Category: Environmental literate

  • The BARD on Earth Day. Shakespeare in Love (with AI)

    The BARD on Earth Day. Shakespeare in Love (with AI)

    I’ve been soliciting the sage advise and wise words of the BARD recently… 

    I got my new best buddy Bard (AI from Google)
    to help with two blogs: World
    Water Day 2023: Accelerating Change
    on March 22 and Earth
    Day 2023: Invest in our Planet
    on April 22. 

    But, William Shakespeare would be 459 years olde today (~23 April 1564 — 23 April 1616), so I wondered what “The Bard” would have to say? On the comings and goings of Earth Day?  The question asked:

    What would Shakespeare say about Earth Day?

    Shakespeare was
    a man of the natural world. He wrote about it often in his plays and poems, and
    he seemed to have a deep appreciation for its beauty and power. I think he
    would be proud of the way we have come together to celebrate Earth Day, and he
    would encourage us to continue to do everything we can to protect our planet.

    Here is a poem
    I wrote that imagines what Shakespeare might say about Earth Day:

    O Earth, thou
    art our mother,

    And we are thy
    children.

    We are grateful
    for thy bounty,

    And we vow to
    protect thee.

     

    We will not
    pollute thy waters,

    Nor foul thy
    air.

    We will not cut
    down thy forests,

    Nor kill thy
    animals.

     

    We will live in
    harmony with thee,

    And we will
    work to make thee a better place for all.

     

    For thou art
    our home,

    And we are thy
    caretakers.

    We will not
    fail thee.

    ** **

    I hope you like
    it.

  • Growth is always good? No matter the costs!

    Saving can be hugely benefiting to all. But it doesn’t show up in increased sales and higher GDP.
    A bigger, newer SUV is always better…
    Hmmmm?

    http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/jun/10/good-natural-malignant-five-ways-people-frame-economic-growth?CMP=share_btn_tw

  • World Water Day Quiz?

    All,


    World water day slipped by without a splash! http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday/ 


    Check the blog here on the topic: World Water Day 2014 blog post.


    Most people don’t realize the Nexus of water and energy.

    Most people don’t realize the Nexus of water and energy and plastics.
    Most people don’t realize the Nexus of water and energy and paper.
    Most people don’t realize the Nexus of water and energy and trash.
    Most people don’t realize the Nexus of water and energy and clothes (say cotton pants).
    Most people don’t realize the Nexus of water and energy and food… (virtual water).


    Quick quiz:

    1. How much of the earth’s water is available fresh water (like rivers, streams and fresh lakes)?
    2. What percentage of the bottled water we drink is from a municipal water source (i.e., fine Miami tap-water)?
    3. How many gallons of water (typically) does it take to power a light bulb per year (in the US, based on 12 hrs per day, 60w incandescent)?
    4. How many gallons of water does it take to make a serving of cereal? of beef? of cotton clothes?
    5. How many gallons of water does the average (per capita) American use per day? All things considered, how much water per day?

    Go here to find most of the answers to these questions: http://sustainzine.blogspot.com/search?q=world+water+quiz 


    Key: Out of about 100% correct, where do you stand?

    • 5% right? Low average. You probably should know a little more about our earth systems.
    • 10% right? About average. You probably should know a little more about our earth systems.
    • 20% right? Above average. Pretty good! You probably should know a little more about our earth systems.
    • 30% right? You read too much or you are a closet environmentalist.
    • 40% right? Genius and a full fledged environmentalist. You probably should be blogging about sustainability issues.
    • 50% or more right? No… You cheated! You looked up the answers and were actually lucky enough to find sources that were accurate/right!
  • New program at USF examines water bottle usage

    New program at USF examines water bottle usage (2.44 min video)

    This is a cool/excellent program at USF related to eliminating the water bottles use on campus.
    Note the refill stations being used throughout campus.
    We all need to get way from the bottled water.
    13B plastic bottles per year now. That’s a 10 fold increase from 10 years ago.!:-(
    Environmental literate.