Earth Day 2012...

Starved Rock State Park, IL

“The economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment, not the other way around.” - Gaylord Nelson 

Happy Earth Day everyone! Here in the Midwest it was a beautiful sunny day, albeit a bit chilly due to a strong wind. Wherever you are, and whatever the weather conditions I hope you took some time out today to take stock of the world around you, and give thanks and appreciation to this amazing planet we call home. I hope you also engaged in your own personal act of conservation to show solidarity for the Earth. - ie. Keeping your lights turned off, using as little electricity as possible, taking a garbage bag when you go out walking and collect some trash, donate a few dollars to an environmental organization etc... - Spent as much time as you could outside and enjoyed the wonders that nature has to offer, far too often we take this world for granted and today is the perfect day for us to all stop, take a step back and ‘smell the roses’ so to speak.

A little bit of interesting Earth Day information for you is that the origin of Earth Day is credited to a former Wisconsin senator named Gaylord Nelson.  After witnessing the destruction caused by the massive 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara, California, and inspired by the student anti-war movement of the time, he called for an environmental teach-in, or Earth Day to be held on April 22nd 1970.  Over 20 million people participated in that first year, and now Earth Day is celebrated on April 22nd of each year by more then 500 million people, and several national governments in 175 countries. Now there is even an Earth Week, which is celebrated by many communities around the world in which the entire week people focus on environmental issues and activities. Nelson, who was an environmentalist and conservation activist took a leading role in organizing the original celebration, modeling it on the Vietnam war teach-in’s of the time, and hoping to demonstrate popular political support for an environmental agenda.

It really is amazing how such an enormous movement can grow out of one simple idea. Such things always give me hope for humanity.

“The wealth of the nation is its air, water, soil, forests, minerals, rivers, lakes, oceans, scenic beauty, wildlife habitats and biodiversity… that’s all there is. That’s the whole economy. That’s where all the economic activity and jobs come from. These biological systems are the sustaining wealth of the world.” - Gaylord Nelson

Since I already try to live everyday of my life as environmentally friendly as possible, my Earth Day celebration this year focused on just taking time to appreciate the world. I started my day by going for a nice long walk. I stopped by the lake near my home to visit the families of Canadian Geese that reside there year round. I’ve been visiting them for years, but haven’t had much of an opportunity over the past couple of weeks to see them. This morning I discovered that one family has had it’s goslings already. Six cute, fuzzy yellow fluff balls chirping and waddling around the tall grass. So I found a sunny spot on the grass overlooking the lake to sit and watch them for a while. They are the most adorable little things, and seeing them always fills me with joy. After returning home I played with my dog for a while and went for a second walk this time with her as my companion. I spent some time hooping in my yard, enjoying the sun and the breeze, and then it was off to the kitchen to prepare a feast fit for an Earth Day celebration.

I wanted the dishes to be relatively simply, and yet a bit gourmet. I wanted them to take into account all the wonderful bounty of spring produce, and I wanted them to reflect the holiday we were celebrating. Every dish - except the dessert - incorporated something green to represent Mother Earth and Nature. Every dish utilized at least one fruit, vegetable or herb we commonly associate with the change of season and the warmer months. The resulting meal was more then I could ever have hoped for, and it was well worth the three hours I spent preparing it. By the time everything was plated, all the photos were taken and we sat down to eat, we had a lovely four course meal laid out before us.

It started with an appetizer of Crostini with Pesto and sauteed Chanterelle Mushrooms. Followed by a warm - not hot - Creamy Spring Pea Soup. Next was a Kickin’ Kale Coleslaw, and finally the main dish, a delicious, delectable Spring Onion Phyllo Tart. After another walk to and around the lake we returned home to enjoy our fifth and final course, dessert. Which was a melt in your mouth Blackberry Vanilla Buttercream Cake with Blackberry Buttercream frosting. Keep your eyes peeled because I promise recipes and photos of all five or our Earth Day dishes will be appearing in the next week. They were just too good not to share!

Finally we ended the night by going to see Disney’s new Earth Day feature “Chimpanzee” which was an absolutely incredible film. Not only for it’s moving story but for it’s feats of technical brilliants and awe-inspiring camera work. The film had me smiling with joy, teary with sadness, and totally dumb-struck by beauty the entire way through. If you haven’t yet seen the film, I highly recommend it, and if you do choose to go please go during the first week. As a percentage of all ticket proceeds in the first week is donated to the Jane Goodall Institute as a part of the “See Chimpanzee’s, Save Chimpanzee’s” program to help protect chimpanzee’s and their habitat. Or if you can’t or don’t want to see the film you can always go to the Jane Goodall Institute or Disney Nature’s website to see how you can help Chimpanzee’s in other ways. Remember that every little bit helps, and it’s the least we can do for these amazing creatures that are so like us.

Happy Earth Day!
May the majesty and beauty of nature always surround you.

“It’s not just a fight for clean air, but a fight for everyone in this country to live in a personal environment in which he can live like a human being.” - Mary Lou Oates

The Jane Goodall Institute
http://www.janegoodall.org/

Disney Nature
http://disney.go.com/disneynature/chimpanzee/

“The fault lies not in the science and technology as such but in the sense of values of the contemporary world which ignores the rights of others.” - Indira Gandhi

'Never Cry Wolf' - by Farley Mowat...

"Whenever and wherever men have engaged in the mindless slaughter of animals (including other men), they have often attempted to justify their acts by attributing the most vicious or revolting qualities to those they would destroy; and the less reason there is for the slaughter, the greater the campaign of vilification."
                                                  Never Cry Wolf - Farley Mowat - 1963

When I first read this quote, the truth of it cut so deep into my core that I had to read it slowly, four or five more times. I wanted to savor the words, and meditate on them. It’s the kind of statement - both haunting and piercing - that transcends time. For as long as the human species has been alive, and for as long as we continue to survive we have and will continue to murder out of greed and out of fear. No truer words could be said about humans, and in fact the statement is so paramount that it should be etched onto the tombstone of humanity.

Tuesday I was in my beloved local library searching through the rather large section of books that fall into the category of ‘animal science/animal behavior’ This is not a section of the library I had ever ventured to before, nor is it a subject I felt compelled to research thoroughly. That is until the winds of interest suddenly changed and I found myself blown quite haphazardly into a vast world of literature I never knew existed. Among those books I found this little gem by Farley Mowat. Knowing nothing at all about it, yet finding myself almost mesmerize by the picture of two beautiful wolves on the cover, I slipped it onto my already towering stack.
Two days later when I was trying to decide which book to read first I immediately grabbed for this one. I cracked it open, read the first paragraph and was hooked. It’s been quite some time since a book completely overtook me and this one did. I could barely put it down. I read the first 130 pages well before lunch, and finished the rest of it after dinner. I’ll tell you, that six hour break between meals was a killer. Every now and then I’d pick the book back up and read a paragraph or two before forcing myself to put it done so I could do the rest of the things I had planned for the day.

For those of you who are unaware Farley Mowat is a popular and distinguished naturalist and author from Ontario Canada. He’s written tons of books, many of which are internationally acclaimed, and two movies have been made based on his work. One of them "Never Cry Wolf" the adaptation of this book, and the second "The Snow Walker" starring Barry Pepper, which you may be more familiar with.

This book was written in 1963 and details Mowat’s experience investigating the cause of declining caribou populations in Arctic Canada and determining whether or not wolves - as Canada’s Dominion Wildlife Services suggested - were responsible. The book chronicles the time he spent living nearly alone in the frozen tundra studying the wolves, and examines his growing affection for them.

There is some controversy over how accurate or factual the book really is, some critics have called Mowat Bias a liar and worse, and in turn many of those critics have also been called the same by others. Controversy or no I could care less. Whether the book is 100% factual I have no idea, but I doubt it is. Though if we’re being honest has there ever been a biography, autobiography or book supposedly based on ‘true events’ that is 100% factual? Not likely. With books in this category a certain level of embellishment is the expected norm. Books such as these of course are meant to entertain, and life isn’t always ‘stranger than fiction’ but regardless of the books factual integrity I loved it. I loved every second I spent reading it, and I knew immediately that I’d have to discuss it here once I’d finished it.

It may sound boring to you, the premise of a man alone in the arctic tundra studying beings who can not speak as we understand it, and who can not interact in a manner in which we are accustom. You might wonder how much one could write about a baron landscape but you will be amazed. Not once was I bored, in fact I was enthralled. Mowat writes with passion, and beauty. His words are evocative and haunting. He writes with humor, and paints such vivid pictures that one could easily imagine themself inhabiting the time and place of which he writes. Mowat’s writing style is a perfect balance of lean yet detailed, simple yet complex, and his characters - the wolves - are truly magnificent creatures/creations. The wolves are so richly drawn that one almost forgets they’re wolves

Factual or not the book is peppered with penetrating quotes like the one above. His musings and observations are astute and exquisite and leave the reader with much to mull over and think about later. I still can’t shake the books imagery from my mind, and have thought about it at least once everyday since I finished it. I like to believe that Mowat’s wolves were real, and that his account is mostly true, as this book had a huge impact on how society views wolves. For centuries they were hated and feared by virtually every culture. There was a time, not so very long ago, when people were actively trying to eradicate them. Though the idea of the wolf as a ruthless, bloodthirsty savage deserving of nothing more then our contempt is a powerful one this book went a long way in transforming wolves from monsters into a cause for sympathy and compassion in the hearts of many readers. For that reason alone - at least from a conservation stance - this book should be held in some esteem.

It swiftly and ferociously plunged itself into my heart, and has become an instant favorite of mine. A book I highly recommend for it’s beauty as well as it’s perceptive observations of humanity.

"We have doomed the wolf not for what it is, but for what we deliberately and mistakenly perceive it to be - the mythological epitome of a savage, ruthless killer - which is, in reality, no more than the reflected image of ourself."

- Farley Mowat