We all know the three famous R, don’t we? We know that by collecting empty bottles and jars, they make beautiful things out of this unused glass. Out of old newspapers, magazines and cartons they make recycled writing paper. They also make interesting objects out of tins or packs. 

Therefore, recycling important and so it is reusing -marmalade glass jars can be used to store sugar, salt, rice or legumes and some small and pretty ones can even be used as drinking glasses. Out of tins, we can make attractive ashtrays or little containers for savoury snacks. The list of things that we can do with these objects, part from their initial use is endless. It is a matter of imagination.

However, and although these two R’s of recycle and reuse are important, a third one such as reduce is even more important and necessary.

- At supermarkets and chain stores, items are more often than not unnecessarily wrapped up.

. Are you sure of needing_

- Meat and poultry wrapped up in plastic?

- Vegetables and fruit on trays and wrapped up on cellophane paper?

‘ Aubergines or any other veggie wrapped as though it was a Christmas present?

Not long ago, I went to buy a new recharger for my laptop. Not only it was well wrapped in a hard plastic box, but I had to get the whole of the kit with several replacement pieces when I only needed one. Why do they do it like this? I wondered. Then, I answered my own question; because of the price. They couldn’t charge a lot for a small battery recharger and a lead, so, they sell you several leads and plugs. Needless to say I’m still using the first one and I will last for a long time since I am using my PC more than I use my laptop.

So, reduce is even more important than recycling or reusing, even though, these other R’s are important and necessary for the environment. 

HOW CAN WE HELP WITH THIS?

It isn’t enough with throwing everything in different containers. Doing something else is absolutely necessary.

1. Join in an ecological group to work together. There are several in the world. If there isn’t one where you live, organise your own branch of a chosen international Non-Governmental Organization.

2. If your group haven’t thought of starting a  campaign for people to get conscience on the issue, you can suggest them to do it. It should start with talks and activities on the issue to bring in the people together, explaining on the need to avoid excess of wrappings at big supermarkets or chain stores. Supermarket management may say that they do this for presentation, but this is useless at the end of th day.

3. Once the group activities on such an issue became popular, attracting people, they should put it into practice. How?

4. When going shopping for food one isn’t only to take its own bag, but after passing through the cash point, one will start unwrapping everything and to leave all the unnecessary papers, plastics and boxes for the shop. Because these are extra waste we add in our bins and we don’t want this, do we?

5. Obviously, such an action must be organised with other people -the more we are the more efficient it will be. A store supervisor can stop an individual and he can even fine him, but when a group of people goes inside a shop to shop, nobody can stop them to take home what they don’t want or need.

6. We should assume such an action in the same way we learnt that it was better to bring in our own bags rather than asking for carrier bags. 

Mind your waste and the environment will mind itself!  Otherwise, the Earth will soon become a huge ladnfill.

I’m really interested on the topic and I’ve written here quite a number of articles on the issue. These are some of them, should you wish to have a look.

http://socyberty.com/government/europeans-waste-a-third-of-their-food/

http://socyberty.com/history/let-the-earth-breathe/

http://gomestic.com/consumer information/disposable-items-aren’t-so-savvy/   

Arguably the  most poisonous animal on earth The Golden Poison Dart Frog   is now resident in the first ever amphibian sanctuary established to save the deadly, yet endangered species, which exudes poison so toxic that even coming into contact with a paper towel touched by a frog can be fatal, one 2-in long frog having enough venom to kill 10 adult people within minutes.

This manner of death is pretty horrific too.], the bright orange skin of the , frog covered by a secretion of deadly alkaloid toxin batrachotoxin, which prevents nerves from transmitting impulses – muscles constantly contract, leading to heart failure and death within minutes.

Nonetheless, this deadly creature has a place in the ecosystem, human ancestors managing to use the toxin for hunting, perhaps enabling their own survival, as the frog only uses the poison for defence. The new frog sanctuary is located along the Pacific coast of western Colombia, and will also give protection to several key bird species, like  the endangered baudó guan, a medium-sized game fowl whose worldwide population is estimated at 10,000-20,000 birds.

Also, the very vulnerable brown wood-rail, a medium-sized, mostly rufous-brown rail – population estimated at only 1,000 to 2,500 – as well as the vulnerable great curassow –  large, pheasant-like bird numbers estimated to be between 10,000 and 60,000. This new reserve – 124 areas of threatened Chocó forest – has been dubbed the Rana Terribilis Amphibian Reserve – from the Spanish word for frog — rana — and the frog’s Latin name – Phyllobates terribilis.

The World Land Trust, Global Wildlife Conservation and the American Bird Conservancy helped buy the land, in one of the planet’s wettest tropical rain-forests, owned and managed by leading Colombian conservation organization Fundación ProAves,who also run  the Ranita Dorada Reserve.

We need to halt the continued, rapid disappearance of rain-forests and the resultant loss of wildlife that depend on them, so the creation of this critical new reserve is a big step toward achieving those goals. Let us hope that many more such schemes come into being. 

Director Muria Research Center (MRC) Indonesia Mochamad Widjanarko said Earth Day is time no longer carried out exclusively ceremonial. It is more important to do that is encourage people to be more empathetic in nature.

“It can be interpreted in different ways,” he added, Sunday (22/4). One of the things that can be done for example by not exploiting the natural resources that can lead to disaster.

“We have to conduct a more friendly environment for example through re-use, re-place, re-think and re-cycle,” he explained.

The same thing was also expressed by the Chairman of the Review of Action for the Rescue of Nature and Culture (TREAD) Agus Sunartko. He added, earth day, announced by one of the environmental activists, who are also U.S. senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970, not a ceremonial event.

At that time, public awareness to be able to care for and protect the environment must be truly enhanced. “Without this awareness, the quality of the environment will be minor and would impact on all humans who inhabit the earth,” he said.

Environmentalism Buttons (Photo credit: Ryan Somma)

• Deforestation. To produce meat, large tracts of land, including rainforests, are cleaned and converted to farmland. These farmlands are planted with crops for livestock feed or are made into grazing land for cows that will eventually be killed for food.

• Depletion of fresh water reserves. Water experts estimate that humans are taking half of the worlds available supply of fresh water and leaving the other half to be divided among the rest of the million species. And what do humans do with their half? They give most of that to livestock.

• Waste disposal. Factory farms are notorious not only for their cruel treatment of animals but also for the negligent way they handle raw sewage. these farms produce tons of animal waste allowed to leach into the ground, contamination groundwater.

•  Energy consumption. Before a chunk of meat goes to your plate, it consumed a huge amount of energy, courtesy of fossil fuels. The feeds the cow ate required oil-based agricultural chemicals to grow. Factor in the fuel for transporting the cattle to slaughter and from there, to the retail outlet. Consider, too, the energy required to refrigerate the meat.

• Global warming. The production and delivery and delivery of meat contributes to global warming because the whole enterprise depends on fossil fuels. What’s more, the methane produced by “livestock emissions” (more popularly known as farts and belches) is also a powerful greenhouse gas.

• Biodiversity loss and threat of extinction. When rainforests are destroyed to give way to cattle ranching, the wildlife living in those forests lose their habitat and food sources. When contaminated runoff pollutes oceans, marine life is threatened.

•  Spread of diseases. Factory farms give animals excessive amount of antibiotics to make them grow faster and keep them from getting sick. This indiscriminate, nontherapeutic use of antibiotics contributes to antibiotic-resistance problems among humans who eat meat. Worse, the negligent handling of animal waste causes air and water pollution in surrounding areas, endangering the health of the people.

The intensive raising of animals for food damages the environment more ways than you can imagine.

This link is a good one to watch, it expalins Chemtrails perfectly.

http://youtu.be/G9cQfcKR0EM

For those of you that are unaware of what a Chemtrail is and have no idea what this is about, let me explain.  The trail that is left behind after a plane has flown by is typically known as a CONTRAIL.  These are usual and normal streaks of white water vapour from a jet.  They disperse after a very short period and we have often seen them in the skies above on a sunny day.  A CHEMTRAIL on the other hand is beginning to cause great concern to the public. They are the trails that are left behind from a jet and at first glance look the same as a contrail, so you would think that it was normal; but no, these Chemtrails are longer in length and they stay in the sky for a very long time, they often have criss cross patterns that seem deliberate and uniform and do not follow the usual air traffic routes. They can also spread widely to form a layer in the overhead skies. (If you take a look at this linkhttp://youtu.be/a_9YxvZMys0 you can clearly see the difference when a normal contrail is formed next to a Chemtrail).

Chemtrails are streaks of chemicals created by planes at any altitude. We all know that chemicals are sprayed via planes for many purposes including crop dusting.  But the Chemtrail observers believe that Chemtrails are the product of an active governmental large-scale operation.   Reports that jets are leaving trails at low altitudes are very concerning.  The planes will often do a U-turn and return to leave more trails.  Sometimes the trails will leave a haze.  Some people have reported illness and an odd taste not to mentions odours in the air.  

Why Would Governments Want To Do This?

The governments of countries where these Chemtrails have been spotted have been approached and asked to explain what they are doing and what are the Chemtrails supposed to achieve.  But the questions are never answered satisfactorily and we are told that they are normal Contrails. This cannot be true as they are very different.  The trails are being sprayed for a reason and we need to find out why.  All we are asking for is honesty from the government. 

There are many theories that are being circulated. The military have long shown an interest in weather control, but I feel there must be more to this than just mere weather.

Geoengineering and the Governments manipulation of Global Warming to suit their needs by spraying reflective aluminum particles into Earth’s greenhouse atmosphere.

·      Population control.

Inoculating the public without out knowledge, possibly against biological warfare such as flu variations.

A retired government Scientist (who wishes to remain anonymous for his own safety) says that with regards to the Chemtrail issue the plan is to decrease the world population numbers. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency confirmed a strong link between tiny particulates in falling Chemtrails and thousands of premature deaths each year.

·      To control the human race completely.

Studies have shown that Aerosols used in Geoengineering suggest that sulphate aerosols can actually counteract the global average temperature increase which is associated with the increased levels of greenhouse gases and also reduce changes to other components of our Earth system.  The use of these aerosols also result in an increase of ozone depletion thus affecting our ecosystems. Governments are concerned that if global warming became serious, they could possibly counter it with aeroplanes that burn sulphur that would reflect the sunlight away. These aerosols could cool our planet, if global warming ever became a serious threat, assisting with the effects of increasing CO2concentrations.

These Chemtrails are a worldwide event; All NATO Countries are involved as well as Haiti, Mexico, New Zealand and Russia. 

These theories may sound like something straight out of a Hollywood movie, yet the possibilities are very real when you take time to look into them.  Lab tests have shown the presence of aluminum in rainwater falling through Chemtrail areas. Yet why is it that when government authorities are approached about this, they do not come up with satisfactory answers or try to avoid the topic. Also, there is nothing in mainstream media about this concerning issue and there are also ongoing cover-up’s from scientific establishments. Why! What have they got to hide I wonder.

Keep your eyes open and take a look into the skies above you.  Notice how often you see these trails, how long do they stay there, watch how they disperse and spread. If they disappear soon after the plane has passed, then that is usual. If however, they linger around and spread, then you need to be concerned.

The Chemtrail experiment is being done in full view of everyone yet the reasons for it are being kept hidden away, in the hope that they are never found. 

This video is a must see!  Take a look and you will get a better insight into what I mean.

http://youtu.be/iAv0mQg4kDQ

I do hope that this article has inspired you to take a look on-line and learn for yourselves more about what is happening in our skies.

Here are some links that you may find interesting:

http://youtu.be/mzc60zl70Gk 

http://youtu.be/q28dQaaLQGQ

Edith – Out now on Kindle http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007S9Q3YI 

The problem doesn’t just stop with children not being toilet trained.  School staff say that even the most basic life skills are lacking in many school age children.  Some are unable to change their clothes for gym classes or indeed take off and put on coats unaided.

A lot of teachers say that parents these days don’t train their children because they’d rather pass the buck and feel it is an “education” issue and so should be dealt with by teachers.  Other teachers feel that parents are too busy with their own lives to spend the necessary time teaching their children these basic skills.

A poll has recently taken place in the UK by Education and Resources for Improving Childhood Continence and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers whereby 850 primary school teachers were targeted.  Of those 850 teachers, around 66% of them said there had been an increase in the number of pupils wetting or soiling themselves throughout school hours, and an incredible 71% working with kindergarten children (aged 3-5) had noticed an increase.  In fact, some schools even felt the need to set up parenting workshops to teach mums and dads how to toilet train their kids!

Of the teachers that were taking part in the poll, one said that there were three incontinent children in his/her classroom and it was necessary for nappies to be changed sometimes up to nine times a day.  Another said that with disposable nappies becoming more absorbent children don’t feel uncomfortable so they don’t feel any need to hold back when nature calls!  Others commented that, in general, children were becoming less independent and needed help with the most basic tasks.

Back in the 1960s when I was born, it was recommended that children should be potty trained as soon as they could sit up relatively unsupported.  Parents across the UK were encouraged by GPs and midwives to place a potty on a towel on their laps and then the child should be placed on the potty facing the adult.  Each time the child managed to go to the toilet then he or she should be rewarded with smiles, cuddles, kisses and kind words!  Once the child was strong enough to support him/herself safely then the potty should be moved onto the floor but still the child should receive encouragement.  Eventually the child should learn that it’s good to use a potty.

Once the child reached an age where it could communicate, it was slowly introduced to communicating in simple language that it needed to go to the toilet.  My mother assures me that both my sister and I were fully potty trained and out of nappies before we were 18 months old.  We obviously had the odd accident but, on the whole, we were pretty clean.

Of course, back in the 1960s, most mothers wanted to wean their kids off the nappy trail because they were the terry towelling type which had to be soaked in a bleachy solution in laundry buckets which were fitted with lids so that the smell of the dirty nappies and/or the bleach was restricted, and then the nappies were washed properly and dried almost on a daily basis.  Changing them wasn’t terribly easy either – holding onto a baby’s constantly moving body whilst  juggling nappy and safety pins and, at the same time, ensuring the nappy wasn’t too loose or too tight!

My mother always maintained though that she got into a daily routine when it came to nappy washing and she took pride in seeing a long line of sparklingly white nappies hanging on her linen line!

Today of course, there’s no washing necessary and no difficulty with folding the nappies and safety pinning them.  Modern disposable nappies can be velcroed around the baby or, as the child becomes older, these nappies are replaced with elasticated water proof underpants, so there’s no real incentive for parents to train their kids in toilet habits.

However, the government here has recognised that the disposable nappy is a major problem on our waste disposal sites.  Unfortunately, we’re not only over populating our planet but we’re destroying it by polluting the land with nappies.

This lackadaisical attitude to parenting it seems is spreading into other areas of social/life skills.  Hence the inability for some children to dress themselves properly, speak or write clearly or respect their environment or other humans. 

My smallish village is a prime example.  Parents, as soon as they’re able, seem to want to foist their kids onto grandparents or shove them into nursery school and then, when the children are at home, they send them outside to “play with their friends”, paying little heed to where the children are.  So often my partner and I and our various childless neighbours (both young and old) have seen “packs” of small children running around unattended.  They have no road sense (thankfully our roads here are extremely quiet traffic-wise), and because there are no parents around to tell them when they’re overstepping what’s socially acceptable, they’re throwing rubbish into the street, chasing cats, bullying the smaller kids on the block, kicking balls into people’s cars and windows and running amok in front gardens.  I’ve even caught small children picking the flowers from under my front window!

I suspect many responsible parents out there are now yelling at me “why don’t you tell the children off” or “why don’t you tell the parents”?  I’ve learned my lesson – several  years ago I told a small gang of boys (aged around 7) to try and avoid my windows and flower beds when they were chucking their cycles down and playing football.  I wasn’t unkind or abrupt, but just asked them politely.  They sulkily picked up their bikes and football and, having hurled abuse at me, went off.  Within the hour I had an angry father knocking on my door asking me what right I had to tell “Josh” to buzz off.  The father wasn’t prepared to listen to my version of events, preferring to rely on the evidence put forward by a seven year old child. 

Now, some six or seven years later, the families of those boys are constantly being visited by our boys in blue (police!) as they’ve progressed their unsociable behaviour and are becoming involved in fights, under age drinking, bullying, vandalism (including setting light to a field of wheat belonging to our local farmer!) and generally any misdemeanour you can think of!

So, parents beware, without your guidance kids can easily go off the rails … and this guidance starts with the basics, such as potty training!

Colorful Recycling Containers for Trash (Photo credit: epSos.de)

Once you’ve sorted your recycling, your green job on your garbage is done, right? No, says Recyclebank*, the site where you can earn points for rewards by learning how to be more environmentally sound. Follow these tips they provide to “green your garbage” and help out Mother Earth:

“Toss your trash and your waste hauler hauls it away. Out of sight, out of mind. Trouble is, all that trash piling up is increasingly, well, a pile of environmental trouble. Before you toss next time, try these strategies for reducing, reusing, and recycling first.” – Recyclebank

1.  Reduce the amount of garbage you create

The first rung on the “reduce, reuse, recycle” ladder is the ultimate garbage minimizer. By consuming less, you end up tossing less.

2.  Reuse items instead of throwing them away

Give new life to old items by giving them to someone who can use them or finding creative new uses for what could otherwise end up as landfill waste.

3.  Recycle your garbage

By recycling your garbage, you keep valuable material out of landfills, provide resources to the recycling industry, support local jobs, and keep toxins out of soil and water.

4.  Compost your biodegradable and organic waste

You don’t need a backyard to compost! All you need is a bag to collect the stuff and the commitment to keeping organic waste out of the landfill.

5.  Opt for recycled-content products

Buying products made from recycled materials keeps trash out of the landfill and reuses resources rather than requiring the eco-unfriendly procurement and processing of virgin ones.

6.  Dispose of household hazardous waste properly

Prevent toxic chemicals from old paint and used car oil from leaching into groundwater and soil by taking them to your local toxic roundup center.

7.  Dispose of used appliances properly

Many appliances, such as refrigerators, contain chemicals that can deplete the ozone layer and must be disposed of with special care.

8.  Dispose of pharmaceuticals properly

Old or unused medication can contaminate groundwater if flushed or poured down the drain. Find out the correct way to dispose of them.

9.  Give your stuff away !

What’s junk to you may be a jewel to someone else.

*(Recyclebank is great, btw: I’ve gotten coupons for cans of free cat food from this site as rewards in the past; it’s a great resource and you really do get rewarded for taking care of the environment. Click here to join Recyclebank and start earning points toward discounts and rewards for helping make the Earth a better place to live.)

that says that all factories must have a certain amount of filters and scrubbers, this means that the company has to spend money to put those filters and scrubbers in place.  That may not seem like a lot, but if you put too much regulation on the market it can be dangerous and even stifle the

profits of the company.  If the company is no longer going to make a profit, or a large profit, they might stop producing that good, which would cause the skyrocketing of the price of that product.  The demand would be stable but the supply would plummet.  However, those that want more environmental protection say that unregulated economic activity is going to destroy the environment and we need to stop.  The question is then what should we do about the environment?  Should we regulate the economy, or let technological advances, which come from free markets, come up with a solution to solve the economy?  At first there may be a lower profit and a small downturn of the economy, but proponents argue that things will pick up and then the environment will be safe as well (Levitt, 2012). Asia is especially susceptible to these regulations.  Economies have grown because they can export low cost goods to the west.  If they must comply to regulations on carbon emissions their goods might not be as cheap, therefore their economy would suffer.  However rising sea levels and poor farm land in lesser developed countries is destroying their economy.  If we started to put more emphasis on the environment lesser developed countries will flourish.  Finding a compromise between the two is the hardest part. 

We want to enjoy the progress and brilliant technique. But let’s be fair. Everyone on this earth is to share. We continue to live lavishly. Despite all the warnings, energy, water, raw materials, earth to be wasted, even before we have something like this. But we have to pay the bill anyway. This waste is not only expensive, they are destroying our livelihoods and resource base.

“True, the treasures of the Earth! Mobilise the Earth!” That’s the motto of Earth Day 2012th

In the course of the depletion of natural resources of the earth materials are becoming an increasingly important and increasingly valuable asset. For example, among the “rare earths” the most valuable commodities in the world. They have exceptional properties and are indispensable for the sustainable future of technology. But so far, lead extraction and processing of rare earths to massive environmental damage – a prime example of wasted resources and pollution. That needs to change radically! Clean and friendly mining, efficient and sustainable use, maximum recycling and global fair distribution are the focus.

“The treasures of the earth mean the variety of all life,” said Earth Day President Thomas Dannemann, “which will also include the unique biodiversity, the richness of the natural resources of land and water on all continents of this earth, we must not allow that individual interests dominate! “

High efficiency means profit!

We need not only huge increases in the productivity of energy, raw materials and transport. We need the highest efficiency for energy and raw materials. For saving resources means profit.

Efficiency has explosive power. Metals, water, oil, natural world and local consumption are subject to an arms race. Who tried to innovate ingenious efficiency gains and not only its independence.

We need goals and standards!

Earth Day to call: we need objectives for sustainable living. Rio +20 in 2012 to be the turning point. Really!

The Earth Summit “Environment and Development” in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 has created a common platform for all countries in the world by the Agenda 21. It commits national governments to the sustainable objectives of the 40 chapters of Agenda 21 locally to implement, in cooperation with local authorities and all citizens, social groups, associations and companies in the industry. Lot has happened since then. But not enough! 20 years after the Earth Summit in Rio, in June 2012 in Rio de Janeiro at the UN conference, “Rio plus 20″ took stock.

Now everyone on Earth Day is called “Committed to you – Mobilise the Earth!”

We need clear goals for maximum resource efficiency and sustainable industrial development at the highest level. Especially the companies in the world economy are the requirements for sustainable goals.

“Pushing the limits! Order to accelerate sustainable industries and sustainable industrial development, it requires effective measures,” Earth Day President Thomas Dannemann emphasizes the occasion of Earth Day 2012th “People should know what an honest, viable, sustainable strategy in the company indicating the tone.”

Consider use of fair trade and the environment should not be the end of the “beautiful” life. What really counts is the reduction of our footprint on this planet. Waiver is for us to recognize the use of new technologies, common sense, continuous learning to the contexts of our life on earth and care for our earth. Better quality of life means buy wisely and strategically, saving bio-products from the region, ecological clothing, travel, protect the climate, the buildings energy and renewable energy sources that make the economy legs. Environmental awareness means profit. These are the positive aspects of a new lifestyle.

Environmental awareness should aim at a progressive, pleasurable, responsible and modern living.

Creates incentives for environmentally friendly living in the greater city. Give the new species of animals and plants survive. Uses the sun in the canyons of skyscrapers. Breaks the seals on the inner cities and to give priority natural areas in the city center. Creates a lot more privileges for pedestrians and bicycles invested and where resources are used sustainably efficient: all of this with minimum negative impact on the environment.

Earth Day is held annually on 22 April is to take place in over 150 countries. The Earth Day slogan, “Think globally, act locally”, should make it clear that this is not just about today’s well-being of people. Healthy soil means healthy environment and livable place for the future. This means a realization of the vision of the UN Earth Summit in Rio in 1992 in the cities and towns, the place of residence.

every Earth Day to find a variety of actions on “climate change” instead. The Earth Day Stuttgart Coordination Unit of the Institute Dr. Flad organizes the events in Stuttgart with the participation of organizations like the Environmental Protection Agency, the Agenda Office, various environmental groups such as the ADFC, Greenpeace, Stuttgart, solar, UNICEF and schools as Hegel-Gymnasium and Merz school.

Stars like Leanordo DiCaprio and Jane Fonda, leading experts from the UN and politicians such as former U.S. Vice President Al Gore are advocates of the global Earth Day activities take place findenen on climate change.