Oil Spills, Climate Bills, Arbor Day and Allergies: It’s a wRAP, April 30, 2010

“I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees for the trees have no tongues…..Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

(Enough said! No one says it better than Dr. Seuss so we won’t even try!)

Credit: A. Jennis

This week, Arbor Day reminds us to continue to “speak for the trees” which are important “carbon sinks” and resources in our fight against global warming. Yet reminders of the how far we still have to go on climate legislation and the fragility of our natural world, which we so easily damage and negatively impact in our quest for energy, are all around us. We watch in growing horror as a broken oil rig off the coast of Louisiana is creating an ecological disaster with estimates of between 40, 000 and 200,000 gallons of oil a day leaking into the Gulf; with no clear resolution in site. Today, on Arbor Day, American beaches and fragile ecosystems are threatened by our demand and thirst for fossil fuels. A few weeks ago, loss of life and devastation was in the news over a coal mine disaster. Fossil fuels are not only an addiction and a natural disaster waiting to happen, they are a human disaster as well. Unfortunately, an anticipated “drop” of a Senate Bill on Climate Change that would try for the first time to put a price on carbon, continues to languish in committee. It’s not clear when or if this Bill will see the light of day.

Credit: A. Jennis

In the News this week, we look at the increase in seasonal allergies. On a lighter note, our Video Peek of the Week shows us that an “old” dog can teach us new “environmental sustainability” tricks! Last week we told you about a new movie, opening today, Furry Vengeance.” Take the kids in your life, or have them take you! Check back on May 1^st and meet our new “Climate Mama” and make sure to check out our latest “product” from snackTaxi, which will help make your school and work lunches more sustainable. Next week we bring you some of our “picks” for sustainable hotels, as you begin to plan your summer vacation!