Wild Earth Integration

So unless you’ve been living under a rock these days, you know about global warming.

The big culprits in global warming are greenhouses gases – stuff like carbon dioxide, methane, ozone and water vapor. These gases bog up in the atmosphere, essentially making a shell around the world that re-reflects light back onto us. You know, sort of like a greenhouse.

As you also know, a big part of fixing the planet up revolves around dealing with all these greenhouses gases. Little did we know that other critters are playing their part too. Some are even pooping their help.

Check this out – a group of scientists have been studying sperm whale poo. Don’t blame them, we all have our vices.

Sperm whales eat deep in the ocean, but return to the surface to … do their business. When they poop, they shower their diarrhea-like poo all over the floating phytoplankton. These are aquatic plants that take up carbon as they grow. The good guys.

Because the whale poo is so nutrient and iron-rich, the phytoplankton get a natural fertilizer. They flourish and grow, reducing the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. By a lot.

It’s been estimated that sperm whales contribute 40 tons of iron to the light receiving zone of the ocean. Because this is where the plants are, they help draw down nearly half a million tons of carbon. This means that whales and other large marine animals are some of the most environmentally beneficial creatures on the planet.

Now the bad news. Whale populations are down – way down – from their historical numbers, somewhere between 1-10 percent of their original population. The fewer whales we have, the more global warming is going to be a problem.

Just another shining reminder that the Earth has mechanisms we’re only beginning to understand. If we thought less about our sushi plates and more about the big picture, maybe we’d start getting the hint?

Also, this makes me wonder — if poo is useful, can we really call it waste?

Roz Savage rocks.

If you haven’t been following Ted talks (what’s wrong with you?!), you should definitely check out this little gem. Roz is a British lady, who woke up one morning and felt like her life wasn’t quite right.

To figure out what to do about it, she decided to write two versions of her obituary.

The first obituary was for the life path she was currently on, a good life, but not quite the life she had envisioned for herself.

The second obituary told another story – of a her life full of adventure, excitement and most importantly, meaning.

Looking at the two versions, she realized that was a large discrepancy between them: if she wanted the life she really wanted, she would have to make some changes.

In true hero form, she quit her job (I love it when people do that) and decided to row across the oceans. Alone.

I hate to be a Stevie Spoiler here, so I won’t go into the details of the rest of her story. But I will draw your attention to one part: before going on her adventure, Roz had a very specific idea about what ‘adventurers’ were supposed to look like.

Might be worth thinking about whether you see yourself as an adventurer too?

Of course, we’re all about saving the planet here. Yes, she talks about that too.

Click here to see this awesome video.

When it’s all said and done, water has been quite good to us.

Download ‘In Praise of Water’ at the link below:

In Praise of Water - Classroom Poster (47)

It’s official, mother nature has kicked winter’s arse and spring is in full swing. And I’m loving every minute of it.

Open windows, jackets that don’t weigh 40 pounds, things that are green – everything ‘spring’ pretty much rocks socks.

To celebrate, I’ve compiled my five favorite spring activities. (I’ll take any reason to celebrate, really).

The weather’s nice, so let’s get crackin’.

1. Two words: Rubber boots. For my friends in the UK, I believe you call these ‘wellies’. Learned this the hard way when asking a brit for ‘rubbers’. Rubbers to a brit are just not the same thing. But I digress – grab some foot wear and go splash in the inevitable puddles that are spring.

2. Bird. I mean both the noun and the verb on this one. Get your bird on and go birding. The problem with birds is they can fly and you can’t, so I suggest a good pair of binoculars, or in the very least one of those piratey-type telescopes. Arr…

3. Walkin’, yes indeed. Grab your dog and get your legs moving. Winter walking isn’t as fun (at least where I come from), because you’re too worried about frostbite and/or succumbing to to the evil elements. Spring is a whole other ballgame, so no more excuses. If you don’t have a dog, grab your friend/kid/significant other. Leash optional.

4. Sun. Wait for one of those eerily hot spring days (you know, the kind that make you think you’ve completely bypassed into summer?) and put on your shorts. I *know*, nobody wants to see those pasty winter legs – but that’s the point! Knowing the state of society right now, we could all probably use with a little extra Vitamin D. A great philosopher once said “bare your legs and you shall bare your soul.” Ok, that isn’t really true but it sounded good, didn’t it?

5. For the love of God, think of the children. I don’t just mean human kids – although they’re quite nice to think about too. Spring is the time when a lot of animals arrive into the world. In other words, there are a lot of orphan babies in about mid-April. Stop by an animal shelter or wildlife rehab centre in your area and see what they need. Places that care for spring wildlife/soaring pet populations can always use volunteers, newspaper, garbage bags, blankets and various animal food. Be kind this spring and you’ll probably find that summer treats you extra special.

There you go – plenty of spring things to keep you occupied.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to find a pirate.

Keep it wild, world!

Where oh where have I been? Writing!

I’m currently working on two books right now and the whole literary gauntlet has gotten me thinking about the nature of writing.

While staring aimlessly out the window slaving away at the computer, I realized that nature has a lot of lessons to offer, even to the big, bad world of publishing. So for my fellow writers out there (or readers, we’re all friends here), here are a few thoughts on writing, and nature.

• Great things take time. Even the best books out there started with a first line. If you really want to see how important they are, grab some classics and read only the first sentence. Call me Ishmael, indeed. But the point here is that everything starts small. A great example of this is the butterfly. Everybody’s favorite flying tapestry started out first as a little grub, then a caterpillar, then a chrysalis and then and only then the beautiful butterfly we all recognize. Go easy on yourself during your grub stage.

• Go with it, but don’t go crazy. You wouldn’t expect a cheetah to run 70 clicks an hour without stopping. The writing process has its ups and downs – sometimes you’re off with a vengeance, clicking away on the keys like a hummingbird on speed. These moments normally arrive after percolating for minutes, hours or even days. But inevitably, they end and you’re left with either a piece worth keeping or a rant. The cheetah doesn’t know if it’s going to catch the gazelle, but it runs like mad when it can anyways. If it doesn’t, it saves its energy for the next run. It’s all about taking the chance when it’s there without overdoing it.

• Rest. This is one of the most important yet overlooked parts of the writing process. Everything needs time to recoup after working hard. What the hell do you think winter is? You may not realize it, but when you’re ‘resting’ you’re also taking in ideas, forming new ideas and practicing phrasings in your head. In the same way winter incubates new life for the spring, your mind incubates new ideas when you’re chilling!

I hope you’ve all been doing well out there – keep it wild!

It’s getting sunnier. And staying sunnier. Even as I write this, my normal winter backdrop of frosty dark morning is now replaced with a beam of sunlight in a bright blue sky.

Spring is sooo coming.

I’ve had a lot of people ask how Gerry, my resident squirrel neighbor, is doing. As you can see, Gerry has taken to napping on our back porch. This is, of course, after gorging himself on birdseed which he faithfully receives everyday.

What better way to enjoy the last of winter than with one last seasonal catnap? Sorry, squirrel nap.

I highly recommend them.

Keep it wild!

“Simplify, Simplify” – Henry David Thoreau

THEN: sandbox

NOW: sanitizers

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THEN: conversation

NOW: American Idol

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THEN: Tag

NOW: Teletubbies

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THEN: Sunshine

NOW: Vitamin D tablets

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THEN: Homework

NOW: www.allfreeessays.com

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THEN: reality

NOW: virtual reality

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THEN: farms

NOW: factories

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THEN: grass-fed

NOW: hormone-fed

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THEN: Books

NOW: e-books

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THEN: soil

NOW: landfill

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THEN: tree-climbing

NOW: corporate climbing

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THEN: Salad

NOW: Snack Size Fruit & Walnut Salad – Apple slices and red grapes [apples, red grapes, calcium ascorbate (a blend of calcium and vitamin C added to maintain natural freshness and color)] Vanilla Lowfat Yogurt [cultured pasteurized Grade A reduced milk fat, sugar, food starch-modified, fructose, whey protein concentrate, corn starch, kosher gelatin, natural (plant source) and artificial flavor, potassium sorbate (added to maintain freshness), artificial color], candied walnuts [walnuts, TBHQ and BHT added as preservatives) sugar, peanut oil, dry honey, salt, wheat starch, maltodextrin, xanthan gum, soy lecithin, natural (plant source) and artificial flavor.]

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THEN: leg warmers

NOW: global warmers

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THEN: Pad of paper

NOW: iPad

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THEN: filling minds

NOW: filling houses

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THEN: off-the-clock

NOW: ’round-the-clock

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THEN: coffee

NOW: double decaf latte with mocha sprinkles

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THEN: green space

NOW: no space

“I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life. To put to rout all that was not life and not when I had come to die, discover that I had not lived” – Henry David Thoreau

Did you know that spending time in nature actually alters your body chemistry? Being outside – in the sun, or under a tree, or by the ocean changes who you are physically.

No, you won’t sprout another arm or anything – nature changes you for the better.

I know my lovely readers like examples, so here’s a nice one:

The ocean (take your pick on which one). When you stand and listen to the ocean, you’re hearing the waves lap in at approximately 12-16 waves a minute. This corresponds exactly to our optimal heart rates. Listening to the ocean not only lowers your blood pressure naturally and effectively, it increases those ‘feel good’ chemicals in your brain. Ocean waves also force you to slow down your breathing, getting rid of those shallow, awful breaths we so often take.

All of these changes lead to a healthier you – without even having to cash in on your drug plan. Booya.

There’s a reason people turn to nature when their lives are stressful. We’re meant to be out there.

As science catches up with the simple truths of life, I think we’ll find that many of the aspects of nature are specifically tailored to our bodies in some harmonious and amazing ways.

If the closest thing you have to the Ocean is your copy of The Little Mermaid, fear not. Another great thing our about our brains is that they’re easily fooled.

Through the magic of the internet, you can reach the ocean with a click of the mouse.

Keep it wild! And remember…

I can’t take credit for this photo – my better half was out there braving the flurry to get it.

This bad boy was originally chasing down a sparrow, but gave up and decided instead to just look regal. (I wish I could look that regal just by sitting and turning my head.)

Another good reason to keep lookin’ up, no?

Keep it wild, world!

You can’t feel it right now, but there are bugs all over you.

Before you freak out and jump in the shower, rest assured that if it weren’t for some of these microscopic critters, you probably wouldn’t be here. Many of these bugs keep us healthy and on any given day, you’re sharing your body with about 90 trillion or so.

In other words, resistance is futile!

So, who’s setting up shop on your body? Here are 3 animals that call you home.

DEMODEX

Do you recognize this one? Eight-legged demodex is a worm-like mite that likes to hang out near hair follicles. Specifically, this guy is particularly partial to your eyelashes. Adults are only 0.03 mm long, so you won’t actually see them crawling around up there. The cool thing about these guys? Their bodies are so efficient, they only have a mouth. That is to say, ahem, that there is no exit. They use everything they eat without any waste!

LACTOBACILLUS ACIDOPHILUS

Don’t let the big name on this fella freak you out – lactobacillus is one of the good guys. In fact, I bet most of you have even walked into a grocery store and purposely bought food with Mr. Lactobac in it. You know all those commercials for yogurt that are pimping out the good bacteria? They’re talking about this one. Lactobacillus lives throughout your body, especially in your mouth and stomach. With this guy on the job, most people have improved immune function and a healthier GI tract. Eat up!

YOUR DNA

Yup, you read that right. Research has shown that 8% of our DNA comes from a virus and not one of our ancestors. This happens through a process called endogenization. These viruses (called bornaviruses) can cause disease in horses and sheep. Thankfully, we are not horses nor sheep. For the most part, we seem to be doing okay with this virus within us. It’s possible that this viruses causes mutation that leads to schizophrenia, but the labcoats haven’t ironed out all the details on that one.

So there you have it!  We are walking, talking ecosystems. Just another way we are all connected…

Have a wild Friday!

P.S Sorry if I made you itchy…