tape
safety flares
flags
signs
butane

Wow. And the website says this is a "partial" list! So what now? How do we shift this??? Look at what you could either do without, or find an alternative that does NOT require more drilling to keep these things in our lives. If we continue to buy all these things we continue to say we want more drilling. If that is NOT what we want, then we need to be CLEAR. That means changing our lives in ways that we maybe have never considered before. We must not go back to business as usual now that this gushing oil is stopped. Let this catapult us in a new direction. It is time.

Thanks for listening and making new choices.

AMPLIFY THIS!

2010-07-19T00:27:00.020-10:00

There is magic in the air. Friends of mine have a magnificent property that is several acres nestled in the bend of a river, so they have water on 3 sides and the entire thing is forest. Once a month they invite whoever wants to come, to spend an afternoon swimming in the river, eating, singing, communing. This past week they added something powerful, a Sacred Council. It is a practice they have been doing with a core group for several years, and they decided to host one for a wider community to "seed" it and start other Councils on the island. It was so beautiful. We gathered in a circle and had a few minutes of silent meditation, and then a question was introduced and each person around the circle had a chance to speak their thoughts on that question. It was done with a "talking stick", so when you are holding the stick you are the only one speaking, and everyone else is invited to listen. Powerful. It creates so much focus. The woman introducing the question spoke of this current time being one where things are greatly amplified, and her question was this:

What would you choose to be amplified at this time?

WOW. The answers that came were so moving. Clean water, sharing community, caring for children, sacred touch, awareness of the Earth, and many more. As I listened I felt like all the things people want amplified would happen if only we could bring back a sense of the Sacredness of these things. Sacredness of water, of community, of children, of touch, of the Earth. And so when my turn came I asked that Sacredness be amplified.

How would it change our lives if we actually considered things Sacred?

If you consider the water running through your home to be Sacred, would it change what you pour down the drain?

If you consider the air you breathe to be Sacred, would it change how you pollute it?

If you consider the soil beneath your home to be Sacred, would it change what you throw into the trash bin?

If you consider other people to be Sacred, would it change the way you speak to them?

If you consider touch to be Sacred, would it change the way you touch others?

Yes. Yes it would. All of us have things we consider Sacred. But what if we began to view EVERYTHING around us as Sacred? I ask you all to stop for a moment when you are about to do something, and ask yourself if what you are about to do honors the Sacredness of whatever you are facing. That one question would transform our lives and the damaging effect we have on many things. I believe the more we treat as Sacred the more that ripples out into the rest of the world. People see us treating things as Sacred and they are inspired to do that in their own life.

Bring back the Sacred. I choose to Amplify This! YES!

What would you choose to amplify right now?

Thanks for listening.

BEST AND WORST

2010-06-05T22:44:00.031-10:00

I GOT MY WISH!!! When I first began growing my own food a year and 1/2 ago one of my dreams was to grow more food than I can eat so I could give food to others. That dream just came true! For more than a year I was struggling to get things to grow after learning how depleted and poisoned the soil was from a century of being pineapple lands. Adding compost and fertilizer helped a little but the plants would remain stunted. I longed for a boisterous garden. So I finally gave up and bought a truckload of soil from an organic permaculture farm near here,and after transplanting the struggling plants into the new soil, in just 3 WEEKS they were so HUGE that I couldn't eat all that was coming out every day. Anyone who knows me knows how much I can eat! My new and improved garden with plenty to share. YAHOOO! Come by and get some, organic, hand grown by me from seed.

Normally I write about what we humans are doing to the planet we live on and the creatures around us, but perhaps it is time to look at what we are doing directly to ourselves. Lately I've been reading more and more on the effects of pesticides on our amazing bodies. These bodies survive so much! As we dump poisons on the plants and soil they also are creeping into our cells, and are now linked with cancer, nervous system disorders, and hormone problems among other things. In one study I read, a particular chemical pesticide caused frogs to change gender!!!! Yikes. So what is it doing in us? In our children?

The Environmental Working Group is an independent agency that analyzes about 100,000 reports from the USDA and FDA on pesticides each year. How fun! Better them than me. They then put the info into user-friendly lists for those of us that DON'T want to read all those reports. Thank you EWG! Here are some amazing and scary tidbits: the top 12 pesticide-contaminated fruits and vegetables contain 47 to 67 different pesticides per serving. This year celery is the number 1 most contaminated, up from number 4 last year, so pesticide use is apparently not consistent.

Below are some lists of what fruits and vegetables contain the highest and lowest amounts of chemical residue. By avoiding the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables, you can apparently lower your pesticide consumption by close to 80 percent!!!! And these tests were done AFTER the produce was power-washed by the USDA, so washing does not remove all these scary things from our food. Again, YIKES! Organic looks better and better.

This first list is the top 12 most important to avoid or buy organic, in order of most pesticides to least:

Celery
Peaches
Strawberries
Apples
Blueberries
Nectarines
Sweet bell peppers
Spinach,Kale and Collard Greens
Cherries
Potatoes
Grapes
Lettuce

Now we get a friendlier list. The ones that have the LEAST amount of pesticides, starting with the best and going down from there:

Onions
Avocados
Sweet corn
Pineapples
Mango
Sweet peas
Asparagus
Kiwi fruit
Cabbage
Eggplant
Cantaloupe
Watermelon
Grapefruit
Sweet potatoes
Sweet onions

So besides having compassion for the soil and water, I ask you to have compassion for your very own body, and CHANGE this onslaught of chemical poisons in your bloodstream. Better for you AND the planet. Win, win. YES!

Thanks for listening, and making new choices.

MY VERY OWN SPILL

2010-05-29T00:57:00.011-10:00

Last night I was watching a news report about the oil spill in the Gulf, with film footage of divers in Hazmat suits that went right into the mess to see how shocking it really is from IN the water. The fish's perspective. The chemicals they are spraying on the oil have now blended with it to create an entirely new toxic entity and no-one knows what the environmental impact of this new creation will be. WOW.

I found myself reflecting on all the millions of people watching that news clip, who react with horror and compassion for all the creatures being poisoned. And then they get up and go take a shower or wash the dishes, and toxic chemicals flow down the drain from their very own spill. Every single person who watches that horror in the Gulf and then pours products into the waterways that are not biodegradable is creating a spill of their own. But do we ever think about that? There are millions of gallons of oil and chemical dispersant in the Gulf, but BILLIONS of people every day all over the world use detergent or shampoo or fabric softener or soap that contains chemicals that are toxic to creatures in the water. If people felt the same horror and compassion as they wash their clothes with something like Tide, as they have when they hear about the Gulf, this world would be a very different place.

I know people who have SO much love and compassion for Nature and all the blessings she bestows, and yet when I go into their bathroom to wash my hands, there is the soap with toxic chemicals on the sink. How many of you reading this still have "regular" soap in your bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms? But I bet every single one of you is horrified at the oil spill in the ocean. Where is the disconnect? Why do we care SO much about something that is poisoning the water down in the Gulf, and not a whit for what is poisoning the water from our very own home? Our very own toxic spills. Every day, many times a day. It is time to personalize this horror and compassion. To bring it right in front us as we reach for the detergent, and CONNECT to the creatures that are about to be dumped on. If you still have things in your home that go down the drain that are full of chemicals, please take all that reaction you have to the tragedy in the Gulf and USE it to transform your own spill. We don't need BILLIONS of personal toxic spills every single day. This is something we can change TODAY.

My mother, God bless her, is really trying to shift into all products that do no harm, and I get to hear her trials about how hard that is! Right now my parents are in the woods in Northern Wisconsin where they don't have many options for stores to search in, and sadly, many stores don't carry bio-degradable products at all. So if you are in a place with only one grocery store and a Wal-Mart that has NO environmentally safe products, what do you do? The fact that these stores have HUNDREDS of soaps and not ONE that is safe for our waterways is a sad testament to how many people are still unconscious about the importance of these daily choices. We have created a society where the option to do no harm is not even available in some places! Again, WOW. How did we get to this place? I still dream of a day when EVERY store you walk into has ONLY products that do no harm so you can't buy toxic chemicals even if you want to!!!!! Imagine THAT world. Then live that world in your choices.

May this horrific event in the Gulf that everyone is conscious of be a miraculous catalyst to make us conscious of our OWN contribution to the waters near our homes. And may the Waters forgive us for all the poisons we are continuing to wash down the drains in our very own spills.

Thanks for listening, and making new choices.

SMALL BUT MIGHTY

2010-05-11T01:30:00.018-10:00

Can you say A D O R A B L E??? This is the latest addition to the Larsens family, and I was the one blessed with discovering the baby only a few hours after it was born! YAY! I almost stepped on the placenta in the sand. It was born right underneath a tree at the South end of my favorite beach, where the rancher has not yet cut the trees down. And this small creature might have the power to stop this man from destroying more wilderness to turn it into cattle pasture. He can't continue saying there are no Endangered Species on the property when there is a seal pup nursing right there! So finally the agencies that are supposed to be protecting this conservation area may be forced to rescind the permit because of this small but mighty warrior. YAY! There is at last a hearing this Thursday with the board of the DLNR, and this pup gets the final word.

We humans are small compared to many creatures on Earth, and we also are mighty, but what have we used that might for? We have the dubious distinction of being the only creatures on Earth that have poisoned all the things we ourselves need for survival: our air, our water, and our soil. What became of our wisdom while we were doing this? And will we now decide to use our might to RESTORE the air and water and soil? The oil pouring into the Gulf right now is a perfect example. We use our technology to poison the ocean, but where is the technology to STOP poisoning the ocean???? They still have not stopped the outflow and every day it brings more death to the creatures in the area. Then they spray the slick with toxic chemicals to try and disperse it. WOW. The rig itself was really small in the vastness of the Gulf, but the area it is polluting is HUGE. This is how we use our might. And when you pull up to the pump to fill your gas tank do you think about the consequences that are occurring right now? WE are the ones keeping that flow going. Since the spill occurred 27 new drilling projects have been approved! Why? Because we demand more and more oil for our lives. It is time to change our demands.

There is a small percentage of the world population that is now aware that we are doing harm. Sadly, among those that have become aware, an even smaller percentage is committed to STOP doing harm in every way possible. But I must believe that this small group is mighty. That the sheer power of LOVE for the Earth and her creatures by this small group will somehow be HEARD by the billions of people who are not yet looking at what they are doing, and by those who are aware and not acting. We need to turn around what is coming.

There is a campaign that has begun for a global shift in the next 4 years. The premise is that we have to shift our way of life in 4 years or we pass the point of being able to turn things around. It is at http://www.fouryearsgo.org/ The advertising firm behind the campaign is the same one that did the Nike "Just Do It" and Lance Armstrong "Live Strong" campaigns, both of which were wildly successful in motivating millions. So perhaps that mighty power will work for this as well. It is heartening to know that a firm whose business it is to engage millions of people worldwide, is now using that power to help the Earth. YAY! May this be even more successful than their other campaigns. And may they get people to really LOOK at the consequences of our habits. The change has to start now if we are going to be transformed in 4 years. We may not even have that long. Please, start now.

Thanks for listening.

HOME

2010-04-30T00:39:00.001-10:00

This stunning jewel is one of the windows into the core of our home, this Earth. There is SO much we don't know about our spectacular planet, that is essential to all of life, including ours. "HOME" is an AMAZING film that has been created to show miracles of life on Earth and what we "wise humans" are doing to it. The link is below. PLEASE take the time to watch this film. It begins with this invitation: "Listen carefully to this extraordinary story, which is yours, and decide what you want to do with it." There is really important information that we all need to hear, magnificently told with breathtaking photography, covering MANY issues we need to know about. It is feature length, an hour and 1/2, so curl up in a comfy spot, get some popcorn (organic of course), and click the link below. Be prepared for some shock and awe. I have learned a lot about the state of our world recently, but this film taught me even more. Not only is the photography phenomenally beautiful, but whoever wrote the script is a poet. Listen to the beauty of these words:

"This is the new measure of time. Our world's clock now beats to the rhythm of indefatigable machines tapping into the pocket of sunlight. (oil) The whole planet is attentive to these metronomes of our hopes and illusions."

"Everywhere machines dig, bore and rip from the Earth the pieces of stars buried in its depths since its creation." (minerals)

"They are the only natural element in perpetual movement toward the sky." (trees)

Please, please make time to watch this film. We need to know what we are doing to our HOME.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=jqxENMKaeCU
Thanks for listening, and watching.

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

2010-04-22T14:46:00.020-10:00

How did you celebrate today? (you can tell me in the comments section below) Since I moved to Kauai 2 years ago my life has pretty much become Earth Day every day. Besides working in my garden, taking out the compost, swimming in the ocean, pup-sitting for the new seal pup (YAY), doing my trash pick-up, and going online to click to donate at http://www.care2.com/click-to-donate/ , I wanted to do something unusual. So I decided to plant some trees! It was not entirely altruistic though, as I planted papaya trees so I can EAT them! It felt really good to put a tree in the ground. Very different from all the veggie seeds I plant in my garden.

Forty years ago this day was officially declared as Earth Day to bring awareness to what was already happening in the severe altering of this beautiful planet we all live on. Since that first Earth Day, we have managed to continue altering the Earth more than in all the thousands of years of previously recorded history! Somehow the message of the first day fell on deaf ears for the majority of the world. The things we were doing then to harm the planet we are now doing even more of. How did this happen? Part of it is simply population. In the last 40 years the Earth's people have gone from 3.7 billion to 6.8 billion!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes you read that right. In just 40 years. It took thousands of years to get to 3 billion, but only 40 years to add another 3 billion. WOW. There is no way the planet can keep up with this kind of growth and demand on her resources.

So how do we turn this around? I don't know. But I do know that every single one of those 6.8 billion has choices to make and every single one of us either helps or harms every day. We don't have an option of stepping out of the picture. There is no other planet to move to when we use this one up. So my prayer is that a WILD majority will magically appear that is conscious of how we are altering our home, and that we can shift this avalanche we have set in motion. By the next Earth Day it needs to be an every day thing in people's lives to care for her, not just once a year.

I leave you with an Earth Day haiku:

Let's choose to restore.

Heal the Earth in ALL you do.

In EVERY day.

Let it be so.

Thanks for listening.

FOR THE BIRDS

2010-04-06T01:49:00.031-10:00

A new wildlife experience always fills me with ecstasy, and I got one today! I was sitting on the cliffs eating my lunch and watching the whales (I know, I have a hard life...), and heard a quiet thunk behind me. Turned to find myself face to face with a HUGE Laysan Albatross just a few feet from me! These are GORGEOUS and enormous birds. It's like having a bald eagle land on your dinner table. Didn't seem interested in my lunch, but just sat there looking at me. Then another flew in and landed right by the first one, and they began the crazy fun dancing that they do. They bob in opposition, clack their bills at each other, stick their necks straight up and squeak, and shake their heads manically like we would do if we were really cold. HILARIOUS! I just stayed still, squealing quietly with delight, and they didn't seem to care that I was only a few feet away. They are spectacular up close, with the painting around their eyes like an Egyptian Goddess, and their enormous wing span of 6 FEET! They probably could have carried me off, except that they have webbed feet. Hard to grab things with.

These are remarkable birds. They spend half their life at sea, and come to land in the winter to have their chicks, and some nest on the cliffs around Larsens. So they are there every day right now, soaring magnificently, and sometimes buzzing really low over my head! During the summer they go to sea and can stay there floating around for 6 MONTHS! Apparently they have a joint in their wings they can lock in place which allows them to sleep while the air currents just carry them around. Imagine going to sleep near Hawaii and waking up by Japan! Hmmm, where am I this morning?

Flying back from a trip to Oahu just now, I went by a display in the Kauai airport about albatross including a picture of the contents of an albatross stomach from an autopsy. It showed a huge pile of human debris including cigarette lighters and glass and all forms of plastic. What looks like a beautiful mosaic at the top of this paragraph is a picture of the contents of ONE dead bird's stomach. These birds are dying because they ingest so much of our human trash and can't digest it so eventually their stomachs are full and they starve because there is no room for actual food. Wow. Our gift for the birds. And what are we doing about?

How many of you took my challenge to try and get through an entire day without throwing out any trash? And if you made it through one day did you try for more? I'd love to hear your experiences with that. One friend said when she tried it she was astounded at how many times during the day she had something in her hand about to be tossed and wondered what she could do with it besides put it in the landfill. She even started saving bottle caps that can't be recycled to be used as counters and craft items at her son's preschool. Sweet! Be creative in generating less trash! The less we throw out, the less that winds up in the stomach of a magnificent bird soaring over the ocean. We are connected more than we ever realize. We make a difference in the lives of creatures even if we never see them in person. Once you actually make the connection, it changes how you look at everything you do in your day. It ALL has consequences for some other part of Creation. The biggest challenge becomes "how can I stop harming completely?" I don't know if it is even possible in the world we have created in the last fifty years, but I'd like to see how close I can get. These creatures that are SO beautiful don't deserve what we are giving them. So please join me in seeing how close we can get to doing no harm.

Thanks for listening.

POWER IN NUMBERS

2010-03-31T01:54:00.006-10:00

Today was a complete joy for me. I got to do my daily trash pick up WITH someone rather than people just watching me do it by myself and not helping. A friend from Oahu who is a HUGE Earth lover (YAY!), was over here with her husband for spring break and she had written and said they wanted to clean a beach with me! Do you have any idea how happy that made me? YES! So today I got to take them to my beloved Larsens. Even though the cutting has begun to make the land above into cattle pasture, it still is an AMAZING place, and I still am holding hope that the rancher will be stopped and the wilderness will grow back. Dreams are powerful. For hours we walked the sand and talked and picked up trash from this morning's high tide, and then we got GIFTS! Two of my "regular" seals were at the next beach up, the Albatross were dancing together, several turtles came by to say hello, and some gorgeous shells had washed up. Nature gives us love even as we dump on her. But you know what? Today there are 3 less bags of trash floating around in the ocean's magnificence. I wonder how much is dumped in her every day and how much is removed every day. I know that more is dumped than is removed, but I'd like to see that change.

Last week I was on Oahu visiting my parents and spent the afternoon with one of my best friends at a beach there. We began picking up trash and in a very short period of time filled a huge garbage liner bag with each of us hauling extra large items that wouldn't fit in the bag. One afternoon, at one beach, on one island. And of all the people there that day "using" the beach, no-one else was picking up trash. How can people look at it and NOT want to help the ocean? It seems so obvious to me that it does not belong to the Earth but to us humans, and we must be the ones to clean up our own mess because the ocean can't clean it up for us. But day after day that is not what I see. I see people just ignoring it. WHY?????? What has happened to people's hearts so that they are not moved to help?

I just read an article on how the number one pollutant on Earth is plastic. And Dave Chameides wrote a blog on Care2.com (go read his blogs!) about how many plastic bags are used EACH DAY. There is a ticker on the blog that is turning over new numbers as you watch, showing the bags being used every minute, and the numbers move so fast you can't even track with them. Plastic bags used and thrown just in the U.S.: 1 million per minute!!!! WOW. So how many of you used a plastic bag today? Were you part of that 1,440,000,000 in just one day? And the number 2 pollutant? Cigarette butts. For those of you who smoke, do you know what is in the butts you throw out? The part that is smoked is of course tobacco and paper, which also has chemicals and pesticides. But guess how many ingredients are in the butts. (this little guessing thing never works because I can't wait while you guess!) 596. Are you kidding? NO. How do they even pack that many in that little thing? Here are just a few of the more toxic ingredients that go into the soil or the water depending on where the butts land when people throw them: Arsenic, Acetone, Lead, Formaldehyde, Toluene, Butane, Cadmium, Ammonia, Benzene. YIKES! Why are these things even in there? Someone must have thought it was a good idea. If you want to read more about it google "ingredients in cigarette butts". And how many of these butts are in our water or soil? 10 MILLION are purchased EVERY DAY!!!!!!! 10 million. One day. Numbers that big just seem impossible to comprehend. But it starts with each person each day making a choice to help or to harm. Do you want to be part of the 10 million?

Here is a great quote by Rolf Halden: "good for a minute and contaminating for 10,000 years.” That one minute of convenience with a plastic bag, or pleasure with a cigarette is not worth poisoning the Earth for thousands of years. I don't know anyone who would say that those things are worth it. But what we say and what we do are different. Isn't it time to bring those into alignment? What about one million pieces of trash picked up per minute! I'd like to see a ticker running for that.

It's time to change these numbers. It's time to make our words match our actions. If we say we don't want to poison the Earth, then stop doing it. Years ago we didn't know how damaging plastic was or how poisonous cigarettes are. Now we do. So do we act accordingly? Or do we just keep doing what we did because change feels too hard? I vote for number one. There is power in numbers, and yes each person DOES matter because you are part of a larger number that is helping or harming. Right now the numbers are higher for those doing harm than for those helping. Which number will your name be added to? Thanks for listening.

RAZING PARADISE

2010-03-16T01:40:00.007-10:00

My dear readers, I have been absent from these pages for a long time because I have been heartbroken and stunned. All of my writing lately has been to government officials and land owners, lawyers and fellow Earth lovers. My favorite wilderness in the world is being altered in a horrific way, and it seems none of the people who could be stopping this are going to. But I MUST believe that this is not how the story ends. There must be a light in here somewhere, not just for this place that is so sacred, but for all the sacred places around the world that are being razed. I am reading all the time about ancient forests being destroyed and the people who live in them are either displaced or killed. It seems so far away and hard to grasp, that humanity can treat the Earth and each other in this way. While I don't physically live in this forest that is being cut down, my spirit does. I feel this in my soul. I have read about aboriginal people being so connected to the land that they suffer as it does. Apparently I am a blond, blue-eyed Hawaiian, connected to this land.

Way back in the fall I wrote a blog called Saving Larsens, about how a cattle rancher wants to cut down the forest above the beach and make it cattle pasture all the way down the hill to the sand. Amazingly, he GOT the permit, issued by the government agency that oversees the "conservation land" it is on. CONSERVATION. What part of that word calls for cutting down native plants and smothering the reef in cattle dung? I just don't get it. There have been so many passionate appeals made, and not just by people like me who love the place. Actual authorities in the field. The government aquatic biologist for this island declared the reef to be the most pristine on the island, and stated his opposition to the cattle pasture in the conservation district. They even ignored him, and he works for the SAME AGENCY that issued the permit. How have we arrived in a place in the world where the agencies that are being paid to protect what is left of Nature are making decisions to destroy her instead? There are now 2 lawsuits filed to protect this place, against the agency whose job it is to protect it!!!!!! They need to be sued to do their job???? What a bizarre state we have created in our society.

So aside from laying my body across a tree that is about to be cut, writing letters and making phone calls to every one who might be able to do something, and getting involved with the lawsuit, what else can I do? Pray. I am. And raise awareness about what is happening all over the world to the last places that have not yet been destroyed by humanity. There are so few left. For people living in cities or even rural farmland, the plight of forests and reefs is not something they see with their own eyes, and I don't think they realize how it will affect them if they do nothing. It must somehow be felt in the heart, in order to care enough to do something to help save a place you have never seen. You must FEEL how important it is to retain what wilderness is left in the world, and REALIZE how you affect those places even if you live thousands of miles away. All of our lives are interconnected now with the last remaining forests and reefs on the Earth. If the last of them are cut down and the last reefs die, then we will feel it because we won't be able to BREATHE. Literally. No more oxygen. THEN we will all suddenly want to do something to save them, because we will finally realize we are in fact saving ourselves. And it is too late. We need to realize this NOW. We need to stop razing the forests NOW. We need to stop destroying reefs NOW. EVERY choice we make in our days is a vote to either save or destroy what is left. Treat it as sacred, or disposable. PLEASE don't wait. When you go to Starbucks, when you use shampoo, when you buy toilet paper, it ALL makes a difference. Make your decisions to help save the Earth every day as if YOUR life depends on it. It does. And if you hear about a forest being cut down or a reef being destroyed, DO something, no matter how far away you live.
Thanks for listening, and acting.

TREASURE AND TRASH

2010-02-18T00:08:00.015-10:00

When I was growing up on the island of Borneo one of the sheer delights of living right on the beach was searching for shell treasures at low tide. We would walk right out on the exposed reef and pluck the beauty right from it's home. It is amazing how intricate and colorful these shells can be, and they are made by tiny creatures! I have never made anything that incredible. You should see the bowl I made in high school that my Mom still has. I have a very different view now of these treasures from the sea. Makes me shudder to think of what we did as kids, but we didn't know that coral is a living creature and it dies when you walk on it and crush it. We also killed animals by the hundreds just to get their shells for our "collections". Now I pick them up only if they wash up on shore and have no creatures still alive inside them. The beach that I am growing up on all over again here on Kauai has fantastic shells that wash up because the reef just offshore is still so alive. Every day there are people there combing the sand for their daily treasure. And every day I am there combing the sand for the daily trash that has washed up. The ocean gives us beauty and we give her garbage.

It drives me NUTS that people are taking treasure from the ocean but they won't help her out by picking up the trash that has washed up RIGHT NEXT TO THE SHELL THEY ARE PICKING UP! I always hope that teaching by example really works, but I must say it doesn't seem to in this case. The shell pickers often ask me to show them what I am picking up because they assume I am also gleaning treasure. When I show them the trash some just walk away without saying anything, some say "good for you" or some such thing, and a few say "oh I pick up trash too". The voice in my head that doesn't come out my throat says "then why is it all still here???? Oh you mean you pick up every third Monday of the month." I can't say it out loud because how can that possibly go well? But guess what? We create trash every single day. The Earth doesn't get a day off from our onslaught. People take gifts from her every single day, but they don't HELP her every single day. So damaging her 30 days in a month and helping her 1 day a month?

Now take a moment with this picture.
This is what we as humans have done. This used to be a river that gave treasure to the people that live along its banks. We have given it trash in return. When I first saw the picture I thought well that right there is why there is so much washing up from the ocean when rivers like this empty into her. Then a more sobering thought: the U.S. is the largest polluter in the entire world. Some of you reading this are also in this country. This river is NOT in the U.S., so we are polluting MORE than what is in this picture. WOW. Are we willing to choose different habits? Are we willing to create less trash so we change this contribution to the world, no matter where we live?

When was the last time you went through an entire day without throwing away anything? Not one piece of trash for an entire day. Just try it. No, I don't mean store it somewhere and then throw it out the next day! It is astounding what happens when you try this. You become conscious really fast! I live a fairly simple life and I found so many things in my hand about to be thrown out in just one day. If you can go for one day without generating one speck of trash then try for two. Then more.

The other day there was a HUGE pile that washed up in one particular spot on the beach. I began piling it up in the trees so it wouldn't wash back out and I could come back and get it later. There was way too much to carry in my usual grocery sized bag. It eventually filled one of those giant barrel liner bags, and all from one day's high tide. There was a woman who stood watching me for about 20 minutes as I made trip after trip to get it all up past the high tide line. She is someone I have chatted with before so I know she believes that God created all this beauty around us. I got brave and went up and asked her if she would come help me care for God's creation. Are you ready for this? Her reply: "I would if I lived here"!!!!!!!!!! WHAT? I am stunned. I don't know how to reply. She is one of these people who comes for several months in the winter but her primary residence is on the mainland. Well guess what? WE ALL LIVE HERE. We ALL live on this planet. We ALL create trash. We ALL can help deal with it wherever we are. It's not someone else's mess to clean up. It is our mess. Those little kids floating in that river don't deserve an Earth that is even going to be WORSE than that when they grow up.

So let's change what we are doing. Don't ever take a day off from helping. Don't ever just take treasure and leave trash. We've GOT to make different choices before that picture above is the picture of every river and ocean on the planet. So...how much did you throw out today? I'd love to hear what you discover as you try to go through a day or week without creating a single piece of trash.
Thanks for listening.

MEMORY OR FANTASY

2010-02-03T20:53:00.003-10:00

The most amazing thing happened today. In a year and a half of swimming at Larsens I have never seen a monk seal in the water, which is quite surprising since I see them there on the beach quite regularly. Well today, the GIFT! I was just about to get out of the water when suddenly there was this beautiful creature, and thank goodness the water was clear today so we didn't bump face to face before we saw each other! They are like liquid, breathing, incense, wafting and swirling through the water. I stopped swimming just to see what he would do, and he swam a big U around me and then just sat for a moment between 2 coral heads looking at me before he swam off. A big adult male that I knew from my seal watches. They are HUGE in the water! They look much bigger than on the sand. Maybe because what I am used to seeing in the water is nothing larger than a sea turtle. It was pure magic. These creatures are GORGEOUS! What a gift. I was so EXCITED I felt like a 4 year old. The rush of adrenaline needs to be bottled for use at a time when I feel low on energy!

For a long time I've had a fantasy about what it would be like to encounter a seal in the water on my daily swim, and now it will be a beautiful memory to cherish. Which brought to mind a wonderful quote I just heard from Jack Kornfield: "The only place you can really love is in the present. Love in the past is a memory, and love in the future is a fantasy." So today I got love in the present. Neither a memory or a fantasy.

Then I came home to an email about 25 uses for coffee filters because you can get 1000 at the dollar store for almost nothing! WOW. And 17 of those 25 were for single use and throw things. Like using a coffee filter as a spoon rest while you cook and then you can just throw it out. Again, WOW. Our throw away society is throwing away Creation. I just read that the amount of paper used just in junk mail in the U.S. is the equivalent of clear cutting the ENTIRE Rocky Mountain National Park every 4 months!!!!! That's not all. The emissions created are the equivalent of 9.4 MILLION cars. And here comes someone urging us to use and throw more paper every single day like that is a good thing. How can this be? Can people really not know that they are destroying forests and poisoning air with these choices? There is SO much information now about "going green" everywhere, it seems like it would be impossible to not know.

But then comes the most difficult thought of all. The email came from people who would say they love God with all their heart. Being Christian, they would also say they believe God created this Earth. So how do you get from all that love, to thinking it is o.k. to promote destroying what God created? Urging people to use and throw more paper every day. I just don't get it. God is not loved when we destroy what He made. The love of God they feel is not in the PRESENT in a decision like that. Maybe they did something to help save God's Creation last week like taking in the recycling, and maybe they have a plan to do something in the future like join a trash clean-up day. So one is a memory and the other a fantasy. But what about love RIGHT NOW? What about Creation in this present moment? (Yes, I'm using my computer right now, I know. So I'm doing harm while I'm trying to help. Crazy. I haven't yet found a computer that does no harm. But I'm looking.)

Whatever your religious or spiritual beliefs I ask you to bring the LOVE of Creation into the present moment. Not just a memory of what you did for the Earth a few days ago or what you plan to do tomorrow. What about THIS moment? Can you get up and go turn off a light or something? I read an article by "No Impact Man" (picture the cape blowing in the breeze), who suggested a period every day where you do NO impact to the Earth. You don't use electricity, drive a car, or use any resources, for a few hours each day. He calls it an "Eco-Sabbath". Beautiful. He has tried for an ENTIRE day of no damage to Creation. My new hero. I wonder if he has super powers to save the Earth. I sure hope so.

So what can you do to be kind to Creation in THIS moment? Not a memory of what you did do, or a fantasy of what you will do. Now go do it.
Thanks for listening, and acting.

MY FAVORITE THINGS

2010-02-02T21:22:00.004-10:00

Raindrops on oceans and whiskers on monk seals, bright copper coral and how warm the sand feels, these are a few of my favorite things! (Where is Julie Andrews when you need her?)

In talking with friends and family about enviro things I have been asked a lot of questions about what to buy when trying to be kind to the Earth. So here are some of my favorite products I have discovered, and perhaps this can inspire you to do some sleuthing of your own and try different things. Because I am Mr. Frugal these are all very cheap! There is more and more out there as companies start to step up and offer options that do no harm. Let's keep that momentum going by more people buying these products so companies keep moving in that direction. My dream is that one day ALL things on the shelves will do no harm. Can you imagine if we don't even have a choice to damage the Earth because there ARE no products that do damage???? Hold that thought. Right now the majority of people still choose products that harm, so that is what you see the most of on shelves. Be part of the change. Be someone that demands things that are made with the Earth in mind.

Bar Soap. There are so many delicious options now both in health food stores and "regular" stores and I keep trying different ones (I shop the sales!), but the one I love the best so far is called Chandrika. It is Ayurvedic from India, it's really inexpensive, and smells DELICIOUS! I've seen it at all the health stores here.

Dish/Hand Soap. This was a discovery for me: these 2 are marketed differently but are the same thing! And dish soap is sold for much less. So now I buy a huge dish soap and refill all my hand soap containers. (then you don't keep buying and tossing those hand soap containers either. Win, win.) I've never found a big difference in all the liquid soaps I've tried, but for those of you who shop at Costco they now have their own Kirkland label of dish soap that is 100% biodegradable! YAY! It comes in a HUGE bottle of course, but soap doesn't go bad so it might last me a year. That would be hilarious to buy soap once a year!

Laundry Detergent. I've tried many and again I haven't found a difference in them, but I don't have little kids rolling in mud puddles to contend with, so stains are not something I have to test them on. My favorite right now is Eco because it smells so yummy and Costco sells it as well as their own Kirkland biodegradable brand. Although I don't use bleach, I know there are biodegradable bleaches as well, and PLEASE use them. Bleach is one of the most horrific things you can pour down a drain. Might as well dump pure acid on the creatures on the reef and see if they survive.

Shampoo. For some reason I haven't experimented much with this. From time to time I've received gifts of shampoo and have never liked them enough to go buy them. So for AGES I've used Suave, which is available everywhere. But you have to READ the label. There are only a few of their entire line that are biodegradable. Their "Naturals" line is NOT all biodegradable, but some are. I love the lavender best.

Toothpaste. My all time top of the list is Jason PowerSmile! Funny name, pure peppermint oil that will knock your socks off if you like that sort of zing, and organic.

Hand/Face Lotion. I don't buy separate lotions for different body parts. I think the chemical ones use milder ingredients for face, but when there are no chemicals, what works for one place on your body works everywhere. At least that is my experience. I like Nature's Gate Herbal.

Deodorant. This was a hard one for me. For most of my life I was in a profession where I was SWEATING profusely every minute I was at work, and I am one of those people who STINKS! I know some people smell like roses when they sweat. Not me. Even before I became conscious of chemicals that harm I only found one "regular" deodorant that actually worked for me. Then when I started trying eco ones the whole process began again, and I spent a lot of smelly days before I discovered a roll-on called Crystal. No I'm not just rubbing a big clear rock on my armpit, although I've heard some people do! Here in Hawaii they even sell it at Longs Drug Stores. If you don't have body odor but like to smell good there are many delicious options in health food stores that have no harsh chemicals.

Household Cleansers. I've gone back to the "old days". Baking soda and vinegar do just about any job around the house. With toilets and bathtubs you can sprinkle some soda in (start with a wet bathtub), walk away for hours and let it do its thing, and then come back and scrub it away. Yes you do have to scrub a bit on the bottom of the tub, because it doesn't just burn things away like chemicals do. But it's saving you from breathing in all those toxins as well as them not going into the water where you live. Better for everyone. I've also heard lemon juice is wonderful, but haven't experimented with that yet. There are of course bottled cleansers at the health stores, but the only one I've tried is Simple Green and I don't notice a difference from baking soda in terms of cleaning, and it has a strong smell I don't enjoy.

Sunscreen. I've never tried out "safe" ones because I prefer to be outside when the sun is not really strong or wear protective clothing, but I have seen sunscreens in the health stores that do not put chemicals into your own blood stream (absorbed through your skin) or leach off into the water if you go swimming. Chemical sunscreens coat the reefs where people swim and literally choke the organisms that live there. Thought I should mention it since I live in a sunscreen State!

When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad...I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feeeeeeeeel SO BAD. (big finish) If you don't know the Sound of Music, then you probably think I am totally whacko right now!

If you have favorite Earth-loving products leave a comment so others can try out your favorites too!
Thanks for listening and caring for our Earth in All your choices.

THE "SECRET"

2010-01-31T22:30:00.002-10:00

I have just listened to the c.d.s of "The Secret", and felt strongly compelled to write. From what it said on the c.d.s, people will not want to hear my words because they don’t make you “feel good”, but I am So Happy And Grateful that you Do hear my words, so now you HAVE to hear them!!! (Smile.)

Some of you may have no idea what I am talking about. I don't know how many out there have seen the movie or read the book, but the "Secret" is Nature's law of attraction, which brings things into your life that you focus your intention on. In the Bible the concept is stated as "ask and you shall receive". Prayer invokes the "Secret". Happiness and gratitude accelerates the intention. I am hugely simplifying, but if you want to explore the concept further there is a book and movie as well as the c.d.s.

I was shocked and saddened to get all the way to the end of the c.d.’s and there was not a single word said about using the law of attraction to stomp all over other laws of Nature. The law of attraction is not the only law of Nature, and teaching it without regard for any other laws is HORRIFYING. At the end it talked about all things being connected, but if people TRULY felt that, they would be able to feel what they are doing to the Earth by all this “attracting” of things with no regard for the effects that has. Yes you CAN attract, or pray for and receive, the giant house and giant car and all the fancy everything you want, but that all comes at a VERY high price for the planet we all call home. All the rampant growth of consumerism is POISONING our soil and water and air. Pretending this is not happening, or burying our heads in “happy” things so we don’t have to pay attention to the destruction we are causing, does not stop the onslaught from all our actions.

Perhaps people are simply unaware of the consequences of their lifestyles when they no longer live in a relationship of balance with Nature. The big house and condo developments here where I live have caused so much run-off into the ocean, the reefs are mostly dead now. The clearing of forests to fill a desire for more and more things has now driven the number of species going extinct to ONE EVERY 3 HOURS, in the name of attracting more goods to those who want them. They hold up Belize in the c.d.s as a celebration of “good” for discovering oil, with no mention of how burning oil is choking our planet’s air. Every day there are massive amounts of plastic that wash up on the shore from all the “things” that people use and throw away every single day. One of the laws of Nature is BALANCE, and by ONLY invoking the law of attraction, or praying for "things" with no thought for the effect it will have on the Earth, people have stepped outside the law of balance. All kinds of plant, animal and ocean species are dying every day just so people can have their big houses and big cars and lots of fancy things. I ask you this: If you know that all life energy is connected, can you really not FEEL this obliteration in your soul? Or do you simply block it out because it wouldn't “feel good”?

People all over the world need to wake up to the CONSEQUENCES of using the law of attraction, or prayer, with no regard for the effect of what you “attract”. I KNOW this is not what CONSCIOUSNESS wants. It is what unconsciousness is doing. And sadly, the teaching of the "Secret" without talking about other laws of Nature, is adding to the destruction. I know people only want to “feel happy”, but LOOK at what your life is doing to the Earth. FEEL her in every single choice you make. Start "attracting" things and praying for things that will help the Earth. And start asking others to become conscious and shift their choices as well.
Thank you for listening, and DOING something about it.

HELPING HAITI

2010-01-30T20:05:00.011-10:00

Since the last blog was the longest one ever, this one will be the shortest ever!

I don't know how many of you who read these posts are doing the "click to donate" thing I mentioned in an earlier blog, but that same site just added Help Haiti to the list, and the donations are still FREE for you, all you have to do is click. I know how everyone wants to do something to help, and this way you can help every single day! The donations are paid for by sponsors on the site every time you click, and this particular one goes to the work Oxfam is doing in Haiti. It takes a few seconds, and you get to help even if you don't have money to send. All you need is a computer and a mouse. So...the site is http://www.care2.com/ and once you are there go to the "click to donate" section and you will see Help Haiti in the list. While you are there don't stop with Haiti when you can help other causes as well! It is only a few seconds of your day for each one. The more people that click the more financial support these causes get. So GO CLICK every day when you are on the computer. YES!

Thanks for listening (and clicking).

SHIFT LIST

2010-01-15T00:28:00.003-10:00

A friend of mine made a list gleaned off the Internet of things that could be done to be kinder to our Earthly home, and it inspired me to make my own list. I started writing down things that I have shifted in my life as I become more and more aware of how damaging they are. Most of them are things that everyone can do. I apologize in advance for how long this is! But as I started writing the list I was amazed at how many changes I've made, and in many cases they have made my life more beautiful AND saved me money AND helped the Earth! How can you beat that? So here is my Shift List (that title makes me laugh), which is always being added to as I discover more things I can do to stop contributing to the avalanche.

This first bunch all pertain to food, which we all need to survive!

1. Buy bulk. When you buy from bulk bins you not only stop all that unnecessary packaging, but you save money as well! The health food store I shop at has produce bags for bulk items that are biodegradable, made from corn, so there is no plastic. YAY! At some stores you can bring a container to fill and they will weigh it before you fill it to determine how much you have bought. Then you take it home in the container it's going into anyway!

2. Go organic. Since I started growing my own food I have become so aware of how we are poisoning the soil and water by the chemicals dumped on commercial produce. Everything you buy organic not only stops poisons from going into the soil and water but also going into your own body. Science is now discovering how toxic these chemicals are to our health, but they have not yet been banned. The more we choose organic the better off everyone will be.

3. Buy local. This was a new discovery for me when I moved to Kauai and had an "all Kauai meal". Every single thing grown on this island! Wow. The emissions spewed to transport produce thousands of miles across oceans and continents are enormous, and seldom thought about. If there is not much food produced in your area, see how close you can get to an "all local" meal, and how often you can do that. Maybe something local with every meal! Every mile makes a difference, and every item makes a difference.

4. Less meat. World leaders are FINALLY talking about the huge destruction the meat and dairy industry have on soil, water and air, and the U.N. suggested one day a week to be all vegetarian. I would suggest more! The animal industry has surpassed the auto industry in pollution. The less meat you eat the less pollution you produce. It's even better than not driving a car. I have found life without eating any animals to be fantastic.

5. Grow food. This is pure joy. There is nothing fresher than picking food at home, it costs almost nothing, and you can grow organic produce and not pay extra the way you do at stores! Even if you don't have a yard you can grow food in window boxes on a balcony or lanai, or even indoors. I have a friend who grows food in pots!

6. Food waste. There is a ghastly amount of food thrown out from kitchens every day because people have bought or cooked more than they need so they throw it out, and then more is bought and thrown out the next week. Help stop the waste. It just requires paying more attention to what you already have that needs to get used. Sometimes fridges are a bit scary, but get in there and look around.

7. Compost. A large amount of landfills is kitchen waste that doesn't need to be there. Because of the way landfills are compacted and no air or microbes can get in there, even food doesn't break down and biodegrade. There have been studies done where they dug up portions of a landfill and found apple cores completely intact several years later. Here in Hawaii there are free compost bins offered by the State. It breaks down quickly and actually helps the soil. Even if you don't use it for your garden just keeping all that out of the landfill is a gift.

8. Yummy drinks. Many people are addicted to soda or iced tea or coffee and buy them DAILY in containers that then get thrown out. YIKES. If you crave flavours and sweetener these can be added to water at home and carried in a re-usable container. I make a pot of deliciously flavoured tea every morning, cool it, and the yummy lasts all day.

9. Bottled water. This has become such an out-of-control craze. The biggest bottled water companies like Dasani use TAP WATER! It's not some pure spring water full of minerals from deep in the Earth. The craze has moved people away from taking a re-usable bottle with them and filling it wherever they are. They just buy a new one every day, or even take a new one from their very own fridge next to the tap with the same water! Madness. The amount of plastic being produced for this one industry is unfathomable, and it is completely unnecessary where there is access to a tap that has the same water in it. Researchers have discovered that chemicals from the plastic leach into the water and then are deposited in our bodies. Yikes. So re-fill a stainless steel water bottle right from the tap (filtered is better), and save your own body as well as reducing plastic production.

The next bunch relate to energy use in your home.

10.Phantom Energy. This is a relatively new term referring to a new phenomenon, electronics that never fully disconnect from energy use. This includes your t.v., computer, stereo, v.c.r., DVD player, and a host of other new inventions. Used to be they would stop using power when you turn them off. Now they are constantly using power even when "turned off", and can be 30% of your monthly electric bill. I recently was in a room where I counted 9 things drawing power and not one was in use. That was just one room! Most people don't even know they are burning electricity when things are "turned off". Here in Hawaii our electricity is 95% oil, so we are creating emissions like we are driving cars 24 hours a day with our gadgets. On the mainland lots of electricity is produced by coal which does enormous destruction. The easiest way to stop this energy bleed is power strips that can be turned off with all these things still plugged into them, rather than unplugging everything if it is not in use.

11. Turn out the lights. Same thing as the last one with creating unnecessary emissions from burning electricity when a light is not being used. Lots of people have lights on in every room, sometimes even in the daylight, when they are only in one room at a time. Unless of course you are more talented than I am and can be in lots of rooms at once!

12. Dry clothes in the air. The hot water heater and clothes dryer are the 2 things that use the most energy in a home other than the fridge. We need our food to keep cool, but we don't need to dry clothes quickly unless we are REALLY in a hurry. Even if you don't have the luxury of Hawaii's wind and sun as your dryer, most things will dry overnight indoors just hung up out in the open somewhere. Even when it is raining here things will dry indoors. Every time you don't use the dryer you have stopped pollution from entering the air we all breathe.

13. Cold water. Since the hot water heater is also in the top 2 energy hogs in a home, every time you wash anything in cold water you have helped. This goes for clothes that aren't really dirty, dishes that aren't greasy, and even your shower, unless you live in the Cascade Mountains and the water comes from some underground glacier! (my sister's water will give you frost bite).

14. Fans. Summers bring a HUGE swell in electricity use for air conditioners. So much of the time the same thing can be achieved with a breeze. Fans use a tiny fraction of the electricity an air conditioner uses, and it is done without chemicals. Even better.

This next batch can all help reduce the amount of plastic and other trash floating in our world.

15. Re-usable bags. Some people still get plastic bags with every single purchase they make and then throw them away. The amount of plastic created and thrown EVERY DAY is mind blowing. There are so many sources of re-usable bags now, and the County of Kauai just gave away free bags made from recycled plastic! YAY! Don't leave home without one. If you normally drive to stores leave a stash in your car so they are always available.

16. Alternative containers. The more things you can buy that are NOT made of plastic the better. I discovered how great glass jars are for storing things, so rather than recycle them, I re-use them! Ceramic also makes a great container and if it is for food it won't leach chemicals.

17. Leftovers. This one I don't do often because I usually eat every crumb on my plate, but if there are leftovers at a restaurant, bring your own container and avoid all that Styrofoam that is a really insidious form of plastic as most places won't recycle it even if you want to. My parents have containers that just live in their car as they ALWAYS have leftovers and plan on it!

18. Buy less. It is so hard to buy anything now without some kind of plastic attached to it. So just an act of frugality and not buying it unless you really need it is helping to slow that plastic onslaught. Even if it is not packaged the cost to the Earth just to get it to the store is huge. And since we all live with limited space if we keep buying more and more we have to throw more and more.

19. Buy used. There are so many great places now to get things used besides garage sales. Craigslist is a perpetual garage sale and everything there can not only be kept out of the landfill, but if you buy something previously loved there is no "new" packaging created to house it before it gets to you.

20. Recycle. Here in Hawaii recycling is still in the dark ages. NO TIN CANS for instance. Are you kidding me? In 2010, on an ISLAND. It all goes to the landfill. And there are only a handful of recycling depots on the entire island with NO pick-up, so if you don't make the effort to store it and take it yourself, which most people don't, it ALL becomes trash. But then even in places with curbside pick-up I know some people don't bother. Sigh. Having said all that, there is a lot that CAN be recycled even here including paper, box board, cardboard, number 1 and 2 plastic, newspaper, and glass. The more we do keep using again rather than tossing in the garbage the less is piling up on the Earth.

Finally here are some random things that all help.

21. Drive less. There was a time when I went for long drives in the country just to "unwind". Yikes! Now I know what is happening to the air on our planet, so those days are over. If you can walk or bike, fantastic. If not, being organized to combine trips and buy food for a period of time is better than driving to the store every day for one or two things. Lists have become my friends!

22. Bio-degradable. I've written about this a few times, but here it is again for anyone who may have missed it. The chemicals in our products going down the drain now are not only damaging our own water supplies but killing creatures we love, and coming back to us through the food we eat. There are so many chemicals that cannot be flushed from Nature and they just build up until they kill. There is bio-degradable stuff everywhere now. Soap, shampoo, dish detergent, laundry soap, household cleansers, toothpaste, hand lotions, even sunscreen. Did you know the chemicals and oils in most sunscreen coat the reef and smother it? Now you know.

23. Excess mail. Even places you want to hear from, like the enviro organizations I donate to, send WAY too much mail out. I do most of my reading and donating online now, and found that if you call and ask to go paperless they will happily take you off mailing lists. Whew! Of course the paper can be recycled, but it doesn't have to be created in the first place. Consider getting magazines you like to read at the library or do a sharing with other people who like to read the same ones. Keep more trees from being cut down!

24. Rent. So many people own things they maybe have only used once and then it is stored. Consider renting things. This goes for entertainment too like movies that are watched once and then sit on a shelf. There are lots of great places to rent all kinds of things rather than buying a new one. I get my movies at the library now and it costs one dollar. Sweet!

25. Paper. All paper we use and toss, like paper towels, plates, napkins, toilet tissue, can be made from paper already in circulation in the world. There is no need any more to buy "virgin" paper for these things. Look for a 100% recycled label for the ones with no new trees cut down. Some I have seen are only 20% recycled, so it's o.k. to cut down 80 trees, just not 100? I vote for ZERO trees cut down.

26. Sustainable materials. This is something I am just discovering, but there is now clothing in lots of stores that is made from things like bamboo and hemp that grows fast and doesn't require the huge amounts of pesticide that cotton does. These two plants also are made into other things like paper and wood, and since they can grow in fields that already exist no forests need to be cut down. I have a bamboo shirt that is one of the softest most luxurious things I have ever felt.

27. Soaking. I thought of another one related to power use, but I'm too lazy to change all the numbers to put it up with that batch! When you soak things you can cut down the cooking time required by a lot. I now soak my lentils and beans at least overnight, sometimes longer. This actually starts the sprouting process which apparently releases enzymes that are even more beneficial than just cooking it before it began sprouting. Lentils get so soft just overnight they don't even need to be cooked and can be thrown on salads, or tossed in a pot at the very end with other greens that only need to be barely heated to be tender. And I just learned the coolest thing: when making pasta you don't need to keep the stove on! Just bring the water to a boil and throw in the pasta, turn off the stove, cover it, and let it sit the normal amount of time. It works! Same thing with oatmeal in the morning. I just tried it with my rice too (pre-soaked use 1/2 the normal amount of water), and it even worked with rice. Wow. That is 20 minutes of electricity I don't have to use any more. Fantastic. I love discovering new ways to go lighter.

28. Make lunch. Take out is one of the daily things that creates MOUNTAINS of trash in our society, and it really doesn't have to. Make lunch at home and take it with you in a re-usable container and all that waste disappears. The food you make at home is almost guaranteed to be better for you than anything you get as "fast food", so you get to help the planet AND yourself. YES.

29. Pick it up. Every single day we all encounter a bit of trash laying somewhere. Or lots. Don't pass by it any more. Pick it up. I know it's overwhelming and maybe disgusting, but think about this: if it is washed into a river or the ocean, then broken down into small bits and eaten by some creature that eventually winds up on your dinner plate, that is even MORE overwhelming and disgusting! So don't eat it a few months from now. Pick it up and make sure it gets into a trash bin it won't blow out of.

30. Volunteer. Find an organization you like that is helping the Earth in some wonderful way, and help out. There are so many fantastic groups now doing so many things all over the world, and they all can use more help. It is a beautiful way to learn about your area and specific things that are a concern right where you are. Or do a service trip to some exotic place you have always wanted to visit! There are organizations that do eco service "vacations". You get to see the country and help it at the same time.

Well congratulations if you made it through this entire thing and can still see! There are so many ways to tread more lightly on the Earth and these are only some of those ways. I hope this list inspires you to do as much as you can, and continue to find new ways to help change our legacy of destroying Nature. Looking at the list written out like this I see my choices in life to go lighter on the planet have really shifted a lot. More keep showing up as I keep learning. I'd love to hear what things you have found that help our planet in your daily living. I invite you to leave comments (you can do that under this post. P.S., I love reading comments on all my blogs!) May you find hundreds of ways to help stop the avalanche!

Thanks for listening.

CRUNCHY LUNCH

2010-01-13T23:22:00.005-10:00

THE WHALES ARE BACK!!!! They are such magnificent creatures and I LOVE when they return to the islands. They go to Alaska all summer to eat, and then come back to Hawaii to have their babies in the winter. They must swim here very pregnant because they have only been back a month and there are already cute tiny fins following the huge fins. Today while I was watching them from the cliffs above Larsens there was one that began breaching over and over and simply didn't want to stop! NINETEEN TIMES! Usually they do one or two and stop. Breaching is when they jump out of the water and crash back down, sometimes their entire body coming out for a moment. These creatures weigh several TONS! Can you imagine what it takes to hurl several tons into the air above the water? It's like a house coming out of the water. Even more amazing is when you see it through binoculars as they seem to be jumping just 20 feet in front of you. Researchers have theories about why they do this but they don't really know. I think they do it because it is so much FUN! Maybe they want to pretend for a moment they are birds. That is some BIG bird!

After the show, which of course got a standing ovation, I went down to the sand to do my trash pick up and there is more than usual because of the big winter swells right now. As I was picking up small pieces of plastic literally every few inches, it occurred to me that this is now part of a whale's lunch. Even though they are the biggest creatures in the ocean, they eat one of the smallest creatures, krill. Think baby shrimp. Actually it's more like drinking lunch, but it's crunchy. They simply swim into a school of krill, open their mouths, and drink. Then the water gets filtered out and the rest gets swallowed. But the amount of plastic floating in the ocean now in among the krill is enormous. What have we done? Is this really what we want to give as our gift to these majestic creatures? Crunchy, toxic, plastic lunch.

So I ask every single one of you reading this to start picking up trash, especially plastic, wherever you are. And ask other people to help. We create so much garbage as a society, but it is not sequestered. Too much is just thrown loose in the streets, on sidewalks, hiking trails, beaches. Doesn't matter if you live in the middle of the continent. Every time it rains the water carries these garbage pieces to the storm drains, and the storm drains empty into rivers, which empty into the biggest storm drain of all, the oceans. And there it is. The candy wrapper from Idaho is in the stomach of some whale. Right now there are more people that throw trash than people that pick it up, which is why there is always trash laying around. Too many of us walk by it. There were 16 carloads of people down at the beach today and they ALL walked by it. Don't walk by it any more. The time for blaming is past. It's not "someone else's trash". It belongs to Humanity and we need to clean it up. We need to create more people picking up than throwing. Be one of those picking up, and think of the whale's lunch less that piece of trash you just got. Be the part of Humanity that DOES something about it.
Thanks for listening.

LOVE OR MONEY

2010-01-10T14:18:00.003-10:00

When I got into the water today I was enfolded by LOVE. And guess what? Love is colorful! I was completely surrounded by a school of fish of mixed species, swirling and playing around me so no matter where I turned there was brilliance. Purple, blue, green, yellow, black, orange, red, white, glinting in the sunlight and flashing from one color to the next as they swarmed in perfect, wild disarray. There was nothing to do but stay still and take it all in, deep within. Remember this moment and how it looked and felt. For this is the reef that the rancher above wants to cover in cattle dung. How can this be? Money.

Love of Creation, or money. How often does love of Creation come into our thoughts when we are about to make a decision to spend or earn money? When you head into Starbucks, does love of Creation enter into your mind? When you buy a new car, or clothes, or the latest gadgets, is there at least a moment when you stop to consider the effect these things have on the beauty of this planet that is disappearing? And if not, then it is time to consciously invite those thoughts in, and let them inform the decisions we make on a daily basis. Getting money and spending money has become all-consuming in our society (pun intended). Love of Creation has been pushed to some far away corner only to be hauled out in our "spare time" or when we are on "vacation". Love of Creation needs a promotion. Front and center of EVERY decision.

The world conference on the environment that just happened in Copenhagen in December was shocking in it's inability to motivate the richest Nations to step up with agreements to curb pollution of our Earth. And why? It would harm the wealth they are committed to. So help the Earth or help their wealth and the big Nations unanimously choose wealth. At what point do we wake up to realize money will be absolutely useless on a planet that is not livable???? Money will not buy another planet when we have made this a toxic wasteland. There were truly poignant, impassioned pleas from smaller Nations that are already suffering the ravages of the Earth being poisoned, and the only answer they received from the big Nations was that it would adversely effect their wealth to stop polluting. WOW. Not only has love of Creation been left in the wake of money, but so has love for Humanity.

How can we turn this around? We need to let the leaders of our Countries know this is no longer how we want to live our lives. They are responding to the way we live our lives as consumers. The majority needs to not only be willing to change the way we consume, but actively STATE that it is no longer acceptable to put money ahead of love. No more silence. No more being afraid to ask others to make choices that don't harm. No more dismissing those who are asking us all to pay attention. They MUST BE HEARD. Everything we do to make money and spend money must start reflecting a love of Creation and Humanity as a whole. There was a time in older societies where ALL life was Sacred. The life of the Earth and the lives of others. It is time to live that again. The time for money as the number one motivation is done. It is time for love to take that place again. PLEASE be part of a new majority. Talk, listen, think about what is happening to Creation, and then ACT. YES!

I leave you with a quote that was spoken long before we even got to the point of destruction we are at today:
"If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them something more than the miracles of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it."– President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Thanks for listening.

NEW YEAR

2010-01-01T21:48:00.022-10:00

A New Year, New Decade, New Chance for Life. Last night was New Year's Eve and one of the most beautifully perfect nights of my entire life. I had just flown home from spending the Christmas week with my family on Oahu and was SO happy to be returning to my beloved Kauai. Oahu is an absolute battle zone on New Year's Eve. For some reason it is fun for people to simulate bombs exploding all night long all over the island, like they are in a war. Perhaps if they actually had to live through a war it wouldn't be so fun. So this year I decided to fly back in the afternoon and see what it was like here on Kauai. GOOD CHOICE! When I got to my house I could hear night insects and the waves from the ocean. HEAVEN. Bringing in the New Year with peace. What a concept!

As I drove by Kealia beach I discovered this magical gathering happening there, so I had to stop and partake. A large magnificent labyrinth had been created right in the sand with 7 circles enveloping each other, and there were luminaries placed at intervals in between the rings, with candles glowing gently from within. There was a live musician quietly playing sacred music, the surf was rushing the shore to add it's own rhythm and percussion, and over all this splendour the COMPLETELY FULL MOON lent her glory. It truly was a transformed space and time. I danced the labyrinth slowly, savouring moments with the feel of the sand under my bare feet, the sounds of the gentle waves, the light of the moon illuminating gracefully the faces of other blissful people meeting me on the circular path. Even though I knew only a few of the people I met, it felt like joining a community that sought to create something very different from the war simulation on Oahu, with all that polluting smoke and debris. So much damage to the Earth on one night in the name of having "fun". Imagine welcoming the New Year listening to Nature rather than burying her in smoke and trash! Yahoo!

It had been 8 days since I had been with my beloved Larsens, so on I went for that reunion. WOW. It could not have been more perfect. The moon was so bright it was silvery day, and complete wilderness with not a person in sight. Walked the entire length to my "yoga spot", and my body thanked me profusely for finally taking time to do a full sequence, breathing the delicious air right off the sea. It was so bright I could pick sea spinach by moonlight, and go for a dip in the calm water with sparkles playing all over its surface around me.

Drove home just in time for the countdown with the family next door, and hugs from their adorable little kids who were SO excited. Truly the perfect balance of community and solitude.

Since I began my life here on Kauai almost 2 years ago, focusing on our Earth and what is happening to her, I have learned sooooooo much, and continue to shift my own choices to reflect that knowledge. As I talk with people about what I am learning, one thing comes back over and over. People feel that what they do to harm the Earth is so insignificant. I lived with someone for 4 years who would say "it's just a small amount" every time I suggested making choices that do no harm. Small amount of paper, small amount of emissions, small amount of trash, small amount of toxic chemicals down the drain, on and on. But if 7 billion people in the world have the same thought, "it's a small amount", suddenly it is no longer small. Every single person adding their own small amount becomes the crisis we are in. Those small choices become the mountains of trees cut for paper, the huge emissions spewed by our inventions, the trash that requires impossible amounts of landfill space, the toxic chemicals that now poison even the water buried deep beneath the Earth's surface. Nothing is a small amount any more, because there are too many people contributing their own "small amount". The only thing that can shift this is people realizing they are part of the MASSIVE destruction going on every day. It is not one person, or corporation or country creating it all. It is literally billions of "small amounts" from people who think that what they do is insignificant. When do we wake up and see that what we are doing is contributing to the ENORMOUS destruction of the Earth we all live on? Some people seem to think that if they do a few things with the Earth in mind, like recycling and carrying a re-usable bag, that it somehow cancels out the other things they do that are damaging. The Earth doesn't have a tally sheet. EVERYTHING we do that does damage adds to her dying. We CAN make different choices from now on. Choose to not be part of the destruction.

So as we all begin a New Year,a New Decade, and a New Chance for Life, this is my wish: each person in the entire world changes the thought that what they do is a "small amount". Each person finally takes responsibility for the damage they do every single day, and makes different choices. And all those small choices gather together to become an enormous movement to STOP destroying what is left of Creation. We are all so richly blest by the Earth every moment, and how do we repay her? With poison. That must change. I appeal to the heart of everyone reading this right now. Make this a year of Life for the Earth in all your choices. Start really looking at the things you think only do "small amounts" of damage, and imagine all the billions of other people saying the exact same thing. Then make a choice for Life, over and over again. Let's make this a truly New Year.
Thanks for listening.

THE 11th GIFT

2009-12-18T14:09:00.010-10:00

I am so EXCITED! A few weeks ago I wrote a blog called 10 GIFTS about alternatives in this gift-giving season that bless both the person intended AND the Earth by not harming her. Well I just discovered and participated in another one that is SO incredible it gets its own blog! Some of you Internet savvy people may already know of this, and organizations like it, but I'm new to all this global computer connection thing and the wonders it can offer. So here is my new favorite thing:

It's found at http://www.kiva.org/ and the people who dreamt this up need all kinds of extra points from whoever is doling them out. It is a site where you can donate to help people living in poverty in countries all over the world. There are pictures and bios so you can pick who you want your money to go to and read about what they need it for. But wait, it gets better! This is done as a LOAN, so there is a re-payment plan set up! These people are too poor to qualify for loans from a bank, but they need money to help them out for some specific goal. It is empowering people rather than just keeping them in a cycle of poverty. Give them an opportunity and they do the rest. Often someone needs money as a start-up to buy something, and then they can fly! Sweet.

The first woman I gave a loan to lives in Cambodia and makes about 2 dollars a day selling veggies in a market. She was requesting a loan to buy a bike to help carry more produce to the market. Right now she probably carries as much as she can on her HEAD, and walks 10 miles with it! I saw that when I was living in Borneo so I can picture it. The minimum loan is 25 dollars, but honestly what is 25 bucks to most of us? It's one dinner at a restaurant. But to her it is 2 weeks wages. Wow.

But there's even more! When the loan is paid back it goes into my account at Kiva and I can withdraw it if I want to, OR I can use the same money to invest in someone else!!!!!!!!!!!!! Truly the gift that keeps on giving! You don't ever have to invest more money if you don't want to, but with the original gift you get to keep helping more and more people. Incredible. They have gift certificates on the site as well if you are doing the donation as a gift for someone you know, and that person can choose who they give the loan to! I'm so amazed by the whole thing.

So I know it's last minute now, but if you are still looking for a gift for someone you love for this Holiday season, or throughout the year for birthdays or whatever, you could give gifts to 2 people at the same time! Someone in your life, AND someone who can use a helping hand. What could be better?
Thanks for listening.

MIRACLES

2009-12-10T20:55:00.012-10:00

Last night I was watching a movie that depicted racial discrimination against people of African descent in the U.S. back in the 60's and 70's. It's called Pride, and is based on a true story of an African-American man who started an all black swim team in Philadelphia in the 70's and how they were treated, which was HORRIFICALLY. The opening scene is him attending a swim meet 10 years before he began coaching, where the all white crowd literally boos him as he walks in and the other swimmers refuse to get in the water with him. It BLOWS MY MIND that this same country 40 years later has a PRESIDENT of African descent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is MIRACULOUS! How is it even possible that the MAJORITY could change that much in that amount of time? The scenes they show of the discrimination back then were so PAINFUL. I know it still exists today, but it is no longer ACCEPTABLE by the majority. How could something like that EVER be acceptable to the majority????? It was.

It got me thinking. That is the kind of miracle we need for this planet to survive. If it is possible for the MAJORITY to go from completely acceptable public hatred to electing a President in 40 years, then what will it take to go from completely acceptable public desecration of the Earth to placing her in the highest position possible in our society???? THAT is a miracle we need desperately. And we don't have 40 years to come around to that as a majority. We don't even have 10. I imagine if you lived in an all white neighborhood the horrors of how others were treated based on the color of their skin would not be a part of your life. Here in N. America it's like living in an "all white" neighborhood. We don't see how we are destroying people and creatures and oceans and forests so it's not part of our lives to want to stop it. We might read about it or hear about it from someone else, but it's not HORRIFYING enough to do anything about. It's not "in our neighborhood". How can this change? How can we get out of our "all white" neighborhood and realize the effect we are having on the entire world? We don't just poison it in our own little corner. That poison covers the globe. And STILL there are people saying it's not really happening, or it's not that important. That's hard for me to comprehend with all I see. I know that there are some who realize how imperative this is, but they are not yet the majority.

Here in Hawaii I'm sad to say environmentalism is a racial issue. Truly alarming to witness. If I as a person of Swedish descent go up to a person of Hawaiian descent and ask them to please make a different choice with whatever they are doing that is damaging the Earth, they have a VERY different reaction than if a person of their same skin color asks them. When hiring a person to do outreach to the fishing community here, the powers that be actually had to consider the color of skin in order for that person to be effective. Wow. This is 2009. It's hard for me to even write this. When I attended the meeting about the forest at Larsens being cut down, the rancher who wants to destroy it all actually commented on the color of skin of the people present as if that mattered! Even though I've witnessed it so many times since I moved here, it is still shocking to me every single time. How can this be? We need to come together to deal with this issue. We are ALL contributing and we ALL will be affected. Skin makes NO difference to the poisons going into the world. But skin IS stopping us from working together to end this destruction.

There is a global environmental conference happening right now in Copenhagen. The Nations of the world are coming together to take a look at what is happening to the planet, and come to agreements on what needs to be done to turn the tide of devastation around. It is SO important that the issues of color disappear completely between the Nations so that we FINALLY see that there is only ONE human species on this earth, and this is the only home for EVERYONE. We need that miracle to happen. I believe in miracles. I have seen them happen. It's time for one now.
Thanks for listening.

BEAUTY

2009-12-06T20:35:00.000-10:00

Never before have I lived in a place where I am in wilderness every single day, and it is so powerful. There are so many beautiful images I get to witness, and the gifts are different each day. The following are just some of those moments from my life here on Kauai, for those of you who don't get to contact Nature much! Come see what I see. It's AMAZING.

Tonight was gorgeous. There were streaky slithery clouds like incense that got covered in all kinds of different colours as the sun went down, reflecting in the water punctuated by the white froth of the waves. And because the full moon was already in the sky it never got dark, everything just changed colours from sunlight to moonlight. Truly magical.

What a peaceful, serene day. For some reason the surf and wind stopped and everything stood still. The water was clearer than it has been for about 4 months and I never wanted to leave, but I was freezing! (It's all relative...) This is the night once a month when the moon comes up full right out of the water at sunset and there were no clouds to hide her brilliance. Truly takes your breath. I couldn't move for awhile. I had been doing my trash pick-up, and suddenly there she was so I had to just sit down and gape. The sky was still mauve from sunset and the water was reflecting that mauve with a bright white shimmering carpet down the middle from the moon. WOW!

This moon deserves to be ADORED! Tonight again was calm with no clouds, and she came up after dark so it was really mysterious. First a gentle glow on the almost black horizon, and then suddenly a solid line of pure neon ORANGE on the ocean, swelling to a mountain that became an ENORMOUS DARK ORANGE GLOBE! I've never seen it so dark before. Couldn't do yoga because I just had to stare!

It is SPECTACULAR here with plumeria blossoms strewn all over the place looking like a wedding just happened, and scenting the air with their glory.

I wish you could hear this right now. The sound of the waves on the shore, singing of insects, and a small dripping from the rain. I LOVE LIVING IN THE COUNTRY!

Today was blessed solitude. I realized I hadn't had a day of solitude for a week! How in the world did that happen? It was grey and rainy which actually was perfect. I even swam in the rain which is so fascinating, feeling the little drops on your back, and when you dive down you can see them break the surface of the ocean and plop a few inches below the surface before they become part of the sea. Mesmerizing!! Walking back in the rain was a long beautiful outdoor shower with amazing scenery.

Bliss day at Larsens. Calm. Blue. Warm. Long slow renewing walk along the shore. Beautiful gifts in the water. So much beauty out there. So much extraordinary life. The coral that people walk on is actually a living creature,(most people think it is inert like a rock), and where people haven't been walking, it is magnificent as it gets a chance to grow. Fantastic shapes like crystal formations, all the colours of the rainbow, and amazing textures. There is a place in the middle I call the coral garden that really is like swimming through something that has been planted just for the sake of being beautiful to behold.

Such splendour in the water today. A honu (Hawaiian sea turtle) that just circled me gently, surrounding me in love. An adorable trio I've never seen together before: spanish dancer, red, yellow and white; sea hare, bright green, white and black; and sea urchin, striped black and white. All had crawled out of their caves and were congregating on a piece of coral. The colours were incredible! Maybe discussing us crazy humans?

Sunset was very quiet tonight. No big splashy show of colours, just the subtle shift of bright blue to a pastel yellow and gently into the deep night blue, with stars appearing beside the half moon. So peaceful. Today was a bit calmer in the water so I got to see more, and another HUGE eagle ray soared by! Amazing. Found all four of the red pencil urchins that are so rare and I'm so happy they are still alive!

These are glimpses of the things I want to save in this world. There is SO much beauty offered to us, and we are just stomping all over it. Sometimes I get so saddened by how people don't seem to care if they do damage to the Earth and I wonder if my one part makes any difference. And then comes a quote by someone I revere: "We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But if that drop was not in the ocean, I think the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. " Mother Teresa. Yes. The ocean would be less. So for all of the people out there who really DO care and really ARE doing things to no longer harm the Earth, may all those drops swell the ocean of compassion into a mighty force that can turn the tide toward healing this world while there is still beauty to save.
Thanks for listening.

LIVING OUR BELIEFS

2009-11-30T23:04:00.003-10:00

A few weeks ago I went to hear a speaker who has a book out entitled "The World Peace Diet". I knew nothing about him, but I loved the title of the book! With all the diet books out, why not one that promotes peace? His name is Will Tuttle, and his talk was really powerful and disturbing. While I wasn't on board with everything he said, his basic premise really resonated: we are not living our beliefs when it comes to food. Of course it got me thinking about how that is true in other areas than just food, but let me share his concepts first, and then spin off on my tangents as I tend to do!

Part of what was so disturbing was the videos he showed of animal farming. I've never seen anything like this before, and some of it was so horrific I actually had to turn my head away. Just like I think every person who creates garbage (that would be all of us) should be required to tour a landfill to see why we need to make different choices, I now think everyone should have to see videos of animal farming so you know what you are contributing to. Even vegans need to see this so they can talk about it with others who are not vegan. Mr. Tuttle says we have dis-connected from the cruelty because we can't face the truth. It's too shameful. After seeing these images, I think everyone would agree. I don't know ANYONE who would watch this and say "yah, that's something I want to finance and condone! Let's have more of THAT!" And yet we do finance and condone it every single day by our choices for food. How is this possible? How did we get to a place where our beliefs are not lived in our choices? What person reading this would say "I believe in mutilation, violence, cruelty, and slavery"? I'm quite sure not one. And yet how many of us know or have thought about what happens with the animals on our plate? Animals have instincts like we do to escape mutilation and violence, raise their children, and live outside cages. But we have decided it is somehow o.k. to put them in cages so small they can't turn around because the meat would get "tough", take their children from them, mutilate them like whacking off their beaks so they can't peck, and the list goes on. If you saw these videos you would probably be as horrified as I was. So why is this o.k.???? What happened to compassion? We are literally eating misery. And how can this change unless enough people say it is NOT o.k.? I'm not talking about the world becoming vegan. I'm talking about the end to cruelty in our food choices. Just don't accept it any more. If enough people are willing to live their beliefs the big factory animal farms won't be able to continue these practices. One of the things Mr. Tuttle said that was so powerful was this: "Our actions are prayers. Are we praying for violence?" Wow.

So here come my tangents. Most people that I know believe that God created the Earth and all the plants and creatures. Do any of them believe that God asks us to destroy the Earth and all the plants and creatures? Not that I know of. Not one. So why are we choosing that every single day? Why are we not living our beliefs? Nature has become a "thing" to be owned and used. Simply "resources" that we can use up, poison, annihilate in any way we want? Who believes that is what God wants? And if we don't believe that, then why are we living that way? What will it take for us to live what we say we believe and cherish Creation? Wouldn't that be GLORIOUS!

How many people reading this would say they believe greed is a good thing? Probably none. So why do we take more than we need ALL THE TIME? We take more food than we need, more clothes than we need, more "things", bigger houses than we need, bigger cars, on and on. And yet we say we don't believe in greed. Look at the way we are living. I live quite a simple life, and yet when I went to move and started to decide what I needed to keep, I was STUNNED at how much I had that I could give away because I didn't need it. It comes from just being able to take more than we need. We take what we CAN. However much we can afford usually. Not how much is necessary. What if we started LIVING our belief that greed is not a good thing? If there was no consequence it wouldn't really matter. But the consequences of our taking what we can has HUGE repercussions for the Earth. The sheer volume of "stuff" that is not necessary is spewing mountains of pollution in the air, soil and water that we all need to survive. There will come a time when this is finally clear to everyone, but the damage will have been done. How about we stop this damage now, simply by living what we say we believe? It can happen. I know it can. But people have to be willing to really look at the way they live their lives and the choices that do harm. I truly hope that humanity will rise to this challenge and SEE the effect of the "more, more, more" mentality. This is not about living in a sense of lack. Abundance does not have to do damage to the Earth. Abundance can take other forms than just material things that spew pollution every time they are made or used. What if we live by this motto: "Take what you need, not what you can".

So I ask each of you to really look at your beliefs and if you are living them. If not, isn't it time to shift that? It has to happen inside each one of us. Awareness, and then action.
Thanks for listening.

10 GIFTS

2009-11-27T21:31:00.008-10:00

Today was the "official" day when all the shop-till-you-drop craze begins leading up to the big Holiday Season. (Cue the music...) Gift giving is such a BEAUTIFUL thing, but it has become really manic and destructive in our society. People wracking up debt because they feel they have to buy and buy, literally harming others in the quest to get something they think they must have, so much stress, so frantic. How about we step out of all that this year?! I submit some suggestions for a loving and stress free holiday season, helping the Earth in the process. We can give and NOT pollute the land, water and air. YAY!

1. Buy Less.
Seems a no-brainer. The more things we accumulate that we don't really need from people who think they have to buy us "something", the more that winds up in the landfill. While it is really fun to give, most of the gifts now are so destructive to the world we live in. So much plastic! So much manufacturing waste. We don't need to add to that in order to give.

2. Re-Give.
(What an odd sounding word.) There are many things you may have received that you don't use or enjoy that someone else may need or adore! When I was doing my huge "cleanse" to downsize before moving to Kauai, it was so fun finding new homes for things I didn't want to take with me. I thought I didn't have much "stuff" to start with, but it was amazing how much I had to give in my closets. There is an organization online at Freecycle.org where you can get things to give to others for free! Craigslist also has a "free" section under the "For Sale" column. And of course you can post things there you want to give away if you can't find another home for them.

3. Donate.
One of the wonderful traditions started in my family awhile ago is making a donation in someones name to an organization that person would want to support. There is money flowing to a fantastic cause, rather than to a "thing" that sits on a shelf or in a store room. It is exciting to me that the Earth can get extra help at this time of year if people are willing to give in this way.

4. Talents.
When we are kids we make things for people. Like the painting Mom still has hanging and says she likes, or the pot holder she still uses. (Yes, it's true). But who says we can't do this as adults? One of the most delicious gifts I ever got was a 2 hour massage from a professional massage therapist friend of mine. BLISS! Someone may be able to offer tutoring on a computer to another who is lost. (That would be me). Write a poem or song as a gift if you are a writer or singer. I have a friend who is a pianist and donates himself as entertainment for parties as a gift. Is there some skill you have that others could be blessed by?

5. Time.
Even if you feel you are a talent free zone, time is a gift that many can use. Babysit for a couple with kids so they can have a night out. Be a chauffeur for someone who has no car. Clean someones car, or house. (Well maybe not the WHOLE house...). You can create a "certificate" to be redeemed for a certain number of hours of your time. Lots of people need gifts of time!

6. Free Tickets.
Give a subscription to season tickets for something fantastic! Or maybe just a single show of something passing through. A year's admission to a museum, art gallery, arboretum. That gift keeps on giving the entire year.

7. FOOD!
O.K, who doesn't like food? Maybe you want to not like it so it won't tempt you, but you DO. Everyone needs to eat. Making food to give as gifts feels very special to the person receiving. "You made this yourself? Wow." Even if it's not yummy to them, the love that went into it is what is received. Your shopping is no more than a few extra items the next time you are at the grocery store.

8. Re-use.
A lot of the wrapping, bows and bags that things come in can be re-used. I had such a collection of gift bags and bows from packages I got over the years I gave a bunch away on my big "cleanse" and I still have more to use this year. Even the wrapping paper if it is taken off carefully can be used again another year. Just cut off the parts with tape and voila, new paper with no trip to the store. (Just don't give it back to the same person...hee!)

9. Recycle.
There is so much packaging on new products but lots of it can go to recycling rather than the landfill. And all those holiday cards and envelopes can be put in paper recycling. Here in Hawaii they do not have curbside recycling (on an ISLAND!...don't get me started...), but ALL paper can be recycled, and both cardboard AND paperboard, if you know where to take it. Check with your local recycling centers for what they accept. In most places none of it has to go to the landfill.

10. E cards.
Lots of people give cards only at the holidays, and have a HUGE list! But now we have the Internet and don't need to cut down forests any more to send a card. Of course there are cards printed on recycled paper, but they are still made in factories adding to the pollution. We can step out of all of that. There are many online card "stores", and most are free! Even better. The cards can be SO creative, even singing and dancing for the recipient. How fun is that?! So give tons of cards and create no waste. Wow.

I know there are lots of ways not mentioned here to give gifts that don't involve buying at a store and more stuff for the landfill. I hope this list has given you ideas to make your own holiday season this year more loving and stress free for both you AND the Earth! YES!
Thanks for listening.

CONVERSATIONS

2009-11-17T00:19:00.012-10:00

The most remarkable conversation happened a few days ago. I was doing my usual trash pick-up at the beach, and the waves are still HUGE so there is way more than I can get. When I am passing people "using" the beach, sometimes they will ask if I'm finding shells, occasionally saying something positive when they find I am picking up trash, and often saying nothing. Well this conversation began with the question about what I was picking up, and when I said trash, the guy looked stunned and said "I see trash on the beach all the time but it never occurred to me to pick it up"!!!! He said he assumed someone else would. No, there is no-one whose "job" it is to pick up in remote places. Sometimes at resorts I suppose. Then something happened that is a first in 10 years: he got a bag and JOINED ME! Honestly, no-one has ever done that before. It rather astounded me. He said he would pick up the area around where he and his girlfriend were laying. I got so HAPPY! I always hope people will step up and start doing something about the way we are harming the Earth, but in my experience it is really rare. Once in 10 years. And what was so cute was he needed coaching about what was plastic and what was bits of shell or coral! Hilarious. A trash coach?

In talking with my family and friends over the years I have been so frustrated with how hard it is to get people, even people that love me and listen to me, to realize how serious our destruction of the Earth is and DO something about it. Recently I've been having conversations with several people about why this is. I've learned what might be a few of the reasons, so I post them here in case they ring for others.

Because of the way I live my life, I am seeing every day what is happening to our Earth. I am watching paradise disappear. I have to remember that most people aren't. There are so many big money companies telling them not to worry, that they feel skeptical. "What if I give up all of this stuff and the other side is right and I didn't have to give it up after all?" So they just keep doing their thing and wait until they "see" something happen or until their neighbors do something so they don't feel like they're the only ones "giving up stuff".

How can I get people to believe how important it is to change swiftly? To save what is LEFT, before it too is wiped out forever. Because if we keep going the way we are, quite literally this planet will be un-inhabitable. Very few people believe that. They don't see it so it doesn't make sense to "give up stuff". The Inuit who are watching their houses sink into the melting permafrost believe. The Indonesians watching the forest they live in being cut down believe. The Polynesians forced to leave an island in the Pacific because there is no high ground and their crops are all under water with rising sea level, they believe. The tribes in Africa killed so their land can be mined believe. Our life in N. America is way too cushy. We don't know what we are doing that affects people in other parts of the world, sometimes literally taking their lives. I am told I may be labelled as "hysterical" and people won't listen. And yet what is happening is DESPERATE. How can I get people who don't see it to SEE. And stop contributing immediately so lives can be saved. All I can do is keep putting information out there and pray like crazy it will get through to the heart. If it's just in the head it does no good. People need to be moved in the heart, with enormous compassion for what they may never see first hand, in order to do something. By the time we feel it in N. America in a big enough way to scare people into action, millions of people and creatures will already have lost their lives in other places less insulated. There is a Native Indian saying: "When the children ask what you did while the Earth was dying, how will you answer?"

The thing that still baffles me is the continuing to do something once someone knows how simple it is to do it differently. When you walk into a store you simply pick up the recycled toilet paper rather than the one that has destroyed forests. You pick a cleanser or soap that has no toxic chemicals rather than one that does. You pick up something organic that hasn't poisoned the soil. They are often in the same aisle now at the big stores. You don't even need to go out of your way to do it. It seems that people make it into a bigger shift than it actually is. There was a time when ONLY the health food stores carried products that do no harm, but that is no longer true. It's just so EASY now to make a choice to do no harm, and still people choose what does harm. I don't understand that. Once you know? Really?

I have been told for a lot of people Nature is an "it", an inanimate object, and objects cannot be harmed in very many ways that burden the conscience. WOW. I can't quite wrap my mind around that. But it sure would explain why people harm the Earth the way they do. Separate from Creation. Yes. And so how to re-connect people? Is it even possible to create respect for life if it is not considered life? Respect for an inanimate object? Hmmm. But all of the destruction we are doing is already coming back to bite us. We can't destroy the Earth without destroying ourselves in the process since this is our only home. If you haven't yet watched the movie HOME on Youtube, watch it. It is important to see what you may never know without a film like this. We need to change the course humanity is on. Even my beloved Borneo where I grew up will be devoid of jungle in 10 years at the rate it is being logged. For us. The 20% consuming 80% of the resources of the world. Why is this o.k.? Why aren't more people upset about this? It needs to be a MAJORITY that suddenly cares and is motivated to ACT. So how will you answer when asked what you did while the Earth was dying?

Thanks for listening.

ANCIENT ENLIGHTENMENT

2009-11-13T22:34:00.007-10:00

Yesterday was the most INCREDIBLE day! I got up early (those who know me are laughing right now), to go to a traditional Hawaiian blessing ceremony of the land for a new community garden that is opening up in Kilauea. It was PHENOMENAL! The Kumu (teacher) who was leading the ceremony was oozing presence and reverence, and the ceremony was so powerful. She began by saying the Ancient Hawaiians essentially worshiped Nature, and there were specific gods that reigned over the land and water and air. So she was calling for the blessing of those things, so that the ground would be fruitful as it began a new life as a garden to feed many. She did gorgeous chants as others prepared ceremonial beds to plant taro and sweet potato and breadfruit, all essential parts of the life of Ancient Hawaiians. She had created a sacred entrance to the garden with field stones and all were blessed with water that had been sung to as it was being poured into the gourds! Delicious. Even the day itself was auspicious as the Hawaiians had just 2 seasons, dry and wet, and that day marked the transition from one to the other, hence a time for new life and a new planting season.

Ancient Hawaiians, like all aboriginal groups, had SO much respect for the land, and treated it with great sacredness. As she spoke about many of the beliefs, I was so grateful that here was someone who still knew of the Ancient ways and was willing to pass them on to new generations. For a long time Hawaiians were forbidden to practice the "old" ways. I have an Auntie here who is Hawaiian, but is only learning about her culture and language as an adult! When she was a child it was the time of "Westernization" and kids were only allowed to practice "Western" things and learn English. Wow. Of course this happened all over the world with colonization, but here I get to learn about it intimately rather than from books. And the "Western" way was not to treat the land as sacred, but to dominate it. Force it to do what you want in whatever way necessary, rather than work with Nature in a harmonious way. Sadly, that is still what "Western" growing methods are. So it was absolutely gorgeous to hear someone talk about a reverence for the land in growing food. We need to listen to these people that still know how to work with Nature, not fight Her, and re-learn the old wisdom. It gave me hope for a future where the Earth is cared for. Harmony between Nature and humans must become the rule, not the exception.

The space itself is so BEAUTIFUL, nestled in trees with unbelievable views of the mountains and waterfalls. And another thing that gave me hope: the land was donated by a wealthy landowner!!!!!!!!!! YES! Someone who has more than they need giving to others who don't have land. How refreshing! So the plots are being offered to the community for just 35 dollars and then you can plant whatever you want. Amazing. There will be SO many people helped by this land in a time when many are struggling to buy food for their families.

I went from all that power and beauty to my favorite place to do my swim and yoga at Larsens, and there was the most incredible LIGHTNING storm! Talk about power and beauty. I've never seen that at Larsens in a year and 1/2 of going there and it was soooooooooooo spectacular! The storm was out over the sea, and stationary, so I didn't have to run for cover. There was a band of clouds, a gap, and another band higher, with the lightning running up and down the bands sideways like arpeggios on a piano. Then every so often it would jump from one band to the other, sometimes shooting UP from the lower one, sometimes starting at "middle C" and leaping both left and right on the piano simultaneously. I was TRANSFIXED. And I couldn't even do yoga because I kept missing moments when I was upside down so I just stopped and watched. Because it was out over the water it would light up the entire ocean and waves just for a second of brilliant blue and white, and then back to blackness. It went on for more than an hour, before starting to dissipate. WOW! Blessings.

It seemed so appropriate somehow with what I had just experienced at the new garden. Something ancient and powerful enlightening us now if we are willing to stop and learn. And lightning bolts are hard to ignore! It's time to pay attention. Listen. Nature is TALKING.
Thanks for listening.( suddenly a double meaning!)

EARTH LAUGHTER

2009-11-07T20:58:00.012-10:00

The other day I was given one of the most beautiful gifts of my life, in the form of a true story read to me over the phone by my sister. I simply had to put an excerpt here to share with all of you. The article was written by a doctor about to meet a new patient, a 9 year old boy with a softball sized cancerous tumor on his face. Both his eyes had been removed, followed by multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. "I was about to meet wisdom and knowledge in the form of a blind nine year old boy with terminal cancer. He should have died months ago, slipped into unconsciousness, or have been in the throes of excruciating pain. Yet, he defied all the odds.

"I am Dr. Lerma. Welcome. You must be Matthew", I said, intentionally directing my salutation to Matthew's sister, who was sitting directly opposite from him. When she started to laugh, Matthew protested loudly,"No, silly, I'm Matthew." Amazingly, he knew I had addressed her instead of him, considering he had been blind for more than a year. He smiled a magical crooked smile and began an animated attempt to make me laugh. "Dr. Lerma, I want to introduce you to Regina, my tumor. The doctors call her retinoblastoma and tell me she is a bad tumor, but I consider her my friend. You see, Dr. Lerma, Regina is going to help my family and other children who are sick."
"How is that possible" I asked.
"Well God's the only One that knows that, but all I have to do is accept her."

One day I asked Matthew how he had lived so long with all that he had endured. He cocked his head as if listening to someone talk, and then he said simply and matter-of -factly, "Okay, I'll, tell him. Well, doc, it was a gift from God's angels." I was a little surprised by this revelation, but sometimes patients did mention angels, and I usually just ignored it as a side effect of the medications or the hallucinations of the dying mind. But this felt different somehow, as Matthew was very lucid and had refused all medications since his admission. Matthew looked at me as though he could see me, and said, "Okay, let's talk about the angels. Ask me some questions. I can feel your heart, and it has questions, so shoot."
"Are there any angels with us today Matthew?"
"Oh yes, they are here."
"How many angels do you see?"
"Three."
"What color are they?"
"They are bright gold."
"How tall are they?"
"They are a little taller than my favorite basketball player, David Robinson."
"Do they come to you when you are sleeping or when you are awake?"
"Both ways. They come in my dreams, and we all go swimming with the dolphins, seals, and penguins. It's a lot of fun. When I'm awake, they teach me things about the earth and people."
"Can you tell me what they teach you about the earth and people?"
"Yes. They tell me that the earth is sick like I am, and that the people have to learn to make it feel better so that everybody can be healthy and happy. Sometimes when I'm swimming with the dolphins and playing with Gabby, I can hear the earth crying because it is sick and is sad. It makes all of us sad. But Gabby has shown me what makes the earth laugh."
"And what makes the earth laugh, Matthew?"
"You make it laugh by swimming with the dolphins, seals, penguins, fish and a bunch of other animals, and saying thank you to God for the water, plants, and all that stuff."

A day or two later, our conversation continued.
"How often do you see the angels, Matthew?"
"Every few days, mostly on Fridays, I think."
"Why do you think they come on Fridays?"
"Because that's when I had my chemotherapy, and they want to help me feel better."
"Do they talk to you?"
"Sometimes."
"What do they say?"
"They ask me if I'm feeling okay."
"What do you tell them?"
"I tell them the truth-that sometimes I feel sick. They tell me they'll make me feel better whenever I feel bad. That's why I don't have any pain like you always think I should have."
"How do they make you feel better?"
"They show me blue water with dolphins and let me ride on them, and after that I feel better than before."

Matthew hugged me and whispered in my ear,"The angels are going to pick me up on Monday. Will I get to see you before then?"
"Of course," I assured him."I wouldn't miss it for the world, Matthew."

I made my visit to Matthew early Monday around seven in the morning, because that is when he said the angels would visit. He knew the moment I arrived and said, "Hello again,"as if he could see. I started to ask if the angels were in the room, but before I could get the words out, he boldly spoke up. "Dr. Lerma, do you know there are about twenty angels in the room with us right now?"
"Really? Anyone else?"
"Yep, all my friends from the beach. They're all laughing, and the angels are so bright and gold that the light makes everyone in the room look gold, too."
Matthew then gifted me with his final words: "I'll see you later." The little boy nodded his head as if he was sharing a special secret that only I would understand.

Matthew passed away peacefully at six in the evening with his family at his bedside. I could feel his spirit still around, no longer in the worn out body. I knew that this world was a better place for Matthew having been here, even if only for a few years."

Wow. So that is what we do to make the Earth feel better; we make her laugh! By giving thanks for all the gifts of Nature, and by playing in Nature with all of her magnificent creatures. After my sister read me the story she pronounced that my most important job each day was to GO SWIMMING! This is a job I can do. I need to make the Earth laugh! I always thought I went to the water to receive joy. Apparently I can also give joy too. Thank you, Matthew.

This is a much shorter version than the complete story which has a beautiful part about Matthew's family and what he did for them. If you want to read the entire thing, it is from the latest issue of Light of Consciousness magazine.

So let's go make the Earth laugh people. We need to give back.
Thanks for listening.

FLYING HOME

2009-11-05T19:58:00.009-10:00

I was sitting on the cliff today watching sunset over the water at Larsens; orange, pink and yellow clouds behind dark purple stormy ones with a back drop of baby blue, spread over the dark water swells with puffs of white waves. All that colour punctuated now and then by flocks of Boobies flying home (sorry, that's their name). They are black and white seabirds that nest in the trees of a bird sanctuary just up the coast, and every day at sunset they fly home after a day of fishing. And it occured to me that we have lost our sense of "home". I was reflecting on that word because I had just seen a film about our Earth and what is being done to her that is the most unbelievable, astounding, stunning, important film. It is called HOME, and is on Youtube. The photography is National Geographic quality, and it tours the globe showing the state of air, water and food in hundreds of Nations. It will blow your mind. EVERYONE needs to see this film so we all know what we are facing. The images of Nature are so GORGEOUS, and the statistics are staggering. Please, please watch it.

Today was one of those big swell days when TONS of garbage is washed up that is floating around in the ocean. Too much for me to pick up in one day, but I got some of it. I always feel relieved that at least that much won't wash back out with the next high tide. There were people there that came to "use" the beach for the day, spread out their towels or beach chairs right beside the trash washed up, and then left without picking up a single thing. Why? They have lost a sense of the Earth being home. If someone had dumped trash on their bed and they didn't know who did it, would they lay down on it or clean it up? Of course they would clean it up. Even more alarming is the people who come to the beach and bring trash that they leave behind. Do they butt out their cigarette butts on their living room carpet and just leave them there? Again, of course not. It is home. But they do it every single day down at the beach.

We have lost a connection to the Earth as home. And yet the Earth is inside us! We are all made up of the air, water and soil of this planet. If we don't have air, we die. If we don't have water, we die. If we don't have food from the soil, we die. You have air, water, and soil inside you right this moment as you read this. It doesn't get more connected than that! People say to me they aren't as connected to the Earth as I am. Yes, you are. We ALL have it inside us, equally. We all take it in every single day. But it is not a conscious connection. If it were, we would act very differently. No-one would dump trash in their own home and then lay down in it. When they are at the beach they don't think they are "home".

Anderson Cooper aired a documentary on t.v. called Planet in Peril that highlights a few of the things happening to our Earth. One of the segments was on human-made chemicals that are now inside us. As we have been pouring these chemicals into the air and water and soil, we are pouring them into ourselves. Only recently have we been discovering that they are not just poisoning the Earth, they are poisoning us. There are roughly 82,000 chemicals not found in Nature that have been created for use by us. Guess how many have been tested for safety. Go on, guess. I'll give you a moment.......200!!!!!!!!! Those zeros are correct. Not 20,000. Not even 2,000. And of those 200 the ones that are proven to be hazardous are banned. Like DDT. And yet they are still finding DDT in our bodies because it gets stored. What about the other 81,800 that have not yet been tested? Why are we waiting until they are? What we are doing to this Earth we are doing to ourselves. We are connected whether it is conscious or not. When someone proves it is toxic, it's too late.

So we have got to come back to a sense of home. A planet that is so connected to us she is inside us every moment of every day, and what we do to her we immediately do to ourselves. And it has to happen swiftly. We don't have time to crawl home or even walk. We need to FLY home. Just like the Boobies, every single day.
Thanks for listening.

FLIGHTS OF FANCY

2009-10-31T22:23:00.062-10:00

This is a picture of my favorite Hawaiian forest bird. The I'iwi. Gorgeous. Seeing them in the wild is so incredible. The colours are fantastic. And look at that bill!!!! Because they are so rare many people have never seen one except in a picture, including people who live here, since the Native birds fled to the high mountains as the lowland forests were cut down. If you have read my post about Old Growth forests, then you know that I began hiking with botanists when I first moved to Oahu. Besides seeing beautiful really rare plants, I started learning about the Hawaiian birds. All the forest birds seen at lower levels are "imports" from somewhere else because the Hawaiian species couldn't live on the introduced plants, and they had no immunity to mosquito viruses so they died in massive numbers. There were no mosquitoes here before people brought them. Can you imagine? (What a good idea to bring those with us!) So just like with the plants, you can come to Hawaii and never see a Hawaiian bird. Ayah. And when I discovered how few Hawaiian bird species were left in the high mountains I began a "quest" to see all the ones that still exist before any more go extinct. Sadly, another one did go extinct just a few years after I moved here and I never got to see it. It was called the Po'ouli, and lived in the remote mountains of Maui. There was only one bird left that researchers knew of, and then it died. Sigh.

My search started on Oahu with the help of a wonderful woman who knew the calls of the birds, so even if we couldn't see them she would say "oohh there is an Apapane singing over there in those trees". Then I'd scramble like crazy to try and SEE it. It was always worth it. They are so magical and beautiful! Because they are elusive and rare, it makes it even more exciting when you do get blessed with a sighting. As with the plants, some birds had evolved on each of the main islands that never made the flight to another island, so were endemic just to one place. Wow. After I'd seen the species still surviving on Oahu, I started doing "birding" trips to the other islands. During one of those trips here on Kauai I met a really generous man who took the time to tell me where to find the most rare endemics on Kauai, Maui and Big Isle. He even drew me maps!!!! Sweet. I could never have completed my quest without this gift.

So off I went with my new-found knowledge and over the course of several years and many blissful trips into the forests, I DID manage to see all the ones that are still alive. There are some phenomenal birds here! The very last on my list was on Maui, a bird called the Akohekohe, black and white speckled with a spectacular disheveled red hair piece. I was in a remote area, sitting in the dense vegetation dressed in green, doing my best imitation of a bush, and watching a huge Ohia tree covered in blossoms, their favorite food. I'd been to this area on many trips and never seen the rarest of the rare. Suddenly there it was, about 40 feet in front of me on the tree. I was freaking out (quietly) because I was so EXCITED that I finally got a glimpse, when it turned and looked at me! For a moment I thought, no it couldn't possibly see me because I am one with this bush. The bush that's shaking with excitement maybe. Well then I got my answer. IT FLEW STRAIGHT AT ME! I had to put down my binoculars because it got so close I thought it was going to land on me. Instead it landed on a branch of the bush I thought I was part of, and just stared at me. It was the sweetest moment. I couldn't breathe. Then it flew off and I burst out laughing. But wait. IT CAME BACK! And this time brought a mate!!!! Probably saying "what do you think this is???" So they both stared at me for awhile and chattered to each other before flying away. Gosh if only I could understand "bird". A brilliant final sighting to complete my quest. Now when I am hiking and see the rare ones it is like old dear friends I haven't seen in a long time.

Out of 75 forest bird species documented in the islands in the past, there are now only 8 species left on Kauai. Yes, EIGHT. Some are extremely rare and hardly ever seen, and there is a captive breeding program to try and bring back numbers on some of the ones that are the most depleted. But because the forests where they survive are still being ravaged who knows if we can save them from extinction. On Oahu there are 2 species that have begun to develop some immunity to mosquitoes since the little biters are now through all the forests there so the birds can't escape any more. For awhile the really high mountains on other islands were spared, but now new skeeter breeds are showing up even in the bird sanctuary at 6000 feet on Big Isle.

So what can we do? A really easy way to help endangered species is right in front of you on your computer. There are sites online where you just have to click and sponsors pay donations to different organizations. Free for you and you get to help! What could be better. If you think you don't have enough time, it literally takes 30 seconds to donate (o.k. 90 with a slow connection...). My favorite is at http://www.care2.com/click-to-donate/. Click to donate is the section this link will take you to, but if you are interested, there are also amazing articles on this site. Fantastic organizations will benefit from your clicks like Nature Conservancy, Oceana, Jane Goodall Institute, and more. I have a link that comes right to my email inbox so it's really convenient. There are other causes on the same page if you want to donate to them all, and you can do it every day. So go donate right now! I'm sure the birds will thank you. Happy clicking!

Thanks for listening.

OLD GROWTH

2009-10-29T23:19:00.008-10:00

I have been neglecting the mountains!!!! I'm writing so much about the ocean, it's about time the mountain forests get some air time.

Did you know you can come to Hawaii and never see a Hawaiian tree? I grew up on the island of Borneo, and when I came to Hawaii for the first time and saw the coconut trees, plumeria, mango, and banana trees, it felt like "home". The very first week after I moved to Oahu I met 2 botanists who had just started a weekly hiking group to go into the forest looking for rare endangered plants. Being the Nature boy that I am it couldn't have been more perfect. So the first hike I am excitedly asking questions about the plants and trees I am seeing and was sent reeling. No, that's not Hawaiian, or that, or that or that... so what IS? Oh not until you get really high into the mountains. Pretty much everything down at sea level was brought here from somewhere else. WHAT???? Good grief. What looked like "home" to me didn't actually belong in these islands! So as we hiked higher and they began pointing out the actual Hawaiian plants and trees, I got really sad. Why are there so few and why are they only in these remote places where most people would never see them unless they climb a 2000 foot mountain? Well I learned a lot over the next 2 years hiking with that group, and saw some AMAZING wonders that very few ever get to see.

Hawaii has the dubious honour of having the largest number of endangered plants in the U.S.. Aren't we lucky? Because the islands are so remote many things evolved here that live no-where else in the world. And now because of the way we have stripped the islands and re-planted with species from other places, the endemics are dying out very quickly. Since I have been living here there are several species that the last known plant died. So unless one is hiding somewhere, that species won't ever recover from what we have done, unless it evolves again over the next 10 million years. Why are we not paying attention to this? How many people come to Hawaii and know they have not seen a Hawaiian plant? Once I discovered where they were I had to go visit them every week. I'd rush through the lowland scary alien forest, and then ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...there it is...the Old Growth. Original Hawaiian forest that has never been cut or altered. There is nothing like it on earth. And I have found in other Old Growth forests as well, like in the Cascades of Washington State, there is a feeling that is so different in a forest that has never been cut down or altered. It is POWERFUL. All forest is beautiful. But there is something about this that defies description. You feel it in your soul. They are soooooooo spectacular. Many of the Hawaiian trees are covered in flowers! After living here a few years and hiking in the Native forest every week I was back in Minnesota visiting my sister and while driving around I kept thinking "why does this look so unusual?" Then I realized, none of the trees had flowers!!!!!!!! Ah Hawaii. (don't get all uppity, Minnesota is gorgeous too...just different!)

When the Polynesians first arrived in the islands there were no fruit trees and very few edible plants. For humans anyway. The birds seemed to be doing fine! So they started planting trees like the coconuts and mangoes, and clearing areas to grow taro and other crops. I have read that the first people here had a belief that the high forests were Wao Akua, the realm of the Gods. So they left them alone and just cut down the lowland forests. But then trade began and Sandalwood was discovered in the mountains which brought a great price. This blew my mind: they BURNED the forests to get it out more easily because only the heartwood was used and it wasn't damaged by burning the outer bark. WOW. So entire forests were burned and then only the Sandalwood pulled out. Why is this o.k.? Oh ya, money. Yikes. The areas were re-planted with fast growing trees from other places because the Hawaiian trees grow too slowly! Ayah. And so the Hawaiian forests shrank. And STILL when there is a landslide in the mountains or some place that needs to be re-planted it is done with alien plants, not native. We haven't yet learned. Sigh. Then animal ranching was introduced and more forests were cut, and STILL ARE being cut. Enough already.

On the island of Kauai you can actually get to Old Growth without hiking up 2000 feet. You can drive! So if you ever visit, go up Waimea Canyon. Most people do anyway because it is so spectacular. The Hawaiian Grand Canyon. There are beautiful lookouts on the way up, so look and ohh ahhh, but keep going. Then there is the lodge at 4000 feet where they planted PINE TREES. Why, why, why. Keep going. Drive to the very end of the road, and look to the right. Close your eyes and BREATHE. This is Old Growth Hawaiian forest. Never been altered. Spine tingling. Magnificent. Plants that live no-where else on earth. Some even just on Kauai! They never made the jump to the other islands nearby. If you are a hiker there are great trails to take you deep into it's beauty.

So how do we preserve what is left of Old Growth? If you read a previous blog about animal agriculture you already know that is the biggest contributor to forests being cut down. But there are many other reasons as well, so here is another thing you can do: buy re-cycled paper everything. I have read that there is enough paper already in the world that we never need to cut another tree again EVER. Wouldn't that be EXCITING???!!!! Can you imagine no more forests threatened EVER? Wow. That is if we are willing to use what is already in circulation. It means putting paper products in the recycling instead of the garbage, ALL of them, and then when you buy, look for re-cycled. They have everything now made from paper already in circulation, you just have to look. Paper napkins, plates, towels, toilet paper, office paper, the whole shebang. (is that a word?) If you can't get to a health food store pretty much all the major chains carry re-cycled products now. Usually just one brand in a sea of "new trees cut down" brands, but they are starting. Supply and demand. The more people that buy re-cycled the more they will supply. So be one of the people to create a demand for re-using paper! And when you visit Old Growth you can know you did your part to help keep it alive. YES!
Thanks for listening.

LOVE SONG

2009-10-22T22:45:00.018-10:00

Three love moments with Nature, and a song...

I was diving out in Waimea bay on Oahu one day and heard this LOUD haunting sound. Popped up to the surface to look around for what might be causing it. Didn't see anything. Dove again, there it is again. Popped up a second time. Still no-one nearby. Dove a third time and suddenly the gates of perception opened: WHALE SONG!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh My Word. How can I describe the thrill that ran through my blood to every corner of my body? I couldn't hold my breath long enough to stay down and listen for the hours I wanted to. (I was free diving without a tank) Scientists don't know why they sing. WHO CARES??? Because they CAN! And it will transform anyone who gets to feel it in their bloodstream. That's why they do it. They are healing the underwater world with sound.

One rainy day with no-one on the beach I was getting into the water, and there was a sweet honu (Hawaiian sea turtle) in just knee deep water looking at me. I thanked it for saying hello, but it just sat there looking at me, and then suddenly turned in the water to "show" me a huge hook in it's left shoulder with a line trailing about 2 feet long. AYAH! "Do you want me to try and get it out?" It just sat there. ( I like to think animals can understand me...) "I've never done this before. It's going to hurt." So I took hold of the hook to see how deeply embedded it was and it wouldn't budge. PAIN. It looked at me as if to say "you really don't know what you are doing, do you", and swam off. Right in that moment a jet ski came by. There are NO jet skis in this area ever! On the side is written: Ocean Rescue. Are you kidding me? So I flag him down and tell him about the turtle with the hook and he says normally he travels with pliers to cut them out but didn't have them with him, and drives off. What? Not ready to give up I get out of the water and call Turtle Rescue. Yes that really is their name. You know what they told me? "We don't do IN WATER rescue".!!!! WHAT??? These are "in water" creatures! Good grief. The hook, she says, will work it's way out, but the line is the danger because it can tangle on coral and they drown because they are air breathers. And she warns me, you mustn't try to help it because they can bite your finger off. Ayah. This turtle wants help. So I go home and get my wire cutters, all the time sending it thoughts that I am coming back and I will be prepared. Heaven smiled and said yes. I went back and it came to me in the exact same spot! Just looking at me. I showed it the pliers and said "SEE! This time I'm ready!!!". It turned and put it's shoulder right in front of me just like before and, clip. The line is cut off at the base. YES! I was so over the moon excited! "I know the hook feels horrible, but it will eventually be expelled, and that I couldn't do without ripping your shoulder." It looked at me one last time, and swam gently away. I still have the fishing line.

The other night I was doing yoga on the beach at night under the stars (ahhhhhhhhhhhh), and as my gaze fell upon the water there were....fireflies? In the water? I rushed to the waters edge, and no, I am not imagining this. There it is again. And again. Gorgeous little luminescent flashes under water! There is some small creature that flashes light like a firefly. No idea what they are. So I sat down in the water's edge and suddenly had bursts of light on my thighs, my stomach, my arms. Squeals of delight. From me that is. Nature always has some new thrill. May she continue to bless us.

I believe the Earth can heal
Hear Her cry both far and near
I believe that we must feel
In our hearts, the call so clear

Heal the Earth
Bring back the Sacred
Feel the Earth
In all you do
Heal the Earth
What God created
A sense of Holy
We must renew

I believe we need a way
To bring back love for all God made
I believe it's time to say
Let's change this price that Nature's paid

In our lives we've moved away
From feeling pain as Nature fades
In our lives, with each new day
Choose to restore and not degrade

Heal the Earth
Bring back the Sacred
Feel the Earth
In all you do
Heal the Earth
What God created
A sense of Holy
We must renew.

Thanks for listening.

YOUNG WISDOM

2009-10-20T21:25:00.009-10:00

This weekend was such a wild juxtaposition of sadness and joy. After the horrific news at the meeting Friday morning about Larsens being ravaged, I went to a 2 day bar mitzvah celebration for the son of a dear friend of mine. So full of love and delight, singing, dancing, laughing, even vegan food, because the entire family believes in caring for the earth! Wow. I discovered his grandmother is an environmental writer and his aunt has a book published on endangered species. Incredible to be surrounded by such consciousness of what is happening to the planet we all live on. Give me more of that!!!!!

The Rabbi of course had words to say and they were fascinating and hilarious! A bar mitzvah marks the move from childhood into adulthood. But he said rather than leave childhood behind, we want to take the beautiful things from childhood with us into adulthood. A child has a purity and singular focus that we lose as adults when we compartmentalize. They are 100% in what they are feeling, without judging themselves or questioning if they should be feeling it. He said they are "un-adulterated"!!!!! That made me laugh out loud. I've never heard the word used that way before. Brilliant. There is wisdom to listen to when a child sees something and feels moved by it. Purity of focus.

This young man who the bar mitzvah was for, is amazing. Only 13, and transitioning to becoming an adult, he spoke with such wisdom and beauty at the ceremony. I was so moved I asked if I could post part of his speech. He said yes! Listen to his words. They are gorgeous!

"The name of this week’s Torah reading is “Bereishis”, which means “In the beginning”.
Indeed, a Bar-Mitzvah is a beginning.
Yes, it is the end of one stage of life, childhood, and the start of a new stage, adulthood.
It is this transition we are celebrating today.
There is one particular verse in this week’s Torah-reading that is very meaningful in this regard.
The story being told is that of Adam, the very first human being, in the Garden of Eden.
What was the purpose of man’s being placed in this most unique place?
Says the Torah: “to work the land and protect it”.
This implies two forms of work, both pro-active and defensive.
1) “To work it” – means to nurture and develop it further.
2) “To protect it” – implies securing it from negative elements that may harm or ruin it.
All of our life is divided in these two categories of positive and negative.
There are constructive methods and destructive methods.
Similarly in Torah we find that all Mitzvot are divided into two general categories:
(a) Those which enhance and increase our relationship with Hashem and bring goodness to the world, and (b) Those which may damage our unique quality and harm us, or the world.

Adam was not merely planting and weeding, harvesting and tilling. He was no simple gardener in Eden. This was a spiritual calling to “protect” the world from evil and to also “work” by increasing goodness and positivity.

And this is the message I take for my life, as I become Bar-Mitzvah, a man of responsibility.
To both “work” the land, my own “land”, my character and personality, by developing, by growing, by doing good to others; and at the same time, to be aware and cautious not to do harm to others, to “protect” my land, my behavior, from becoming hazardous or negative.

As I become Bar-Mitzvah I am aware both of the tremendous privilege and of the responsibility.
I too, like Adam, live in a garden.
I too, like Adam, am charged with the unique role of “working and protecting” this garden.

I pray that I am given the strength to fulfill my role in this world, by doing good and preventing evil. That I follow in the pathways of my ancestors who shined great light, the light of Torah & Mitzvot, the light of Hashem – into our world."

AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! THIRTEEN YEARS OLD, PEOPLE! YAY! I told you he was amazing. And what kind of earth are we going to leave him to work with? We've got to start NOW to do ALL we can to stop doing harm. These children deserve a place to live that is not poisoned and desecrated. Let's not put off changing our habits. The planet won't be the same place when he is 18 if we don't. If you don't want to do it for yourself or the planet or God, then do it for the kids coming behind you. Say YES! YES! YES!
Thanks for listening.

SAVING LARSENS

2009-10-18T22:25:00.014-10:00

Oh my dear readers, I need your help. My favorite place in the entire world is threatened with being altered in a horrific way. Please send all the love you can possibly muster to a wilderness on Kauai. Here is what is unfolding:

Look at the picture of the beach at the top of this page. That is Larsens on the N.E. side of the island of Kauai. My favorite place in the world. Now imagine it with no forest any more and cows wandering down to the edge of the sand. Ayah! The reef has been protected a long time because there is no development above the beach, so it is still relatively ALIVE, and gorgeous! The man who runs a cattle ranch on the lands above has just applied for a permit to cut the forest and run his cattle pasture to 110 feet from the sand!!!!!!!! WOW. Who thinks this is a good idea? Maybe Burger King does. It will be unthinkable how this will change the place if it is allowed to happen. All the run-off from the forest gone, and the cow feces covering the sand and the reef. BLEAGH!

There have been lots of phone calls and emails flying around from those of us wanting to protect it, and the other day an actual meeting with the cattle rancher. Guess how that went? People were SO upset and he was SO uncaring. The county and state who would issue the permits are being silent. There was a county guy at the meeting. When a question was asked about the native Hawaiian trees that were already illegally cut before the rancher applied for a permit, the rancher simply lied and said he had not cut any trees! The county guy who had taken pictures of the cut tree stumps simply stood there and said nothing. So something is going on. Maybe he is paid off. Who knows. But we need a miracle now to save this place because it looks like those in government who could save it are going to just stand by. Unbelievable.

So here is the other thing you can do, besides sending love to save this place. Look at your meat consumption. If you think eating a hamburger thousands of miles away does not contribute to this destruction, think again. Meat is shipped all over the world now, so nothing is local any more, unless you buy it right from the farm. We do not need more cattle land in this world, we need more forest. But people think they need so much meat every single day and the demand continues to grow as the population grows, so more and more forests are cut to farm cattle, and pigs and chickens and sheep, and grow the grain to feed them. And if you think free range doesn't do damage, it does. That is what they are cutting down the forest above Larsens for, free range cattle.

Here are some statistics to "chew" on: Animal waste is 130 times the waste of humans in this country each year! Yikes. The Environmental Protection Agency states that animal agriculture runoff is the single largest source of water pollution in rivers and streams in the U.S., and all of that goes to the ocean. Seventy percent of the grain grown in the U.S. goes to feed livestock. SEVENTY! Do you know how many hungry people we could feed with all that land to grow things? It takes 16 pounds of grain to produce ONE pound of meat. So do you give somebody one steak or a 2 month supply of grain or other food? From the same land. Forested land is being cleared every single day to "grow" more meat. In Central America ranching has destroyed more rainforest than any other activity. It's madness. Have you heard enough yet??? We have got to LOOK at how our eating habits are changing this world. It's not just a slab in saran wrap at the store, or in a bun at a drive through. There are HUGE consequences to get that slab there. And now this cutting of forests for animal pasture is no longer something I have just read about happening somewhere else. It is happening right here in my little microcosm on this magnificent island.

So as ever, I beg you to please be one of the people who cares enough to DO something. Make different choices that are not going to harm another place. Start connecting the dots from your own life to what is happening in other parts of the world. It really is all connected. And I look forward to telling you Larsens has been SAVED!!!!!! Hold that thought.
Thanks for listening.

PURE JOY

2009-10-11T22:44:00.010-10:00

"Humans think they are smarter than dolphins because we build cars and buildings and start wars etc., and all that dolphins do is swim in the water, eat fish and play around. Dolphins believe that they are smarter for exactly the same reasons." (Douglas Adams)

That quote made me laugh out loud. If you ever get a chance to swim with a pod of wild dolphins...DO IT! They are one of the treasures on this earth that not many get to experience. When I first moved to Oahu I heard about a bay called Makua where the pods come and just play regularly, and people are able to swim with them. I got so excited by the prospect and went several times but they were never there. And then one magical day I pulled up in front of the bay and there were all these fins slicing the water just a short distance from shore (looking an awful lot like movies of shark fins...), and these are the Hawaiian Spinners so they jump from the water and twist as many times as they can before they splash back in! Pure joy. So I excitedly threw on my gear and began swimming hard and fast, my heart jumping out of my body. Suddenly I thought wait a minute, should I be scared? I'm all alone in deep water, not a soul on the beach (normally I love that!), swimming into a pod of fish (I know,mammals) that are way bigger than me, and there are about 50 of them. hmmmm. And then a moment I will always cherish. I heard them. This exquisite ringing that I felt in my core. I wasn't scared any more. As I swam closer and I finally saw the first few, an extraordinary peace washed over me. They simply emanate peace. I stopped swimming, and the next 2 HOURS were spent in one of the more blissful states of my entire life. They welcomed me in. Swimming up to me and looking in my eyes, playing rambunctiously all around me, the babies nestled at their mother's side, pressing bellies against each other and rolling over and over. A little bit of heaven.

That was the first of many times spent with them. When my little sister came to visit she said of all the things I had spoken of, that was what she most wanted to do. So off we went and because she has a spiritual power all her own, the pod was there to greet us. We geared up and began swimming out, but it had never occurred to me that swimming in deep ocean water for someone that never does that, might be difficult! So part way out she had to stop, and said with great sadness she couldn't go any further. "But the dolphins are right there, just a little further!" "No, I really can't." "Well is it o.k. if I keep going?" "Yes." O.K., don't hate me people. I wasn't abandoning my sister in the middle of the ocean! It really was a short distance and I could still call to her to check and see if she was alright. (The lovely thing about salt water is it will just hold you up so you don't sink if you stop swimming.) Once I got to the pod I was urging her to come just a little further, they are right underneath me! She said later she was so disappointed in herself having come that far, but she really couldn't go further, and suddenly thought "but they could come to me!" And I kid you not, they did. As a pod they turned and swam straight to her and she got to have my transcendent experience for herself. Pure joy. Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!

I have read that dolphins are wildly intelligent and can communicate telepathically, and of course with their sonar. We really don't know how extraordinary these creatures may be. So I did an experiment. One time when I was with them, there was a bunch of what looked like strips of plastic wafting on the bottom in the currents. It was way too deep for me to dive and get it, and you know how much I wanted to! So I decided to "ask" for their help. I simply thought "if you bring that up to the surface, I'll take it out of the ocean." And you already know what happened next. They would dive down and scoop up plastic strips draping it on their side flippers, swim to the surface to drop it off, and go get more. I was simultaneously over the moon ecstatic, and dumbfounded. We have no idea how intelligent they are. They may very well be smarter than us. And able to communicate in ways we only dream of.

I've also read recently what a profound effect they have on children with autism. It is astounding. Just being in the water with them somehow shifts the firing in the brains of the children so that the autism is lessened. That is so beautiful! We have so much to learn from these creatures.

So guess what we are doing to honour them? By now you know, it's Daniel's blog so there is going to be something about how we are altering things, and not in a good way! Sigh. New research has discovered human made chemicals in these animals!!!!! Not just one. A list, from PCB's to antibacterial agents in soap, toothpaste, deodorants, pesticides, prescription drugs and more. If you want to read about it, google "chemicals in dolphins". They are now linked to disrupting reproductive organs, among other things. So if you wash your hands with "regular" chemical laden soap, you may affect a dolphin's ability to have a baby. That is nuts. What are we doing? Do we really want to leave this kind of a mark on creatures we share this planet with? Of course not. But how do we stop it now? We just start. We didn't know the harm we were doing. Now we do. So from now on we do it differently. We've got to start using products that do not cause harm. And pray the damage will be forgiven somehow. But not enough people know, and not enough people that DO know are doing things differently. That shocks and saddens me. Once people find out and still make the choice to harm. How is that possible? So that is the real shift that needs to take place. The majority needs to help and not harm. Every single day. Please be one of the people that begins to form a new majority. It CAN happen, but only if everyone who discovers what we are doing is willing to change the legacy they leave. And talk about what you have learned so more will know. It's been a long road getting to where we are with doing so much harm, but it needs to be a short and swift road back to treating the world as sacred. And who knows, maybe the dolphins can actually help if we ask! I know they will thank us.
Thanks for listening, and doing your part to shift this!

SEEING

2009-10-10T23:48:00.002-10:00

Fasten your seat belts dear readers, we're in for a bumpy ride. This blog is intense. My blog mentor says everyone is allowed to do a rant once in awhile! This began as an email to someone very dear to me who is willing to listen when I am feeling pain about our world, but I decided to put it up as a blog since I'm doing this now. Nothing pretty in this one. I promise you there will be again in the next one. If you are someone that can handle looking at difficult realizations, then read on. Forgive me in advance if it's too much information.

Sometimes seeing what is going on sucks. Watching an avalanche and there is absolutely nothing you can do except watch as it destroys things. That's what it felt like yesterday.

I was starting to work on the blog about how being caught up in the moment can stop us from looking at the consequences of our action, and I was trying to pussyfoot around so I wouldn't offend anyone when what I really wanted to do was shake people and yell WE'VE GOT TO STOP KILLING! NOW!!!!!! I had just read several new reports on the rate of extinction going berserk because of the way we are stripping this planet and it is now up to one new species going extinct EVERY THREE HOURS! What??? The avalanche. And there seems to be no way to get people to really LOOK at how they are contributing to this. I drove by store after store on my way through town where people were happily buying and buying and buying, with no thought to what that is doing in the world. They want a pair of jeans that makes their butt look cute. Do they think about the rainforest being cut to grow cotton? Do they think about the pesticides going into the soil and water? Do they think about the factories spewing into the air? Of course not. Cute butt or one species every 3 hours, and cute butt wins. Over and over every day by the millions. And then they stop at Starbucks for a Latte. Do they think about the forests cut? Do they think about the pesticides? Do they think about the factories spewing? Of course not. They go home happy in their cute jeans sipping their Latte. One species every three hours. Gone. And this avalanche is only going to grow unless people suddenly en masse wake up and LOOK at what they are doing. The consequences of every single thing they do in a day. How can that happen? No-one wants to see themselves as causing harm so they just say it's not that bad, or it's not true, or it's not just them, or a million other excuses so they don't have to really look at what is happening and how they are contributing. So the avalanche continues un-abated. I want a cute butt just like everyone else, but at what cost? Wiping out other species? We've got to start seeing what we are doing. And here's the thing: I HAVE actually seen species disappear since I have lived here! It's not just happening in the jungles being cut down in Indonesia and South America to grow things for us to buy. It's happening right here in front of my eyes, on this beautiful island. So how can I pussyfoot around and try not to offend people? Me saying "please consider if you are willing" isn't going to kick anybody in the butt to make a change TODAY. And we all need to be kicked in the butt so we can see how desperate this is. I include myself in all this. I try every day to LOOK at my impact on the earth and do something about it, like driving to town while I'm thinking all this! Ayah.

Then comes a phone call about the guy who shot and killed a Hawaiian monk seal a few months ago that was one of the pregnant moms coming to Larsens to have her pup. His trial finally came up and guess what? He got off with just a 25 dollar fine! And this is an endangered species some of us are trying to save and there are only 40 left on this island!!!!! 25 bucks. Because he simply lied and said he was shooting into the air to scare it off and it was an accident. Someone I know did the necropsy. It was shot twice directly into it's body from 2 different sides. He actually shot 4 times and kept shooting till it was dead. But he said he was not shooting at it, so in spite of the evidence all he had to pay was an administration fee. Meanwhile every day I am just one of many people out there trying to keep the new pups from harm, but someone can just walk up and shoot one and there are no consequences. Unbelievable. How does this happen? How has the taking of sacred life become so inconsequential?

Then with all that shock and sadness I drove to my voice lesson to prepare for the concert I'm singing in. Bad move! I tried to just be fresh and open but my heart was cracking in half. Ayah. And it all seemed so trite after what I had just been experiencing. Who cares if I lift my larynx on my high notes. Is it going to save some creature's life? Of course not. That's where I got to in my despair. Not pretty.

So I went to my favorite place in the world and lay on the beach under the moon and wept for her, for the sea, for the trees, for the sand, for my people. I am part of this human race that is no longer paying attention. We are so far outside of seeing how we affect the earth I don't know if it's even possible to turn things around. How do you stop an avalanche? Of course I won't stop trying. I have to do everything I can possibly think of. But it seems so huge and unstoppable. That's where I was last night, and I didn't have the strength to write about it. Today is a new day and I know I just have to keep going. Keep trying to educate. Keep doing all I can myself to have a small footprint. Keep begging people to make different choices. And keep learning.............Thanks for listening, even when it's harsh.

NEW LIFE

2009-10-06T00:05:00.022-10:00

One of the complete joys of my new Kauai life has been "pup sitting"! Seal pups that is. This picture is one of "my" babies born this spring. They are ADORABLE! Cute, cute, cute. The Hawaiian Monk Seal is on the brink of extinction, with only 40 left on this island and even less on the other main islands, so every new life is precious. I am part of a group that sets up shifts to try and protect the pups when they are born. These seals are one of the most graceful things you will ever see in the water, and one of the most lumbering awkward things you will ever see on land! They are air breathing mammals, and although most of their life is in the water, the moms come ashore to have their pups, just one a year, and are extremely vulnerable while they are nursing as that happens only on the beach and not in the water. They used to have no land predators so it was completely safe, but now there are humans (insert scary music), with their dogs (even scarier music, like jaws). People like to walk their dogs on the beach off leash and we have had seal pups ripped apart by them. And if the mom gets chased off sometimes she doesn't come back and the seal pup gets abandoned. Two years ago there was a pup that was abandoned and it wasn't found in time and died. So we "pup sit" to help keep them alive. This spring there were 3 PUPS born at "my" beach!!!!!!!! The first was born in March and then 2 more in June, so there was steady nursing going on every day for 4 months. It was so amazing to have that as a daily part of my life, watching a wild animal rear it's young. Magic. Teaching them to swim, to feed on something other than milk. The pups go from 25 pounds at birth to 150 pounds in 6 weeks!!!!!! That is some GOOD milk! These seals were completely hunted out of the main Hawaiian islands but a small population survived up in the uninhabited islands north of here, and they are now starting to return to the main islands. Yay! Sadly not everyone wants them to return. It astounds me, but some people actually WANT them to go extinct and still kill them even though there are so few left. Two were shot this spring right here on Kauai. Wow. So when we are out there with the new pups trying to protect them with signs and enclosures and talking with people, some of it gets hostile. Yikes.

Every day after my swim I walk the several miles of wild coastline picking up trash. It washes up from the sea every single day,and sometimes people come to enjoy the beach and leave their trash behind on the sand. I've never understood that. Come to a beautiful place and dump on it? hmmm. I dream of one day not seeing any.... There are days when there is very little that washes up, but I have learned that is only because the waves aren't big. Good grief. On the high surf days there is so much I can't pick it all up. How does it all get there? It's that "all water leads to the ocean" thing again. Every scrap thrown by the roadside, everything in a river, all the stuff washed off in our homes, it all gets carried down into the ocean. Even inland, the rivers carry it to the sea eventually. There is a place in the Pacific Ocean that is all garbage collected by currents that is estimated between the size of Texas and the size of the continental U.S.! Wrap your mind around that for a moment. If you want to know more, google "great Pacific garbage patch". Lovely name. So why do I pick up trash when there is so much in the ocean and I am only one person? I'd like to make a difference to help, no matter how small, I have a dream of beaches with no trash, but also because I have seen my beloved Monk Seals try to eat this stuff and it is pure poison to them. It's horrifying to watch them get a piece of trash and start to put it in their mouth. I'm the frantic parent: DON'T PUT THAT IN YOUR MOUTH! But of course I can't run up and grab it out of their jaws. They are wild animals!

Plastic is one of those lovely human inventions that Nature doesn't recognize or know how to deal with. There have been dead sea creatures that have had autopsies to see why they died and their stomachs are full of plastic that they can't digest. Wow. Here is the thing about plastic: it NEVER goes away. Every bit of plastic ever made is still on this earth! WHAT????? Yes. It gets smaller and smaller, but never becomes part of the earth or water again. It remains something foreign. Since Nature is amazing at coming up with ways to deal with all the stuff we dump on her, I'm hoping she will invent something that eats plastic! Might be something scary though. Like cockroaches, but with giant jaws to chew.(more scary music...this blog needs a music video!) So what can we do in the meantime while we hope for some plastic eating scary creature to evolve? LOOK at every single thing you use and throw away that is plastic, and see how you can use less and throw less. If you haven't done this before it will astound you. EVERYTHING is plastic now! I read an article by an archaeologist that said when scientists are digging thousands of years from now they will find a layer in the earth that is only plastic and declare "we found evidence of the Plastic People"! Funny, but not. Even this computer I am typing on is covered in the stuff! The plastic we throw away never all makes it to the landfill to become a layer in the earth for some scientist to find centuries from now. Here in the islands the landfill is less than a mile from the water anyway, and plastic floats! Any big wind or rain and off it goes on an adventure, looking for an innocent Monk Seal or turtle or seabird (scary music again). And if you have ever watched a garbage truck you know that stuff blows out of it all the time, and then finds a roadside drain to go down. Even if you live thousands of miles away, your plastic may have been washed into the great Pacific garbage patch through some river to the sea. Humbling to think about. And even if you never get to see a baby monk seal, they thank you for doing your part to change this plastic onslaught in the sea, and you may have helped bring back a species from extinction.

Thanks for listening.

IN THE MOMENT

2009-09-30T23:50:00.012-10:00

The phrase "being in the moment" has become really popular, and when it comes from the concept of being mindful, it is truly a beautiful thing. There are so many things I would miss in my life right now if I wasn't "in the moment". Like the phenomenal "spanish dancer" I discovered in my swim yesterday. A creature that normally lives in caves and doesn't usually come out during the day, so sightings are rare for me. But there she was in all her splendour: red, yellow,white and orange in fantastic patterns with a huge mantle the entire circumference of her body with ruffles that undulate like the skirt on a flamenco dancer. Gorgeous! Or the huge ancient sea turtle that swam right up to me and just stopped in the water only a foot away and looked right in my eyes. I wonder what I look like to him? I wouldn't want to miss these moments being distracted with other things or other thoughts.

Yet in my garden I have learned that being in the moment needs to be balanced with cause and effect. My favorite thing is harvesting. I LOVE picking my own food!!!! But if all I ever do is pick, very soon there is none left! hmmm. The thing about growing from seed is that it is a lot of waiting. You put these tiny fragile seeds in the ground, cover them, and then wait 2 MONTHS to start eating. And I'm hungry right now! So one actually has to PLAN in order to have a constant supply. It's not just drive to the store whenever you are hungry in any given moment. Cause and effect. If you want to have food in a moment 2 months from now, you have to do something about it now and then wait! Sigh. And then there is the effect I am dealing with from what has been done to the soil before it became my garden. For 100 years this was pineapple land, mono cropped which depletes nutrients, and tons of chemical pesticides dumped into the soil. Less nutrients and more toxins. Yahoo. (At a gardening workshop the speaker said he feels sorry for those poor people who live in Anahola because it has the worst soil on the island! Ah...that would be where I live...thanks buddy) So the soil needs some loving in order to produce. She's not happy with what we have done to her and I'm asking her to give me more! Trying to nurture my one little plot back to health. To undo the damage done in the past. So here I am in this moment, dealing with the past, and planning for the future, in my little garden plot.

This is what I think we are missing right now with all the "being in the moment". People get so focused on something with no thought for cause and effect, of what this moment may mean for someone in the future, or what happened in the past to create the moment. I want to stop for a mocha java right now. What had to happen in order for that coffee to get to the cup? Did people in another country actually get harmed in order for me to have it? And after I drink it and throw it in the trash along with the billion other cups produced for that one day, what happens to all that day after day after day? Do we think about any of that when we are in the moment enjoying the mocha java? And if so, would we make a different choice? One with less damaging consequences? It seems like we have moved so far from actually seeing what our choices create in the world, to a place where the most important thing is momentary pleasure. There must be a way to be in the moment AND be able to see cause and effect so we can have pleasure with no damage done! Did the pineapple people think about others who might come after them and what they were doing to the soil? They just wanted a crop in that moment. Was there a way for them to get the crop they wanted AND not harm the soil for future generations? I would like to say yes. There is a Native American thought that all our actions be considered with the next 7 generations in mind. I love that. (why 7? Don't know.) That is what we are missing now in our take-all-you-can-right-now society. But some are making a shift. Some are making an effort to be in a moment and really LOOK at what the effect might be of a certain choice. The more people that are willing to become aware the more chance we have of helping this earth we all call home. We don't have another one to experiment with if we wipe out this one!

So I return to my garden again and again, learning what I can do right now to have healthier soil in the future, and mend what has been done in the past. Nature is remarkable in her resilience and forgiveness! We have stepped outside of being kind to her, but we have a chance to return into a relationship of mutuality where we are once again a part of her, not separate. The more people on the planet willing to look at the effect they have in any given moment, the more chance we have of living in harmony again. I pray dear readers that all of you are willing. Thanks for listening.

LIGHT

2009-09-28T22:37:00.008-10:00

This is my favorite time of the month at Larsens. (the beach I practically live at...) After the new moon, every day at sunset the moon's light is already in the sky and keeps getting bigger and bigger until the night of the full moon when she rises right out of the ocean at sunset! She comes out all orange and magical and HUGE. Astounding. I don't know anything more beautiful in this world. And I get to be there over and over for the spectacle. Tonight she is about 2/3 full and because she is already in the sky when the sun goes down, the light never goes dark, it simply changes colours in gorgeous ways. So before I left the water tonight I lay in the sand watching how her muted colour created mystical worlds where the sun before had been splashy and brash, on the same canvas. Mesmerizing. If you ever come visit me you must plan to be here for a full moon!

I love the word "light" in the title of this blog spot. When Thom created this site for me and we were brainstorming about a title I got excited about what we came up with. Two things came to mind: shedding light on something, because I hope to illuminate in my blog what is happening to the earth as I see it; and light at the end of the tunnel. Hope for Eden and what we have done to her, if people are willing to make different choices. But then I was talking about this with my little sister (no fair how come she gets to be in almost every blog???), and she had yet another take on the word that made me wild: "going" light on Eden, as in treading lightly, having a light footprint. YAY! I LOVE that. So all three. Illuminate, bring hope, and go lightly. That is what I want to do with this blog. My wish put out there to see what happens. Sometimes wishes come true.

There is an AMAZING book called The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight that I have learned so much from. Please read it. The title comes from the concept that oil and coal are actually stored LIGHT! Plants store energy from sunlight, and when they die and are buried that is stored sunlight. What a beautiful concept. And when we mine the oil and coal we are releasing energy from ancient sunlight. Isn't that gorgeous? Here's the thing: when we have mined all the stored sunlight, we will be forced to go back to living on CURRENT sunlight, and everything we have created in the last few hundred years is based on a supply of stored light. What happens when that runs out? Current sunlight won't support the numbers of people on the earth and all the things we have created that run on oil and coal. So we have got to start LOOKING at this before the stored light is gone. I had never thought about this before reading this book and there is SO much information in it I never knew.

So dear readers, I would love to hear from you. What illuminates, brings hope, or inspires you to "go lightly" on the planet? There is a comment link at the bottom of the page you can click on. Below where you write your message, there is a drop down menu to put in your name, or anonymous if you don't want me to know who you are!, and then hit post.

Illuminate, bring hope, go lightly. All three. Thanks for listening.

RE-CONNECT TO FOOD

2009-09-28T13:15:00.007-10:00

Today I went "shopping" in my yard. Yay! I LOVE food. Mangoes, bananas, oranges, tomatoes, kale, arugula, chard, mizuna, and basil, all from the trees and my garden. And all for FREE! I call it my "abundance walk" to see what gifts the yard has each day. It never even has a chance to hit my fridge. It's so EXCITING to actually connect to the food going into my body. I have only lived like this for one year now, in the country with fruit trees and a garden for food, and it still thrills me every single day. For years in the city I had NO connection to the animals and plants I was buying at the store, and it felt that way again this past week being away from home. We have started doing horrific things to animals because we have no sense any more of them being a life. We just buy something in a chunk in plastic wrap at the meat counter. Might as well be a cracker or a ju-jube. Not a living creature. Now don't go getting your shorts in a bundle. I don't believe there is anything morally wrong with eating animals for survival. We are part of the food chain after all. But we have created such an artificial way of farming them and slaughtering them that most of us never have any part in, and it is shocking when you do SEE it. We no longer kill for survival, we kill way more than we need, and we pay someone to do it for us. How did we get to this place? If we all had to go into THEIR environment where they actually live freely, and then kill them, we might have more reverence for what we are doing. Right now we are too dis-connected to feel their life before we take it. I LOVE the aboriginal cultures that still consider ALL life sacred. Is a Big Mac sacred? (ooh, funny image of someone worshipping a big mac...) And what if we didn't have meat every single day, several meals a day? I have discovered it is actually quite possible to live a healthy life without killing. So many people I have spoken with are so afraid to not eat meat. I too wondered when I stopped if I would get really unhealthy, but the exact opposite happened! Not killing AND healthier! Sweet. There may come a time when it is necessary for my survival, but not right now. And there may come a time when we don't "farm" them the way we do now. Meanwhile I am trying to live life with more reverence for the creatures I share this planet with, and it feels powerful. It's so fascinating to change that relationship and see what happens!

What about the plants we buy at a mega-store? Who knows what chemicals and pesticides have been slathered on them. I don't. In a recent Harvard study of Alzheimer's and dementia they discovered DDT in the brains of EVERY SINGLE PATIENT! Wow. That has been banned since the 70's but it is still in our bodies because it was sprayed on our food as it was being grown and now it is in the soil. Our bodies don't recognize it as part of Nature, and don't know how to get rid of it, so it is stored. And now there are a slew of NEW artificial chemicals that we have no idea how they might affect us down the road. YIKES!! So I am trying to re-connect with what I put in my mouth, and what has been done to it before it got to me! It's a big learning curve, and right now without stores I might starve! But I'm learning. I'm learning how to find food without artificial chemicals, and I'm learning how to grow some myself. The more I re-connect the stronger I feel. I LOVE this process! And I am more in awe of people who have been doing this for years and have so much knowledge about how to get things to grow and where to find food in the world around us, other than "finding" a grocery store...hee. I heard a very moving talk at an environmental conference about how we are losing not just "old growth" forests (places that have never been altered by humans), but also "old growth" peoples! Tribes that still know how to gather food and what is deadly or edible. That would be a horrible thing to lose, that ancient wisdom.

So let's re-connect to food! Let's pay attention to what goes into our blood and bones and brain. More than just our bodies will be happier.......Thanks for listening.

DIS-CONNECT FROM THE ARTIFICIAL

2009-09-25T22:27:00.012-10:00

I just spent 8 days in a city back in Canada, (lived there before Hawaii), away from my island life, and it brought up all kinds of things that point in the same direction. When I got off the plane coming home and breathed deeply of the air imbued with ocean dew, my body said thank you! I drove to the beach and ripped off my shoes and socks and a sharp thrill ran up my entire body as my feet sank into the sand. And then even more intense as the waves rushed up to meet me and engulfed my legs. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. The sounds outside my apt. right now are the gentle rustle of my mango tree, a few night insects singing, and the waves down the hill. The darkness is complete with only stars to illumine. My soul is fed. At my sister's retreat cabin in the Cascade mountains (GORGEOUS!) there was an entry in the log book by someone from a city who said he had NEVER been in a place where he could dis-connect from the artificial. I LOVED that concept! He spoke of no artificial light, just light from the stars, no artificial sounds, only wind and insects, no artificial smells, only trees and soil and flowers. I was reading an article about an organization called ICO, Inner City Outings, and they take kids from the inner city to the wilderness. YAY!!!!!!!! The reactions they described were delicious. A 9 year old girl who exclaimed in delight "that was my first chipmunk!" Imagine never having seen one before, living in the Northwest. A 6th grade boy after canoeing a dangerous rapids: "I COULD HAVE DIED! IT WAS AWESOME!" And another young girl who had left a hiking stick on the trail and was looking for it on the way back: the leader had stopped and was searching and the girl said "no, it didn't SMELL like this where I left it"!!!!!!!!!!! So she hiked till she smelled whatever tree or flower was releasing the scent she remembered, and there it was. That just makes me happy.

Being in a city again I was struck by the concrete everywhere! In my life right now I live in a wooden house, I walk down the wooden stairs to the bare earth outside, get in my car and drive to the water and walk on sand. All have a "give" to them that concrete does not. I found walking around the city my legs and hips would actually get tight from contacting something so hard and unyielding. Back in the days when I was dancing and we were on tour it was in the Equity contract that theatres would have sprung wood floors, which is a floor with an air space under it. Our legs and feet became so accustomed to that "give", if we stepped onto a floor that was not sprung we could immediately feel it. Some theatres lay the wood floor right on top of concrete thinking no-one would know. Hmm. But bodies can be very sensitive if they are not de-sensitized. When the Tsunami hit Indonesia I read an article about how all the animals that were not domesticated or locked down by humans could feel that the Tsunami was coming and moved to higher ground. And that they knew because there is a gland in all animals, including US, that reacts to changes like that and can warn us! But we have surrounded ourselves for so long by artificial things, separating ourselves from Nature, this gland has gone dormant. Wouldn't it be fantastic if we could re-awaken that???!!!!

So..... try and find a piece of wilderness, take off your shoes, and see if you can FEEL the earth. See if your Tsunami gland re-awakens! Smell, Look, Taste. Let's dis-connect from the artificial and re-connect to the natural world. We are, after all, PART of all this. Thanks for listening.

FIRST THOUGHTS

2009-09-21T15:08:00.005-10:00

My friend Thom just created this blog for me, he's excited and I'm terrified! I can't imagine what I am going to say that will intrigue people. But I tell him stories about my life on an island and things I discover about the world, and he keeps saying "you need a blog, you need a blog, you need a blog!" So today he created this and now I have no excuses about how I am still so computer illiterate...soooooooooo welcome to my thoughts! Thank you, Thom!!! (I think...)

The picture at the top is the beach where I swim every day. Gorgeous! Larsens, on the N.E. side of Kauai. If you go I recommend NOT swimming! There is a sign at the top of the trail you hike down that shows how many people have drowned there. Another drowning occurred a month ago that hasn't yet been added to the list. So why do I swim there you ask? Am I insane? Death wish? Someone dared me? I am there because of the reef. The reef that is still partially alive. More so than many other reefs around the island, because the area above the beach is still mostly wilderness and has not been developed. Coral that is purple and blue and yellow, octopus that change colours and shape and texture as they touch different things, eels in spectacular, patterned skins, and more endemics than I have seen in other places. Endemics? Something that exists only in that place. Even though the oceans are all connected, many species have developed that don't occur anywhere else. I LOVE that! In the ENTIRE world, you can see that species ONLY in that one place. Wow. So every day when I see the endemics, I clap for them. Bravo for being so unique! I know, quaint. It's something my little sister does that makes me squirm with delight: she claps for any spectacle of Nature and says "GOOD JOB"! How cute is that????!!!!!! So I stole it. Now "my" endemics that I see every day get clapped for.

Even on Kauai a pristine reef is rare. It breaks my heart to write this, but in the 10 years I have lived in Hawaii, I have watched reefs die WITH MY OWN EYES! People who don't get into the water every day probably come on vacation and think "pretty". It is shocking to actually SEE the progression month after month of things dying and feel like I can do NOTHING about it. Except make choices that will not harm the reef, and talk to people and hope they are willing to hear. Here is the thing: every single thing that goes down the drain on an island, any drain, goes to the ocean. So every chemical in every product lands on the reef, and all run-off from development. And this is not unique to the islands. On the mainland ALL water is connected to the ocean eventually either through rivers or ground water. We have created so many chemicals that go into products that do not exist in Nature and are toxic to her. She has not yet learned a way to cope with the things we have conjured. Try reading the ingredients on your shampoo bottle. How many of those things do you actually know what they are and what they do once they go down the drain? I'm sure some rocket scientist will know every single one. Not me! I have only learned since I moved to Hawaii what they do. I still have no idea what they all are or why they are in there. Doesn't matter. What does matter is that people realize they are making a difference every single day. We have to decide what KIND of difference we want to make. Perhaps most people think their contribution is so small it is insignificant. But since we all have a choice, why not choose one that helps rather than harms, no matter how small that may be? One step toward restoring rather than one step toward degrading, even though it is still just one step. And then the next day you take another step one way or the other. Hopefully choosing again and again to help rather than harm. So here is one: choose things that go down the drain that are biodegradable. You may be sick of hearing that word, but it means you have chosen something that Nature can recognize and cope with. The reef will have that much more of a chance of living in all it's spectacular wonder. Imagine if ALL people suddenly realized that. It would no longer be one small step. Each drop adds or takes away. You already know what I hope you choose! And if you ever get to swim on a pristine reef in the ocean, or even a lake or river, you will know you did your part to help it live.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! My first blog!!!! Thanks for listening! (thanks Thom...) d.