environment

Toxic Shock

One golden word separates command from request.
And one golden breath separates a life from a death.

Hydrochlorofluorocarbonated dioxide infusions.
UnLeaded poison gasoline fuels our neurotoxic delusions.

Warning Pesticides:Fire may and will cause toxic fumes.
Cancer causing mutagens will surely spell our dooms.

Who’s to say what constitutes a harmful level of contaminants?
But is it really wise for us to be using them as condiments?

Warning Pesticides: Fire Will Cause Toxic Fumes (by CGP Grey – http://www.cgpgrey.com)

DP Weekly Writing Challenge: Time for Poetry

The Joke’s on Us

You want to hear a joke?

Single use plastic bags.

I didn’t say it was a funny joke.

Plastic bags and more plastic bags (by thegreenpages)

Tea Wisdom

“One generation plants the trees, and another gets the shade.”

— Chinese Proverb (via my afternoon tea bag)

..or in the case of the planet’s current situation,

One generation cuts the trees down, and another gets the shaft.

tea wisdom (by steev hise)

Crispy Hills and Green Grass – Juxtaposition

DP Photo Challenge – Juxtaposition

Crispy hills and lush green grass–which doesn’t belong?

Where does the water for the green grass come from?

In California the largest single draw of electrical power is to pump water, from where it is collected (in the snowpack of the Sierras mostly) to where people live and need it (on the coast mostly). Planting drought resistant landscapes and ditching water thirsty lawns are two great ways to reduce your carbon footprint. In California (and probably where you live too) every time you turn on the faucet you are contributing to climate change.

A huge part of this issue is the horrible urban management of aquifers, when such huge portions of land are paved over and turned into aquitards. Runoff drains from our concrete surfaces and carries all the toxins and pollutants of the urban landscape into the water supply, creating poisonous water that drains to the sea. Then we use energy to pump clean water to our homes from far away, because we have wasted and ruined the water where we live. Something needs to change.

How’s that for a juxtaposition?

Cactiopolis

Cactus Corridor at the Ruth Bancroft Garden

At least these plants will be okay in the California drought 0f 2014. We just finished the driest year on record, and there’s no rain in sight. Look at these satellite photos to see how bad it is.