ECO-Tours only purchases trees and dirt to plant them in...

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Earth Day 2014

If you listened to the talking heads, you might have missed this important celebration completely. There are tens of thousands of events going on around our nation and the world that reflect Ecological awareness, teach-ins and protests that reaffirm our commitment to ecological integrity. many are demanding an end to the poisoning of the planet, her people and the creatures that need clean air and untainted water. Even our food supply is being changed, primarily by everyday people as we embark on our rediscovery of what non-food and food-like materials we have been putting in our mouths. Thousands massed in Washington D.C. for example, to say "NO!", in no uncertain terms, to the Keystone XL pipeline. Pipelines leak. Even as we celebrate the Earthweek events, there has been a blowout in a natural gas pipeline that required the evacuation of an entire town. Thousands are still calling for the clean up of Fukushima's ongoing tragedy. The oil sands of Canada continue to ooze poison into the environment and the climate continues to shift. Dolphins are still dying in the Gulf of Mexico and even the oil that remains in Alaska from the Exxon Valdez spill twenty five years ago continues to wreak havoc on the environment there.Talking heads say the it is "too hard" for most people to understand what part they can play in solving a global catastrophe, but the data contradicts them.

Ecological efforts are being made across the board. To conserve and utilize energy in more efficient ways, to create more liveable environments by utilizing local resources and sustainable materials and to become aware of the life cycle costs of both the products we select as well as the services that we rely on. Buying local is a huge and growing field, organic yard care and produce are both growing iby leaps and bounds and people are finally finding out that their own health id dependent on making better choices for the environment that we rely on for clean air, water and safe food supplies.

State after state are finding this to be true. Many are trying, in a variety of ways, to get money from those that are finding ways to make their carbon footprints smaller.  Many of our tax dollars are based on either income or our use characteristics and as we learn to live better on less, the costs fall to those who continue to consume without regard to their impacts on the planet. The public is finding ways to be far more efficient than the corporate elites ever thought possible, but the ways that we used to raise funds, by taxing energy consumption are falling short of projections as we use less and less fuel. Many of us are driving 55 MPH by choice, even though many states are increasing the speed limits that had been lowered to save fuel. Sweaters are coming back, much like they did under threats of higher energy prices back in the seventies. Thermostats are being turned down all over the country and the air conditioners will be set higher than ever before just to cut the humidity a bit. Instead of trying to refrigerate our homes this summer, more and more people will be opening windows at night and letting the cooler air in that they don't have to pay for, then closing them when they wake up in the morning to keep the steamy summer outside. We are re-using more than ever before, fixing things again, rather than replacing them and doing our part by raising more food in out kitchen gardens, or at the very least, attending local farmer's markets. Keeping our dollars local and avoiding the corporate pickpocketing that we had become used to.

It is easy to see why the powers that be wish to tell us that we are unable to grasp what needs to be done. Think how quickly they would lose their fortunes if we were to solve our looming ecological catastrophe. I understand that there are pockets where people have been duped into believing what the corporate outlaws have told them, but it is not the case in my neck of the woods. In addition to driving more fuel efficient cars, driving less miles and both walking and riding bikes more, people seem to be making better choices about their homes, their yards and gardens that contribute to better long term health and often consider the welfare of the environment as well. Tonight, the Beehive Collective will be in Green Bay, Wisconsin. If that is not enough, there have been events all week that ranged from a waterwalk, where people came from all around to reaffirm the sacred nature of our waters, to tabling events, clean-up efforts, and reforestation efforts, designed to teach the next generation and some adults about the values associated with a land ethic, to teach-ins, and building more gardens across our city (and probably yours). Eco-tours is currently working to produce a You tube video that should be posted within the next few weeks and a radio advertizement to share what we are doing to remediate, recover and reestablish ecological integrity and we expect a great outpouring of support for our efforts as news about our work grows.

We still ask those of you who support this sort of work to make a financial commitment and donate through our Paypal account.(use the link above) or send donations to our headquarters at 1445 Porlier Street, Green Bay, Wisconsin U.S.A. 54301-3334. 100% of our donations buy trees, pots, dirt to plant the trees in and protection for the seedlings once they are put in their final locations. The administrative tasks and other costs associated with our work planning, preparing and planting are made by generous donations made by our all-volunteer staff, hard working ECO-Tourists and those who believe in a future that we can see only with our mind's eye. The thousands of people working for positive change in our community have reforested hundreds of acres that used to be prone to flooding and drought. This in turn has provided habitat for millions of creatures, perhaps billions if you count the microbes and creepy crawlers. when we pass by properties that we have interceded on behalf of, it is not hard to see that the world around us has become a better place. This is one time during the year when no matter how hard the opposition tries to paint us as "bleeding hearts", "tree huggers" or "do-gooders", they cannot say that we are not making positive change that will last for generations. A few of the sites that we have reforested have been bull dozed in their youthful budding, but for the most part, nearly every place that we have put our hands, hearts and minds to reforesting, a myriad of species find homes, and humans can find shade on a hot summer day, a refuge from the harsh winds of winter and a place to smell the fresh air that trees provide. Thank-you in advance for your continued interest, your help in making our dreams reality and for the changes that you have been willing to make to give peace with the planet a chance. 

No comments:

Post a Comment