Our kids and our environment are paying a heavy price because of our arrogance. When do we step back and realize that thinking only about the present is not in our best interest? I was told a long time ago: A decision made in haste – you will have to look back on. But a decision made with thought is a decision that stands the test of time. Take a look around and it’s easy to see that we have been so busy trying to maintain the here-and-now that we have forgotten to look ahead. Only recently has everyone jumped on the “green” bandwagon. If everyone had had this eco-friendly attitude even 50 years ago and passed it on to their children and grandchildren, can you imagine what our earth would be like today? No acid rain. No global warming. No endangered species. I know it’s never going to be a perfect world, but it’s never too late to start thinking about your and your child’s future. Even if you just reuse that water bottle everyday or use energy efficient appliances, small efforts contribute to greater results – and are better than no effort at all. If we can leave the earth a better place than we found it, what better legacy could we give to our children than a healthy planet?

Lately I’ve been blogging about environmental and conservation issues in the news, ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle, plus other ideas that just seem to swim around in my head. But today, what I’m more curious about is what’s swimming around in your head? With 2008 closed and 2009 here and now, I’d love to hear from you as to why you think saving the ocean is important. What kind of personal impact do all of our efforts have on you? Did you do anything in 2008 to help the oceans and its inhabitants? What are your thoughts for this year? How are we going to band together to really make a difference? In these troubled economic times, it’s very easy for environmental and conversation efforts to feel the effects from local, regional, and federal budget cuts as well as our own personal financial situations. How can we work together to make this a better planet for our kids in the years to come? Send me your ideas. I’d love to hear from you!

What makes our world tick each year? What are some of the most famous (or infamous) events that happen that could or did cause significant change? Being a lover of National Geographic, I was exploring their website the other day and was intrigued by what they considered to be their top 10 news stories of 2008. Here they are:
10. Total Solar Eclipse on August 1: Where, How to See It
9. Bigfoot Discovery Declared a Hoax
8. Oldest Living Tree Found in Sweden
7. Great Pyramid Mystery to Be Solved by Hidden Room?
6. Sky Show December 1: Jupiter, Venus, Moon Make “Frown”
5. Hurricane Gustav to Become Gulf Coast Monster?
4. Unknown “Structures” Tugging at Universe, Study Says
3. Portal to Maya Underworld Found in Mexico?
2. Large Hadron Collider “Actually Worked”
1. Alien-like Squid With “Elbows” Filmed at Drilling Site

I’m amazed that of these 10 top news events, more than half are somehow directly related to our environment – our planet. If news about our planet has engulfed more than half of the top news stories in 2008, where is our world headed in 2009? What types of news stories will we hear and read about that might continue to cause change to our world next year? As we ponder these questions, it continues to be our duty to understand our own small carbon footprint, and continue to look for ways as individuals and as a team, to reduce that footprint as much as possible. To read more about these top 10 news stories, visit the National Geographic website at http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/12/081215-top-ten-stories.html.

Imagine pumping a sound as loud as 2,000 jet engines into your ears. Ouch! Mega ouch!! In a sad decision, the Supreme Court recently decided that sound is more important to the U.S.Navy than it is to the whales who live and swim off the shores of California. The sonar that creates this magnitude of sound is used to detect extremely quiet, diesel-electric submarines that might threaten a fleet. The Navy has been using this sonar for training exercises, and while environmentalists have been active in trying to rid its use, the Supreme Court has lifted two restrictions on the Navy’s use of the sonar during training. Hats off to the two dissenting justices, Justices Ginsburg and Souter, for actually realizing that there is potential environmental harm that “cannot be lightly dismissed.” The Navy says there is no documentation that proves the sonar is harmful to whales, but some scientists have estimated that using the sonar during training might cause more than 400 injuries to the beaked whale population — which is already reduced to barely over 1,100 off the West Coast. With the upcoming change in the country’s leadership and administration, the future will hopefully be brighter for these marine animals. Write to your congressmen and women, write to the Navy, and ask them how they would feel with 2,000 jet engines ringing in their ears.

As you prepare to gorge yourself on turkey and all the fixings, make sure you pause and give thanks to this great planet that we call home. And even better than a verbal thanks, how about letting your actions speak louder than your words? Here are a few tips to make your Thanksgiving a little more environmentally friendly:

-    Grab your reusable bags when you go grocery shopping (or any shopping for that matter including, yes, Christmas shopping on Black Friday!). Make sure you have one bag dedicated and big enough for that bird!

-    If you have to use paper products, use recyclable (or recycled) ones. Otherwise, enjoy your nice dishes and splurge a bit to find fall or holiday cloth napkins.

-    Garnish your table with beeswax or soy candles, which are much more eco-friendly than traditional ones.

-    Take a nature walk and decorate your table with real fall foliage that has fallen to the ground like colored leaves and pinecones. Try out some fun crafts like turkeys made out of pine cones and pipe cleaners with your kids.

-    Check out the Eat Well Guide (www.eatwellguide.org), where you can find different meats by production methods and learn where you can actually buy organic turkey. Don’t forget your local farmers’ markets too, or your local poultry farm.

I know what I’m not thankful for… OK, maybe this isn’t the way to start off the blog for the day, but I am so tired of hearing people stressing out about what they’re doing for Thanksgiving, whose house they’re going to, whom they’re spending the day with, and what they’ll be eating. We haven’t even had Thanksgiving and folks are already planning Christmas, asking the same questions about the December holiday as they do for the one in a few weeks. And then there’s Christmas shopping. I’m not even going there. What I am thankful for is the fact that I can wake up everyday and know that our planet is alive. Alive with relatively clean air, green grass, majestic mountain peaks, and deep, vast oceans. I’m thankful that I have the ability to affect change to our environment by making a conscious effort to recycle when I can, be kind to nature and be a good steward to our earth. I’m thankful that I’ve been given the opportunity to help educate others through Duckey and the Ocean Protectors – and that all of us have the power to help our planet. Remember: “Believe it! Achieve it!”