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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Riparian forests are invaluable in all regions and climates around the world, but as one might imagine, they are especially critical in arid regions like southeastern Arizona. While a plethora of bird species cluster along the rivers, breeding in the complex, multi-level gallery forests, even more incorporate these riparian corridors into their migratory pathways. With this in mind, I knew that a good portion of our time birding in southeastern Arizona would need to be spent along such rivers, and we found a few locations that lived up to their reputations as particularly good spots to find neat birds. (In case you missed it, in Part I of this series, we visited Madera Canyon .) The San Pedro River, near Sierra Vista The Santa Cruz River, which we visited near Tubac, has its headwaters in high grasslands to the east of the town of Patagonia. From there, it flows south into Mexico before changing its course to flow north past Tucson where it eventually ...
Double-crested Cormorant ( Phalacrocorax auritus ) Recently, there have been a few newcomers on campus at CSU Stanislaus. In addition to augmented numbers of Canada Geese ( Branta Canadensis ) and American Coots ( Fulica americana ), the cooler fall weather seems to have brought a small flock of Double-crested Cormorants ( Phalacrocorax auritus ) to campus ponds. I've counted seven at one time, mixed in with a much larger flock of Canada Geese. The cormorants, coots, and Canada geese at Stanislaus State lend a rather cosmopolitan feel to the ponds. Double-crested Cormorants can be found across North America, commonly in fresh water. They sit very low in the water, sometimes with only their rather snake-like heads and necks exposed above the surface. They have obvious bright yellow skin on their faces, and vivid blue eyes. If you happen to get a glimpse of the inside of a Double-crested Cormorant's mouth, ...
I am fortunate enough to live within about a two-hour drive of the Pacific Coast (which is far enough away to avoid the traffic and potential earthquake damage, but close enough for day trips!). Some of my earliest and fondest childhood memories involve days spent on the beach at Carmel, and entire weekends and weeks spent along the rocky shore in Pacific Grove with my dad, building sandcastles and poking around in tide pools. Until I began birding seriously a few years ago, most of my time along the coast was spent like this: Following in the footsteps of "Doc" Ed Ricketts: tide-pooling in Monterey's Great Tide Pool area ... Looking for things like this: Hermit Crab ... And this: Anemone ... And this: California Sea Hare (found already dead, washed up on the beach) I was aware of "seagulls" and "sandpipers," maybe even vaguely aware of that mystical group known as the "sea birds" which exist somewhere out the...
"Day 37. The Cranes still do not suspect that I am a Heron. The plan is working. I shall continue to blend in with their herd." While birding at Merced National Wildlife Refuge, I came upon this rather amusing scene. Well, amusing if you're a birder, I suppose... No great scientific insights here (other than to say that these two species, the Great Blue Heron and Sandhill Crane, can clearly co-exist quite peaceably). Just a funny photo! Oh, but as a side note, flocks of Sandhill Cranes really are called herds. And the young are known as colts. There are your facts for the day! (I couldn't help myself.)
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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.
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