Alicia Beats the Heat

Whew! What a week we had huh? I am not one for the heat. I get grouchy, blotchy and tired. In other words, I am no fun to be around. AT ALL. In fact, I don't have much patience for the cold weather either. I have about a 20 degree span of comfortability. Anywhere from about 55 - 75 degrees is my ideal. That's a bit of an exaggeration, but once we hit the triple digits? There will be a reckoning!

With heat reaching 105 degrees in New York and a heat index of 115 degrees, last week I gotta say, my first reaction was annoyance! I know it's summer and therefore Mother Nature has license to make it as hot as she likes wherever she sees fit on this continent of ours. I, however, disagree with the adamant and persistent attack that she enforced on us. I mean, we deal with the snow and the shoveling, we shouldn't have to deal with this kind of heat.

And then...as I went to restaurant after restaurant and their lights dimmed and their air conditioners failed cause of power outages, I got scared. Really scared. What was happening? This heat was not normal. Was this global warming? Eh Gads!

I am a subscriber of Green Energy and use a lot of recycled or green products in my home. I also recycle, reuse and reduce as much as possible, but on a recent vacation, I realized that's not the norm throughout this great country of ours. Even in 2011. And that makes me sad. We all gotta pitch in folks. We gotta help to fight these issues in our own homes first. If we want change to happen, it has to start with us.

If this past week freaked you out at all, or annoyed you in any way - consider watching these videos for some ideas on how to help stop global warming. Or please feel free to share ideas of your own.

All of these big changes start with us, we have to do something about it.
Take Action!

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Hot Child, Summer in the City

Summer. Wonderful, beautiful, glorious summer is far and away my favorite time of year. I love the light. I love the long days. I love the food and the leisurely pace that comes from taking the time to slow down and relax. But here in NYC it is HOT. Really, truly, oppressively hot. And apparently we are not suffering the worst temperatures in the country. It is well established that watching the news can make me a lunatic, yet somehow I can’t stop myself. Everywhere there are reports of extreme weather. Extreme heat is pulverizing the middle of the country and Oklahoma, Arizona, Texas and their neighboring states are facing the most serious droughts since the Dust Bowl of the 20’s. All of this extreme weather has made me spend an enormous amount of my time thinking about water.

Water is our most precious and finite resource. Although about 70% of our planet is covered in water, only 1% of that water is available for human use. As the world’s population increases so does the demand for fresh water. The EPA has estimated that by 2013, 36 states are anticipating local, regional or statewide water shortages - and that is without drought-like conditions. So what do we do?

I created What You Can Do, because I firmly believe that we, all of us, want to help. I believe that we want to get involved and help fix these problems. And while we hold out hope that our elected officials will do their best to pass legislation to help ameliorate these issues, we can’t wait. We need to start with us. The good news is there are countless ways that we can easily save water in our everyday lives. Our Facebook fans collectively saved almost 2,000 gallons of water in a single week simply by turning off the faucet while brushing their teeth morning and night.

That’s just one idea! Here are some more:

• Cut your shower by just two minutes.
• Turn off the water while washing your face or shaving.
• While you are eating out, forgo the complimentary glass of water if you don’t intend to drink it.

There are hundreds more ways to conserve. It’s just a matter of turning our attention to this precious resource and being honest about what we really need. Below are a few videos with some simple tips to help us continue to effortlessly save water each day. You can also check out What You Can Do writer Karen T. Hartline’s blog : Every Last Drip (everylastdrip.blogspot.com) for more ideas. Also, please write in and share ideas of your own. I don’t believe that we are powerless. I believe we have a tremendous capacity for success. We just have to make it a priority in our own lives, even for just one minute, to prove to ourselves and to each other what we can do.

Conserve Water in your home

http://www.whatyoucando.ontheleesh.com/waterconservation/wc01.html

Small Changes that Save Water

http://www.whatyoucando.ontheleesh.com/waterconservation/wc04.html

Save Water while Dining Out
http://www.whatyoucando.ontheleesh.com/waterconservation/wc10.html

Alicia's Eyes on a Self Portrait

Alicia's Eyes on An Awesome Self Portrait




Have you seen this?

No it's not a Pixar monkey created by really talented animators - this is a real crested black macaque monkey from a national park in Indonesia. Julie stumbled upon the photo on The Huffington Post Green. Turns out this monkey stole a photographer's camera and took some hilarious self portraits including this one which has caused Julie and I to double over in laughter for about two days now.



And it reminded me of this photo that was filling cyber space two summers ago.

Remember this one? Well this couple was on a vacation in Banff National Park in Canada and timed a self portrait when this squirrel had other plans. Brilliant. Still love this photo. (Check out Melissa Brandt's caption at National Geographic Daily Shot. Choose Week 1 August 2009.)

But they both make me think...what would the world be like without these amazing animals? And without our amazing Parks for that matter? We have to protect our wildlife and our wild spaces. There is too much wonder in this world to take for granted.

Til next time, keep our world a green and safe place for everyone.

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An Interview with Rupert Scofield (Part 5)

Our final portion of our interview with Rupert Scofield.

Check it out!