I ♥ rainbows

“Consider that you can see less than 1% of the electromagnetic spectrum and hear less than 1% of the acoustic spectrum. As you read this, you are traveling at 220 km/sec across the galaxy. 90% of the cells in your body carry their own microbial DNA and are not “you.” The atoms in your body are 99.9999999999999999% empty space and none of them are the ones you were born with, but they all originated in the belly of a star. Human beings have 46 chromosomes, 2 less than the common potato. The existence of the rainbow depends on the conical photoreceptors in your eyes; to animals without cones, the rainbow does not exist. So you don’t just look at a rainbow, you create it. This is pretty amazing, especially considering that all the beautiful colors you see represent less than 1% of the electromagnetic spectrum.” 
–Sergio Toporek

Our world is amazing.

Buzzzzzz

Have you heard of “walking buses” or “bike trains”?

Walking buses are groups of children who walk/bike designated routes to school under adult supervision, picking up kids along the way just like a bus. For some neighborhoods, it's a casual group walk/ride, while others set up a formal plan with adults scheduled to walk on certain days. 

Such a great idea!  

In my humble opinion too many kids are driven to school everyday.  (Obviously there are many factors and some locations/circumstances where walking/biking would not work but it’s worth exploring, perhaps seasonally.)

The benefits of a program like this seem almost endless:

• Encourage physical activity by teaching children the skills to walk safely, how to identify safe routes to school, and the benefits of walking.
• Raise awareness of how walkable a community is and where improvements can be made.
• Raise concern for the environment.
• Reduce crime and take back neighborhoods for people on foot.
• Reduce traffic congestion, pollution, and speed near schools.
• Share valuable time with local community leaders, parents, and children.

National Bike to School Day is May 7^th, 2014 and National Walk to School Day is October 8^th, 2014 this may be the perfect time to connect families and launch a walking bus or bike train in your community.

Resources: walkbiketoschool.org     saferoutesinfo.org     walkingschoolbus.org

2013 was WONDERFUL!

This year I became a mom!  It is truly an awesome, magical experience & I could not LOVE my sweet baby girl, Alice Louise Malia, anymore.  If you want to see more Alice please visit:

A.L.M.S. photo blog

Not sure how much I'll be keeping up with this blog but there are a few ideas I want to continue to share:

     Reduce, Reuse, Recycle & Compost!

     Ride a Bicycle as often as you possibly can.

     Watch some TEDTalks, there is so much great information available.  (These are on Netflix too!)

     Appreciate the Nature all around us.

     Practice Gratitude & maybe some Yoga too ;)

Looking forward to a 2014 filled with family, friends, hard work, ups, downs, fun & LOVE!

Happy first day of spring!

Information Age

I mentioned this article, 7 Free Education Websites You Don't Want to Miss, to my aunt & told her I’d email the link but she suggested posting to the blog so everyone could access it.  Aw, the information age… it’s all right at our fingertips.

Enjoy!

Food for thought

Healthy On The Cheap - Health Nuts from www.KORDUROY.tv on Vimeo.

Getting Political

American’s have it good.  America is a beautiful, vast & diverse county.  I am thankful & proud to have been born, raised & living here.  

That being said, there is some room for improvement.

I would like for everyone to be aware of the power of his or her time & money… hours & dollars are votes, all year round.   The people have the power to shape the present & the future.   Let’s demand transparency & focus.  Let’s work TOGETHER instead of against each other… why should we have to choose one set of good ideas/policies over another… why can’t we say, these are the best ideas to prioritize now, work on that.  Show me results. 

In essence every person is the boss of those in charge… we put them there, we keep them there, it is our responsibility to fairly manage their actions while they are in power.

My opinion is that spending of well over one BILLION dollars on campaigning against each other is unacceptable…  we must put an end to this so in four years we don’t waste two BILLION dollars.

Watch this great TED talk: Heather Brooke: My battle to expose government corruption

Get out & vote, today & everyday!

Finally

"I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out until sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in." -- John Muir

Happiness is Contagious

Education

Check out NPR's & TED's Radio Hour episode: Building A Better Classroom.  The story on Virgina teacher, John Hunter’s World Peace Game, was inspiring & gave me hope that perhaps future generations truly can do a better job than the ones before.

Giving children quality education is the key!

I ♥ cities

Great documentary, watch it when you get the chance.  It's important to remember that no matter what your profession you have the power to shape your city, as the public truly has the largest voice.

Rails-to-Trails

My mom just told me about bicycling “rails-to-trails” around Lake Mead, I had never heard of the conservancy. Now that I am in the know, I am a big fan.

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., whose mission it is to create a nationwide network of trails from former rail lines & connecting corridors to build healthier places for healthier people.

Check out a trail near you, traillink.

Help build a trail near you, railstotrails!

 

Bikes are better

May the Force be with you

America’s Best Idea

I can’t wait to get to Sequoia National Park & get my hammock up!

Want some inspiration to get to a National Park yourself?  Watch Ken Burns’ series on the history of America’s National Parks currently streaming on Netflix.

The National Parks: America’s Best Idea

May = National Ride Your Bike Month

Have fun & be safe riding your bicycles out there.

Don't have a bike!?!?  Go buy one ASAP.

more on cycling love
stretch it out after your ride

Earth Day 2012

Earth Day is a yearly reminder to connect to nature: its cycles, seasons, the sun & moon, water…

Practicing respect for the earth’s beauty & abundance can teach us compassion & gratitude.  Compassion & gratitude lead to happiness.  Love & peace are happiness.  Happy people equals a happy planet.

I've been pondering, what if humans turned towards our mother earth instead of god (our father…) for guidance?  Worshiping ecology, balance & the unity between all things.   Could we all agree that the goal is to create the best world for ourselves & future generations?  That would be nice.

Composting

I noticed that last Earth Day I did a post on composting, dirt, here is a follow up:

One year later I am both composting & vermiposting.  We have been composting by digging a hole in the ground (large, 3' x 3' x 3' is ideal, ours are usually smaller) & throwing cut up kitchen & yard scraps into the hole.  We water & turn it approximately every 2 weeks, adding carbon-containing material (dry leaves or straw) if it starts to be too wet or begins to rot.  

It’s amazing how quickly raw compost breaks down.

After a hole has been added to for some time, a few months perhaps, we retire that hole & start another.  After a few more months that hole will be finished & the finished compost or humus added to soil & potted plants as an amendment/fertilizer.

When cooking we keep a large bowl or container on the counter adding eggs shells, peels, cores, veggie/fruit parts, dryer lint, etc. to the bowl.   The very best of the scraps go to the worms who get fed three times a week or less (I have gone a week or two without even looking at them), the remaining scraps get cut up a bit smaller or not & thrown into the compost when we get around to it. 

Knowing what I know now, I recommend vermiposting for apartment dwellers, the hole in the ground method for people with limited space & the ability to dig the hole (a loving husband in my case) & repurposed recycle/trash bins for those who have the space.

There are many other methods & options of course, large woodbins can look nice or you can just use a large plastic storage bin you may have laying around.  Check out what your city offers, they may have free or discounted containers or if you are super lucky your city already collects green waste along side trash & recycling.

So compost, please, create your own nutrient rich soil amendment while reducing the volume, carbon dioxide, methane & nitrous oxide in our landfills.  

The Age of Empathy

Ever wonder how to make the world a better place?   Simple answer: Service

The more individuals that take problems into their own hands, teaching, sharing, helping, engaging, connecting, supporting, doing something instead of waiting for someone or some government the better.

An encouraging read: Arianna Huffington on the Rise of Empathy in America