nature
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Many of us are spending more time in our homes. During this time, you could be thinking about ways to make your space cleaner, including the indoor air you breathe. What first comes to mind to most people is indoor plants. But before you head straight to the plant nursery, there are a few things…
Posted in: indoor environment -
Early this morning I was watering my flowers when I saw two fawns resting under the azaleas in the front yard. When they walked they were still wobbly, so they were probably born today. It was a wonderful reminder of the softer side of life. There is something magical about babies. Of course these adorable…
Posted in: Environment -
It is raining acorns! Every day and night I hear acorns bouncing off my roof. Instinctively both the cat and I duck for fear of being hit on the head by a flying acorn. A single oak tree can produce thousands of acorns in one season. The acorns end up landing on the outside walkways…
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What an interesting world we live in. On the bus today the man across the aisle from me spent the one hour ride to the Australia Zoo looking down at this phone texting. Granted there isn’t a lot to see on a motorway, but you can still look out and appreciate the trees, flowers and…
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When you walk through Yellowstone National Park you can hear the energy from the earth bubbling up all around you. There are over 10,000 thermal features in Yellowstone. It’s amazing! This is geothermal energy, a great source of renewable energy. Geothermal isn’t widely used. In the United States, geothermal energy accounts for less than one…
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I can’t tell you how many times I have been walking on a sidewalk and had to move over so someone wouldn’t walk into me. I find myself wondering what are they doing that is so important and interesting on that phone. A sidewalk crash usually results in minimal injuries; however, crossing the street with your…
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I recently returned from visiting Glacier National Park. It was beautiful, despite the smoke from the wildfires in the air. Even though I grew up in Montana, this was only my third visit to the park. What can I say, Montana is a big state and I live in Georgia now. Glacier Park was designated a…
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Spring is a great time to celebrate the earth in all its splendor. There is truly #NoPlaceLikeHome. Celebrate today and every day. I have a hard time picking my one favorite place, so I am sharing a collection of some of my favorite places. More info on the NASA Earth Day celebration.
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My New Year’s Resolutions are a few days late, but I’m not stressing over it. My resolution is to relax and not stress about minor things (like a late blog post). This year I encourage you to focus your goals on relationships, your health, and the health of the world. Below are resolutions I suggest…
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I have always enjoyed gifts – both the giving and receiving of them. According to researchers, I am not alone. Gift giving is an important part of human interaction and psychologists say that the givers often reap the biggest psychological gains. When someone takes time to thoughtfully select a gift for me, it means so…
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It’s the last long weekend of summer. Take time off from your daily labors. Here are five things you can do to celebrate the long weekend. 1. Learn what Labor Day is all about? Do you know anything about Labor Day, other than the fact that you get Monday off? Take time to learn more…
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It is always important to provide opportunities for children to spend unstructured time with nature. Here is a book I suggest for parents, grandparents and those who are concerned about our children Richard Louv’s book Last Child in the Woods. The book looks at the concept of nature deficit disorder. The theory is that our…
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Today I was walking across campus and someone almost walked into me because she was so busy texting she was barely staying on the sidewalk. We live in an exciting and changing world. Ninety percent of adults have a cell phone and81% of cell phone users are texting or receiving texts. Texting isn’t evil or…
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Springtime in Georgia is magical. The wisteria winds through the trees along the roads and in wooded areas. It looks like a ribbon of purple intertwined among the trees. The sweet heady scent floats through the air. A thing of beauty to all but those with allergies and those who know how that wisteria is…
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Everywhere I look it is says Spring! The trees are blooming, there are daffodils everywhere and almost everyone is sneezing. This time of year always reminds me how important it is to treat nature well. Earth Day is almost here. Over the next several weeks we will be posting reminders about the importance of enjoying…
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Today, September 1st is my parents’ wedding anniversary. This year they would have celebrated 60 years of marriage. Sadly, my Dad passed away earlier this year during the cold winter months. He is missed, but we do have lots of wonderful memories. One of my fondest memories is of Dad planting trees, just like his…
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Walking and visiting Europe seem to go hand-in-hand. It is a wonderful exercise, especially when you get to wander through Park Güell in Barcelona. I am sure I walked more in one afternoon at the park then I do in a week back home in Athens, Georgia. From the metro, or underground, I walked up…
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It is springtime in Athens, Georgia. When days are soft and sunny folks start to move out-of-doors. So what are some green outdoor activities that are low cost and low impact, but high on the fun index? We all want play and live greener without spending our shrinking “greenbacks.” Walk. One of the healthiest and…
Posted in: community, Energy, Environment, Giving, History, Holidays, Safety, Uncategorized, Working Together -
Over the holidays I was admiring the photos in the Montana Outdoors magazine. All of the photos are amazingly beautiful. There are photos of elk and foxes at play, birds in flight, fish swimming, wildflowers in bloom and reflections of nature throughout Montana. The one photo that really stuck out to me was the centerfold…
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Lenah Links brings together community members from Lenah Valley, New Town and the surrounding communities to share their ideas on sustainability, transportation, local food production, and community dialog. The community members say the most important part of Lenah Links is that people are getting to know their neighbors. Lenah Links is a subgroup of Lenah Valley Community Association. The community…
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At the Hobart cohousing development there were designated “chicken barons.” What this means is that a single family was in charge of taking care of the chickens – everything from feeding them to gathering the eggs. Residents are encouraged to bring vegetable matter to feed to the chickens, and the chicken barons then sell the…
Posted in: Uncategorized -
Cohousing and ecovillages are one of the ways Australia is addressing the housing crisis. Issues such as affordability, ecological impact of new (and existing) housing developments and creating communities that embrace the human need for connecting with whom we live with and nearby are important elements of sustainability. Cohousing and ecovillages embrace the small home movement, and encourage homes that…
Posted in: Uncategorized -
We visited so many spectacular spaces throughout our trip, and this Community Garden in Hobart, Tasmania was certainly one of them.
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While in Tasmania, we visited a honey-making family from Huan Valley, outside of Hobart. Their farm is near Huonville and they have a little store called The Honey Pot. The Honey Pot is owned and run by local Huon Valley beekeepers and it has a wonderful range of delicious Tasmanian Honey. The proprietor is the…
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I just couldn’t resist sharing some of the simply beautiful photos we took while in Australia. Enjoy!
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While visiting with four colleagues (Kate Archdeacon, Che Biggs, Jessica Bird, and Kes McCormick) from the University of Melbourne we were able to learn about their efforts to achieve sustainability at the University. Their goal is to develop guiding principals, which will frame the Environmental Policy and outline environmental sustainability strategies for the University – students and faculty. For a…
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What happens when you produce such little waste that the majority of what you no longer need is recyclable or compostable? This trashcan: This is the trash can employees at the University of Melbourne have for all things that are not recyclable or compostable. Now that’s something to be proud of!
Posted in: Uncategorized -
Take a look at this great campaign aimed at conserving wild habitats and saving trees. The loo! It’s one more place we can use recycled materials and help to cut down on new waste.
Posted in: Uncategorized -
Biophilic Design suggests that suggests that there is an instinctive bond between human beings and other living systems. We heard much at the Healthy Building Conference about the need to rethink our living spaces – beyond community gardens, bike paths, and public transport – though each idea is important it is about an holistic approach…
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“CityCycle is an initiative of the Brisbane City Council to introduce a new form of environmentally friendly personal transport similar in style to European bike hire systems like Vélib’ in Paris and Sevici in Seville. Within 3 km of the city centre 2000 bicycles will be available to pick up and drop off at any of the…
Posted in: Uncategorized -
St. Kilda’s “Veg Out” Community Garden is built on the site of the old St. Kilda Bowling Club in the Port Phillip Council area. The facilities are also home to artist studios, rented on a month to month basis, with garden plots are rented for a $100 annually. The site is overseen by the Local…
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Northey Street City Farm is a non-profit community organisation situated on the banks of Brisbane’s Breakfast Creek in Windsor. More than 1500 exotic and native fruit trees, bushtucker plants, shrubs and ground covers have been planted on the four hectare farm site since its inception in April 1994. The farm has been developed for people…
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The Wildlife Rescue in Brisbane was such a neat place and a really unique experience. There were owls too! Check out the pics:
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Pamela shares a story with us today from a young woman she met in Port Douglas, Queensland: [She] “shared tales about the Curlew, a bird with a call that sound like a woman screaming. In the [country’s] early years…explorers thought someone was in danger. [She] relayed a story about a Curlew bird at the wildlife…
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The community that resides in the Ecovillage at Currumbin has already developed some traditions of their own- One such tradition applies to new life in the community: When a baby is born the community pulls together in support and brings dinner for the new family every night. This beautiful practice exemplifies the support and connectivity that…
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Dear Child, Today, I make a promise to you. I do not want to leave a world without summer – a world without fall – a world without winter – or spring. I want you to remember playing under the camellias and eating spring onions and summer tomatoes from your parents’ garden. I want you…
Posted in: Preservation