What's Up With The Climate

Over the last 30 years the by-words Reduce, Reuse and Recycle have been incorporated into our lives and our behaviors. Close- to-home proof of this is the recent survey we participated in on Earth Day Sunday – many of us are making creative conscious choices that reduce, reuse and recycle. And we are not alone, a number of recent surveys found that over 85% of adults are concerned about plastic pollution and over 75% are taking steps to reduce the single-use plastic they buy. Unfortunately, during those same 30 years, the proliferation of single use plastics in packaging has outpaced all our efforts. Plastic packaging now makes up over 40% of the tons of plastics produced and 52% of the plastic thrown away every day with only 9% actually being recycled. It’s hard not to feel small and ineffectual in the face of the mountain of waste that’s already been created and is degrading in the environment. Now EarthDay.Org has added Refuse, Remove and Rally to the powerful actions we need to i

A book I was reading recently asked the question: what do humans provide to the natural world around them? Hmm, my first thought was “nothing”. We take more than we give. Most of what I plant in my yard is for my own enjoyment and plants in my vegetable garden are for my family to eat. I suppose all those insects that eat my broccoli and cabbage leaves, or the voles that girdle my young apple seedlings so they can survive the winter are benefitting.  And likewise, the birds that get fed at our bird feeders, would they survive without us?  To ease my conscience, I concluded that when God created the heavens and earth, placed us as caretakers, then said “it is very good”, we were meant to be here. We can, however, improve our caretaker role. So, how can we help? Trees are the first thing to come to mind: shade in summer, seed and pollen for the birds and bees, roots that hold the soil and prevent erosion. And as they die and decompose, they add so much organic matter to replenish soil l

Buying local has many reasons that include helping you, your community, and our Earth. The other day I went to buy potting soil at the local hardware store.  Looking at all the choices I found that many of the items were from out of Vermont, like South Carolina, Canada and even the mid-west.  But there was also some from Middlebury Vermont.  Considering my position in buying local when I can, I opted for the soil from Middlebury.  It took me a few minutes extra to determine the origin of the soil, but I now feel comforted that I can support a local farmer and family. When I visit Jericho Market for food shopping, I notice that their shelves have locally produced goods in both the produce and meat departments.  When we cook the locally grown chicken it is so much more tender and fuller of flavor than other chicken we have tried.  If you have not tried local meats, I recommend that you give it a try. Why try buying local when you can? It is good for the environment . Local goods don’t ha

  I am by no means an expert in this, but I was asked me to write something, so here goes ... We have 20 solar panels on our roof. Some people put them in their yard, or even buy into a community solar array, but ours just sit on our roof. We installed our panels in 2018. It’s been fun because we can access this great website on the computer or an app on the phone that tells us how much power we’re making every hour/day/week/month/year. Honestly, it can be a little addictive trying to predict how much power we make over time! Since the panels were installed, the website says we have reduced our carbon footprint by 18.2 tons, which is equivalent to planting 304 trees. I guess that’s pretty good.  We’ve learned that the solar panels don’t work under any amount of snow, so we have to clean them off (we can because our roof is not very steep). So, we not only shovel the driveway, we also clean off our panels – Ugh! But this happens only if the snow doesn’t melt by itself. Also, we do

' The average carbon footprint for a person in the United States is 16 tons, one of the highest rates in the world. Globally, the average carbon footprint is closer to 4 tons. ´ reported by the Nature Conservancy. As Sandy said,  Earth Day is a chance to renew your resolve to be involved in making and keeping our planet sustainable for our lives and future generations. How do we lessen our carbon footprint on Mother Earth?  Any change starts by acknowledging the current situation and, from there, determining best ways to move forward – in big ways like how we heat our homes to little ways turning off lights when we leave rooms.  There are numerous on-line tools to determine your current footprints.     Carbon Footprint  from The Nature Conservancy is one.    Cool Congregations  is another option.    One common critique in asking for individuals to make life-style changes to lessen our footprint, is the question ‘ Can one person’s actions really change the climate’s trajectory? ’  P

Today starts our weeklong series on tips for light footsteps on Mother Earth by considering why earth day is part of our yearly calendar. Where did it come from and what are we supposed to do on Earth Day? Many of our Vermont traditions, like Green Up Day, are not practiced across the U.S. nor the world. So,  Earth Day  is one day that all nations are connected in calling for actions that keep our planet healthy. Earth Day began when US Senator Gaylord Nelson witnessed the effects of a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, CA in 1969. He called to action all Americans to take a stand for the environment in 1970, and thousands of colleges and universities across the United States organized protests for a healthy, sustainable Earth. This included cleaning up air pollution from factories and freeways, as well as reducing the loss of habitats for animals and animal extinction. Because of these national rallies, the first Earth Day helped create the United States Environmental Protection Age