Friday, November 25, 2011

Unexpected Changes to a Greener Planet

Deliberations, sometimes they get in the way of getting done what we believe in.  Consideration for this, consideration for that; what will they think; WHAT IF!!!  Eeeeak!

Stop... breathe, and do what you believe in.  This is a much simpler statement than the what our genetic coding suggest we go through for decision-making but there is more than a speck of truth in it.  There is so much activity in sustainability and climate change often it feels like someone else is or can do whatever is on your mind- not so.  Each person acts as another potential persuasive vehicle to advance work tremendously important to protecting the planet.  Even if its been said, say it again, add a twist.  We must constantly strive to balance protecting the natural resources accessible to us and the way we use them.  There are millions of people, billions for that matter, waiting for someone with the right tone, approach or message that will resonate with them enough to take active steps to contribute to making a different in the many areas that make up sustainability and preservation.

After a brief hiatus, returning to this work is paramount for me; there is so much work to be done and I cannot count on what everyone else will do so I will continue to do my part and be more diligent in doing so.  Expect more articles from me more frequently, that share important advances in technology, resources, activities and changes in climate related matters.  I don't have all the answers but I feel reinvigorated after returning from Asia and having gone through a certain cleansing for myself.  I found what I needed to regroup and continue with what I believe in.

The world is a beautiful place; I want to fulfill my role in it and preserve it for as long as possible.  My goal is to help inspire others to do the same by sharing my knowledge and determination to do the same.  What you don't find here (looking4answers) you will find here ( at green elements).

Recently I spoke with my ex-wife who shared with me some amazing progress I never thought I would hear come from her lips; I Love her she is an amazing woman.  This evening she told me all of the steps she was taking to be a more active participant in climate consciousness.  Throughout the entire conversation I was smiling to myself realizing how important it is to continue the work.  You see, we don't always know when what we share with others will have the desired affect, but we can't allow that to slow us down or prevent us from doing the work.  What did she share? 1) She is walking our son to school 2) she is (as well as my son) designating a separate disposal for recycling and trash- and my son is keeping her on her toes; 3) she has replaced all the lighting in her home with CFL; 4) she has taken a conscious step to reducing the highly processed food and nearly eliminated soda from her/ their diet.  YAHOOW-OOOOOh!  Nothing could make me happier relative to what changes she is making regarding climate change.

I want to remind everyone that CFL can be extremely dangerous so follow the necessary precautions when handling them.  I have provided a link here >> What should I do if I break a bulb?  .  LED is really the best lighting technology but pricing is still an issue.


Friday, November 18, 2011

Unexpected Changes To a Greener Planet


Deliberations, sometimes they get in the way of getting done what we believe in.  Consideration for this, consideration for that; what will they think; WHAT IF!!!  Eeeeak!

Stop... breathe, and do what you believe in.  This is a much simpler statement than the what our genetic coding suggest we go through for decision-making but there is more than a speck of truth in it.  There is so much activity in sustainability and climate change often it feels like someone else is or can do whatever is on your mind- not so.  Each person acts as another potential persuasive vehicle to advance work tremendously important to protecting the planet.  Even if its been said, say it again, add a twist.  We must constantly strive to balance protecting the natural resources accessible to us and the way we use them.  There are millions of people, billions for that matter, waiting for someone with the right tone, approach or message that will resonate with them enough to take active steps to contribute to making a different in the many areas that make up sustainability and preservation.

After a brief hiatus, returning to this work is paramount for me; there is so much work to be done and I cannot count on what everyone else will do so I will continue to do my part and be more diligent in doing so.  Expect more articles from me more frequently, that share important advances in technology, resources, activities and changes in climate related matters.  I don't have all the answers but I feel reinvigorated after returning from Asia and having gone through a certain cleansing for myself.  I found what I needed to regroup and continue with what I believe in.

The world is a beautiful place; I want to fulfill my role in it and preserve it for as long as possible.  My goal is to help inspire others to do the same by sharing my knowledge and determination to do the same.  What you don't find here (looking4answers) you will find here ( at green elements).

Recently I spoke with my ex-wife who shared with me some amazing progress I never thought I would hear come from her lips; I Love her she is an amazing woman.  This evening she told me all of the steps she was taking to be a more active participant in climate consciousness.  Throughout the entire conversation I was smiling to myself realizing how important it is to continue the work.  You see, we don't always know when what we share with others will have the desired affect, but we can't allow that to slow us down or prevent us from doing the work.  What did she share? 1) She is walking our son to school 2) she is (as well as my son) designating a separate disposal for recycling and trash- and my son is keeping her on her toes; 3) she has replaced all the lighting in her home with CFL; 4) she has taken a conscious step to reducing the highly processed food and nearly eliminated soda from her/ their diet.  YAHOOW-OOOOOh!  Nothing could make me happier relative to what changes she is making regarding climate change.

I want to remind everyone that CFL can be extremely dangerous so follow the necessary precautions when handling them.  I have provided a link here >> What should I do if I break a bulb?  .  LED is really the best lighting technology but pricing is still an issue.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Understanding More About Body Chemistry


by Scotland Willis
  
Balance is something we strive for in our life.  We see it in how we try to manage work and our Clif climbing
personal life; balance between consumption and preserving the environment; balancing disruptions and getting tasks done; and in our personal health versus stress.  The list is extensive.  By and large balance is a very difficult goal to achieve; this assertion could be made anywhere in the world.

So here is something to consider about balance you may not have thought of; 1) the most important balance in our body is pH balance; while that may sound simple, achieving it is like trying to balance yourself on a tightrope (ok perhaps not that difficult but it might seem that way) but certainly as challenging to achieve balance in other areas of our life; 2) alkaline and acids make up these two very important chemical that represent this balance, which also influence many other activities that occur in our body.

A bit more understanding migh make you more conscious about your eating decisions and thereby resulting in a happier healthier you.

So why is this make up so important?  Let's not   focus on things like kidney, liver and blood disease, to avoid talking about this from a medical perspective- though they are legitimately related to the matter at hand.  Rather I would like to share important factors to understand which will make the importance of acids and alkaline a little easier to digest.

 Most foods (especially processed foods) have high levels of sugar or high fructose.  The result is that most of our diet is made up of sugary acids that means that we have a alkaline deficit much more often than not in our body, across the majority of our U.S. population.  Alkaline foods mean more green foods and raw veggies (which don't appeal to most peoples taste buds the way sugary sweets do).  It's time to change that.


Keep this in mind increasing your alkaline intake will result in more energy, healthier bone structure and a wide range of health benefits including lower blood sugar levels, less chances of heart disease and the other major threats to human health.  For children it can mean improved neurological performance.
Understanding the Scale

The pH scale reflect whether the pH in your body is acidic or alkaline.  The scale ranges from 1 to 14.  A pH of 7 is considered neutral; above 7 is considered alkaline below 7 is considered acidic.  Seven then is the ideal balance for humans.  Because we have a diet that is so heavily influenced by sugars, achieving the balance (i.e., consuming more raw or alkaline foods) is a real challenge.

Less important to understand but good to know is this:  a pH of 4 is ten times more acidic than a pH of 5 and 100 times (10 times 10) more acidic than a pH of 6. The same holds true for pH values above 7, each of which is ten times more alkaline—another way to say basic—than the next lower whole value. For example, a pH of 10 is ten times more alkaline than a pH of 9 (epa).  Sounds impressive but the simlicity if each level of increase refelcts an acidic increase of ten times that.  The same would be true for alkaline, except most people don't have alkaline saturated diets. 

People and Plant Benefits
And here is something else you probably did not know; your plants require a similar pH balance to that of humans. Depending on what region of the world your food is from will also influence whether that food requires more alkaline or acid in its uptake.  Beets for example do best in a alkaline environment(pH) around 7-8; while grass  are slightly acidic or close to neutral between 6.5 to 7.  Basically plant life also thrives in close to this balance of 7.  

All of this makes sense if you consider a couple of different points: 1) we consume a lot of plant life (or we should)  so we should attempt to maintain a similar balance 2) we are evolved from single cellular organism that thrived on plant life (if you subscribe to the scientific theory) as such, our biological system  should have similar requirements.

 Maintaining a better pH balance means a better quality of life.  Eating more alkaline and raw vegetables, fewer sugary and processed foods (which includes milk) will reduce the negative affects of an acidic body.  

If you are a gardner, seek to balance your soil as well (there are devices to monitor this).  I use to have a 100 gallon ( 378 liters)  salt water aquarium at one point; maintaining the pH balance was critical to the fish survival, so it is no surprise the level of importance pH has on the body for me.
From healthy bones to healthy blood, pH affects everything about you and your bodily function.
Please work harder to stay healthy by balancing what you eat and likely adding more alkaline type food to your diet, while consuming less sugary and processed foods.

Alkaline foods: flax seed or oil, brown rice, millet, soaked almonds, tomato slices, fresh avocado, natural vegetable soups or pressed vegetable juices (not canned likely to have sugar) and beets. For a comprehensive list email me

Alkaline foods: flax seed or oil, brown rice, millet, soaked almonds, tomato slices, fresh avocado, natural vegetable soups or pressed vegetable juices (not canned likely to have sugar) and beets.  For a comprehensive list email me

Friday, November 11, 2011

Pipelines and Priorities

On November 10 Reuters reported on the US government's decision to postpone Keystone XL's (Canada to Texas) oil pipeline which many environmentalists argue that one of the most damaging effects would be in the Nebraska tar sands ecosystem area, as a direct result from the project.


While there are arguments on both sides, the concern for the government and investors is the approximate $7 billion cost to the project and how any delay would disrupt the progress and possibly force parties to scrap the project. Countering this argument is not difficult to do. 


We were spending approximately $720 million a day according to 2007 research done by Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph E Stiglitz. The National Priorities Project research, states that *budget spending in Iraq and Afghanistan amounted to $797.3 billion and 459.8 billion respectively in the 2011 FY. Thus it is a difficult sell, that a mere $7 billion would force governments or corporations to scrap the Keystone XL project; given there appetite for the black gold.


Why should this project be delayed? Based on US consumption of oil that is a tough one to answer.  How many US residents are prepared to make significant reductions in their consumption of oil and oil/petroleum based products– in this economy, not many is the likely answer.


Reason for Pause
The Department of Energy in May 2011 conference stated that they recorded the highest levels of CO2 emissions ever; yet another indicator to be concerned about is the fact that seven the 7 billionth human was born on October 31st.  Each of these indicators tells us indifferent ways, that exploitation of nonrenewable energy sources (petroleum, coal, and nuclear) will be in greater demand if we extrapolate these records.


Further slowing the pace of the Keystone XL project will allow more time to review the riffs of the project from an economic standpoint.  Externality costs are the unmentioned cost to things like the environment; they look less from the revenue-generating perspective and more at the human and eco-welfare perspective.  


Perhaps a truly progressive idea would be to initiate a campaign similar to a campaign against smoking.  It  would pre-use the projected cost of the environmental impact (after a reliable assessment); allocate those funds for the campaign, and educate people about the cost these externalities (i.e., the environment as well as human health).


If we look back at the advent of fossil fuels as a source of energy for human consumption, it seemed like a really good idea; at the time developing societies required faster moving parts to grow.  Lack of such growth meant in some cases (and still does) either you grow or are conquered.  The difference in knowledge today however is that we can anticipate certain factors; we have a better understanding of the impacts.  The infrastructure and mindsets in the past, did not have the capacity to think forward in these terms.  Thomas Edison (quote below), was an exception.  Today is quite different; we know more about the limited resources and about what certain numbers mean.  Being proactive through conservation and preservation would serve well, the quality of life to all living things.


It is easier to not to say who is right and who is wrong, but what is the best decision to make from were we are going forward.  The best minds in the world always seem to have sound reasoning on their side.




*Chris Helman: Senior War Analyst at National Priorities Project; over a decade of war analysis and research.
* We are like tenant farmers chopping down the fence around our house for fuel when we should be using Nature's inexhaustible sources of energy — sun, wind and tide. ... I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don't have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.
  • In conversation with Henry Ford and w:Harvey Firestone (1931); as quoted in Uncommon Friends : Life with Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, Alexis Carrel & Charles Lindbergh (1987) by James Newton, p. 31

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Exploring Southeast Asia

Phuket sunset

by Scotland Willis

Having returned from Southeast Asia and arriving back in the United States, I can check of yet another adventure from my bucket list.  For those of my readers unfamiliar with a bucket list; it is a list of things you would like to do before the end of one's life.

For a long time a visit to Asia has been on my list; though three weeks is hardly enough time to experience the full greatness of this geographic area, it was a healthy introduction of what to expect upon my return at some point in time.

My activities ranged from visiting 6-8 Temples per day in Siam Reap (Northern Cambodia) to biking down the enormous mountainous region that surrounds much of Southeast Asia.  I manage to witness the devastating damage the record flooding had in Thailand.  My arrival into Siam Reap was preceded by rivers of water passing through nearly every street; in fact, our tuk-tuk was knee high in water the evening of our arrival, but by morning it was virtually impossible to tell. Despite that there was a record storm in Thailand, good fortune seemed to be on my side; I was either behind every major storm or in front of every storm in Southeast Asia.

I traveled alone which was both comforting and lonely at times; what made the journey amazing was the people I met along the way.  I believe this is what traveling is all about; for if I were the only person on Earth and I had the ability to travel the world but no one to speak with, I could fully embrace the exploration of it but would miss the human contact.  What does this add to our journey?

Monks practicing martial arts
First I believe it helps bring the world to us versus going out to see it.  The advantage in this is that it expands our thinking and curiosity about what is still beyond the horizon- it helps our imagination expand itself.  We may not always be able to reach all these magnificent destinations in a given time frame, but the encounters we have along the way can help us prioritize how we add new destinations to our ever expanding list.  The second major advantage of meeting new people along the way is developing an inside scoop on what's up in a region they might have recently visited.  Also people we meet with and have a good vibe/ chemistry with, are more likely to share similar points of interests which can help bypass some of the more mundane processes or less attractive aspects of our travel and destinations.  One example is my journey from Phnom Pehn to Siam Reap via tour bus; all I knew was that I wanted to go to Siam Reap; I had my tour book with me (which I found in a box of books on the street in Boston that someone was throwing out), and looked up a couple of key sights.  After a relative uncomfortable ride (BUT MOST INTERESTING!  More on this momentarily), I disembarked into the darkness in Siam Reap and immediately started seeking out someone who might have a bit more information or even different information than myself.

Great decision!  I bumped into Lou' (who is a fantastic woman from Melbourne Australia) and said simply "Are you headed into town..." and "Do you mind if I ride with you (we were taking a tuk-tuk).  Her response was "Sure!"  And away we went.  We ended up spending the next four days together exploring Siam Reap because of our like mindedness and curiosity about each other.

You have to have a certain amount of courage and trust while traveling; there are some wonderful people out there that can really transform your traveling experience and it just doesn't make sense to travel abroad if you don't at least attempt to break your normal habits.  The world is an enormously curious place and we are gifted with the ability to explore it; hopefully we add to the value to the place we travel as we pass through it, and don't suck the life out of it.  Ask yourself what you are doing to give back in some way as you pass through.

I could not have scripted (planned), a better visit if I had tried- it was absolutely perfect!  I returned to the U.S. feeling like there was a place on top of the world and I was right there.  It was truly the adventure of a life time.