A great gift was given to me and I have embraced it deeply. Caring for my planet and its well-being is in my thoughts constantly. I cannot change the fact that as a child I was not really involved with anything that had to do with the environment, but I am glad now I am.
I guess our project of planting our own pot-patio garden for the past 11 years has made a big impact on me. It has inspired me to learn more and more about how to contribute to our natural world rather than its destruction.
The idea that in this country we have the pleasure to enjoy gorgeous gardens and the inmense Redwood and Sequoia forest while in other countries deforestation has been occuring for a long time, makes me want to become an enviornmentalist educator.
I have a deep fascination for documentaries and books, because in them I have found so much information. Documentaries and books can help us reflect about how our life support system is doing and what can we do to improve it.
I recently learned from "The Monarchs are missing, a Butterfly Mystery" by Rebecca Hirsh that the numbers of Monarch reaching winter in Mexico have been decreasing in the past 20 years. From 45 acres seeing in 1997 now only 4 acres. From 1 billion the population went to millions.
The gorgeous Monarchs fly 3000 miles from across the USA, Canada till Mexico is impressive considering how fragil butterflies are. Having done road trips to Mexico and Canada, I can imagine the Monarch journey which is considered one of the greates Migrations. I get fascinated by their ability to travel that long while during this period laying 700 eggs which only 5% will survive.
Last year I had the opportunnity to see clusters of them at Pismo Beach. They were an amazing gift and for that reason I really hope all of us consider something very simple as to having some common native milkweed in our gardens.
I read that butterflies represent freedom, transition and peace and with that in mind, plus them being part of the cycle of life, I will like to continue seeing their population grow.
Talking about that freedom of flying, I recently learned that in Europe 1/2 of billion birds a year are poached specially the Ortolan. These birds are caught in really cruel forms using lime sticks or trap rocks and cages. Although it is illegal to hunt birds some famous restaurant in France still serve them for 40 to 80 euros . "Emptying the skies" a wonderful documentary based on the Essay of Jonathan Franzen published in The New Yorker in 2010, will inspire all of us to take action in regards of protecting our birds.
At this point of our lives, we must make an effort of doing all that supports the sustainability of our planet rather than the destruction of it.
In the book "Trash revolution" Breaking the waste cycle I read that everything we consume is connected to the impact that our earth receives from producing our demands for consumption.
300 million barrels of oil are used every year to make food and 1.3 billion tons of food end in a landfill almost 40% of food we produce ends in the trash generating methane gas which is one of the green house gases.
It is estimated that we will have 600 hundred our weight in waste over a life time!! Is it possible that we end waste and overproduction so that we can prevent Global warming and at the same time help people in poverty that really will benefit from having acces to food? It is possible and simple we just need to eat locally, sustainable, Reduse,rehuse and recycle.
270,000 trees are cut every day for paper production. 10% for toilet paper, 18 million acres are deforested around the world every year and as we know this business of deforesting is having a great impact in our ecosystem. 70% of clothing production ends in Africa landfills!!
All of this wasting of resources while we hear that 795 million people around the globe do not have enough to eat are calling for our attention and we can do something as simple as to not consume what we don't think is good for us and the planet. Becoming green, organic, more conscious of instead of throwing away clothing repurposing it, trading or giving it away.
Kids are amazing educators and activist for the environment. In the docuemtary "Saving my tomorrow" you will learn from activist like Xiuhtexcal Martinez, Ta'Kaiya Blaney both Native-American activist who with their work they been inspiring children and adult to do something in regards protecting our planet. They both started at an early age,same as many other children in the video. In watching"Saving my Tomorrow", any individual can get vital education; from protecting bees colonies, Ocean pollution, renewable energy, how mining is deforesting our forests, fracking and much more. I love to feel the power of children caring for our planet. Definitely inspired!! I hope you too decide to become an Earth guardian.
©KarlaGMundo2018
