Composting Update…

A few months ago (June 29th to be exact), I started composting.

So far, I’d say the results have been mixed.

While I have been completely unsuccessful in terms of generating any type of mulch for spreading in my yard, what has been an overwhelming success is the fact that now almost all the organic waste that we produce goes in the composter.

What happens there is nothing short of a wonder of nature.

It is so fascinating to watch the insects inside go to work and the food just gets reprocessed.

There are so many challenges to our world and while this is just a minor step, it makes me feel good (and involving my kids as well) that, instead of putting our stuff in a landfill (where I suppose it might decompose anyway), we’re making a small contribution to the eco system in our backyard.

It’s made all of us feel more connected to the larger biosphere.

Blood for Water?

Image via Wikipedia

The mantra used to be “no blood for oil,” but what about “blood for water?”

In the very depressing moving “Blue Gold: World Water Wars,” the filmmakers explain the global impact of not only the privatization of water resources managed by companies like Suez and Veolia, but equally important, the ecological impact of taking water from one place and moving it to another place.

This, apparently, has dramatic impacts on watersheds, water tables, and the natural environment. If you think about it, this makes sense. The problem is, most of us don’t think about it.

Bottled water, I am now more convinced than ever, is one of the great hoaxes of all time (I wouldn’t call it marketing, since it’s not really based in fact).

In any movie like this, the point is to shock you and get you to act. Plus, it’s easy to dismiss it as an anti-capitalist screed, but given how efficient our production/technology systems are, the underlying thesis doesn’t seem so far fetched.

I highly recommend you watch this to, at a minimum, educate yourself about something we all need.

If even half of what they say is accurate, a water war is not that far-fetched.

Updated: an article that shows this isn’t fantasy.

Fleeting Magnolia...

We are blessed with a gorgeous bloom of a magnolia tree every spring.

Thing is, if you blink, you miss it.

It's there for just about a week. It peaked on Friday morning (this is from Thurs PM) and after a massive storm on Fri. night, the end had begun.

I tell people that this is my favorite week of the year, but it's sad in a way. Reminds you how fleeting all living things are in their own way.

Beautiful Moonshot

Pretty intense, eh?