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Covering over 70% of the Earth’s surface, the ocean represents our planet’s largest habitat, containing 99% of the living space on the planet. This vast area supports the life of nearly 50% of all species on Earth.

So why do we treat it so badly?

From the massive floating plastic waste island in the Pacific to the nuclear fallout from Japan, medical waste, over fishing and more, we're sadly guilty of horribly abusing our oceans.

Well I'm happy to report some good news -- REALLY good news, from the surface. A new study revealed that undersea life at the Cabo Pulmo National Park of Mexico rebounded by more than 460% over 10 years after imposing a 15-year ban on fishing and other extractive activities. “People who object to marine protected areas, especially to strong protection like here, often say there is no proof that they work,” says Elliott Norse of the Marine Conservation Biology Institute in Bellevue, Wash., who was not involved in the new study. “Well, this is the proof. It's an awesome success story. See the link above.

And in another great story, the Micronesian Islands have created a shark sancturary two-thirds the size of the United States — 2 million square miles. Sharks have been dying at horrific rates mainly from being overfished due to the popularity of shark fin soup, which I find crazy. Sharks have a particular disadvantage because of their reproductive cycle— they can't reproduce quickly or abundantly.

http://www.npr.org/2011/08/07/138996118/fighting-decline-micronesia-crea...

But there's more! The Bahamas just joined Palau, the Maldives and Honduras in prohibiting commercial shark fishing, a multi-million dollar industry that has led to the estimated killing of 73 million sharks worldwide a year.

The hope is that a new shark sanctuary in the Bahamas will protect the shark population in the area without impacting the Bahamian economy. Deputy prime minister, Brent Symonette, admitted that while there may be a market for shark fishing, “the overriding concern for the environment is far greater.”

http://positivenews.org.uk/2011/environment/4745/bahamas-bans-commercial...

I'm so glad we're taking action to help protect our ocean and it's creatures. it's got us covered. Let's do something for it.

When did we all decide we needed so much STUFF? It can be a little suffocating when we look around at everything we've accumulated, much of it sitting uselessly day after day.

Giving our old stuff new life is not only good for our overflowing landfills, it feels good too. And with more and more people taking action, there are more ways than ever to de-clutter our lives and help others at the same time.

For example, did you know that you can recycle your hair? The hair from your hairbrush or from your pet's coat that usually ends up in the trash is full of useful nitrogen that can be thrown in the compost pile. Or for a more global and noble destination, San Francisco nonprofit Matter of Trust http://www.matteroftrust.org/ collects human and pet hair to create booms that soak up oil in oil spills. Currently, warehouses are full, but you can be placed on the email alert list when the need arrives again.

What about those jeans that never fit quite right? If they've lost their wearability, how about turning them into natural fiber insulation for interior walls and ceilings? Green Jeans Insulation and Bonded Logic do just that. You won't cry the blues when you know that your old denims are busy keeping someone else warm. http://greenjeansinsulation.com/ and http://www.bondedlogic.com/

When ReCORK America says "Put a cork in it" they really mean it. They collect wine corks and partner with others to recycle them into flooring tile, building insulation, shoe soles, fishing rod handles, bulletin boards, and soil conditioners. Next time you polish off a bottle, keep the cork. Once they start adding up, check their website for a local drop off location. They're all over the place. http://recork.org/

I have unlocked many doors in my life and I have the keys to prove it; however, most of them are old, unmarked and I don't have a clue where they go. Until now. Keys for Kindness wants our old keys so they can recycle them for the Multiple Sclerosis society. This small family-run organization has made it their mission to help find a cure for MS. It's such a worthy cause I don't think anyone will mind paying the postage. http://www.keysforkindness.com

Once you get into the habit of recycling it's almost impossible to stop. If we use our imaginations and creativity, we can find new uses for just about anything. The rewards are many, including the feeling of freedom when we let go. Sending something on it's way to have a new life in the service of others is a pretty special gift. Recycling gives back, in more ways than one.

Republican New York State Senator Roy McDonald voted to support legalzing gay marriage in New York despite pressure from his colleages, among others. His courage to stand up for what he believes in, in this age of compromise and political pandering, is so admirable and awesome it gives me goosebumps.

Under pressure from the Conservative Party, anti-gay marriage groups, and religious leaders, McDonald rose to the occasion and gave this remarkable quote:

"You get to the point where you evolve in your life where everything isn't black and white, good and bad, and you try to do the right thing," McDonald, 64, told reporters.

"You might not like that. You might be very cynical about that. Well, fuck it, I don't care what you think. I'm trying to do the right thing.

"I'm tired of Republican-Democrat politics. They can take the job and shove it. I come from a blue-collar background. I'm trying to do the right thing, and that's where I'm going with this."

Prior to this, I had never heard of Senator McDonald but if this show of integrity is any example of the kind of man he is, New York is lucky to have him in public office. This action shows every sign of a leader who truly cares for the rights of human beings regardless of our differences. In my book, this kind of courage makes him a hero. Bravo Senator McDonald! 

Summer is officially here with June 21 bringing us the summer solstice. Scientifically speaking, the summer solstice is the moment the Earth's axial tilt is at its greatest inclination toward the Sun providing the longest time from sunrise to sunset for the particular hemisphere affected. For the June summer solstice, the North Pole tilts most directly toward the Sun, and the Sun is at it furthest point from the equator. It happens in June in the Northern hemisphere and in late December in the Southern.

That's the business side of summer. But a lot of people use the summer solstice as a day to celebrate, starting at dawn. Legends are many and most include bonfires (as in jumping over) and fireworks but some even include a little magic. For example, in Norway, it's said that if a girl puts flowers under her pillow that night, she will dream of her future husband. In Spain, if a woman wants to be fertile, she bathes in the sea until she's washed by 9 waves. In the time of the Vikings, people would visit healing water wells and make a large bonfire to ward away evil spirits. And in Bulgaria it is thought that anyone witnessing the sunrise on Summer Solstice will be healthy throughout the year. They also believe that a variety of herbs have the greatest healing power at sunrise; therefore, they have to be picked early in the morning before dawn. Women – believed to be sorceresses and enchantresses gather herbs for healing and tomake charms. 

Spaniards ward off evil spirits by jumping over their bonfires three times (or any odd number) for good luck at the cry of “meigas fora” (witches off!). They also drink a special "brew" Queimada, flaming Galician grappa mixed with sugar, coffee beans and pieces of fruit, which is prepared while chanting an incantation against evil spirits.

Latvia sounds like a fun party. Almost everyone celebrates, even Latvians abroad, and they eat local cheese, drink beer, sing folk songs, women wear wreaths of flowers and men wear leaves. They even host a police-protected naked run through the town of Kuldiga at 3 am with beer as the reward. No puritans allowed!

How to celebrate is up to each of us but celebrations are part of the joy of living and the fact that we're here to see another sunrise and sunset is definitely a good reason to revel and rejoice, in my opinion. Happy summer solstice!

Our new friends at BudhiMukha wrote a great blog about us! We met at Earth Day and I think/hope it's going to be the start of a long and beautiful friendship! :)

Check out their blog and spread the word. We're all here to help each other out.

When you grow up in the North Woods of Wisconsin you probably get quite an appreciation for nature. Gaylord Anton Nelson, born in Polk County, Wisconsin in 1916, not only appreciated nature, he fought for it by devoting himself to bringing political and national attention to all environmental issues. A man who spent his career serving others as a Democratic Senator and Governor of Wisconsin, Nelson took action where he saw action was needed. He became a voice for an issue that had no voice and an advocate for the betterment of not only forests, mountains and rivers, but the poor and discriminated against as well.

This man was a true force of nature — his accomplishments are truly awesome! Nelson was nicknamed the “Conservation Governor” of Wisconsin for overhauling Wisonsin’s natural resource program, he streamlined the Department of Resource Development, created a Youth Conservation Corps which created green jobs for over 1,000 unemployed young people and undertook the battle to earmark $50 million for the Outdoor Recreation Action Program (ORAP) to acquire land for public parks and wilderness areas.

While in Washington, Nelson suggested the idea of a national tour to call public attention to conservation and the environment, which he embarked on with President Kennedy. He worked with President Johnson to advance Civil Rights legislation and waged the War on Poverty. To Nelson, the environmental issues were more than just land, water and air:

“Environment is all of America and its problems. It is rats in the ghetto. It is a hungry child in a land of affluence. It is housing not worthy of the name; neighborhoods not fit to inhabit.”

Nelson did not believe that economic prosperity and environmental protection had to conflict. He worked tirelessly to educate people and show what could be done. A man of solutions, he promoted Operation Mainstream, a program which devoted millions of dollars to the creation of conservation jobs and skills training for the poor and the elderly under the Green Thumb project.

Despite the fact that his colleagues in Congress continued not to take ecological concerns seriously Nelson refused to be stopped in his quest to raise awareness. In 1969, when he noticed the empowering effects of campus activism throughout the U.S., he came up with the idea for a day when people nationwide would host teach-ins to raise awareness of environmental problems. Finally his voice was heard: the idea was a huge hit with the media and citizens nationwide and his proposal was met immediately with overwhelming support. The national media widely broadcast the plans for this so-called “Earth Day” and Nelson’s office was flooded by enthusiastic letters.

Nelson established a small national office to offer support to the thousands of grassroots efforts, but he firmly rejected a top-down organization. Instead, “Earth Day planned itself,” he later reflected. An estimated 20 million Americans, young and old, gathered on April 22, 1970 to confront the ecological troubles in their cities, states, nation, and planet—and to demand action from themselves and from their elected officials. It's been celebrated with growing popularity each year since.

How many people live their lives unaware and uninvolved? Gaylord Nelson shows us through his determination and actions that we each can truly make a difference. If we use our voices to bring attention to causes we believe in, we can be instruments of change. When we celebrate Earth Day we should remember the dedicated man who cared about protecting the world and empowering it's inhabitants through education and support. A voice for change, Gaylord Nelson is a true inspiration.

A New York Times article reports that a recent Harvard Women's Health Study has shown that women who had reported eating one or more servings of fish per week over a 10 year study were 42% less likely to develop age-related macular degeneration than those who ate less than one serving per month. That's a pretty significant difference!

The article by Robyn Rabin reports that eating canned tuna and dark-meat fish like mackerel, salmon, sardines, bluefish and swordfish appeared to have the most benefit.

Sadly, if it wasn't for the high levels of mercury and over-fishing problems we've created for ourselves, this would be even better news...

Read the full article here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/health/research/22diet.html?src=recg

Levi's, a true American icon, is going back to the past to create something beneficial for the future. Their new "Water<Less" Jeans collection will save approximately 16 million liters of water through a process that reduces the multiple wash cycles that most typical jeans require to give them their unique appearance and texture. Typical jeans take an average of three to 10 spins in huge washers and dryers but Levi's has reduced it to one.

The products available will include more than a dozen classic Levi's jeans and the Levi's trucker jacket.

Another super cool aspect of the project is that Levi's plans to teach it's water-saving techniques to several of their supplier factories which will create more water savings around the world. This is something to support.

Read more at: www.ecouterre.com/levis-launches-made-in-the-usa-line-of-waterless-jeans/

With all the tragedy and loss of life happening this week with the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan, a lighter story of someone making the most of his time here might be something worth pausing for. Staying active into later life has all kinds of benefits for the person doing it; however, it can also be inspiration for others, as Octavio Orduño has shown. At 103 he rides his tricycle through the streets of downtown Long Beach, CA. His wife made him give up his 2-wheeled bicycle when he turned 100 but he hasn't let that stop him. People love to see him and greet him along his route. Long Beach bike coordinator Charles Gandy says of Octavio, "he's our poster boy for healthy, active living around here. Just what people need to shake themselves out of a rut."

It's a cute story. Check out the videos in the article. Way to go Octavio!

www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-long-beach-tricyclist-20110314,0,6508824.story