Scientists say that currently we are at 350 parts per million which is the safe limit for humanity. Currently we are at 387 parts per million; of carbon dioxide that has entered into the atmosphere!

Today’s message is about taking action and sending a message. This December the world’s leaders will meet in Copenhagen to discuss the climate and amend the current climate treaty. It’s time to put pressure on our leaders to create a just climate treaty that meets the latest science. It’s time for us to recognize that our planet is in danger and needs our help!

I’m off to the local City Park with the kiddos where they plan to have a Pet Parade forSaving the Planet since our furry little friends are also affected by Global Warming.

So, let’s hear it! 350!! 350!!! 350!!

What are you doing on behalf of International Day of Climate Action?

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Can “We the People” who got us into this mess be counted on to get us out of it?

…not looking good.

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Have you ever wondered about Mother Nature’s counterpart, Father Nature?

Look no further than ecologist and artist of nature, Steven Apfelbaum. You could even call him Father Nature. His book, Nature’s Second Chance: Restoring the Ecology of Stone Prairie Farm (Beacon, 2009), offers an engaging and refreshingly personal narrative of how, as humans, we can reconnect with the land, our community, and our true selves through restoration work on the land. (The book is also available as an eBook.)

“Dirty hands and sweat welded my relationship with Stone Prairie Farm … where I have worked to give nature a second chance,” writes Apfelbaum in the book’s Introduction. “My years of planting, of nurturing the resurgence of prairie, wetland, and forest cover where eroded fields once lay exposed, have created a deep, direct connection to nature.” The land became his home, love, passion, and peace — even the humble beginnings for his livelihood after launching the ecological consulting firm, Applied Ecological Services, Inc., and Taylor Creek Restoration Nurseries — both exemplary triple bottom businesses.

Apfelbaum’s inspiration, like many in his field, was renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold who so clearly enunciated a vision for a land ethic to guide our human relationship with all of nature: “A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it does otherwise.”

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Tulsi or Holy Basil, India’s Sacred Medicinal Herb

Sacred to the Hindus, people often ask me the reason why Tulsi or the Holy Basil is considered holy.  The story goes that the plant was once the devoted wife of a celestial being. Lord Krishna tricked her into committing a sin so she cursed him into becoming a stone.  Impressed with her devotion and sense of righteousness, the Lord blessed her saying that she would be the subject of worship from then on. Tulsi is considered to be a symbol of fidelity. As an adaptogen, it helps maintain blood sugar levels within a normal range. It is also believed to nourish the mind and elevate the spirit.

Tulsi - An Important Medicinal Plant

Although it grows wild just about all over India, tulsi can be found in many homes and temple gardens. Ayurvedically speaking, the medicinal properties of this plant make it sacred.  Ancient Indian forest-dwellers would apply a poultice made from the paste of the leaf to destroy poison from snake and scorpion bites. While this is less of a problem for urban folks today, its anti-fungal and antiviral properties make it the perfect medicine for those annoying days when you are stuck at home with the flu, or when you are nursing the common cold. The tonic properties of tulsi are believed to enhance longevity and help treat a host of illnesses from asthma and stress.

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Even in this economic down turn, oil companies are still making record profits!

Is it sad that I dream of a day when we are exploited by the renewable energy industry?

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