Garden of Gratitude

For the past several days I have been working as a substitute teacher at Caprock Academy teaching fifth grade science and high school geometry. I am very grateful to many people — especially Mrs. Ellen Robinson who teaches biology classes including Botany. I shared with her this website so she turned me on to a wonderful book called Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer who published the first edition in 2013. I had some time between classes, study hall, and on the weekend so I immersed myself in the book discovering a treasure chest of profound wisdom.

According to her bio, the author is a “mother, scientist, decorated professor and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Biology and founder and director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment.”

I loved reading the opening origin story about Skywoman Falling and rereading it several times including to my family. The author wrote an article last year where she said:

“The mythic story of Skywoman Falling is the heartbeat of Braiding Sweetgrass, both an opening and a closing, enfolding the stories between. The version shared in the first edition is the most widely told account of the epic, but it is not the only one. There is always the deep diving Muskrat and the earth on Turtle’s back. The rescue by the Geese and the gifts of the animals are a constant, as are the seeds Skywoman brings, initiating the covenant of reciprocity between newcomer humans and our ancient relatives. The detail that varies from one telling to another is just how Skywoman finds herself falling from one world to the next. The common version is that she slips, the earth giving way at the edge of the hole in the sky where the great Tree of Life had fallen. It is an accident, with mythic consequences—and so it begins.”

Later in the article she describes other versions of how Skywoman descended to Earth, that this was no accident; her duty to safeguard life.

“In this time of transformation, when creation and destruction wrestle like Skywoman’s mythic grandsons, gambling with the future of the earth, what would it take for us to follow Skywoman? To jump to the new world, to co-create it? Do we jump because we look over our shoulders at the implacable suffering marching toward us and jump from fear and portent? Or perhaps we look down, drawn toward the glittering green, hear the birdsong, smell the Sweetgrass and yearn to be part of a different story. The story we long for, the story that we are beginning to remember, the story that remembers us.”

I am grateful for the wisdom the author shares which is rarely documented in oral traditions of indigenous culture especially by a person with incredible diverse credentials. The book is so rich with examples of our dependency on the natural world and that there is so much more to learn.

How pecan trees communicate across large regions yielding bumper crops one year then go several years without producing nuts and how wildlife responds to the cycle.

The importance and “genius of indigenous agriculture” for sustaining the land and healthy diets known as the Three Sisters: corn, beans, and squash.

The best way to connect with the land and nature showing our gratitude and giving gifts is to grow a garden.

To grow diverse plants, such as many varieties of corn, to fit the land rather than fitting the land to monoculture crops as is common practice with modern agriculture.

Her efforts to make a spring-fed, algae-rich pond swimmable by seeking a balance of what to put in and what to take out.

To harvest no more that half of the potential yield of natural resources to prevent overconsumption and ensure sustainability. The unharvested fruit, vegetables, fish, water (etc.) will benefit other wildlife and provide seeds or species for future growth.

Please share your comments and ideas in the comment section or send an email to info@conserve-prosper.com!

Uranium Exhibit Closing

The uranium exhibit on display at the Museum of the West is moving at the end of the year. We stopped in on Friday and learned that space is in demand for other exhibits to go on display. The exhibit “Prospecting in the Nuclear Age” opened in 2015 under the direction of a famous Atomic Energy Commission uranium geologist Bill Chenoweth who passed away in 2018. Here is an interesting virtual timeline provided by the museum and I highly recommend visiting this year if you are in Grand Junction!

Read this Song of Hiawatha!

Working for the past couple of weeks as an eight grade educational assistant at Caprock Academy gave me the wonderful opportunity to read The Song of Hiawatha and other Poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The full poem provides an amazing intimate glimpse into the natural world for a Native American man. Longfellow captures the oral history tradition of the interdependence of humans and Nature by recounting the Legend of Hiawatha.

Here is the introduction from the Maine Historical Society website:

The Song of Hiawatha

Should you ask me, whence these stories? 
Whence these legends and traditions, 
With the odors of the forest 
With the dew and damp of meadows,
With the curling smoke of wigwams,
With the rushing of great rivers,
With their frequent repetitions,
And their wild reverberations
As of thunder in the mountains?
  I should answer, I should tell you,
"From the forests and the prairies,
From the great lakes of the Northland,
From the land of the Ojibways,
From the land of the Dacotahs,
From the mountains, moors, and fen-lands
Where the heron, the Shuh-shuh-gah,
Feeds among the reeds and rushes.
I repeat them as I heard them
From the lips of Nawadaha,
The musician, the sweet singer."
  Should you ask where Nawadaha
Found these songs so wild and wayward,
Found these legends and traditions,
I should answer, I should tell you,
"In the bird's-nests of the forest,
In the lodges of the beaver,
In the hoof-prints of the bison,
In the eyry of the eagle!
  "All the wild-fowl sang them to him,
In the moorlands and the fen-lands,
In the melancholy marshes;
Chetowaik, the plover, sang them,
Mahng, the loon, the wild-goose, Wawa,
The blue heron, the Shuh-shuh-gah,
And the grouse, the Mushkodasa!"
  If still further you should ask me,
Saying, "Who was Nawadaha?
Tell us of this Nawadaha,"
I should answer your inquiries
Straightway in such words as follow.
  "In the vale of Tawasentha,
In the green and silent valley,
By the pleasant water-courses,
Dwelt the singer Nawadaha.
Round about the Indian village
Spread the meadows and the corn-fields,
And beyond them stood the forest,
Stood the groves of singing pine-trees,
Green in Summer, white in Winter,
Ever sighing, ever singing.
  "And the pleasant water-courses,
You could trace them through the valley,
By the rushing in the Spring-time,
By the alders in the Summer,
By the white fog in the Autumn,
By the black line in the Winter;
And beside them dwelt the singer,
In the vale of Tawasentha,
In the green and silent valley.
  "There he sang of Hiawatha,
Sang the Song of Hiawatha,
Sang his wondrous birth and being,
How he prayed and how be fasted,
How he lived, and toiled, and suffered,
That the tribes of men might prosper,
That he might advance his people!"
  Ye who love the haunts of Nature,
Love the sunshine of the meadow,
Love the shadow of the forest,
Love the wind among the branches,
And the rain-shower and the snow-storm,
And the rushing of great rivers
Through their palisades of pine-trees,
And the thunder in the mountains,
Whose innumerable echoes
Flap like eagles in their eyries;--
Listen to these wild traditions,
To this Song of Hiawatha!
  Ye who love a nation's legends,
Love the ballads of a people,
That like voices from afar off
Call to us to pause and listen,
Speak in tones so plain and childlike,
Scarcely can the ear distinguish
Whether they are sung or spoken;--
Listen to this Indian Legend,
To this Song of Hiawatha!
  Ye whose hearts are fresh and simple,
Who have faith in God and Nature,
Who believe that in all ages
Every human heart is human,
That in even savage bosoms
There are longings, yearnings, strivings
For the good they comprehend not,
That the feeble hands and helpless,
Groping blindly in the darkness,
Touch God's right hand in that darkness
And are lifted up and strengthened;--
Listen to this simple story,
To this Song of Hiawatha!
  Ye, who sometimes, in your rambles
Through the green lanes of the country,
Where the tangled barberry-bushes
Hang their tufts of crimson berries
Over stone walls gray with mosses,
Pause by some neglected graveyard,
For a while to muse, and ponder
On a half-effaced inscription,
Written with little skill of song-craft,
Homely phrases, but each letter
Full of hope and yet of heart-break,
Full of all the tender pathos
Of the Here and the Hereafter;--
Stay and read this rude inscription,
Read this Song of Hiawatha! 

Balance

We returned to America about one month ago after spending the past eight months in Thailand. During this time, I learned much more about the balance of nature and imbalance being caused by our humanity.

When we first arrived to Bangkok in November 2020, the most obvious environmental issue was air pollution caused by burning agricultural fields in several countries to the north. The most beautiful season of the year for moderate temperatures and dry weather has now been replaced by choking smog across much of Asia.

At that time, Thailand was doing a great job to control the Covid-19 pandemic; but by the springtime, all the preventative measures when out with the Thai New Year celebrations and lack of vaccines causing uncontrolled spread of disease..

As the air quality improved in early 2021, I took daily walks in our area of Bangkok taking photographs - many pics are shown on the gallery. So many beautiful flowering trees, diverse sounds of birds chirping, and low hanging fruit. My connection with nature increased during these daily walks and I began to feel a love and longing to be outdoors in the early mornings at sunrise and evening sunsets.

We got a dog for our son - a Pomeranian who shows us unconditional love! He is a great companion for the entire family and luckily does not choose favorites and is very calm for a small dog. His presence brings us more into balance.

Monsoon rains arrived during late spring and early summer in Thailand and much of Asia. The warming of the ocean water created conditions for intense rainfall that usually lasted about an hour every afternoon. We welcomed the rain that cooled and cleaned the air and restores nature’s balance.

As I think of more examples I will continue to add to this blog post.

Today's Longest Or Shortest Daylight?

Growing up about 38.8 degrees north of the equator, in northern Virginia, we always referred the first day of summer as the Summer Solstice- the longest day of sunlight in the year - which occurs today on June 21st. With roughly 85% of the land mass and 90% of the world’s population in the Northern Hemisphere, it is understandable we might forget about the people living south of the equator. Sorry folks living Down Under including in Australia and New Zealand. They are experiencing their shortest day of the year known as the Winter Solstice.

According to NOAA SciJinks, “You may have noticed two special lines of latitude on a globe of the world: One in the Northern Hemisphere called the Tropic of Cancer at +23.5° latitude and one in the Southern Hemisphere called the Tropic of Capricorn at − 23.5° latitude. These are the latitudes where the Sun is directly overhead at noon once a year. In the Northern hemisphere, on the Tropic of Cancer, that is the Summer Solstice, usually June 21. In the Southern Hemisphere, on the Tropic of Capricorn, that is the Winter Solstice, usually December 21. These solstice days are the days with the most (for Summer) or fewest (for Winter) hours of sunlight during the whole year.”

So if June 21st is the longest day of sunlight in the Northern Hemisphere why isn’t it usually the hottest day of the year? Well it takes some time for the oceans to absorb the heat and release it back into the atmosphere. The heat wave exceeding 100 degrees F. in many areas including the Western Untied States occurred during the spring so we cannot expect this summer to get any cooler.

Nature Walks

I met Jim Hood when we attended Guilford College, located in Greensboro, North Carolina as students in the late 1970’s. Jim was one year ahead of me so he became an important guide and mentor. Guilford was founded by the Quakers, Society of Friends, and Jim majored in Religious Studies. We did not share classes together as I recall but we both shared a love for nature. Seems I ran into Jim a lot outside. We both treasured the beautiful campus including the Guilford woods. Sometimes we’d also see each other at the Quaker meetings - traditional unprogrammed meetings where people would feel compelled to speak up in the congregation as well as programmed meetings led by a minister.

I recall coming back to campus after a week with friends camping in the Smoky Mountains when I went to an umprogrammed meeting and after some period of silence I began shaking, like an earthquake (hence the name Quakers), feeling so compelled to speak about my experience in the woods one day. I shared my experience of a full day of hiking and siting in the beautiful mountain woods with friends and by myself where I had long nap (like Rip Van Winkle, but I had not been drinking alcohol or doing any drugs) where I had a vision of a future world like in Tokyo where the air pollution got so thick that people had to walk outside with gas masks. I felt so connected to nature, grateful for the North Carolina woods and determined to work hard to protect nature. Jim gave me positive affirmations after the meeting.

After Jim graduated from Guilford, he continued his studies at Yale and UNC Chapel Hill majoring in English. He returned to Guilford to become an English Professor in 1999 where he took on several related assignments including directing the Studies Abroad international program. My taking a semester in Munich, Germany was a life changing experience that will be the subject of a future blog. Now Jim is the Interim President of Guilford College. The school is facing difficult times financially with declining student enrollment during the pandemic. I trust Jim and many others with strong faith are doing everything they can to survive this crisis.

Another important fact about the Guilford woods is that about two hundred years ago the Quakers actively helped to free slaves by hiding them in the woods to move them out of North Carolina up to New York as part of the Underground Railroad. So nature is always giving and healing and saving lives.

Here is a beautiful video that Jim recorded one year ago at the start of the pandemic to share his meditative connection with nature and going for a walk in the woods!

Eco Videos

We’ve been making and posting fun, educational photos and videos of animals, nature, wildlife, a ghost town, people, travel and water topics for over 15 years. Here is a list of some of my videos available on YouTube:

Rocky Mountain National Park in July, 2007 at sunrise with birds, geology, a water fall and beaver dam

Home on the Range in July 2007, Wyoming

Silverton, Colorado in July, 2007 Ghost Town

Elephant Encounters in December, 2014 in Hua Hin, Thailand

Jumping on trampoline getting wet in July, 2015 in Grand Junction, Colorado

Wasting Water in July, 2015 at Grand Junction, Colorado mortuary

Jenny Lake in Yellowstone National Park in September, 2019

Colorado National Monument waterfall and pool feeds groundwater recharge in May, 2019

Grand Mesa, Colorado Spring Snowmelt in March, 2020

My trip to IAEA in Vienna, Austria in March, 2020

Wakeboarding in July, 2020 in Grand Junction, Colorado

Please LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube videos and channel!

Earth Day 2021 Outcomes

There were many interesting events and outcomes on Earth Day 2021. A Google search yields 208 million results! I cannot imaging any other event like Earth Day currently happening that brings the world together for a common cause. Here are a few of my favorites:

The 2-day White House Climate Summit involving 40+ World Leaders and many other participants. Who would have guessed a live broadcast involving Biden, Putin, Xi Jinping, and others!

Jane Goodall’s waking dream of our Earth’s crisis and hope.

House Oversight Committee on Environment, Fossil Fuel Industry and Climate Change on C-Span including Greta Thunberg

Here’s a short list from the first five pages of Google search video results with the keywords “Earth Day 2021”

About 208,000,000 results (0.30 seconds)

Earth Day 2021 | Restore Our Earth™ | EARTHDAY.ORG

www.earthday.org › earth-day-2021

7:11:47

Get info on Earth Day Live 2021 events on April 20-22, when the world will come together for 3 days of ...

Earth Day 2021 Doodle - YouTube

0:40

This year's annual Earth Day Doodle highlights how everyone can plant the seed to a brighter future—one ...

The History of Earth Day | Earth Day

www.earthday.org › history

3:21

Learn the history behind the Earth Day movement, which engages a billion people worldwide on April 22 of

Earth Day 2021: Change Starts Here | The Nature Conservancy

www.nature.org › en-us › get-involved › how-to-help › e...

2:08:29

Earth Day 2021 · Our individual voices are powerful. · This Earth Day, we celebrated the people speaking up

Earth Day 2021: Road to Recovery - YouTube

4:04

Does the coronavirus pandemic hold lessons for the fight against climate change ? With travel, manufacturing

4 days ago · Uploaded by American Museum of Natural History

Earth Day | US EPA

www.epa.gov › earthday

1:38

On the first Earth Day in 1970, 22 million Americans celebrated clean air, land, and ... President Biden's ...

Earth Day Eve 2021 | National Geographic - YouTube

1:09:03

Hosted by Jessica Nabongo, the Earth Day Eve 2021 celebration will span the globe with visually stunning ...

Earth Day 2021 | City of Fremont Official Website

www.fremont.gov › Earth-Day-2021

2:07

Earth Day 2021 is Thursday, April 22, but you can celebrate all month long! The City would like to share all of

BTS x Earth Day 2021 | Brand – Hyundai Worldwide

www.hyundai.com › brand › hyundai-bts-wewontwait

1:01

FOR TOMORROW. All together for Earth Day 2021. 4 minute read · Our Responsibility, Our Commitment ...

United - Earth Day 2021 | Facebook

th-th.facebook.com › United › videos

· Translate this page

0:21

We have the privilege of seeing our big, beautiful world from 35000 feet every day, so the responsibility to ...

Google Doodle celebrates Earth Day 2021 highlighting the ...

www.thehindu.com › Sci-Tech › Environment

0:40

The theme for this year's Earth Day is "Restore Our Earth" which focuses on natural processes and emerging

Earth Day 2021: How can you help the planet? | WWLP

www.wwlp.com › news › local-news › earth-day-2021-ho...

1:41

Earth Day 2021: How can you help the planet? ... (WWLP) – Thursday, April 22nd is Earth Day, a day where

Earthday 2021 - California Natural Resources Agency - CA.gov

resources.ca.gov › earthday2021

1:01:00

EARTH DAY 2021 ... Join us April 19-23 for online events celebrating the 51st anniversary of Earth Day!

Earth Day 2021: Traders share top environmentally friendly ...

www.cnbc.com › 2021/04/22 › earth-day-2021-traders-sh...

3:56

Happy Earth Day: Traders share top environmentally friendly investments. Published Thu, Apr 22 2021

Earth Day 2021: Restoring the planet in times of crisis | In ...

timesofindia.indiatimes.com › in-depth › videoshow

6:42

Celebrated annually on April 22, the day demonstrated support for environmental protection and conservation

EARTH DAY - Unesco

en.unesco.org › news › earth-day

2:42

Together, we can make 2021 a year to secure the well-being of people and our planet. Thank you!

EGLE Earth Day 2021 - State of Michigan

www.michigan.gov › egle

1:08

Michigan Earth Day 2021 Student Webinar - Protecting and Restoring Our Environment

Earth Day 2021 - Sustainability - NYC.gov

www1.nyc.gov › site › sustainability › our-programs › ea...

NASA Earth Science & Remote Sensing Unit. “Look again at that dot. ... This Earth Day we invite you to join us

Earth Day 2021 - Event Info and Resources - Twinkl

www.twinkl.com › event › earth-day-2021

1:44

Earth Day 2021 is on April 22nd with the purpose to show that all people have a moral right to a healthy
Happy Earth Day 2021 - YouTube

0:54

0:00. 0:54. 0:00 / 0:54. Live. •. Scroll for details. Happy Earth Day 2021. 18,175 views18K views. • Apr 22, 2021

Pope on Earth Day: “It is time to act!” - Vatican News

www.vaticannews.va › pope › news › 2021-04 › pope-fra...

Pope Francis calls for urgency in joint efforts on the path towards protecting our planet, in two separate video

Mother Earth Day 2021 - António Guterres (UN Secretary ...

1:08

Video Message by António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, on For International Mother Earth

Earth Day 2021: Facts, history about first Earth Day - ABC7 ...

abc7.com › science › earth-day-2021-facts-history-about-...

National Geographic is kicking off Earth Day early with Nat Geo's Earth DayEve 2021, a virtual concert

Great Lakes Now Earth Day 2021: What can you do and where?

www.greatlakesnow.org › 2021/04 › earth-day-2021-eve...

26:47

Earth Day is Thursday, April 22, but the related activities you can do aren't limited to that day alone.

Google's Doodle for Earth Day 2021 leaves us thinking of ...

www.cnet.com › news › googles-doodle-for-earth-day-20...

0:40

Thursday is Earth Day, when people around the world gather to celebrate the planet's environment and raise

2021 Earth Day Resources - Catholic Health Association

www.chausa.org › environment › 2021-earth-day-resources

1:27

2021 Earth Day Resources. Earth Day is annually commemorated on April 22. For Catholic health ministries

Earth Day | UN News

news.un.org › tags › earth-day

2:15

News in Brief 22 April 2021 · 'Rising hunger and desperation' in Myanmar, warns WFP · COVID jabs from ...

Apr 21, 2563 BE · Uploaded by United Nations

Earth Day 2021: See the conservation projects working to ...

edition.cnn.com › 2021/04/22 › world › earth-day-2021-...

0:10

On Earth Day, we highlight some incredible changemakers who are working to save and restore our planet's

Celebrate Earth Day 2021 with this 'beau-tree-ful' Google ...

www.space.com › earth-day-2021-trees-google-doodle-nasa

0:40

Earth Day 2021 is here and the folks at Google hope it plants a tree in your heart with this adorable Google doodle

Earth Day 2021 » April 22 » Earth Day Canada - Jour de la ...

earthday.ca › april-22 › campaign

0:31

Media campaign 2021 · DISCOVER EARTH DAY CANADA'S CAMPAIGN FOR 2021 · JourdelaTerreCa

Earth Day Live: Debating Planet Earth's Urgent Issues | Earth ...

www.earthday.org › earth-day-live-webinars

1:01:06

Join webinars from EARTHDAY.ORG on the latest issues, the greatest

Earth Day 2021 - TN.gov

www.tn.gov › state-government-and-institutions › earth-d...

2:01

Earth Day 2021. On April 22nd, the whole world will join together to celebrate Earth Day. This year's official ...

Apr 11, 2564 BE · Uploaded by TDEC Office of Policy and Sustainable Practices

Earth Day 2021 | U.S. Embassy in Georgia

ge.usembassy.gov › News & Events

Earth Day 2021 ... April 22 was established as Earth Day in 1970 by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson to

Earth Day Every day | Happy Earth Day 2021 - YouTube

1:31

EarthDay #nature #earth #COVID19 #corona #DrivingChange #saveourplanet # savetheplanet #loveearth

Celebrate Earth Day 2021! | Smithsonian Tropical Research ...

stri.si.edu › story › celebrate-earth-day-2021

6:16

Earth Day 2021! New bilingual videos feature tropical landscape management for a sustainable future.

Earth Day 2021: History, significance and all you need to ...

www.wionews.com › world › earth-day-2021-history-sig...

7:11:47

Every year on April 22, Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement
Earth Day 2021: This year's theme, significance and origin of ...

www.financialexpress.com › LIFESTYLE › SCIENCE

0:31

The whole world celebrates Earth Day today on April 22 and is taking efforts to defeat the Covid-19 pandemic

Earth Day - Washington State Department of Ecology

ecology.wa.gov › Get-involved › What-you-can-do › Ear...

1:32

Earth Day 2021. It's time to take action! Logo of Earth with arrows surrounding it, with text reads #EarthDay2021

Earth Day 2021 - Take Care Of The Planet - YouTube

0:31

Discover here the 2021 campaign for Earth Day Canada.

International Mother Earth Day 2021 Quotes, Images & Save ...

1:16

So, check out these Earth Day 2021 quotes, slogans and images and send them to your close ones to inspire

Earth Day 2021 – Restore Our Earth | Voice of America - English

www.voanews.com › episode › earth-day-2021-restore-o...

April 22nd was the 51st celebration of Earth Day. Kathleen Rogers, from Earthday.org, Tim Christophersen

Celebrate Earth Day 2021 with these deals and offers from ...

www.fox43.com › article › life › holidays › earth-day-20...

Celebrate Earth Day 2021 with these deals and offers from sustainable brands · Anthropologie: Customers

Earth Day 2021: 'We can build back greener' - Boris Johnson ...

5:05

The Prime Minister has told the virtual climate summit that the world can bounce back from the pandemic by

Dr. Jane Goodall's Message for Earth Day 2021 - YouTube

9:04

Join us this Earth Day 2021 as Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN

Earth Day Eve 2021: National Geographic kicking off Earth ...

abc7.com › earth-day-eve-2021-national-geographic-natg...

1:39

National Geographic is kicking off Earth Day early with Nat Geo's Earth DayEve 2021, a virtual concert

Earth Day 2021 | World Resources Institute

www.wri.org › events › 2021 › earth-day

1:46

Earth Day 2021. If we work together, we can improve the lives of people, address inequities in our society and

Earth Day 2021: Restoring Earth for Survival | WION - YouTube

2:21

The theme for Earth Day 2021 is "Restore Our Earth and it ''focuses on natural processes and emerging

Google celebrates Earth Day with doodle, encourages people ...

economictimes.indiatimes.com › News › Science

1:26

Celebrated annually on April 22, the day demonstrated support for environmental protection and conservation

Earth Day 2021 - YouTube

3:09

It's Earth day today! While we are all living on this amazing planet, we need to do more to stop the ...

Earth Day 2021: Facts, history about first Earth Day - ABC7 ...

abc7chicago.com › earth-day-2021-when-is-what-earthday

Unprepared for the Big Chill

An extreme polar vortex set up stratospheric warming above the Artic pushing colder air south into North America all the way to south Texas. Millions of people are going days without power, water and heat trying to survive the winter blast. The electrical grid that connects most of the United States is deregulated and independent in Texas so the Lone Star State cannot obtain power from plants located in other states. Most of their energy comes from natural gas and lesser amounts from nuclear, coal, wind and solar. News reports indicate the natural gas pipelines were constructed too shallow and not insulated from extreme freezing temperatures.

Updated February 19, 2021:

Obviously our hearts go out to all the people suffering from the catastrophic winter storm across many areas of North America. The crisis continues to get worse. After four days with no power or heat, many people in Texas and other states are now in a food and water crisis. Frozen water pipes are breaking causing flooding as well as loss of water supply. This is a national emergency and it appears a federal response is occurring. Ramifications are felt worldwide as OPEC increases oil supply to compensate for the decreased Texas supply as well as profiting from the increasing oil and gas prices.

Today, I attended a Clean Energy webinar for Southeast Asia where concern was expressed that wind and solar were being blamed by some Texas politicians including the governor. Renewable sources provide less than a quarter of the supply in Texas so this does not hold true to blame green energy for the crisis. Listen to the Dallas, Texas county official Judge Clay Jenkins say he raised the concern several times over the past decade (WFAA). Maybe the people who blame the wind turbines in Texas freezing over is because Texas produces the most wind energy of any US state! So they should be embracing wind power and rather than denigrating renewable energy.

This issue is very important in Asia as well where many countries have set ambitious goals to have a quarter of the total supply coming from renewable energy sources within three years.

Here are more interesting new media reports focusing on the grid, energy supply, and lack of clean water:

Bloomberg: Texas Crisis Shows Need for More Balanced Grid, Analyst Says (interview with Amrita Sen)

NBC News Now: Texas’ Underregulated Energy Grid Responsible for Millions Without Heat, Energy

CBS News: Over 13 million Texans Facing Water Crisis After Brutal Winter Storm

When demand increases and supplies are short, no matter if it’s heating oil and gas, food or water, people are forced in an emergency to conserve what few resources are available. Having lived in Texas for over a year where everything is super sized and Don’t Mess with Texas, I hope people will demand change to come together to rejoin the national grid as well as energy efficiency and renewables. I wonder if this storm will change the mind of Elon Musk to move his Tesla factory from Oakland to Austin?

Learning with Others

Our attitude about learning makes all the difference for individuals to nations globally. A child may develop a strong ego thinking they know everything yet as we get older we discover there is so much more to understand about the world that is critical for our survival. Our attitude determines if we are willing to try and fail then learn from our mistakes. If we avoid trying to learn to protect our pride from getting hurt then we are not open to learning. Some experiences are harder than others like touching a hot stove or side swiping a bridge in a car which I did one time, lucky to survive, and learned to intently focus when driving. Or if we chase after what we like all the time, such as demanding sweets or our freedom, then we may try to avoid what we do not like which is good for us. How many kids really like doing homework?

In the era of Covid-19, we are seeing how essential in person learning is for a child’s healthy development. Our son had to be home for 9 of the past 12 months. Monday this week was the first day he returned to school instead of online learning after which he said was the best day of his life! I I enjoyed my day off but had to hide by hurt pride. Kids are learning how much they love school rather than staying home and sitting in front of a computer with perpetual homework.

As part of this free, non-commercial website Conserve-Prosper.com, I have provided many educational blogs about sustainability in an effort to improve our lives and our health. I wanted to learn and share our experiences and those of others more knowledgeable than me. One year ago we learned coronavirus escaped China; the first country hit was Thailand during Chinese New Year. My wife’s relatives gave us frequent updates as they developed the response that was not shared in mainstream media in the US. We started making then wearing masks sent to us from Thailand due to the rapid shortage in America. Many people did not want to wear masks in public places as individual “freedom” trumped the Golden Rule. Even now with a new US President calling for everyone to wear a mask there are many people who refuse. Refuse is another name for garbage!

Thailand now ranks fourth best response in the world to Covid-19! People wear a mask not only to protect from the virus but from air pollution which is bad throughout Asia due to factories, vehicles, and farmers burning fields. The country enforces people getting Covid testing before entering the country with strict 14-day quarantine requirements for people coming into Thailand as well as traveling to any region within the country that has an outbreak. Going into stores, you are required to get your temperature checked and provide your name and phone number to get contacted if tracing is needed.

Thailand’s economy depends on tourism that has been decimated with entire towns shut down. However, people’s health took precedence over greed based on my observations. That seems to be the ultimate lesson that everyone from individuals to countries needs to learn from the virus. We need to be humble, remove our egos, be open to new ways of learning and living, use less, conserve more, be caring, loving and gracious, and realize that no one has freedom when we are causing others to suffer.

How's Your Climate?

How’s the weather and climate where you live? Perhaps if you’re not a winter skier you may have not noticed and even enjoyed the lack of snow this winter. However, there is a price to be paid in the coming months.

The southwestern United States is currently experiencing an exceptional drought (D4) as shown by the US Drought Monitor which states, “With large sections of the central and southern parts of the West Region already in D3 to D4, not much more deterioration can be introduced, but a few small areas deteriorated enough to be reflected on the map, specifically north-central Utah (to D2), interior northeastern Utah (to D4), and southeasternmost New Mexico along the Mexican border (to D4).” Severe drought is D2 and extreme drought is D3. So obviously D4 is really bad and now our local water supplier is calling for voluntary water conservation.

So how’s the climate where you live and how severe, extreme, or exceptional might it become in your and your children’s lifetime? In many places we see a direct connection between less winter snowpack, faster spring melts, declining water supplies, larger summer wildfires, more air pollution and less farm production. This is the situation in the western US, much of Australia, Africa, and other arid regions. More severe weather makes climate change bad news for most everyone as we share global food distribution as one example.

Coastal flooding will become more severe affecting hundreds of millions of people. Here are some projections from a recent article in Nature. Other reports discuss affecting our ocean circulation and increased severe hurricanes or monsoons around the world.

Finally, the new American President only one week in office is taking bold action. Yesterday, he held a climate day signing executive orders that address responding to the climate crisis as described in the White House fact sheet. There will be a climate summit during Earth Day in April and UN climate meeting in Scotland in November. See BBC news about special envoy John Kerry, who negotiated the Paris agreement, says time is running out for taking action!

Election Day 2020

(Originally posted November 3, 2020)

Finally! Election day in America. About 100 million early mail-in votes can begin getting counted today. People going in person to polls, standing in lines, hoping not to catch Coronavirus. How many people will actually vote? In 2008, about 57% of eligible voters actually voted and the number went down in 2012 and 2016 to about 55%. So slightly more than half of the people take their civic responsibility seriously!

One article I read says the swing state of Pennsylvania may decide the Presidential election. As control of the Senate strongly affects the balance of the Supreme Court and lower court judges, today’s election will also determine all three branches of government - so much for checks and balances! Rather than checks on democracy it appears to be legislators writing outrageous checks on the national debt.

What would the famous American founding father Ben Franklin say if he were alive today? He was a childhood hero of mine growing up learning about his many inventions and writings. I think he would be a strong advocate for Conserve & Prosper and blogging! Recall some of his accomplishments included:

Inventor including the Franklin stove, Lighting Rod, Bifocals, and more

First Postmaster General of the US

Minister to France and Sweden

Publisher of Poor Richard’s Almanac

Signed the Constitution

Pictured on the $100 Bill

Two famous quotes of his come to mind:

“An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure” which he said about preventing fires and rings so true today on many issues including stopping Covid-19. So why wait for a vaccine if a mask can stop the spread of the disease?

“Love your Enemies, for they tell you your Faults.” Rather than taking sides of political parties, looking at the big picture shows there are fundamental problems with money in politics.

I asked my brother Bob as I drafted this blog about the information above on this Election Day and he said, “To me it’s about believing in democracy and citizenship. Obeying the rules, laws, and norms. Our freedoms are not imposed on others.”

We grew up in a very conservative, post-depression era, family that believed in government civil service. Our father survived battles in WWII, returned to grad school on the GI Bill, and worked his career for the Navy Personnel Department. Our Mother supported the war effort through service groups. Journalist Tom Brokaw referred to my parents time as The Greatest Generation. They fought for American freedom against dictators including Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, and Tojo. After the war, we bailed out and rebuilt Europe with the Marshall Plan and created the United Nations and NATO. My parents willingly moved from beautiful southern California to humid and cold Washington, DC with three kids and another (me) on the way to fulfill their American dream.

But American and Allied victories in Europe did not stop the rise of Communism and wars in Korea and Vietnam and a cold nuclear war build up with the USSR. So our family became fractured by political and social changes exemplified by Red States and Blue States. My parents four sons remain politically split half way on both sides.

My son’s conception was inspired by the election of President Obama in 2008 that we felt there would be freedom and equality in the Untied States of America. In my 25-year civil service career I served for six Presidents and saw good times and bad. Some Administrations ran very well and some did not.

For an intriguing view inside the White House based on events that are still very relevant today, check out The West Wing, and an October 25, 2020 article in the BBC. This fantasy based on real life events demonstrates the critical skills of debating issues to arrive at the best solutions given very difficult choices.

What will be next for America and the World? History is being written on this very consequential day!

Fall Camping

Last night we slept in a tent outside for two reasons. Despite fall temperatures reaching 46 degrees at night, we are motivated to get outdoors. One reason for sleeping on the ground, actually initially on our deck out back, is due to getting a new kitchen tile floor. Our home is only eight years old built on a cement slab, which settled right down the middle of the kitchen, leaving a large crack! So we have sealed off the kitchen to the rest of the house to keep the concrete dust from circulating.

The second reason for fall camping is for a geology tour of Utah and Arizona. I’m leading a consulting project to study the water quality of San Juan County in southwestern Utah that will take us south of Moab, past Arches National Park, down to the San Juan River. We will be looking at geologic features like rock outcrops that dip below the ground surface combined with precipitation (infiltrating rain and snow melt that can be tens of thousands of years old) forming springs and underground aquifers. In some areas the water is naturally clean but in other areas the water is polluted from extensive uranium mining and milling. This is especially a concern to Native American tribes living in the area and we are working together with federal government scientists to compile information and collect new data on the regional water quality. I gave a presentation on this topic last month at the San Juan Mining and Reclamation Conference and here are the video presentations. Depending on our camping experience, including my 11 year old son, we may get all the way to the Grand Canyon.

Many camping experiences in my past have ranged from calm to calamity. My first memories as a Boy Scout were not fun being away from home (it’s lonely being a Momma’s boy), long 10-mile hikes along the C&O Canal, and we even camped out in the winter snow in icy Virginia. I did not start liking camping until going on Guilford College geology field trips to North Carolina mountains and beaches that were a blast.

In grad school at the University of Wyoming, I tried camping by myself in the Snowy Range west of Laramie by getting dropped off in the mountains. It was a beautiful summer’s day and after hiking several hours and not seeing anyone I found a place to camp by a lake. But before I could even unpack and get out the tent, an afternoon cloudburst rained and hailed. I tried to use my backpack for shelter but cold water collected beneath me and I got soaking wet. So I hiked out and hitch hiked a ride back home. Also, I was lucky there was no lightening in that storm.

Stay tuned to this blog for updates on our adventures and with God’s Grace we will reconnect with nature, be inspired by the Great Outdoors, or at least be more appreciative of a warm, soft bed!

Mother Earth

The Lalita Sahasranama (1,000 Names of the Divine Mother) is a prayer to Devi, the Divine Mother, mother of all. Number 955 is Om dharayai namah meaning “I bow down to Her who is Mother Earth.”

Feminine qualities like compassion and love should become stronger in men and masculine qualities like steadiness and courage should grow in women.  – Amma

If we could respect the Earth the way we feel love for our own Mother, the world would be a much better place to live!

Updated 9/18/2020

Here is an excellent talk about the benefits of reciting the names of the Divine Mother!

Current Extreme Droughts in Western US

Here is the latest update from the US Drought Monitor showing very severe conditions in many parts of the Western U.S. affecting about 36 million people and resulting in wildfires and others severe weather conditions.

Air Pollution and Covid-19 Alert in Western Colorado!

The cover page map taken this morning comes from Citizens for Clean Air.

Yesterday, I posted two photos of the smoke during the day and night.

According to the Mesa County Public Health,“(MCPH) is urging residents to take action to protect themselves from wildfire smoke. Air quality monitors Wednesday show AQI levels in the unhealthy, or red (between 151-250) category. At these levels, everyone may begin to experience some adverse health effects, not just sensitive groups.

• Wildfire smoke from the Pine Gulch Fire burning about 20 miles north of Grand Junction is causing air quality concerns. Mesa County Public Health (MCPH) is urging residents to take action to protect themselves from wildfire smoke.

• Air quality monitors Wednesday show AQI levels in the unhealthy, or red (between 151-250) category with more severe impacts at the east end of the valley near Palisade. At these levels, everyone may begin to experience some adverse health effects, not just sensitive groups. If you develop symptoms suggesting lung or heart problems, consult a health care provider as soon as possible.

• Critical fire weather conditions continue with a red flag warning in place for Mesa and several surrounding counties with gusty winds, low relative humidity and dry fuels expected to increase fire activity. 

Strategies to reduce exposure to wildfire smoke:

• Stay indoors as much as possible.

  • Limit outdoor exercise or choose lower-intensity activities.

  • Keep doors and windows tightly closed to decrease the amount of smoke that could enter.

  • Create a clean room, with filtered air at home.

    • Use a do-it-yourself box fan filtration unit to help keep air clean in the home

• Use air conditioners, fans, and window shades to keep your indoor air space cool.

  • Evaporative coolers, known as “swamp coolers” should be turned off during periods of heavy smoke unless there is a heat emergency. These coolers rely on bringing outside air into the home and won’t cool effectively if the home is sealed up so air can be released. 

• Use caution while inside your vehicle.

  • Keep windows and vents closed.

  • Turn the air conditioning to “recirculate” mode.

• Wildfire smoke can irritate your lungs, cause inflammation, affect your immune system, and make you more susceptible to lung infections, including COVID-19.

• COVID-19 and smoke exposure can have similar symptoms, but it’s important to know the difference.

  • Symptoms that are similar are dry cough, sore throat and difficulty breathing.

  • If you experience symptoms such as fever or chills, muscle or body aches, and diarrhea, call MCPH COVID-19 hotline at 970-683-2300 to be screened for testing as these are not related to smoke exposure.

• Avoid activities that create smoke or other air pollutants to decrease indoor particle levels including:

  • Smoking cigarettes, pipes, and cigars.

  • Spraying aerosol products.

  • Frying or broiling food.

  • Burning candles or incense. 

  • Vacuuming, unless you use a vacuum with a HEPA filter.

Preparation is key:

• Recommendations if you are at risk for smoke exposure include maintaining nonperishable groceries not requiring cooking. 

• People with chronic diseases should check with their health care provider about precautions ahead of smoke events and have adequate supply of medication available.

• People who experience asthma should have a written asthma action plan.

Some people are more at risk of harmful health effects from wildfire smoke than others, including:

• Children less than 18 years old

• Adults aged 65 years or older

• Pregnant women

• People with chronic health conditions such as heart of lung disease, asthma, and diabetes

• Outdoor workers

• Individuals experiencing homelessness or those who have limited access to medical care

• People who are immunocompromised of taking drugs that suppress the immune system. 

• Stage 1 Fire Restrictions are in place in Mesa County, open burning of any kind is not allowed.

• For more information on local air quality conditions, and to view conditions in real time through community sourced purple air monitors visit health.mesacounty.us.”