First frost, bullets of weird green

It's 34 degrees outside and we had our first frost. I brought in most of the houseplants, but not all of them, and I did not cover the tomatoes, zucchinis and other garden plants, so I will have to wait and see if they survived or are gone. The broccoli should make it.

• We haven't turned our furnace on yet. I don't think it's that cold in here, but PB has been complaining bitterly. He stands in his boxers saying it's cold, it's cold. I say, when I am cold, I put on a sweater. He hangs over me, gets in my face while I am trying to work, harping on turning on the furnace. He wants it to be warm enough to be as close to naked as possible. I think that's unenvironmental and unhealthy. I tell him, go talk to your Dad.
• PB wants a ride to school because it's cold outside. I say, wait til it snows. We live in a decadent neighborhood where most of the parents drive their kids to school every day. We think it's unhealthy and unenvironmental to do that and have decided not to. He thinks we're monsters. I feel a little guilty until I think of all the wasted gas and him turning into a lazy slug.
• In the spirit of reduce, reuse, recycle, I have reduced my usage of shampoo and conditioner to about a third of what I used to use and the results seem to be just as good. YAY!
  

Project Budburst

I have just joined Project Budbust, A National Phenology Field Campaign for Citizen Scientists after reading about it over at Lake Loop. Go to one of those links to read more about it. I've been keeping phenological data for over 40 years, so was thrilled to see this. I have only signed up for the dandelion and the lilac so far, but intend to sign up for more locations and more flowers, hopefully.

Phenology is the study of the times that natural events occur, such as flowering and fruiting. Laying eggs, giving birth. Emerging from hibernation. This study focuses on common, easily identifiable plants.

joining the freeze your buns campaign

I've been on the freeze your buns campaign for years, but when I moved in with Biker Buddy, he and Piano Boy were cavorting around the house in their skivvies--in the WINTER. Horrors, how unenvironmental! Needless to say, things changed around here, and every winter, including this one, we've lowered the temperature a little. Biker Buddy is happy with the financial savings and I am happy to think we are adding the minimum amount to the heat pollution and general pollution of the world. Also, I think it is healthier to minimize the difference between internal and external temperatures and summer and winter. Too hot in the winter and too cold in the summer is environmentally stupid and physically unhealthy.

We are also shifting more and more to organic local foods. Organic means fewer toxins in the body and fewer poisons in soil air and water and local means less fossil fuels burned and fewer pollutants produced moving the food. We compost and recycle and do as much as we can in other ways, too.

Blog Action Day for the Environment: We hold the earth in our hands

Today is Blog action day for the Environment.

The earth is in our hands, and as individuals, families, communities, states, nations and the world, we need to make wise choices--and are often failing to do so. The current administration is allowing the environment to take second place to big business. These choices could cost us our lives and/or the lives of our children, grandchildren or great grand children. We need to act now to save the world. Write your president, congresspeople. Write your state and community representatives. Driver smaller cars. Throw out less trash--buy less trash. Avoid conspicuous consumption, buy what you truly need. Live simply so that others might simply live. Consider the alternative. If each of us makes small and large changes in our lives and encourages our communities and nations to do the same, we CAN make a difference! Now, before it's too late!

Nadine sent this, too.

I would like to say, without tooting my own horn too much, that I have worked in the environmental field most of my life, as a naturalist and environmental educator. I feel that my work teaching others about the environment is crucial work, because no one can save the world alone, we have to do it together, and for that to happen, we have to know, understand and care.