Celebrate Earth Day & End Plastic Pollution!
Today is
Earth Day! And this year's theme is ending plastic pollution!
Our reliance on single-use plastic has gotten entirely out of hand, and as a direct result of our consumer choices plastic pollution is negatively affecting our health as well as the health of the planet (particularly marine life).
I urge you - I plead with you - take some time to consider ways you can personally eliminate single-use plastic from your life. Then, start taking steps to implement your plan for a future free of plastic pollution!
For further inspiration and ideas for living without single-use plastics, check out these posts:
Kick the Plastic Habit: Plastic Bags and Other Single-Use Packaging
Kick the Plastic Habit: Plastic Water Bottles and Other Single-Use Beverage Containers
At Home With A Naturalist: In The Kitchen
Happy Earth Day!
About Me
Named after the Sierra Nevada Mountains, I am a naturalist and avid birder based in Central California. Above all, I am a follower of Jesus Christ, our amazingly good Creator God whose magnificent creation is an unending source of awe and inspiration for me. I hope to inspire others to appreciate, respect and protect this beautiful earth we share, and invite you to come along with me as I explore the nature of California and beyond!
- Siera Nystrom -
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The other day, while exploring one of the remaining patches of wetlands around my county, I came across a furry little critter that was a complete surprise for me: an American Mink! Contentedly going about his (or her) business at the edge of the wetland, staying under the dense cover of an old clump of willows, the mink slipped out of sight before I was able to get a photograph. But this mink sighting got me thinking about other mammals I've encountered here in California's Central Valley, and as it turns out... there have been quite a few! California Ground Squirrel: A common sight in the Valley, and an important part of the ecosystem! Though the Central Valley is no longer the land of wild abundance it once was (at least not in terms of wildlife), more species of mammals than one might imagine still manage to make their living on the fringes of urban and agricultural land up and down the valley. National Wildlife Refuges provide much-needed havens for a ...
For those of us living in the Great Central Valley, autumn is the time to head to the coast. Of course, there is no bad time to visit California's magnificent coastline. But as the heat and haze of summer drag on in the Valley, the sea becomes increasingly tantalizing: September and the onset of autumn bring sunny weather and an abundance of migratory seabirds and shorebirds to our coast. A new birder visiting California's Central Coast will undoubtedly be met with a splendid array of very confusing birds. Among these are small shorebirds like "peeps" (sandpipers), Sanderlings and various plovers . But the larger birds can be just as confusing, until you learn a few distinguishing features. Four large shorebirds that are commonly seen (and commonly confused) along California's Central Coast are Godwits, Curlews, Willets and Whimbrels. Marbled Godwit (upper left), Whimbrel (upper right), Long-billed Cu...
California is certainly a special place. A treasure trove of natural wonders and beauty, the state encompasses one of the world's hotspots of biodiversity . But what makes California so remarkable, so rich in endemic plants and animals found nowhere else in the world? There have been a couple of key factors at work in this mountainous West Coast state through the ages, shaping it into what it is today: one of those factors is its unique climate, and the other is its diverse topography and underlying geology. Today, we'll take a look at California's very special climate. A quintessential Californian landscape - golden, oak-dotted hills - inside the now-imperiled Del Puerto Canyon, a hotspot for biodiversity, endemism and really neat geology in the central Coast Range. The mild, Mediterranean climate of California is shared by only four other regions in the world: central Chile, the southwestern tip of South Africa, southwestern Australia, and the Mediterra...
Several times this year I have been lucky enough to see North American River Otters ( Lontra canadensis ) in both the San Joaquin and Tuolumne Rivers. They have been too leery of me to allow for any great National Geographic quality photos (let's be honest, that's not entirely the otters' fault!) but I have gotten a few shots in which they are at least recognizable as river otters, not just obscure brown blobs on the riverbank! River Otter along the banks of the Tuolumne River. The presence of otters in our rivers is a wonderful thing. As a top predator species in the ecosystem, river otters are often heralded as indicators of the health of the entire watershed. Like their seafaring counterpart, California's Southern Sea Otter ( Enhydra lutris nereis ), the North American River Otter was once hunted extensively for its thick pelt. Where otters once thrived, over hunting, followed closely by habitat loss and degradation, has taken...
Birds' nests are some of the most intricate, strong and beautiful structures found in nature. They range in design from little more than a divot in the earth to elaborate mud condos and woven wonders, from enormous stick platforms to diminutive, delicate cups. Nests of North and South America's hummingbirds are among the smallest nests found in the world. While out for our daily walk a few weeks ago, I happened to look down at just the right moment and was delighted to find a hummingbird nest on the ground. The nest was below a eucalyptus tree that is frequented by Anna's Hummingbirds ( Calypte anna ), and this nest almost certainly was built by a member of that species. Presumably, the nest fell out of the tree before it served its purpose of housing young, as a used nest would be flattened (and soiled) from the rapid growth of the little birds inside. Nonetheless, I was excited by this discovery, since I have long wanted to ...
Not it's pretty amazing, but it's awfully damn stupid... and blaming it on "consumer preferences" rather than capitalistic profit motive is rather simplistic.
ReplyDeletee.g. we used to wash and re-use glass containers before "they" figured out that "they" could make more money if the bottles were trashed or replaced by plastic. Make laws against plastic and laws that necessitate the re-use/washing of glass containers (our current "re-cycling" is a sham).
The problem - our "lawmakers" are the rich and they don't seem to care about "doing right".
Yes, that pretty much sums it up exactly!
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ReplyDeleteWe need to understand the importance of the recycled product. Try to use less plastic material or try to reuse it so that it may help to reduce the plastic garbage. Find out the eco-friendly product and start using them for the better future.
ReplyDelete