More about Mother Earth
Advent
There are countless ways to appreciate and enjoy the outdoors with kids during
the holiday season.
Experts even suggest that activities outdoors produce benefits not gained by the same
activity indoors. If you need some quick ideas, try some of the scavenger hunts found at
the links below, or make up your own!
* www.racheous.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Nature-Sensory-Scavenger-HuntPrintable-FREE.pdf
* mykidsadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Nature-Shapes-Scavenger-HuntPDF.pdf
* dnr.maryland.gov/cin/pdfs/Winter_Scavenger_Hunt.pdf
Chocolate: Consider buying from slave-free sources
Every time a consumer purchases non-slave-free chocolate, they are putting money in the
pockets of people who run a system based largely on forced child labor. Generally, if the
chocolate is organic, has a fair trade label or the cocoa is listed as being sourced
anywhere other than Nigeria, Ghana or the Ivory Coast then it’s slave-free. If a producer
is part of the solution, they will likely say that on the label. Those who don’t may be part
of the problem. Equal Exchange and Sweet Earth Chocolate are among those who often
have holiday-themed chocolates.
SHOP LOCAL
When we buy our food from local farmers, we are supporting a healthier environment
and strengthening our community by investing our dollars close to home. There are so
many items available locally, from produce, to meat, eggs, baked goods, pasta, maple
syrup, honey and much more. Check out localharvest.org where you can find farms,
markets and more close to you. Find organic farms and markets near you at
nofany.org/directory.
JOIN A CSA
It's time to look into CSA’s for the 2014 growing season. You can find CSA’s throughout
the region at localharvest.org/csa/- using the "Find CSA Farms" tool or search “CSA
Rochester NY” online.
Find locally made products at gobuyrochester.com/home
Find made-in-New York products at
“Simply New York Marketplace & Gifts”
4364 Culver rd. (Seabreeze) - simplynystore.com
Sustainable/Local Food Systems Support Food Security
This Earth Day we are learning about local and sustainable food systems that work for
everyone; farmers and urban dwellers and the earth together. Patty Love is a local
permaculture practitioner and teacher whose work is "sowing seeds of sustainability and
food justice and regenerating Rochester, NY as The (Edible) Flower City!" Learn more at
lotsoffood.org/.
Hydraulic Fracturing for Natural Gas poses a threat to Human
Rights!
Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is a process where millions of gallons of water, sand and
chemicals are pumped underground to break apart the rock and release the gas.
The chemicals that are injected into shale deposits during fracking include acids,
detergents and poisons that can be harmful if they seep into drinking water. Trucking and
storage accidents have caused spills of fracking fluids and the salty water used — called
brine — also resulting in contaminated drinking water. Fracking has been proven to
cause earthquakes, both directly and indirectly.
Methane gas can also escape during fracking, creating the possibility of dangerous
explosions. After the fracking process, deposits of radioactive elements and huge
concentrations of salt are left in the earth’s surface.
France and Bulgaria have the largest shale reserves in Europe. France banned fracking in
2001 due to environmental concerns and Bulgaria banned it in 2012.
Methane leaks during the fracking process likely cancel out any benefit gained from
burning natural gas instead of coal. Further, the flood of cheap natural gas in the market
is having unintended consequences for renewable energy, which is being further
squeezed out of the market place.
Fracking threatens the air we breathe, the water we drink, the communities we love and
the climate on which we all depend. Get involved and learn more. Links listed below are
places to explore.
Sources:
foodandwaterwatch.org/water/fracking/
billmoyers.com/content/the-facts-on-fracking/
propublica.org/special/hydraulic-fracturing-national
http://nyagainstfracking.org/
gaslandthemovie.com/whats-fracking
http://frackfreegenesee.blogspot.com/
www.r-cause.net/index.html
www.earthday.org/footprint-calculator
www.nature.org/greenliving/carboncalculator/
www.350.org
slavefreechocolate.org/
Additional actions we can consider:
Become informed about hydraulic fracturing and the enormous risks it poses, the costs
involved and the reasons (including rural poverty).
Call and write Governor Cuomo (518-474-8390) and let him know that you think it is
best for NY to avoid hydraulic fracturing. It can be as simple as a comment that you are
worried about the danger of fracturing. Drilling can wait until more information is
available. Our tax money is better spent on developing clean energy.