"Conservation means the wise use of the earth and it's resources for the lasting good of men."-Gifford Pinchot
Happy Earth Day! There is so much natural beauty all around us, and yet, we continue to see more and more of it slip away. Yesterday, I visited the website of the World Wildlife Fund, to read about which species are still on the endangered list. The Monarch is on the list, as are several other butterflies, some native to California such as the Mission Blue, and the Bay Checkerspot. Sigh. I can't imagine never seeing a Monarch again, their beauty absolutely captivates me. The Bay Checkerspot butterfly was given some special attention recently, when a new natural habitat for them was created at the Edgewood County Park and Nature Preserve, in San Mateo, California. I am hoping to take a trip there soon, to see the beautiful butterfly for myself. :) I wish something similar was being done for the Mission Blue.
It's been a tough week all around. My energy is low, but there are some things I plan to do today to celebrate Earth Day. I am going to get my canvas bags in order, I am quite cross with myself for not doing that sooner. All this plastic bag nonsense has to stop. I saw an interesting story on the news last night, about other common sense things that can be done to help the earth heal a bit. Such as deciding to go Low-carb.
No, not low carbohydrate, but rather low carbon emissions. Little things like buying locally grown organic fruit, vegetables, and cheeses made along the northern California coast, such as Point Reyes Blue cheese. I hear it is fantastic, and I have always wanted to try it, isn't now a good time to do so? Restaurants, such as the DeYoung cafe, inside the DeYoung Museum, features ingredients in their menu items, that were either raised or grown within a 150 mile radius of San Francisco. The breads they serve, are purchased from a bakery right here in Berkeley. I imagine a lot more of our local restaurants will be going to this type of system. It's just a good idea for everyone. :)
After a week like this one, I am planning to stay home today, enjoy my yard, and my cat, and a nice healthy dinner of Mixed Green Salad, and Potato Leek Soup. It's going to rain this morning, but by the afternoon, the sun should be out. It's a good day to take the time to reflect and be happy. Who knows, maybe I will hop back over to the WWF website and adopt a Monarch. :) That would make my kitty Elvis proud of me. Now, here are a few of my favorite moments on earth, and what gifts those moments were...
-Kofi Annan
-OndineMonet
"Monarch"
Conservatory of Flowers
San Francisco, California
August 9th, 2006
Afternoon
2 comments:
Happy Earth Day indeed! Thanks for showing your earth too. The egret with the leaves is something. Your oranges and reds are always a sight to see.
Enjoy your day! Or evening now :-)
As always this is an amazing gallery of photos, but right above the great deer is one that's really evocative for me. I used to pick wild black raspberries every summer in Manlius. Thanks for the memory!
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