Treading Lightly on Our Earth - Pick Up Your Trash

The weather is finally making its crazy climate change swing over to warmer temperatures so talks of hiking is back in our daily conversation. 

Quick little story: during our record-breaking polar vortex deep freeze whatchamacallit, our furnace broke. Thank you, universe, for picking such a prime time to kill off our faithful heating machine. I shall never take it for granted anymore, so I appreciate the reminder. (Read: sarcasm.) Luckily, I had to work all day that day so I was nice and toasty warm in various yoga studios working up a sweat while my dear, incredibly appreciated, boyfriend froze his beard and butt off at home waiting for the repair guy to come and go and come and go until the furnace was finally fixed. 

Anyway, now that we're warm and back in business, Mother Nature is sending us onto 60 degree weather and boy, we're not going to let that pass us by. But all of this talk of hiking reminded me of the last time we went exploring in our local Metro Parks. These parks are run by volunteers and  employees who are paid so little it's practically a labor of love to preserve and bring these parks to the beautiful gems they are. Unfortunately, even with all these people who dedicate their time to the parks, there's just not enough bodies or time to truly keep it clean and maintained. That's where we come in.

As people who visit and partake in these little nature gems, it's up to us to continue their work where they can't. That means staying out of roped off areas that are set up to preserve growing eco-systems, respecting the boundaries of the trail, and most importantly, not leaving anything that doesn't belong in the parks. 

This means trash. 

It is so disheartening to look over the ledge into a grand waterfall and see a floating pile of trash under a bank. I can't fathom how anyone can rationalize dropping an extra-large styrofoam cup into the river. Do they think that there's some kind of park custodian picking up after them? Are they under the impression the styrofoam cup will eventually dissolve and disappear? Do they really just not care about the effects of what they just did?

It makes me sick to know there's people out there who literally just don't give a shit. They view the earth as theirs for the taking and theirs for the abuse. They walk around with a sense of entitlement and denial: "Climate change? Nah that's just something the liberals invented to scare us." 

Granted, I'm making assumptions and putting a made-up personality to an invisible face. However, these are all the feelings that rise up in me whenever I see a desecrated landscape on my hike. 

Our earth is precious. It is a finite resource that is rapidly being depleted due to our own selfish, greedy society. Some of us are just clueless about our impact and that ignorance shouldn't be punished, but it should be remedied. We need more education about how to preserve our home. It isn't our right to reside here on Earth, it is a privilege and we need to respect this amazing gift we've been given. 

Luckily, and not so surprisingly if you know him, my boyfriend had a trash bag in his backpack. So we carefully climbed down to the bank and picked up as much trash that would fit in the bag. Then, we carried it back up and placed it where it belonged, in a litter container. Unfortunately, there was still several times more trash than the amount we were able to cram into our bag. However, I can only hope our small gesture made some sort of impact and sent out much needed healing energy to the earth and universe.

So what can you do to help? It's as simple as "pack it in, pack it out." Whatever you bring into a park whether it's the wrapper of a granola bar you've eaten or a full-blown romantic picnic complete with cheese and wine, -no, that wasn't a hint, cough cough-  make sure you don't leave anything behind that you didn't find there in the first place. 

You can also look into becoming a volunteer for your local park organization or simply just pick up whatever you find on your ventures through the woods. Many parks and organizations host day-long "Clean Up" events that you can join in on. Bring as many friends who are willing and eager to help and spread that love for the earth. That sort of energy is contagious and the more you're willing to pitch in, the more people will be willing to do so alongside you.

Until there's no more trash being left behind, we'll continue to pick it up when we can and continue to remind everyone, there is something you can do to help the earth. It's never too late. The damage can be stopped and maybe even reversed if we make little changes in the way we live and tread lightly on our precious earth.

The Splendor in Surprising Scenery

There's something special about walking through the woods in that time between fall and winter. The summer greenery has faded. The bright vivid hues of the autumn leaves have crumbled into a flat, muted brown. The trees have become bare and the snow has yet to come and stick around. The scenery for lack of a better word, has become drab. The trees blend into the ground which blends back into the soft ebb and flow of the landscape. The sky is either overcast and grey or filled with the harsh brightness of the late year sun.

But this is part of the charm. Without heavy cover of the leaves and without the privacy of the bushes, it's like the curtains on the outskirts of the woods have opened up to the forest within. Like an old, antiquated house with the windows bare and yawning, you can now gaze at the treasures found within. A fallen oak tree stands center stage, its majestic girth leaving you in awe. The secret lives of the woodland critters have been exposed- a squirrel's every antic, a deer's peaceful foray, a twittering bird. That little brook is finally uncovered, babbling along and caressing rocks blanketed with moss. Each vivid burst of color whether it's the green living skin on a ledge or the flash of a bluebird is more valuable, more beautiful against the monotone background.

Usually you're by yourself. All the rest have retreated indoors to their homes or coffee shops or the mall. Each step you take is a new footprint on an unmarked path. The leaves crunch underneath. The chipmunk scurry past with a little less apprehension. As a tiny singular human body, you literally blend into the woodland, unnoticed by the wildlife, with only your breath to keep you company.

Hiking during this time of the year is seeing the same sight with a new perspective. A pink flower in the spring is beautiful, a green canopy in the summer is gorgeous, but can you find the splendor in a scene that wouldn't typically evoke a reaction? Go out to the woods today, see for yourself.

What did you find that is beautiful?

New Perspective on Global Warming

I found this and just had to share:

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At first, I thought, "Cool!" then I realized the implications of that. I know there are people out there who don't believe in global warming (why?) but it's hard to deny the evidence has been piling up for a long time. I won't get into that quite just yet, but it's coming.

Granted everyone hears the same things: the Arctic ice cap is melting, glaciers are disappearing, general temperatures are rising, warmer than average months are breaking records, etc., etc., etc., which is why I love this new perspective on global warming. Most of the millenials and the generations after (i.e. those born between early 80's through early 2000's) have pretty much never experienced a colder than average month. That includes me. Is it bad I'm secretly happy because I hate winter? Anyway, just because I hate snow doesn't mean I'm jumping for joy that we're all becoming warmer and warmer.

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We have all become comfortable with the idea of global warming. We hear about it nearly every day. We know that waste of any kind contributes to global warming; for most of us, recycling and finding environmentally-friendly products is second nature. However, there's a line and it seems like that unless we all move into grass-thatched huts and figure out how to create heat without wasting resources, it can seem like a battle with no defeat.

I didn't write this to make you feel like shit, though I certainly am feeling a bit down while posting this. Just think of it this way, if there weren't such a great movement towards saving the environment and halting global warming, imagine how much worse off we'd be right now. The only thing we can do is continue to do the little things to improve our efforts. 

They can be as simple as:

1. Covering your pots while cooking to save energy needed to prepare food.
2. Buying energy efficient appliances when it's time to replace them.
3. Using the washing machine and dishwasher only when it's completely full.
4. Recycling in your home and outside. (So easy to toss that paper coffee cup.)
5. Planting a tree, a plant, anything.
6. Buy locally whether it's food, household goods, or anything else.
7. Eat less meat. (You knew that was coming.)
8. Try to reduce the amount of heat you use whether it's heating your home or heating your shower.

A simple Google search for "little things to prevent global warming" will yield tons of ideas and tips that will help you live better and breathe easier.

It's not hopeless and the more we're aware of what we need to do and the more we encourage others to do the same- whether they're believers in global warming or not (again, why?)- the more we're likely to make a difference. I am a vegetarian because I believe in animal rights. An animal shouldn't die just so I could have a meal, especially since there are tons of other things I can eat that are just as nutritious and satisfying. People would tell me that being one single vegetarian in a "world" of meat-eaters isn't going to make a difference. For me, though, the fact that one less cow is eaten because of me makes all the difference. If we could all see things the same way about global warming, vegetarianism, whatever you prefer, it will make a huge difference, whether other people say so or not.

What do you do to combat global warming and help the environment?