5 DAYS OF CLARITY

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

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

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 what is 25 bucks to some of us in our abundance? 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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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!

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

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?

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?

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!

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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.