“Cities are the 21st century’s dominant form of civilization — and they’re where humanity’s struggle for survival will take place … Half the planet’s population lives in cities. They are the world’s engines, generating four-fifths of the global GDP … As the economist Ed Glaeser puts it, ‘we are an urban species.’” ~ Robert Muggah and […]
Category Archives: trees
“In so many ways the pandemic has emphasized the importance of nature for our health. As traffic declined during quarantine, many people connected with the acoustic environment in a whole new way — noticing the relaxing sounds of birds singing just outside their window. How remarkable that these sounds are also good for our health.” […]
“Any natural area with a high density of trees is referred to as a forest. Forests are large in size and are either evergreen or deciduous in nature … A wood is also an area in the wild that is covered with trees though it is much smaller than a forest … Forest is a […]
When we have learned how to listen to trees, then the brevity and the quickness and the childlike hastiness of our thoughts achieve an incomparable joy. ~ Herman Hesse Our young dog makes a mad dash out the back door to surprise the crowd at the bird feeder. The birds explode in a shower […]
I don’t get many phone calls, but for the third time in two days, I just received another sales call from some solar company. I support solar power and had actually looked into getting it for our house at one time. I went through the calculations and talked to a salesperson. But we live in […]
“It is 2050. Beyond the emissions reductions registered in 2015, no further efforts were made to control emissions. We are heading for a world that will be more than 3 degrees warmer by 2100. The first thing that hits you is the air.” ~ Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac The Earth is getting […]
“… the idea of a green awakening seems to be taking root … The concept appeals to a new generation of better-educated Pakistanis, and it has sparked excitement on social media.” ~ The Washington Post (2018) “The level of forest loss we saw in 2019 is unacceptable … 2020 was supposed to be the year […]
“When we have learned how to listen to trees, then the brevity and the quickness and the childlike hastiness of our thoughts achieve an incomparable joy.” ~ Herman Hesse It starts up sometime around 5:00 am, and continues through the morning. It’s most likely a robin — the shrill whistle/chirp that comes in sets of […]
“Mushrooms are one of our biggest allies if we hope to have any chance of healing the earth.” ~ Sarah Kuta Humans have changed the planet’s ecosystems, both intentionally and inadvertently. Our very presence requires competition with other species for resources and our successful proliferation compounds that issue. We also perform actions that damage […]
“A little water clears us of this deed.” ~ Lady Macbeth With the current loosening of restrictions on water quality and pollution discharges to streams and rivers, it’s worth thinking about what clean water actually means. We should all be familiar with the hydrologic cycle, where water evaporates into the atmosphere, condenses and falls to […]
