environment

As Earth Day’s 40th birthday approaches, I think it’s a good time to take pause and consider the small people in our lives who stand to inherit a pretty big planetary mess. And while I, in sincere optimism, try to avoid the “doom and gloom” that oftentimes tags the questionable state of our planet, it’s important to note that our children and children’s children will be positioned to make important decisions based on the action (or inaction) that we big people take today.

One in five Americans considers himself or herself a “bird watcher,” according to a report published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last summer. Going by the report’s guidelines, in order to qualify as a “bird watcher,” you either had to have taken a trip one mile or more away from home for the primary purpose of watching birds, or you had to have closely observed birds around your house. If you mostly spotted birds passively — while mowing the yard, for example, or while at a zoo — you would not be counted as a “bird watcher.”

My main goal at 12 years of age was to own a pair of plastic mouse ears, a salute to Mickey Mouse. Of course, this would require a vacation to Disney World, something every kid in my neighborhood had achieved. Getting there was possible … but sure looked unlikely. My parents, you see, saw no point in traveling to a fantasy world when the real world was so fantastical. I never did acquire that mouse-ear crown.

Have you ever caught yourself, mid-bite into a juicy burger (veggie, beef or buffalo) loaded with all the fixings, and stopped to consider where it all came from?  Like, how did your home-grown tomato end up nestled next to an avocado from California, topped upon a patty of ground beef processed in Kansas?

Happy Earth Day 2010!  This April will mark four decades of organized environmental awareness.  And, given the current economic, environmental and energy crises, it’s clear that Earth Day is no longer a “holiday” reserved for hippies.  We all have stake in planet Earth.  Accordingly, significant action must continue in order to sustain our planet and the people she supports.

My son was visiting me during the holidays recently. I accompanied him to a local cell phone store, where he purchased a Droid. On the five-mile drive home, he entertained me by turning on its GPS feature; and we listened and laughed as the automated voice instructed us to turn left here and right there, over a route that we knew like the back of our hands. It did get me wondering, though, if it’s possible — in this information technology age — to get lost anymore.

The last time I rented a car, I was able to help the environment by tacking on a mere $1.25 to my rental cost. Granted, I’m still driving and spewing CO2 — but that small amount allowed me to offset my contribution to the carbon emissions generated by the typical rental car: about 300 pounds.

Welcome to the 196th edition of Carnival of the Green, brought to you by Gaiam! Thanks to TreeHugger, this week we bring you the best in Green from around the blogosphere and Twitterverse.

Big thanks to EcoTech Daily for hosting last week’s Carnival and keep an eye out for the next installment at La Marguerite on September 21st. For more information and to submit your site for consideration as a host, read this.

He threw one beer can in the trash. Then another. Then at least a dozen more. And I didn’t do anything about it.

“He” is my husband’s brother, and it was his trash and his house. My family and I were guests for five days this summer and accomplices to his unsustainable disposal habits.

This July, a new kind of festival will bring together the world’s leading yoga teachers and best rock ‘n’ roll performers in a breathtaking setting of natural beauty. The Wanderlust Festival, dedicated to both “spiritual and physical exploration,” will take place July 24-26 in Squaw Valley USA, Lake Tahoe, Calif. Gaiam is a sponsor of the festival, and our Yogamates.com editor Kasey Luber will conclude her 50 Days 50 Yoga Studios road trip at Wanderlust.