Tag: environmental issues

NaPoWriMo Day 4

On By WinstonIn Education, Environment, Global Issues, NaPoWriMo, Nature, Personal Responsibility, Science, SocietyLeave a comment

Earlier I was watching TED/Ed as one does when they are at work. And I came across this talk by Xiye Bastida ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBeU6UZyPjY&feature=emb_title ). It inspired today’s offering.

On Xiye Bastida

I just believe she said to me,

as hope shone from her eyes.

I know you don’t, and that’s okay,

my dream fits every size.

 

For each good thing there is in life,

was once just someone’s dream.

Belief is what brings them to life,

hold it in high esteem.

 

Then as I saw the hope in her,

it kindled hope in me.

And as it grew I understood,

You must believe to see.

 

Now as I watch, a million more,

once more start to believe.

They share her dream and dare to hope,

it’s one we can achieve.

 

Every good thing that we have,

and every bad as well,

was once a dream in someone’s heart.

You never can quite tell.

 

Before you mock or just dismiss,

the dream she has to share.

Please understand, it’s not a plan,

Just asking you to care.

 

Now I believe. It’s not that hard.

But making dreams come true,

that takes an act of purest will,

and sacrifices too.

 

So I believe, take baby steps,

to build tomorrow’s world.

Inspired by the faith and dream,

Of this young, hopeful girl.

 

Cheers, Winston

NaPoWriMo Day 15

On By WinstonIn Environment, Global Issues, NaPoWriMo, Nature, Poetry, Science, Society, Uncategorized, Values2 Comments

I know not everyone believes in the reality of climate change. I’ve read a lot on both sides of the question and to me it’s obvious that we’re having a huge impact on the planet. Wherever you sit on this debate, I hope you enjoy today’s poem.

OUR CHANGING WORLD

The climate’s changing very fast,

More than we thought it could.

The future’s looking different than,

Most of us thought it would.

 

I know there’s those who claim that all,

The climate data’s fake.

And nothing that is done by us,

Could any difference make.

 

But I have looked at this a lot,

And I just can’t agree.

The climate’s changing and the cause,

Comes down to you and me.

 

We love our cars, we love our trucks,

We love our SUVs,

We love to drive so who cares if,

They cut down all the trees.

 

We love our cities sprawling ‘burbs,

We’ll pave all of the farms.

And as we stand in flooded streets,

Claim we don’t cause these harms.

 

We’ve engineered some crops that can,

Both heat and drought resist.

But GMOs are “evil” so,

That research gets dismissed.

 

As millions starve because their land,

Can them no longer feed.

We let our surplus food just rot,

So much more than we need.

 

As deserts grow and forests shrink,

We multiply so fast.

‘Til all that’s left to eat is us.

Then see how long we last.

 

But disregard this poem ’cause,

It’s not what you would hear,

I’m just another scaremonger,

Who’s spreading pointless fear.

 

When the last lonely tree has died,

On dead and barren Earth.

Look then and see what we’ve done to,

The planet of our birth.

 

Cheers, Winston

NaPoWriMo Day Twenty-Two

On By WinstonIn Environment, NaPoWriMo, Personal Responsibility, Poetry, Values3 Comments

For those who hadn’t heard, today is Earth Day.  This is the one day each year when we’re supposed to put away our rampant consumerism and give a crap about the planet we live on.  Seems to me that it might need more than one day a year.  Maybe that’s just me.

Thoughts On The Occaission Of Earth Day.

Earth Day today but what’s that mean?
Can one day save the world?
Now really can this day we claim,
Undo the the filth we’ve hurled?

We say we want to change the world,
But that impulse will pass.
We celebrate the earth today,
Tomorrow frack some gas.

We bemoan the latest oil spill,
As we fill up our cars.
Then drive away beneath the smog,
Say how we miss the stars.

We build our subdivisions on,
The best farmland around.
And then complain that fresh produce,
Costs so much by the pound.

Our kids and grandkids pay the price,
For what we do today.
If we don’t change the way we live,
A price too high to pay.

I am no better than the rest,
As I stand here and preach.
We all must change myself as well,
That is the truth I’d teach.

If you would change the world, first change yourself.

Cheers, Winston

Thank You Rachel Carson

On By WinstonIn Environment, Global Issues, Politics, Society, Uncategorized, ValuesLeave a comment

I just wanted to give a quick shout out to Miss Carson during the demi-Centennial year of her book “Silent Spring”. For those unfamiliar with it, the book described a very near future in which one could walk through any suburban neighborhood without hearing a cicada, sparrow, or any other natural sound. All due to the rampant and uninformed use of DDT.

It was a brilliant and terrifying book and it led to an eventual ban on the residential use of DDT and limited its use in many other areas as well. Before you write her off as some sort of “green” nutjob, look a little closer. Rachel never advocated a ban on DDT, only a requirement to place responsible limits on its use. She was fully aware of the benefits of chemical pesticides particularly in the fight against insect born diseases such as malaria.

The chemical industry however paints Miss Carson in a different light. They portray her clinging to the lunatic fringe, hysterically demanding a ban on DDT. They also tend to hold her personally responsible for every malaria death in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the pro-chemical crowd, DDT spraying in Africa was stopped because she got DDT banned. That’s not quite the truth. Spraying programs in Africa stopped for the same reasons as any other aid program, a lack of funding and political will. It’s perfectly legal to export DDT to Africa and countries there don’t have the same environmental restrictions we do here.

For those who aren’t familiar with it, DDT is a neurotoxin. It is also a cumulative toxin, which means it is stored in fat tissues and builds up in the system over time. Beyond simple deaths, sub-lethal levels present a more insious hazard. It causes reproductive issues and subsequent developmental problems in the offspring.

But wait, it gets better. It also accumulates in the food chain. One bird eats a thousand bugs. One cat eats ten birds. One fox eats four cats. The fox now has roughly forty thousand doses of DDT in its system. That can’t possibly be a good thing.

But wait, it’s about to get better again. It’s also environmentally persistent. So after you spray, it’s in the water, it’s in the soil, it’s in the air. Oh goody. Now that can’t possibly be a good thing. Eventually, all those little droplets make their way through the environment into the food chain. Once they get into there, it’s only a matter of time until they make their way into you and I.

So yes, I think “Silent Spring” was an important book and Miss Carson did us all a huge service by writing it and putting up with a lifetime of vilification. I don’t know what the world would look like without her work, and but I firmly believe it would have been one hell of a lot quieter……. and not in a good way.

That’s why we should all say, “Thank you Rachel Carson”.

Cheers Winston