Pollution due to carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases which contribute hugely to global warming remains untamed, as international response to calls like the Kyoto Protocol entreating industrialized countries like the US to limit their CO2 emissions remain “grossly disappointing”, as Nobel Prize winner Paul Crutzen wrote in an article in 2006 in the journal Climatic Change. Experts estimate that global warming may increase surface temperatures by as much as 6.4 ºC (11.5 ºF) if CO2 levels continue to rise as it does now. This rise in temperature may give rise to any number of situations in the future, all of which will probably have a bad effect on humans and other life forms: greater incidence of Katrina-like storms and extreme weather, extinction of plant and animal species unable to tolerate the heat, rising sea levels that can drown coastal cities, and others. So, to counter the disastrous effects of global warming, scientists like Crutzen propose very drastic solutions.

So what are some of these proposals? Pollute the upper atmosphere with sulfur dust to reflect sunlight. Put small lenses in orbit. Float large white “islands” on oceans. Bury CO2 to the depths of the ocean by lacing the waters with iron. All these mad sci-fi fixes are lumped under the heading of “geoengineering”, a new science that promises to negate the effects of global warming really fast while struggling to find a serious audience in the scientific community.

While geoengineering received little attention until Crutzen’s paper was published, the idea of deliberately manipulating the atmosphere to suit human needs has been around in the fringes since the beginning of the 20th century. The warming effect of CO2 emissions on land temperature was explored in 1905; the undesirable effects of CO2 pollution were discussed in more detail in the 1960s, and attempts at weather modification were done much earlier by the former USSR beginning in 1932. Proposals to cool the atmosphere appeared beginning in 1964.

In recent decades, the ideas of geoengineering met with considerable and understandable resistance from the scientific community. Geoengineering was deemed too impractical, with results that were insignificant or capable of wrecking more damage to the environment or both. It was only through Crutzen’s prominence as an expert in atmospheric chemistry and the persistence of its proponents that geoengineering finally grabbed the spotlight; NASA held a workshop on geoengineering in California on November 2006, and climate scientists convened in Harvard University for a geoengineering conference earlier that same month. And renewed perceptions toward geoengineering are favorable; now, experts generally agree that if the warming gets out of hand and other measures fail, geoengineering may be a good last resort.

So how effective is geoengineering in controlling global warming? Actual small-scale experiments on several proposed methods are yet to be done, but some show promise. Most promising of the proposals is the frequent introduction of tons and tons of sulfur particles into the stratosphere to reflect sunlight back into space, proposed by Crutzen. Computer simulations of the effects of such an action show that stratospheric shading using sulfur could counteract further projected warming indefinitely.

Still scientists show no great eagerness to the idea. Scientists fear that the immediate effects of geo-engineering will lead world leaders to abandon long-range plans to clean the atmosphere of greenhouse gases. Still, scientists who had warmed up to the idea of tweaking the climate concede that geo-engineering must be considered seriously for possible future implementation, in the face of a possibly dire future climate, because at the pace with which current strategies to alleviate global warming are being done geo-engineering could very well be our planet’s only hope.

The entire planet shares a growing love affair with chocolate. Each year world chocolate consumption rises three percent. According to USA Today, Americans consume almost 12 pounds of chocolate per year. With such a popular food product, there is bound to be waste and lots of it in the form of chocolate past its sell-by date. What can we do with all this chocolate waste? If we don’t manage it, then it will all inevitably end up in our landfills.

Managing Chocolate Waste

With forms of biodiesel like e85 effecting the cost of livestock feed prices, some cows in Nova Scotia are now eating chocolate and candy waste product according to CBC News. CBC News states, “The chocolate and candies go into a chopper, where they’re mixed with other byproducts, such as barley and wheat dust.” While this solution has a positive impact on the environment by preventing tons of organic waste from reaching our landfills - we must ask ourselves if this is the best solution? What are the health implications for the animals and then in turn for the humans who consume them?

A Better Solution

British biodiesel producer Ecotec has developed a process for converting waste chocolate into bioethanol fuel. In December of 2007, a 4,500 mile trek from the UK to Mali, West Africa was completed in the BioTruck. The entire BioTruck journey was powered by waste chocolate based bioethanol. How many bars of chocolate were needed to complete this trek? About 80,000.

Bioethanol from organic waste product such as chocolate is a much more environmentally sound choice than e85. Why? Using organic waste for fuel means we won’t inadvertently be driving up food prices. We also won’t need to clear-cut entire forests to plant ethanol crops.

With a growing global population, it is important for us all to do our part in minimizing our carbon footprints. While chocolate may not be the final answer, converting organic waste into usable fuel can reduce landfill waste, reduce our need for other fossil fuels and minimize the risk of driving up food prices.

Many parents today have a lot of concerns about the toys they give their children. With all the concerns and publicity about global warming and importance of conserving energy, socially conscience parents also want to buys toys that don’t have a negative impact on the environment. Finding Green Toys does not have to be an impossible task. We have done some research and found two companies that deserve a lot of credit in their efforts by creating environmentally friendly toys. Green Toys and Play toys have both taken going Green to a new level.

The best example of a Green Toys company is aptly names Green Toys. This new company has combined all aspects that parents look for when trying to find safe toys for their kids. The line currently only has 4 products but they are all winners. Their current collection includes a Sand Play Set, Cookware and Dining Set, Indoor Gardening Kit, and the soon to be released Tea Set. These toys are manufactured, assembled and tested in the USA so parents don’t need to worry about any potential risks associated with Chinese factories. Green Toys makes sure that their products contain no phthalates, BPA or lead, and that they meet FDA requirements for food contact.

Green Toys makes all their products from curbside collected plastic milk. These plastic containers are collected at your curb by a local recycling company, who then sorts them from all the other types of plastic. The milk containers are then reprocessed into super clean fresh plastic called high-density polyethylene (or HDPE). This material is considered one of the safest, cleanest plastics around.

The environmental mission of Green Toys also extends to their packaging. They strive to minimize packaging so all their boxes use as little material as possible. Green Toys only uses recycled corrugated boxes with no plastics, cellophane or twist-ties, and are 100% recyclable. Green toys tries to take every precaution to make sure that their products and packaging won’t end up adding to land fills.

Many parents today are looking for toys made in the USA and Green Toys is happy to oblige. Making toys in California has a lot of other added bonuses for parents and the environment. California is a state known for strict toy safety and environmental laws. This makes the toys that much safer for your children. Another added bonus is that transportation is one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gasses. By making toys in California a lot less fuel is used in the transportation of the toys before they get to shelves in your local store. Every step in the process, from milk container recycling to toy production to final assembly, occurs in California. This way the raw materials and toys are not shipped from overseas. This saves a lot of energy and thus reduces greenhouse gasses. Parents can feel good about buying products made by Green Toys. These American made toys are non-toxic, save energy, reduce landfill waste and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Although few companies have gone Green as well as the Green Toys company we highly recommend the products made by Plan Toys. This fantastic Thailand based toy company has initiated a Green Concept as part of its overall Mission Statement. Their efforts start with environmentally friendly materials. PlanToys® makes their href=”http://www.sensoryedge.com/plan-toys.html”>educational toys and products from clean, natural rubberwood. Rubber trees are used to create latex but once they can no longer be used for this purpose they are often cut for wood to make toys and furniture. Plan No fertilizer is added so that the wood stays chemical free. Moreover, to stabilize the wood, PlanToys® uses a time consuming chemical-free kiln drying process.

Many problems have been found in the glue and paints used in children’s toys. To circumvent this problem Play Toys assembles their products by using a proprietary non-formaldehyde glue instead of the traditional toxic wood glue. This proprietary glue is E-Zero which means it contains no Formaldehyde emission. They also use non-toxic, water based dyes to add accent colors to products instead of paint. This color contains no heavy metal elements such as lead or mercury.

In addition to keeping with their green concept PlanToys® uses recycled and recyclable material to minimize their impact on the environment. They also use soy ink & water based ink on printed materials. This ink decomposes faster than regular chemical ink and can be recycled more efficiently. PlanToys® integrates alternative energy, e.g. solar cell and biomass or wood scrap which can be used to generate energy for machinery that kiln- dry the wood and the paint. Every effort is made throughout the manufacturing process to make their toys safe for kids and the environment.

Better to recycle than dump old computers

People normally discard their outdated electronic equipment including obsolete computers. While the technology may have become obsolete, the computers and other electronic equipment may still be of use to others. If not, and disposal is inevitable, it’s better to recycle these computers recycling rather than just discarding them.

Vibrant Second hand market for old computers

It’s estimated that a person will keep their laptop for just 3 years before deciding to buy a new one. Cell phones, on the other hand, are generally replaced and disposed of within 24 months. Most electronic equipment including computers, printers, monitors and other peripherals can be refurbished, recycled or donated to schools and charities.

For some electronic equipment, there is second-hand market, particularly for items such as laptop computers, digital cameras and cell phones. These devices can be quickly sold off at considerable value.

The Electronics Industries Alliance (EIA)

The Electronics Industries Alliance (EIA) companies have created numerous programs which help in recycling computers and other electronic equipment. These programs are designed specifically to help people by giving back to the community and charities.

Many schools, charities, underprivileged citizen groups and church programs benefit from these programs. They help both the environment and the community. You can also receive tax benefits when old computers are donated to charities or such programs. To find out more about charities that need old but functional computers, search the Internet or inquire about them at your local county offices.

Many computer parts can be recycled

Many parts of computers can be recycled and used in other products. Theses companies will recycle the glass, plastic and metals and use them for their next generation of equipment. This helps them to lower their manufacturing costs as well. Its time that people become responsible and accountable for their actions, especially when it comes to computer recycling.

It’s very important that people recycle their electronic and computer equipment, rather than just dispose of these devices in a land fill. Many of the computer parts include toxic substances such as mercury and lead which can leach into underground water supplies.

When these elements leak from the computer and enter the land fill, it can have dangerous consequences for the environment. These elements can usually be recycled instead of just discarded.

Strict guidelines by lawmakers are becoming more common

Many of the EIA companies follow strict guidelines which have been laid down, to ensure that computer equipment causes minimal damage to the environment. Nevertheless, there are still many companies that are lax about recycling computers and electronics devices. They also outsource the recycling to countries where the laws for recycling aren’t as stringent as they are in the states.

As state lawmakers and government become more and more aware of possible damage to the environment, they are enacting laws that are very specific and stringent about recycling and these directly relate to the disposal of electronic equipment and the hazardous materials that they contain. There are also many bans in effect, especially for equipment that contains mercury or lead. The European Union has also enacted new laws concerning computer recycling.

The green revolution isn’t done until the paperwork is finished. Eco friendly paper products are a necessary addition to any environmentally friendly home. We all know that paper actually does grow on trees, but how much does the average person use?

When it comes to toilet paper the average ranges from 20,000 to 30,000 sheets per year per person. Add to this facial tissues and paper towels and you start seeing some significant numbers. The obvious green choice is to go with eco friendly paper products for all your household needs.

In this case eco friendly means recycled. Just one ton of recycled paper saves; 17 trees, 7000 gallons of water, 60 pounds of air pollution, 2.5 cubic yards of landfill space and enough kilowatts of electrical power to run the average home for 6 months.

When shopping for eco friendly paper products look for the highest percentage of post-consumer content in the paper. This indicates the amount of waste paper collected from consumers and reprocessed. The higher the percent, the better the paper product is for the environment.

By buying these products you are not only helping the planet, but you are sending a message to the manufacturer and encouraging this cycle of recycling. Every year Americans use approximately 85 million tons of paper products or about 680 pounds per person.

Recycling is not just a good idea, it is becoming a necessity. But how can you be sure you are buying truly eco friendly paper products? Check the label, if your product is endorsed by Green Seal you are buying a quality product. The manufacturer can also make a difference, for example Seventh Generation produces across the board high quality eco friendly products of all sorts and openly discloses all ingredients.

Beware of products claiming to be “environmentally friendly,” “safe for the environment” or “natural” as these phrases carry little weight and do not indicate that the product is made from recycled materials.

Ultimately you want toilet paper, paper towels and facial tissue made from 100% recycled paper. All truly eco friendly paper products are made chlorine, free being whitened with an environmentally safe process and often coming free of dyes and perfumes.

Buying this kind of household paper will reduce the need for virgin wood pulp which is good due to the fact that 90% of American native forests are gone and won’t be coming back anytime soon.

Going green with your household paper products won’t cost you any more than with traditional brands and will give much more back to the planet. It is an easy switch and a necessary one.

Every day brings another news story about the seeming inevitability and severity of global climate change. It is impossible to say with much accuracy how the forces put into motion by global warming will play out, but the bottom line is simple: the more heat-trapping gases we put into the atmosphere, the more the climate will change. The major culprit is thought to be carbon dioxide (CO2). And the major producer of CO2 emissions is the combustion of fossil fuels. This problem may seem terribly overwhelming, but there is a simple change you can make to help stop global warming, and it’s almost like you don’t have to do anything.
The Major Issue To Address Is Your Addiction To Your Car

The Major Issue To Address Is Your Addiction To Your Car

That’s right, you can help stop global warming by simply not driving! Do you struggle to imagine your life without owning a personal automobile? You’re certainly not the only one. America’s love affair with the personal automobile has a history so long that it is deeply embedded in our culture. You may see the automobile as more than a piece of technology, but as a staple of our material culture for the freedom that it ostensibly provides. Personal automobile use is a major contributor to global warming. On the bright side, you can make a big contribution to solving global warming by refraining from using your automobile. In the United States, the only sector responsible for emitting more carbon dioxide than transportation is electricity generation. While reforms to make electricity generation could take years of bureaucratic process and infrastructure development, you can take a major step to help stop global warming today by reducing your automobile use.

The Solution That Can Help You Stop Global Warming - Walk, Bike, and Use Public Transportation

The fossil fuels burned while driving are immense. If you drive 12,000 miles a year in a car that achieves an average of 20 miles per gallon, that activity is responsible for producing six tons of carbon dioxide. This number may seem meaningless, but consider that the average American home and car are responsible for 7.5 tons per capita each over the same year you can see what a tremendous impact driving has on the atmosphere. The American Public Transportation Association reports that using public transportation results in half the emissions that would be created by the same trip in a car. Walking and biking produce no emissions and provide the additional benefit of giving you a sense of freedom that cannot be afforded by any motorized vehicle.

By altering your life in this way, you can be a beacon for others who have yet to take the plunge themselves. You can change all the light bulbs you want, but very few people will ever witness that act. Walking, biking and using public transit are public acts which make a strong statement that you are committed to help stop global warming. If others can see that you have made this change in your life, they will be inspired to do the same, creating a positive feedback loop that will catalyze grassroots reform-the key to overcoming this potentially devastating catastrophe.

The Simple Fact Is You Can Be Happier Without Owning Your Own Car If You Make Car Free Living A Major Focus In Your Life

If you are still reading, you probably take issue with the the idea of being happier without a car. But many people have kicked their habit of owning a personal vehicle and have not looked back. Once you let go of your addiction, you will notice that your quality of life has improved and the car’s singular benefit of convenience will seem bygone . Reflect on the potential benefits for a moment: less time behind the wheel in traffic; a healthier body; one less major possession needing upkeep; more free time and more money. Now consider the fact that the average household in the U.S. spends 17% of its budget on owning and operating personal vehicles . Imagine being liberated from that financial burden! You will be able to spend more money on what you enjoy or perhaps spend less time working.

As with other addictions, though, going cold turkey is not always the most effective method. Try first committing to using alternative transportation on one day a week when you would normally use your automobile. Gradually increase this as it becomes easier and work towards making more and more trips this way. As you continue to enjoy the financial benefits of making fewer car trips, consider getting rid of your car completely to realize the full money-saving potential. This may seem like a treacherous transition, but for occasional use, many people make use of car sharing. Car co-ops provide access to car for people who have given up owning a vehicle, but still want occasional access to one. Car sharing is available in hundreds of cities. If none exists in your city, consider starting a car sharing co-op or relocating to an area where you are not so dependent on your own vehicle.

Only earnest efforts to avert this possible tragedy will be effective. Giving up your car may seem like a tragic sacrifice, but it pales in comparison to the sacrifices that humanity and the earth will face should we fail to face the “elephant in the room” that is global climate change.

As the Philippines seeks better ways to use its resources in combating climate change, a new discovery by a Filipino biotechnology company based in the U.S. has tapped a wonder plant in the country as a source of biofuel.

Malunggay, scientifically known as Moringa oleifera Lamk, which is widely grown in the Philippines and is considered one the world’s most useful plants, is found as a good source of Moringa oil. This oil is believed to be a biofuel source.

SECURA International announced that malunggay oil is being tapped by the North American Biofuels Inc. (NABI) since January as possible raw material for biodiesel production. As a result, the former is currently growing malunggay in 500,000-hectare farmland to meet the demands of NABI.

Since malunggay can easily be grown in the country, SECURA International president Danny Manayaga encouraged the Filipino farmers to take advantage of the situation in meeting the demands of the world for the Moringa oil supply to be used as biodiesel.

Manayaga said this business is sustainable since the market is very accessible. Currently, there are 165 marketing companies in the U.S. for biodiesel using soybean oil as raw material. It is expected that in the next 50 years, Japan and Korea will be the biggest markets of Moringa oil for their automobiles that will use biodiesel.

Others might be thinking of the real viability of Moringa oil as biodiesel. But the NABI has already authenticated that it has passed the biofuels standards. This means doubts of whether this can truly be used are over.

Earlier, the Philippine government is endorsing jatropha as a source of biofuel. However, Manayaga said Moringa oil is more useful that jatropha. What makes malunggay better than the jatropha is that malunggay is 100 percent usable; all parts are biodegradable. Unlike jatropha, it has a toxic part. Once its oil is extracted, the left-over part becomes a nuclear waste according to the findings.

With malunggay as a biofuel source in the Philippines, the country may in some way help other countries reduce the impact of global warming by sharing the benefits of Moringa oil.

Many people take for granted that they will get water when they turn on the tap. But did you ever stop to wonder where it comes from and how it gets to you?

Water is one of the Earths most abundant natural resources, but the total amount of water available is fixed. Earth has the same amount of water today as it did when life first emerged on the planet. That’s because our water is in a continuous process of use and reuse. In fact, the water we drink today was the same water the dinosaurs drank. You could actually be sharing a drink with Julius Caesar, Cleopatra or even George Washington!

Most of the worlds water supply is in the form of salt water stored in the oceans. Since converting salt water to fresh water for drinking is generally expensive, it is rare to find a city that relies on salt water as its water source.

Only three percent of the worlds water supply is fresh water, and two-thirds of that water is frozen, in the form of polar ice caps, glaciers and icebergs. Thus, only one percent of the overall supply is fresh water that can be found as either surface or groundwater and used for human consumption. You’ll find surface water in lakes, rivers, ponds and streams, while groundwater is underneath your feet in underground aquifiers.

Groundwater systems are more numerous, but serve smaller populations, while surface water systems serve larger groups. Others receive their water supply from private wells that also tap groundwater sources.

As the worlds population continues to increase, so does the demand for water; however, the worlds water supply does not increase. What there is, is unevenly distributed through precipitation because of varying conditions such as climate and water consumption by plants and animals. So there is not always enough water in places where it is needed. And due to growing populations and industry, the total amount of clean water available is constantly diminishing.

Those of us who reside in developed countries should count ourselves among the fortunate, in terms of water supply. Relatively clean water is a constant in our lives, readily available whenever we need it. However, even developed countries suffer from water woes and contamination issues related to aging infrastructure, treatment breakdowns, human error and geological influences.

In underdeveloped countries, the water crisis tops the list of issues to be addressed. More than 1.5 billion people around the world lack a safe and reliable supply of drinking water, and water-related diseases are the leading cause of deaths across the globe.

While there may be a plentiful supply of water in developed countries, there are still many issues with the quality of the water that is supplied to homes. This could be due to hardness minerals such as calcium and magnesium that can block pipes and cause hard water stains. To remove hard water stains from fixtures and fittings around the home takes a small amount of knowledge about its properties. In particular, knowing that a weak acid will remove them will go a long way to getting rid of them as the acid dissolves away such stains with ease.

These acid solutions can often be made up using simple household ingredients from around the home. There are really easy ways to remove even the most stubborn limescale and hard water stains without any expensive products in 30 minutes using a simple step by step proven method, that will make your fixtures and fittings shine like new!

When people think or energy sources, they mostly think of coal, natural gas and oil, these fuels have been the source of energy for a number of years. One problem however is that they are limited in supply and availability.

Estimates have shown that the currently available sources will only meet our current energy demands for about 50 to 70 years or so. In order to find alternative sources of energy the world has decided to pursue renewable energy sources. However even renewable energy sources have their advantages and disadvantages too.

The available renewable energy sources that we have include solar, hydro, wind, geothermal, ocean and biomass. The most common of these advantages is that they are clean energy sources and do not pollute the air. They also do not contribute to global warming or greenhouse effects. Because the sources of such energy are natural the cost of operations are substantially reduced and they require less maintenance on their plants. One common disadvantage is that it is impossible to produce large quantities of electricity than can be done with fossil fuels. Because they are new technologies the costs of initiating them is also high.

Solar energy utilizes the energy from the sun. It has its advantages because these systems can easily fit into existing buildings and do not affect land use. Since the area that these collectors rest in is quite large, a lot more materials are needed. Solar radiation is also controlled by geography too. It is also limited to the daytime as well as non-cloudy days.

Wind energy makes use of the power of the wind in order to create electricity. Though it produces the most jobs it is reliant on strong winds too. Wind turbines tend to be large and though the areas under them can be used for farming, most people think of them as unattractive looking. These turbines are also very noisy to operate and they threaten the population of wild birds too.

Hydroelectric energy makes use of water in order to produce power. It is the most reliable of all energy sources that are renewable. Its disadvantages are that it affects the ecology and causes downstream problems. Decay of vegetation on the riverbed can also cause a buildup of methane which contributes to the greenhouse effects. Dams may also cause an alteration of the natural river flow and affect wildlife in the area as well. Water which is colder and which is lacking in oxygen tends to be released into the water this kills the fish, sudden release of water like this may also result in flooding.

Geothermal energy makes use of the steam from the Earth’s ground in order to generate power. It uses a smaller land area that other types of power plants. They can literally run continuously throughout the year. The disadvantages tend to be that these plants are site specific and it can bring up toxic chemicals and heat from the earth when it tries to obtain the steam. Drilling such geothermal reservoirs can also cost a lot.

Biomass electricity is made from the energies of wood, agricultural and municipal waste. It tends to help save on landfill waste but the transportation is also expensive and tends to affect the diversity of the land. Other than this the process is quite complex and should be much simpler.

Ocean energy has proven to be a clean and abundant energy form. It tends to be expensive and in order to access this energy, you need at least a 40 degree Fahrenheit difference in water temperature throughout the year. Other than this, the construction and putting in place of pipes may damage the ecosystem.

What is the best way we can celebrate Earth Day? Celebrations, planting trees and cleaning up rubbish are all a big part of this day. The environment seems to be on our minds more often but we are still needing to do more on a daily basis. It’s important to have one day where we all take notice.

Perhaps one of the best ways to appreciate the importance of caring for our environment is by taking some time during this day and paying attention to our own corner of the world.

Head Outside

So many of us go from our house to our car to the office to turn around and make the same trip home and may not have the time to really notice our surroundings or even spend any time outside. Can we really appreciate this planet we call home if we have so little connection with nature?

How about this? On Earth Day walk your neighborhood and enjoy spring in it’s full glory.

As you are walking pay attention. Is it garbage day? Just a weekly occurrence but just how much trash is on the curb for the houses or apartment buildings around you? Keep in mind that’s one weeks worth in one small section of the city multiplied by 52 weeks for however many years.

Perhaps it’s such a nice day that it has motivated everyone to do a little spring cleaning or yard work. So many of our outdoor tasks use water. It never seems like we use very much but as you look around do you see ways it could be used more wisely or maybe even a way a job could be done without it.

Do you live near water? For all the beauty that is usually found around bodies of water if we look more closely what do you see? Do you see garbage lying around? Has someone used it to dump junk or toxic stuff? Have Styrofoam cups and other kinds of plastic garbage floated in to shore?

A walk on a even a well maintained trail almost always turns up plastic water bottles or a plastic shopping bag stuck in a tree somewhere. We can’t escape it. City, suburb, country, no matter where we live we can see the effects of man and woman both good and bad on the world around us.

You get the idea. When we live in an area it becomes easy to overlook the problems. We become accustomed to doing things the same or seeing the same things everyday and sometimes we just don’t see them anymore. But with a fresh awareness you may look around and begin thinking how am I contributing to this? What can I do to start to improve things and then do something.

Right now finding the resources to help us make changes are plentiful. This Earth Day, by just bringing our awareness to problems within our own neighborhood we can begin to do our part in making sure our kids will be able to enjoy the wonder and beauty of this small planet.

It starts with us.