Welcome to the Winter Issue, the 77th Almanac Newsletter.
In January, it will be the 8th year anniversary of my store priscillawoolworth.com. Thank you for continuing to join me in learning how each of us can make choices that benefit our health and the planet’s. With the recent Fall Issue, I introduced my newly designed website, The Cabinet of Green Curiosities and the weekly mini newsletter blasts, and have received many wonderful messages about them. Thank you!
This past October, I was invited to visit the EARTH University campus in Costa Rica, which focuses on teaching sustainable agriculture methods and ethical values. “The greatest tool we have, to change society, is education” – José Zaglul, who is retiring after 28 years of leadership at EARTH. Watch the video The Fruits of our Hard Work and read the blog I wrote about my visit there, fire ants and all.
Do you know what the IDA is? I didn’t until a few months ago when I was researching the impact of light pollution on certain animals. The IDA stand for The International Dark-Sky Association, the recognized authority on light pollution and the leading organization combating light pollution worldwide. Artificial lights disrupt the world’s ecosystems, which can lead baby sea turtles to their demise and has had devastating effects on many bird species and fireflies. Learn how you can reduce light pollution and protect wildlife.
The high desert area of southern California is a feast for the eyes!
What is heavier? 700 elephants, or one month’s worth of mattresses, thrown in California landfills? The mattresses. Over 160,000 mattresses a month are discarded in California. That’s over 8 million pounds of steel, foam, fiber, and wood that could be recycled. You can drop your mattress off for free at any of these locations.
Water is life and we need to protect it. In a powerful interview, Winona LaDuke (previously featured as a Game Changer in the Almanac) links historic oil extraction on tribal land to intergenerational trauma among Native Americans: “90 percent of my community, generally, I would say, is just trying to survive.” You can help The Standing Rock Sioux and Winona LADuke fight The Dakota Access Pipeline.
Senator Bernie Sanders speech outside the White House during a global day of action against the Dakota Access pipeline that included demonstrations in over 300 cities. “Today we are saying it is time for a new approach to the Native American people, not to run a pipeline through their land,” Sanders said, demanding that their sovereign rights be honored. He also spoke about the need for politicians to protect access to clean water, recognize that climate change is real, and support an aggressive shift away from fossil fuels to sustainable energy sources.
Bees in the news: the New Zealand Defense Force helped assist a man in rescuing approximately 30,000 bees from his home apiary after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the New Zealand town of Kaikoura earlier this week. When it comes to the bees that pollinate our crops and help our food grow, every little bit helps. Thankful that both the bees and their thoughtful owner are safe and sound!
Did you know that the recent recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, artist Maya Lin, is an environmental activist? Through her website What is Missing? Lin dives head-first into the fight against global climate change and habitat destruction, aiming to highlight – in visual and novel ways – the ways that society can begin to adopt methods for reducing carbon emissions and the negative impact of climate change.
Are you looking for an Organic Christmas Tree Farm? Currently, there are environmentally-friendly Christmas tree sources listed in 22 states. Find one here.
What happens to the Rockefeller tree after Christmas? The 94-foot tall Norway spruce will be recycled after the season. Since adopting a more eco-friendly model in 2007, Rockefeller Center has partnered with Habitat for Humanity to reclaim their trees’ wood for building materials. The five miles of lighting has been lit exclusively with LED lights, which draw a fraction of the power traditionally required by the tree. By switching to eco-friendly lighting, Rockefeller Center has managed to decrease the tree’s daily energy consumption from a massive 3,510 kwH per day to a significantly less massive 1,297 kwH per day. Hundreds of solar panels atop one of the Rockefeller buildings help power the new LEDs, making daily operation of the tree more energy-efficient than ever before. To read more
Ways you can recycle your own tree
Wishing you a beautiful holiday season and all the very best for the New Year 2017!
I’ll see you back in March!
All the best,
Priscilla
