Garbage, Man

Lexi squeals with joy as I pick her up, plop her into her stroller and click the buckles to secure her. Her excitement tends to know no bounds when it comes to our walks around the neighborhood. As always I gather our supplies for the journey, consisting of Lexi’s snacks and water for the both of us and of course a convenient garbage grabber, a plastic bag for garbage, and a second bag for recyclables because why go for a walk when you can instead go for a walk plus also pick up trash along the way.

I lock the door, set out into the midday sun and feel the unseasonably warm February wind blow across our faces. As we venture along, her stroller thumping at each sidewalk’s crack, I stop here and there, click her wheels to the lock position so she won’t roll away, and grab up the litter that dots the roadside.

How it arrives at this unsightly state will forever remain a mystery to me. I can’t for the life of me understand what causes people--so many people; it seems--to be litterbugs, especially considering there is a $1000 fine here in Georgia for littering. In a world in which a trash can is never more than a few steps from any store entry or office lot, it baffles me that anyone would choose to throw refuse from their car window rather than take the minimal effort to dispose of it properly. I simply can’t understand the mindset of neglecting our environment.

My daughter and I, and my wife when she joins our hikes, do our part to beautify the neighborhood. We feel a duty to remove the trash that accumulates in the ditch not simply for aesthetics, but also for the health and well-being of the environment, keeping the trash from washing downstream and into the waterways, to ensure the safety of the animals that might be foolhardy enough to consume the plastics or Styrofoam, and to eliminate the mosquito breeding grounds provided by pooling water inside a Chik-Fil-A or Starbucks cup or the rodent-attracting bags and boxes of rotting Popeye’s chicken bones.

With Lexi locked in place, happily crunching on her snack crackers and chewing on raisins, I yank garbage from beneath a tangle of weeds. I’m retrieving garbage that is so weathered and brittle that it sometimes falls apart, having been there neglected and overlooked for years before anyone had a thought or bothered enough to clean it up. It seems a lonely endeavor, cleaning up roadside garbage. One wonders about the littering habits of drivers of the cars that pass. Was it you? Were you the one who drives this route every day, throwing wrappers to the wind, your daily fast food indulgences floating carelessly toward the wild flowers? Speeding along this route per your everyday habit, seeing but not seeing the blight that mars your world, pretending the mess doesn’t exist and doesn’t belong to you, to all of us, leaving it forever for someone else to clean, for someone else to pick up. It is frustrating, but I just crave to see that other people sometimes care as much as Lexi and I do.

I do, however wonder at why it seems no matter how much I do, how much I clean up, it accumulates. It piles up so swiftly, and takes so much effort to clean. Ever-present flow of waste, cascading across the ditches and gutters, no end in sight since the only ones not littering are those few of us out here picking up the trash from everybody else. The other thing that sets me to ire is the fact that a good lump of what I pick up is alcohol bottles, cans, everything from cute little single-serve Grand Marnier and gin bottles, to 40 oz. malt liquor, piles of Bud Light cans to fat plastic Taaka vodka bottles which leads me to believe that there are an awful lot of people out there drinking in their cars or trucks, guzzling down 1.75mL bottles and hurling the empties out the window as they careen dangerously along to potentially kill somebody. It feels like you see the worst of mankind by picking up the things they leave along the roadside. You see their gluttony, their shame, their secret thirsts, their sheer laziness and ineptitude and their utter selfish disregard.

Then I see my daughter’s smile as she watches me bend and stoop and grumble about the state of our world. I tell her how good a job she’s doing by helping me pick up trash. I tell her that she’s going to be a steward of this Earth; she’s going to do her part to beautify every space she occupies. She already does her part, she's great at taking recyclables to the bin, throwing them inside, she loves this. I tell her how wonderful she is, I thank her for pointing out the tiny bits of trash that I miss. I teach her colors by pointing out the different hues on flapping wrappers and crumpled cans. I point out butterflies, birds and anthills and lift her out so she can sniff wild flowers and feel the softness of their petals. I do my best to instill in her the things that I want to see more of in this world. She'll be a powerful force for change, she'll persist, nevertheless!

Climate change is real and happening swiftly because of the carelessness of humans, burning dirty coal, dumping toxins, pollutants into the environment with rampant reckless abandon, causing the extinction of dozens of species per year so it’s crucial, critical now more than ever before that we each do our part, try a little more, do a little better, it starts with just making that little effort to recycle, to get out there and clean up your neighborhood, take ownership of your world, help make it a better world, if not for you, then for those that come after you, the next generation. Now more than ever, we need people to start vying for life, we can’t live without this planet; we’d better start treating the Earth with some respect and working to protect her.

We will never rid the world of garbage, it’s the cost of our consumption, it is ever-present, but then again, so is beauty, it’s beneath and around the decomposing pizza box, it’s in the box itself in the forms of colonies of creatures seeking opportunities to thrive. It’s in the workout I get from bending and stooping and in the satisfaction I feel by doing my part. There is a positive side to everything, an upside to every woe. It’s in the monthly trip to the metal recycler to trade cans for cash. It’s in my daughter’s smile as she helps by throwing each tidbit of trash she can find into the bag.

If I can instill in her the same love and passion for the environment that I have, I’ll have succeeded as a father and as a citizen of the Earth. I hope I might inspire a reader or two out there to feel the same way. We need more stewards of this Earth; we need to train the next generation of environmentalists. I have hope that we can stand up to the assault that every day threatens wildlife, forests, and waterways. This is important for all our sake.

Specific action that you can take right now is to visit Sweep the Hooch to volunteer for the cleanup along the Chattahoochee River on April 8th. See you there!



Thanks for reading. Peace!


For more information on actions you can take to protect our environment, please visit:
Natural Resources Defense Council
Trees Atlanta
Chattahoochee Riverkeeper
Treehugger
EPA
NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

Time Piece - Product Review: EARTH Wood Goods Watch

Let's get down to Earth for a minute. A while back I posted a review of a watch that I own and now I've acquired a second watch by the same manufacturer, EARTH Wood Goods, so I thought I would offer a more in-depth review of this fine timepiece. The company's website, http://earthwoodgoods.com, shows the vast array of beautiful products that they offer, from watches to sunglasses to bags and wallets made from cork and these products all exhibit honestly incredible craftsmanship and they are all made from sustainable materials. This particular watch that I'll be discussing is the Earth Ew1205 Rhizomes Watch.

I've been wearing this watch for nearly a month now and have gotten many compliments on it. Friends and strangers both remark and comment positively on this watch; it's a hit. Indeed, it is quite a beautiful timepiece, and I've happily shared the EARTH brand with dozens of people already. To me, though, the fact that it is so comfortable to wear and lightweight is really the most appealing aspect of this watch.



First off, when this watch arrived, the wrist band was far too large so I had to remove a few links. Using tools from a kit I bought off Amazon for about ten bucks, I carefully popped the pins out and resized it to my wrist.



Sadly, I did end up destroying one of the removed links in the process, which is exactly why the company's instructions state that they recommend you take it to a watch repair shop or jeweler; however, some jewelers will refuse to work on wood watches for just this reason. Certainly sometimes the links can break, wood is inherently more fragile than metal of course and it certainly takes a delicate touch and patience to resize these watches.Luckily it was only one that cracked.



Doing it yourself, with the ten dollar kit, will save you some money, but you'll have both control over the outcome as well as full responsibility if things go awry. Use your judgement.

 
The wood links are smooth and feel great on my wrist; the fit of the watch after my adjustment has it fitting slightly loosely on my wrist, almost like a bracelet, but the overall balance is still there, so that with just a swift little movement, I can bring the face to the ideal position to tell the time. Another thing I love about the wood links is that they don't pinch in any way; I've had watches in the past with metal links that would, from time to time, painfully pluck a hair from my wrist. Never had that issue with EARTH watches. The links are very sensibly shaped so this isn't an issue.



This watch would look even more epic and outstanding on anyone with thick, meaty, burly wrists. I do my best with what I've got, and honestly, while at first I was concerned that the face would look too big on my skinny wrists, I've truly grown to like the look of this watch on me.

Timekeeping has been solid with this watch over the course of the month I've been wearing it. Time will tell, of course, if the ticking begins to slow or fade; however, the other EARTH watch I own has never given me any issues. It's ticked true for about three years now, so I expect this watch to hold up in much the same manner.

One aspect of this watch that I feel might serve a design revisit is the chrome dashes that indicate the hours, the reflective chrome blends a tad too much into this busy, but beautiful, face, sometimes making it difficult to tell the time. My thought was that perhaps white or black dashes might provide more contrast, although, the watch does also have a border which provides reference as well, really, it's just a matter of personal preference or getting used to the style.

Additional bonus points, the hands are phosphorescent, they glow in the dark, which is a nice added feature on a watch. 

All in all, this is a wonderful watch, by far my favorite watch to wear because of the comfort factor as well as the conversation starter that it provides, the fashionable aspect of a natural wood finish watch, truly can be worn in any setting or with any attire, plus it's a solid and reliable timepiece. Love the very idea of wearing products crafted from wood; that grounded, earthy feel, reminder of nature just feels so good.

It pains me to sound too much like a commercial, but seriously, when I find a product that I love, not just on a personal use level, but also on a level of respect for the company itself, I want to share that. EARTH Wood Goods is an American company using sustainable manufacturing practices, sourcing sustainable materials, that's the kind of company I'm happy to promote.

EARTH Wood Goods Twitter
EARTH Wood Goods Facebook



Thanks for reading this review of this EARTH Wood Goods watch! Peace!
 

 

 

Parks At Stake

My heart breaks as I read Trump's An America First Energy Plan; the impending devastation that this threatens to wreak upon America's National Parks is simply gut-wrenching.

"We must take advantage of the estimated $50 trillion in untapped shale, oil, and natural gas reserves, especially those on federal lands that the American people own." -Trump

No, sir, we must not take advantage of these resources, for they are beneath protected lands which, as you said, the American people own. We all own our federal lands, they belong to all, not to you to sell off to oil mongers and fracking companies. We do not want to see these lands clear cut, strip mined, decimated beyond repair just so that some oil company can make a few bucks on what crude resource might lie beneath Yosemite or Grand Teton. This makes me seriously weep. This is why I did not vote for him. We're on the verge of saying goodbye to polar bears because there's oil in the arctic, saying goodbye to bison, wolves, bears, moose, beavers, because there's some natural gas to be fracked under federal land, Yosemite or the Smoky Mountains, saying goodbye to the flora and fauna of Hawaii because there might be something to be dug out of Haleakala, saying goodbye to the ancient trees of Redwood National Forest, Sequoia, because there might be something under the ground that we can burn up, stick in our gas tanks.



This is now the state of things. This is what we are up against. As an environmentalist, lover of nature, as a sensible human with an eye to the future, as someone who sheds tears when we lose another animal to extinction, someone who worries for the loss of habitat due to global warming, loss of glaciers, acidification of oceans and bleaching of coral reefs, this type of mentality that we need to treat the Earth like an exploitable enemy instead of respecting, nurturing and caring for it just hurts my heart, it hurts me at my core.

Disconcerting too is the fact that the Climate Change page and all mention of it has been scrubbed from whitehouse.gov, along with LQBTQ protections and the Civil Rights pages. There is an effort to reverse the progress we've all collectively made toward making this a more just, tolerant, thriving and prosperous world, both civically as well as environmentally. As this blog's focus is nature, the outdoors, clearly the environmental havoc that is about to be unleashed concerns me, but as a fellow human being and citizen, I want to see those around me treated fairly and equally and enjoy the same rights as anyone else. This disregard for all the things that I hold dear, from my friends and family, neighbors, and fellow citizens to the great outdoors, nature in all its glory and beauty and nuance and diversity of life, I fear for the future at this moment. I fear that my daughter may not have the natural wonders to enjoy, Sequoia park, Chattahoochee National Forest, the Blue Ridge Mountains, because some prospector might find a well of untapped oil down beneath the Poplars and Loblolly pines, beneath the trout streams and hiking trails, one of our President's friends might want to do some fracking, but there are these ancient, splendid, towering trees in his way so they're now standing in the way of "progress." There are some things that should be off limits to our destructive hand if for no other reason than the fact that some, nay, most, destruction is permanent. We will not be able to get these treasures back once they are gone. And for what? Some oil in a car's gas tank? Preposterous! Simply buy an electric car. Natural gas to heat a home? Nope, I've got wind energy thanks to Arcadia Power.

We can do better than this. We need to do more to try to protect the environment, the assault has strengthened and we need to stand up and fight back. My resolve is strengthened to continue to do my part for the environment, even finding ways to do more. The other day, MLK Day, in fact, National Day of Service, I spent time at Oakland Cemetery working with Trees Atlanta and a myriad of volunteers, planting, digging, etc. and I intend to perform many more hours of hard labor, invest sweat equity into environmental causes around Atlanta. Please join me in this effort!

Go out and get your hands dirty! If you're looking for a place to start, please check out Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Trees Atlanta, Earth Share Georgia, Georgia Water Coalition, donate to these groups, or volunteer your time, or donate to National Parks Foundation or any number of other environmental nonprofit groups. I like to believe that if we all step up, we will stand a chance at protecting our environment, our Earth, ourselves even. Peace.

Time

Happy New Year!

Times like these it seems at all times, it behooves us to remember to cherish time and to appreciate our place in the constant steady onward ticking of life as it moves us along whatever mysterious trajectory we might find ourselves traversing. Reflecting on this past year it seems there never seems to be enough time, as Jim Croce professed so eloquently and beautifully, but I am grateful for every second of the last year and indeed of every of my past years. I certainly hope to remember to slow down in this new year, to put my iPhone down and listen and look and live more because each passing second is one that we can never regain. Take time to avail my eyes with things well-worth my time, read more books, take more hikes, hunt more mushrooms, build more things, write more words, gaze at my wife and daughter more and at look far far less at the TV and the dark recesses of internet gossip, especially when it shows me nothing but train wrecks like bad NYE lipsyncing and orange-faced twits.

While we're on the subject of time, it comes as no surprise at all to find that even as we trek further and further into the future, that time still adorns and ornaments wrists. Timepieces, all shapes, sizes, prevail as fashion with so many from which to choose, be it an Apple iWatch, some Swiss-made beauty, a cheap Casio or that faulty Akribos you got off Groupon that never seems to tick to tempo, its sticky seconds wasting away as your sweat tarnishes the wristband. As the inescapable ticking of time's endless march bears down on us in this new year, insisting we use these precious seconds to try to do our best, live the best life we can live, I thought it pertinent to take the time to share with you one of my favorite watches. Dear to me because it's so simple, made of wood, darkly stained and beautiful, this EARTH brand watch always makes me feel just that tad more in-time with nature, more dialed-in to the life of trees and plants and life itself. The company boasts that they produce their watches from organic material, not a faux finish, but actual wood, which is neat. Honestly, wear what suits you, but this has been a reliable piece that I love to wear and would give five out of five stars.

EARTH-watches.com

Always indeed there is that love/hate relationship with watches, as they place both limitations on your meanderings, hobbies and frivolities, yet also remind you of dinnertime's approach. If you have to track time and can't just lose yourself in mother nature, then at least wear one you feel good about. Anyway, until next time. Peace!