Happy Earth Day!!

[danni]

Happy Earth Day everyone!!! (Yes....as a matter of fact I am a tree hugging freak....why do you ask? )

Just a little note to everyone to think about going "green" and taking care of our earth Reduce Reuse Recycle Repair Here in America, anyway, we are such a "throw away" society but every little thing you can do to preserve our world helps I mean that environmentally and socially. Pick up after yourself. recycle. cut down on use of harsh chemicles. But...I also mean to care for the people around you. A random act of kindness can go a long way and doesn't take much out of your day.

Actually a few people I work with and I started this thing about a month ago where we pleged with each other to do at least one random act of kindness daily. It's amazing how when your mindful about looking for the opportunities how many random acts you can actually do. I would welcome any and all from the boards to join me in this pledge. It really makes you feel good too.

[smallstar]

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[SweetSue]

Happy Earth Day Danni

[David O]

Happy Earth Day,

I read awhile back very controversial book: Darkness in El Dorado: How Scientists and Journalists Devastated the Amazon. The scandal actually started years ago when 2 anthropologists sent a scathing letter to the president of the American Anthropological Association (AAA). The letter basically states that according to the author of the book, scientists had committed these horrible crimes while studying the Yanomamö tribe in the Amazon rain forests.

The basic story is that scientists killed most of the group to test their race theory. The story was carried in Britain's Guardian, followed by accounts in Time and the New York Times, on NPR's All Things Considered, The New Yorker and so on. The book’s author argues that starting in the 1960s, Neel (an MD) and his researchers were funded by the Atomic Energy Commission to conduct horrifying medical "experiments" on the Yanomamö. Far and away the most serious allegation is that the researchers killed hundreds or even thousands by knowingly releasing a contagious measles virus into the previously unexposed Yanomamö population. The guys who wrote the letter to the AAA put it, "Tierney's well-documented account …strongly supports the conclusion that the epidemic was in all probability deliberately caused as an experiment designed to produce scientific support for Neel's eugenic theory."

My thinking is that Earth Day should be about the protection not only of our sacred planet, but of all of its' inhabitants, and not just life, but whole ways of being, as we are admonished in this Native American piece whose author I can't recall now:

"You ask me to plow the ground. Shall I take a knife and tear my mothers's bosom? Then when I die she will not take me to her boom to rest. You ask me to dig for stones! Shall I dig under her skin for her bones? Then when I die I cannot enter her body to be born again. You ask me to cut grass and make hay and sell it, and be rich like white men, but how dare I cut my mother's hair?...

Dia da Terra feliz

David

[Symora]

Happy earth day everyone...

There is enough for all. The earth is a generous mother; she will provide in plentiful abundance food for all her children if they will but cultivate her soil in justice and in peace.

Bourke Coekran

[Luna-]

Danni ... a fellow treehugger! * big smile*

I was in Copenhagen just after COP15. I could not get accommodation during the conference, only the night after, but there was still a lot going on. I knew the state of our planet was bad, but I did not realise just HOW bad. Folks: be SHOCKED at just how dire our situation is. Many birds don't fly south any more. Climate-sensitive crops no longer grow where they used to flourish. Entire islands have disappeared underwater, creating so-called "climate refugees". People who say this is just an elaborate hoax are dangerously ignorant of the reality.

Never mind the projections (which are scary), our demise has already begun. Katrina, the tsunami, Haiti and other extreme weather events are due to climate change and disruption to the earth's self-regulation. We're being culled, folks.

People forget the "reduce, re-use, repair" elements that danni mentioned. Recycling is the popular 'R', that assuages people's consciences, but in fact it should be the last action - the other 3 are more important. In Denmark, it is becoming increasingly "uncool" to be wasteful; high consumption is not a mark of success. It's slow, but in far greater evidence there than in South Africa, for example, and from what I saw when I was in the US and Canada.

But most countries of the world do not have the political will; it goes against Power and Might. Kyoto failed and COP15 looks likely to suffer the same fate. It's a mess. By the time we wake up, I fear it may be too little, too late. We still have time to correct the damage, but we need to begin TODAY.

[ /sorry; end of cynical sermon, return to scheduled programming. ]

[Jetliner]

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[Luna-]

Jetliner, I like you too much to argue Please don't bite your tongue violently ...?

[David O]

Yup, I knew there was a reason I've withdrawn from political discussions. And I seem to live for them, going so far as to canvas door to door for candidates whose values I support (irrespective of political affiliation)

But the idea that human beings are solely responsible for the climate of the Earth? Sorry, the science just doesn't support that. I haven't ever heard that we're responsible for global warming from any credible report or scientific study, but what I have heard is that we are a contributory factor-- how much and to what extent, the jury is out on that still. Human activity does play a role.

David, personally, I have to disagree with the sentiment of that quote. The earth is not a, "mother" no matter how often people try to personalize it. It is our home but it can in no way compare to a human being. I would respectfully call to mind another Native American quote (whose author I can't recall either! Hehehe!) This may be a difference of worldviews, since I was raised in Latin America, which is heavily infused with Native American thinking, my view is that we are indeed stewards and that all of life is sacred. One need only also read in the book of St. Thomas (one of the Apostles), which was never canonized, or the Wisdom of the Desert fathers (Christian and Jewish Mystics from early church history), to see that the early Jews also believed in the sacredness of all life and that God existed in everything (trees, shrubs, animals, humans)-- thus the need to protect it all. John, we don't disagree, we simply see the same issue from different sides (recall the 6 blind men and the elephant?)

Anyway, I'm not here to start an argument so, guess this is where I violently bite my tongue and back out of the room. No one is or will hopefully argue, this a conversation involving those who care about our planet (home or mother) and its' inhabitants. We will disagree, but as for me, I will maintain a respectful tone at all costs, so please feel free to speak your mind-- a little debate will not destroy us so long as it's done with respect and consideration. John, I'm always glad to read your writings-- you're very bright, insightful, considerate and warm in how you speak here (Lord knows about your real life tho :eek::D)

David

[danni]

And I seem to live for them, going so far as to canvas door to door for candidates whose values I support (irrespective of political affiliation)

Me too! I'm always up for a good conversation!! But then again...I talk a lot I can't help it. I HAVE an opinion

But the idea that human beings are solely responsible for the climate of the Earth? Sorry, the science just doesn't support that. I haven't ever heard that we're responsible for global warming from any credible report or scientific study, but what I have heard is that we are a contributory factor-- how much and to what extent, the jury is out on that still. Human activity does play a role.

Yes. That's what the research I've read says too. Our role in polluting the earth is definately proven already and we are finding more and more all the time. Quit dumping crap into the oceans people! Conservation efforts need to be stepped up!

I have a great respect for all living things and believe it is our role to take care of the earth and everything in it. Wasting our non renewable natural resources is in overdrive right now. We need more people to care. What can I say. I'm a live and let live kind of girl. I also LOVE nature. I went for a five hour ride on my horse last weekend and seriously noticed the beauty of every tree leafing out. I say mama and baby raccoons, skunks and moose. (Mama moose wasn't all that impressed with us so we did our Barbaro impression and raced right out of there) But it was so peaceful and beautiful to be where you could listen to the silence and just "be" for a little while. As I said before, I believe it is also our role to take care of the people in our world internationally. I have a passion for helping people living "on the cusp" of society and it matters a lot to me to try and help them however I can.

[danni]

My thinking is that Earth Day should be about the protection not only of our sacred planet, but of all of its' inhabitants, and not just life, but whole ways of being,

David, this is something that I am actually very passionate about. Working towards social justice worldwide, I believe, is everyone's responsibility. Most people don't think about how their lifestyles affect other people. But....every decision we make has a pricetag. It's one of the reasons I am careful about buying "fair trade" products. I think that we make a statement when we spend money on things that are made by exploited children or farmers that harvest for 10 cents a day. The statement we make is that we support those very things whether we intend to or not. We are saying that our consumer habits are more important than human dignity.

So what does this mean in our lives? I guess we need to be mindful about living justly. We need to understand the impact of decisions we make. We need to take a hard look at how even our everyday choices (what to eat, what to wear, etc.....) affects otheres. We need to apply our moral values and ethical standards to our consumer habits being mindful of who is affected by what we buy and how.

I don't want to smash anything on the site but if you are interested in particular brands that use child labor or unfair practices. Feel free to PM me.

[Symora]

You're enthusiasm for this is wonderful Danni.... the biggest hurdle is breaking the apathy about it I think, so may there be many, many more who follow your lead Danni.