Rain in Los Angeles

It's been raining all day and I can't help but worry about the hummingbird chicks. Fortunately the rain has been light and there has been no wind.

The mother has built her nest on top of a nest that was successful last year. It is in a fairly protected location, but the cool temperatures and duration of the rain will tax her own survival as well as the chicks.

The green lynx spider has not fared well in the wet weather. She abandoned her egg sac. Whether she survived and moved on or perished, I'm not sure.

The slender salamanders, however, are loving this weather. We spotted a mating pair last night before the rain started. We've seen a total of 5 individuals (including two mating pairs) in the last three weeks. That's more than we've seen in the last 4 years. Perhaps the prolonged periods of rain will mean an increase in their population.

Answer to the Mystery Plant - Black Nightshade

The one thing I love about blogging is that it allows me to communicate with friends near and far and to interact with a community of people sharing information.

Last week I mentioned a new plant in my yard that I was unable to identify. Tristan, a friend who is working in the field as a biologist, sent me the following information:

I saw the new plant on your blog, it looks like black nightshade (Solanum spp.). I see this plant often in the Central Valley. You're right about the berries being toxic to mammals, particularly in large quantities and when the berries are green (although I've seen the seeds of the green berries often in raccoon and coyote scat).

The Photos: From UC Berkeley were a dead ringer for the plant in the yard. Black nightshade is found all over the world, including California.

The interesting part is that we have just recently become aware of a raccoon that has been frequenting our yard. It could be the means by which the black nightshade had its seed carried onto our hill.

So the question is...do I pull it out or let it stay? Some sources say black nightshade is very toxic. Others say that it is not that toxic and an important food for birds. At the moment there are only two small plants in a fairly out of the way part of the hillside, so I will let it stay and watch which, if any, animals interact with it.

Respecting biodiversity means sometimes reevaluating past beliefs about different species. There are no good or evil species, just species interacting with a web of life.

Baby Hummingbird in Winter

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I thought my hummingbirds were building nests despite how early it was in the season. Early Signs of Spring

Today I found one of the well-hidden nests. It is about 12 ft. off the ground, but just under one of our windows. The chick appears to be about 10 days old, which would have the first egg laid around January 25th. (There may be a second chick, under the larger one.)

The timing of bird nesting is helping to define the impacts of global climate change. In order to help scientists have a greater understanding of large-scale changes in bird nesting behavior, I participate in NestWatch.

This citizen science project invites everyone to report the when, where, success or failure of bird nests across the country.

• Have you seen a bird building a nest in your yard?
• Is there a bird nest that you see on a walk?
• Do you have bird houses in your yard? Are they used or left empty?

All of this is important to science. I've been recording data on the Allen's hummingbirds nesting in my yard since 2007. There is very little data on the nesting behavior and trends of these regional birds.

Last season, a warm spell in January prompted early nesting resulting in 3 failed nests. The timing of later nests was thrown off and fewer successful offspring were produced.

Another winter storm is headed our way this Friday and Saturday. Hopefully, this early chick will survive its untimely hatching. Whatever happens, we'll be watching and reporting it to NestWatch.

MORE About NESTWATCH

Great Backyard Bird Count 2010 - Los Angeles

For over two decades Cornell University has sponsored the Great Backyard Bird Count. Everyday people, young and old, across North America take a minimum of 15 minutes to document the wild birds that they see.

For four days data comes in from across the continent to create a snapshot of bird populations. This information shows where population numbers have increased and where they are down. It documents migration paths and changing territories of species. Every bird is important, even pigeons and house sparrows.

Counting is easy and you can do it in your backyard. You then enter your data via the Internet. For more information click the GBBC button:

When you participate in GBBC you are playing an important role in the collection of data for science. It is a great family, class or school project.

If you would like to count with people who have done it before, here are three opportunities in the Los Angeles and San Fernando Valley area. Bring your own binoculars:

1. Friday, Feb. 12 at 4:00-5:30 PM - Serrania Avenue Park, Woodland Hills (FREE public park, group led by Keri Dearborn, meet in the parking lot at 3:45 PM. Please send e-mail to 4animalbytes@gmail.com so I will know to expect you. Some terrain moderately hilly.)
2. Saturday, Feb. 13 at 8:00-10:00 AM - Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Garden (Zoo Membership and reservations required, reservations can be made by calling (323) 644-4702 or by e-mailing docents@lazoo.org include “Bird Walk” in the subject line. Include your name, membership number, members in your party, age of children and your phone number.)
3. Sunday, Feb. 14 at 8:30-10:30 AM - Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Refuge (FREE public park, group led by Keri Dearborn, meet in the gravel parking lot across from the north entrance to the wildlife area at 8:15 AM. Please send e-mail to 4animalbytes@gmail.com so I will know to expect you.)

You may count only a few birds in an apartment courtyard, others may count 100s of individual birds in a wildlife area. Every one's information is important. The more people who count, the better our knowledge will be about bird species in North America. If you have questions, send me an e-mail at 4animalbytes@gmail.com

Green Action #2 - Understanding Local Biodiversity

Focusing for a month on the sustainability of the food we eat has changed how my husband and I think about food.

February is a short month, but the Green Action I’m taking this month is to become a more active participant in understanding our local biodiversity.

This is a photo of a slender salamander in our yard. We live in one of the world’s largest cities, yet we have a population of these tiny amphibians that make their home on our hillside. Some of their close relatives, other slender salamander populations, are highly endangered because of habitat loss. We’re moving plants and structures around in our yard, but we know that these creatures are part of our specific biodiversity. We always keep an eye out for them when we are digging in the yard and try not to change the natural drainage of the hillside because it could have a negative effect on the salamanders.

If you don’t think there are any wild animals or plants where you live then you haven’t looked up and seen a bird or looked down and noticed the seedling growing up from the crack in the concrete. Living things are all around us, but we have become disconnected from them. Backyard Biodiversity Project

We can teach young students that rainforest and arctic ecosystems are endangered, but unless they can connect their daily actions to cause and effect, they won’t change their behavior. Adults are the best example of this. How many of us donate money to save an animal or an ecosystem far away, but have no idea what lives within 10 miles of our homes and might be endangered or threatened by our daily actions?

February offers several opportunities to learn more about what lives around you and to participate in Citizen Science Projects. You can play an important role helping scientists understand what species live where and how they are doing.

So here are the specific plans I have for this month:

1. Organize 2 birdwalks for Cornell University’s Great Backyard Bird Count President’s Day weekend.
   
2. Establish a site survey bird-counting area at Serrania Avenue Park in Woodland Hills through ebird. (I went out and did my first count this morning, 23 species)
3. Learn more about local amphibian and reptile species.
4. Find at least one new way I can help local plant and animal biodiversity.

Tomorrow I’ll post the specific information about Great Backyard Bird Count and how you can participate.

The Arrival of a New Species

A new plant has appeared in the yard. It stands about 2 feet tall and is growing beneath some established native holly cherries. It is the perfect example of how the biodiversity in our backyard is constantly changing.

While many species like the trapdoor spiders and slender salamanders have been here since we moved in 16 years ago, others are gradually appearing as the yard becomes home to more native plants. Chocolate looper, western fence lizard and Allen's hummingbirds.

Some plants, like this non-native asparagus fern, have spread to other areas of the yard because the native hermit thrush that visits over the winter eats its berries and moves the seed in its droppings.

The native manroot, on the other hand, has moved into the yard from the surrounding hillside. The manroot or wild cucumber has a large seed pod that explodes with mature seeds helping the plant venture into new territory.

Within the last month I have noticed a new plant. This volunteer arrived via seed either carried by the wind or a visiting animal. The berries on it could be food for a bird, but they have the appearance of something that might be toxic to mammals. Each berry is about the size of a green pea.

I've been looking through California plant ID books and on-line sources, but I have yet to figure this one out. A friend thought it might be pokeweed, but it doesn't have a red stem and the berries are quite different. If you have an idea as to what this might be, please let me know.

4animalbytes@gmail.com

Damage to Homes After California Rain

A stroll through the yard revealed that the recent rains affected residents in the yard even more than they affected us. Oh sure, we were concerned with diverting water and the mud flow that came down the canyon. Mud.

But this trapdoor spider had the door of her home slide down the hill and completely off her tunnel.


If you look closely, however, you can see she is connecting a new tunnel to the soggy door. Apparently, the well-constructed door is more difficult to replace than the tunnel. Rather than make a new door, she is building a new home beneath the relocated door.


Even the slightest erosion of the clay substrate reveals the soil that has been reinforced by the trapdoor spider's handiwork. Here a burrow door sticks up, slightly raised, from the surrounding level of the dirt. This spider didn't loose its home, but some of its security has been temporarily washed away. Trapdoor spiders



For both spiders the ground, and therefore the trapdoors that protect them, remain soggy and soft. With their tunnels exposed and damaged, they have suffered much more than we have from the week-long rain.

Meanwhile the green lynx spider has survived, but her offspring have not. Will she lay another egg sac? And the preying mantis eggs laid in November? They remain safe on the twig where their mother laid them.

Eight inches of rain on a southern California hillside over 6 days can be a challenge for the creatures living on that hillside. We humans tend to think only of ourselves when we are faced with challenges or discomfort. But extreme weather events can be life threatening for smaller creatures. They are directly connected to a small area of habitat. For them the ramifications of climate change are more immediate.

Shopping for Sustainable Meat Choices

Grocery shopping has become a challenge. Five Green Food Actions

Are you stopping to really look at ingredients? Are you putting back products with palm oil and unpronounceable preservatives?

I found that my shopping cart had fewer items, but more fresh fruit and veggies. Shopping for meat products has become a journey into reality. I could not find any meat from an animal raised on natural food. The beef and pork were labeled as having a vegetarian diet, and the fine print on the organic roasting chicken spelled out that that vegetarian diet was corn and soybeans. Chickens will naturally eat corn, but having raised chickens, I know it isn't their first choice. They would much rather eat greens and small protein items, insects, worms, etc.

Pigs will eat most anything. Cattle however do not digest corn and soybeans well. I've finally gotten around to reading the Omnivore's Dilemma by Micheal Pollan. I recommend it. It will explain to you how cheap corn is being used to make large corporations wealthy, while making animals and people less healthy.

So what to do? I bought an organic roasting chicken and one small steak. Then I whipped out my Seafood Watch guide and found two types of fish on the Preferred listing. I wasn't the only one reading labels and putting back pieces of meat. A European couple was doing the same thing. They had more resolve than I did. When they found nothing "grassfed," they bought nothing.

It is time to check out the local farmer's coop and their meat choices. Time to really say 'No,' to the corporate production of unhealthful animal protein.

Sustainable SeaFood Choices

Eating sustainably is a new way of thinking. It isn’t just what you eat, it also means considering the origin of that bunch of grapes or the shrimp on your salad.

The sea has been so bounteous throughout human history, it seems almost incomprehensible that we are over consuming its populations of fishes. Yet for some species that is the reality.

Here in Southern California we have experienced firsthand the decline of local fish and sea life populations. Pacific sardines fed the soldiers and civilian populations during WW2. But this thriving sardine fishery crashed with the combination of natural population cycles and over harvesting. Not only were fish impacted, all of the canneries on Monterey’s famous Cannery Row were closed down. Jobs and livelihoods were lost.

More recently we’ve seen the near disappearance of abalone and giant sea bass. But both of these creatures have been aided by human endeavors to assist with raising juveniles, specific fishing regulations and providing marine sanctuary areas where reproducing populations can reestablish themselves.

Seafood is an important part of a healthy diet. But some seafood is not caught or raised in ways that assure long-term survival of species. You can make environmentally important choices that support sustainable fishing and aquaculture practices. The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch guide has just been updated with the current seafood choices that are best for the planet.

They even have an ap for the iphone. Check it out.

We had wild-caught Pacific salmon last night. Not only was it good for us, we supported sustainable fishing practices.

Surviving the California Rain

Five days of drenching rain.

The green lynx spider continues to hold on to her geranium stem.

But her egg sac? It looks as though it may be completely saturated. Her drive to produce viable offspring may have been thwarted by the wet weather. Still she holds on and stands guard. Before the rain

Throughout the week, the bird feeders have been a center of activity. The feeders have provided food to birds even in the rain. This afternoon, however the Cooper's hawk was also using the feeders. I caught him just after he had made an attempt to catch one of the doves eating at feeder. He stopped for just a moment on top of the feeder before heading up into the wet trees. Video of a Cooper's hawk.

How the tiny hummingbirds survive the driving rain amazes me. I've been looking for nesting attempts. So far I haven't found any. I'm sure that any initial nests will have been abandoned because of the weather.

Thursday morning we spotted a disoriented California towhee sitting beside the neighbor's brick wall. The towhee's feathers were tattered. It may have been an older individual. It wasn't injured. It just seemed exhausted. We shooed it away from the street and open sidewalk and up into the bushes along our yard. At least there it had shelter from the elements. At times there have been several species of birds sitting on the patio to escape the worst of the rain and hail.

Since Monday, our tiny niche of biodiversity in Woodland Hills, California has received over 7 1/2 inches of water. I'm sure that isn't much in many other places, but in California it is a fair amount. Our annual rainfall averages only 16 inches.

A two-foot wall of mud flowed down our little canyon and was stopped by our fence. No disaster, but enough mud to close off the cottontails' regular path under the fence.

A sunny moment and a rainbow. The rain has quenched our drought parched landscape, but for some the intensity of the rain has been too much.

Rain on the Move in California

The rain continues to fall in Southern California. Fortunately, it is mostly a gentle rain. But the hillsides and landscapes are saturated. Temporary streams wind their ways down streets and canyons.

The one aspect of the rain that truly becomes apparent is how water moves things. Water flows off yards carrying with it anything sprayed or spread on the plants and earth.

Man-made debris collects in street gutters. Despite grates that block large items from the street-side drainage, bits of plastic and other debris make their way down the Los Angeles River and toward the Pacific Ocean.

Walking just a few blocks we picked up beverage containers, food wrappers, sharp pieces of plastic and plastic bags. All were being carried by the water.

Those bits of trash on the sidewalk and the street, they are all finding their way into the ecosystem and sometimes the bodies of other animals. We can all make a big difference by picking up these items, not letting them fall on the ground in the first place, and limiting our consumption of products that add to the growing pile of unrecycleable waste.

Just Say "No" to the Shiny

Eating Lower on the Food Web

This month my Green Life Action has been to change my eating habits to reduce the amount of meat I consume. I've been following Veggie Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Directly depending on plants which transform the sun's energy into calories reduces the amount of resources you use. It has been easier than I thought. On a rainy day like today, a corn and roasted pepper soup with a salad is an easy and satisfying meal.

Dinners are harder. But now that my husband has committed himself to Veggie Tuesdays and Thursdays as well, meal planning has become a joint effort. Michael had a great idea and we are having roasted vegetables with tofu meatballs over pasta and stuffed mushrooms on the side.

True Californians Surviving the Rain

Finally, Southern California is getting the rain it needs. While people are running around placing sand bags and fearing a deluge, the native plants and animals seem to be taking it all in stride.

The house finches and lesser goldfinches were busy at the feeder in the rain. While the white-crowned sparrows were rubbing their feathers on the damp foliage to bathe. When the rain was at its hardest, the finches and an Allen's hummingbird took shelter under the patio. But it was only for a short time.

One neighbor couldn't come out of the rain.

No matter how hard the drops fell, the green lynx spider was in the middle of it. In the past two days she has moved her egg sac closer to some leaves for greater protection. Still, she and the hazelnut-sized bundle are quite exposed to the downpour. This afternoon, the egg sac seemed to be quite wet. Are the eggs inside soaked or dry? I don't know. It will be interesting to see how she and her offspring fare over the next few days.

Just under two and a quarter inches of rain fell today. This evening the sky is clear and the stars are icy white. Tonight feels like winter. We'll see if the predictions of more rain come to pass.

Early Signs of Spring

This year I was hoping to really do some coverage of the signs of spring here in California. The problem is spring is arriving much earlier than I expected. Though it is only the second week in January, there are already early signs of spring all around the yard. (Past Springs 2008)


The manroot is not only sprouting up out of the ground, it has begun to bloom. Also known as the wild cucumber, the root lies dormant most of the year, but early in spring after a rain and warm days the vine emerges from the ground.

The vine twines away from its source, helping to keep the location of its large root a secret. Typically, seeing the vine emerging mid-February is a surprise. This year the blooms are already opening on January 11.

The manroot isn’t the only early sign of spring. The native coffeeberry is blooming and the French pussy willows are budding. The birds are also responding to the warm days. Yesterday a pair of Bewick’s wrens were checking out one of the bird houses in the yard. Two years ago they successfully raised 4 chicks in this house, but it was April - June.

The Allen’s hummingbirds are also showing signs of early nesting. Females are collecting spider web for building and they are chasing the male. This concerns me greatly. Last year we saw hummingbirds start to build nests on January 12, two weeks earlier than in 2008. Nesting attempts that started prior to mid-February ended in failure. Late January or early February storms destroyed nests and offspring. One of the females that got caught up in this cycle of early nesting and failure did not survive the year herself.



When I looked at my recorded temperatures for January 10 over the last six years, I found that while the temperature highs have gone up, the low temperature has increased as well. Rather than nights that dropped to the 30s and 40s, the nights have been warmer than 50 degrees F. Perhaps this is why the birds are fooled into thinking that the worst of winter is past and spring breeding should commence.

Unfortunately, despite these warm days and evenings it remains highly likely that we will experience a storm or frost before spring actually arrives. All of the plants and animals that have jumped forward will be faced with threatening cold or rain. And if the rain doesn’t come, the drought will worsen. Since the “rainy season” began in October, we have had less than six inches of rain. Connection between rain and migratory birds.

Are you seeing early signs of spring?

Five Green Food Actions

Because there are so many people on the earth, our food choices are changing the balance of life around the globe. Human consumption is the main threat to species ranging from Asian turtles and forest primates, to sharks and wild ginseng. Even more species loose their habitat to agriculture. Farms to produce palm oil, corn and soybeans displace creatures ranging from orangutans, to bison and jaguars. The raising of domestic animals for meat uses a vast amount of resources. At the same time over-harvesting of sea life threatens the largest ecosystem in the world, our oceans. We can all make a difference by increasing our awareness of what we eat.

So I'm making a life change with Five Green Food Actions.

1. Veggie Tuesdays and Thursdays - I started this in December. For the most part it is easier than I thought. I will admit dinner is the hardest meal for me to eat vegetarian.
2. Harvesting food from my own yard and buying locally produced plants and animals
3. Buying food items that only contain ingredients that I would use myself
   
4. Eliminating products with unsustainably harvested palm oil
5. Pledging to adhere to Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch - Monterey Bay Aquarium offers guidance regarding which seafood species are being sustainably farmed or harvested. They do the fact finding work and make it easy to be an informed seafood consumer. They have specific species watch lists by geographical location, including a sushi watch list. They also offer Sustainable seafood recipes

I picked lemons this morning and made lemonade. The earth gives to us, it is time we think about the big picture of the earth's health when we use its bounty.

Lessons from a Spider

Awareness. Over the course of this year I intend to focus on awareness. Not the level of being where you are familiar with the existence of something outside of yourself, but an intimate consciousness of how you are connected to everything else.

I can realize intellectually that my daily actions affect the world around me, but not until that knowledge becomes innate, not until I can look at every pen on my desk, every morsel on my plate, and every bottle on the shelf as an extension of myself, will I truly change my behavior.

The time has come to question our food, our daily actions and the economic systems of the late-20th century. The earth can not afford our excesses any longer and neither can we.

But true awareness is difficult when there is so much surrounding us, bombarding our senses on a daily basis. I can’t begin to count the number of things on my desk, little alone in my office. Living in the moment, being responsible for your actions can be impossible when your mind and your life is cluttered with so many things.

I thought I was focused on the world around me while I was cutting some flowers yesterday. Having put the roses and geraniums into a vase, I casually noticed a dried leaf on the geranium. When I pulled it off and it seemed to stick, I quickly realized there was spider web involved.


At that point I stopped to really look. A beige egg sac was stuck to my garden glove. Without a second thought I took it back outside and transferred it to the geranium. If I had really been paying attention, I wouldn’t have been startled when I came back to find a quarter-sized green lynx spider anxiously looking for her egg sac.

My thoughts were elsewhere as I snipped the stalks of geranium and I had destroyed the carefully constructed nursery of this lovely spider.

I’ve never seen a green lynx spider in my yard before. Honestly, she was much larger than I expected. The green lynx spider is a new species to add to my growing backyard biodiversity list. (trapdoor spiders, other spiders)

I returned the mother spider to the geranium and put her beside the egg sac. It didn’t take her too many minutes to recover from the disaster and start reattaching her precious offspring to the plant.

There couldn’t be a better lesson about awareness. The green lynx spider is preying on insects in my garden. Her webbing is providing building materials for the hummingbirds who are beginning to look for nest sites. This spider has taken up residence because our yard is a pesticide free zone with native plants that attract native insects. Everything was balancing out just fine until I blundered along not paying attention. Fortunately, like most of the natural world, she seems fairly resilient. The egg sac has been reattached and she has renewed her vigilant position as guardian.

Focusing on Green Holiday Actions for the thirty-one days of December, reinforced for me the variety of active choices we can all make toward living wiser on the land. I intend to offer ideas that have worked for me and my family to make a positive change toward living a greener life. Each month I will offer up a life-changing practice that I am attempting. It should be a year of discovery and, hopefully, increased awareness.

My yard is blessed with spiders weaving intricate futures, may I learn from their industry.

Green Holiday Actions

Green Holiday Action #31

Over the holidays we went to Disneyland for the day. We were happily surprised that throughout the park all of the plastic bags used at the various stores are now made from 100% recycled materials and are in turn recycleable.


Of course the best choice is to not use a bag, but Disney is making an effort in the right direction. Positive actions need to be applauded.

Everyday you have choices. You can choose to be environmentally responsible - helping the planet and therefore yourself.

This started as an attempt to come up with 31 Green Holiday Actions and became the beginning of a community of friends and strangers sharing ideas about sustainability.

General Green Holiday Actions

• E Holiday Letters
• Holiday Lights
• Say “No” to Plastic Bags
• Helping Others Understand Global Climate Change
• Recycling Electronics and Saving Gorillas
• The Dickens, You Say
• Party Dishware Dilemma
• Classic Holiday Fun - A Christmas Carol
• Santa Route
• Veggie Tuesday and Thursday

Decorating and Wrapping

• Green Holiday Decorations
• Say “No” to the Shiny
• Santa’s Bags
• Christmas Tree? Go Live
• Recycled Holiday Tree
• Decorate a Living Tree
• Holiday Boxes and Bows - Recycling and Reusing
• Recycle Those Holiday Cards
• Recycling Christmas Trees and Greenery
  

Gift Giving

• Shopping On-line
• Trim Your Gift Shopping List
• Give Experiences
  
• Green Holiday Gifts
• Recycled Gifts
• Give From the Heart
• A Better Way to Carry Water
• Give from the Hearth and Yard
• Green Products as Gifts

We all know in our hearts that we are pushing the planet to the edge. We all know that we have to change the way be act on a daily basis, but change can be threatening. Still, if we work together and make little changes that are lasting, maybe we can leave our children a better world rather than one teetering toward calamity.

When I was 7 years old I wrote to then President Nixon about the gray whale that was rapidly disappearing from along the California coast. Enough adults and children kept after our public officials until the Marine Mammals Protection Act was passed in 1972. Given a chance, life on our planet is resilient.

Today the gray whale population has stabilized, blue whales and humpbacks swim in increasing numbers along California's coast. Right whales are breeding along the east coast of the U.S. Are whales and other sea life in trouble because of ship traffic, climate change and pollution in the ocean? Yes. But in the 1960s, we were afraid that whales would cease to exist because of whaling and fishing practices.


We can make positive change, if we work together. Let's make 2010 the year we save the planet.

Problem Gifts

Green Holiday Action #30

A few things make me cringe when I open a package: foam packing peanuts and metallic plastic sheeting.

This year no foam peanuts exploded from a well-packed gift box. That was a blessing. No storing them, no trying to figure out how to use them without setting them free in the environment.

But this glittery problem was given to us by well-meaning friends. This is the metallic plastic sheeting or polyester film that I warned against in "Just Say 'No' to The Shiny." And in this case, it is already shredded into small bits.

If I "throw it away," it won't be gone. It will fly up into the air or cling to the side of the trash bin. It will find a way to escape from the trash truck. Next it will tumble down the street, wash down a gutter, make its way to the ocean and into the gullet of a bird or fish. It is bad news.

If I keep the shiny menace, how can I reuse it? If I pass it on to someone else, they will have the same problem I'm having. It's like passing on a virus.

If you have a good idea on what action can be taken to deal with this flashy shredded polyester film, let me know. The only thing I've come up with is using it in a few experiments to show how hazardous it really is.

Don't make this mistake. Don't curse your friends and family with a needless environmental burden.

Veggie Tuesdays and Thursdays

Green Holiday Action #29

I am not a vegetarian. I'm an omnivore and I admit that I like the taste of meat. But it is a fact that when you eat higher up in the foodweb, you are consuming more resources.

For example: If you eat a salad, the lettuce, tomato, carrots, cucumber, etc., the plants are all "producers" who take in energy from the sun and convert it to energy stored in their leaves, roots and fruit. When you eat meat, the animal had to eat plants or other animals to get the energy it needed. Animals are "consumers" of "producers." The further away you get from a producer who converted the sun's energy to its own use, the more resources are needed to create the same about of energy. So when you eat a piece of meat, you are also eating all of the food that that animal ate.

Vast tracts of land around the world has been lost from native forests and grasslands to provide grazing areas for domestic animals that provide meat. A great deal of plant food and fresh water goes to raising animals for food. Waste from domestic animals also creates pollution problems. Reducing the amount of meat we consume could help the planet significantly.

With that in mind the Union of Reform Judaism is proposing the Green Table/Just Table initiative. They are supporting eating locally produced plants and animals, eating food grown and harvested by people that are treated justly, and reducing meat consumption.

The food we eat is part of the Earth's splendor and it should be treated with respect.

Because we don't have to catch it, raise it, or butcher it ourselves, meat has become very easy to consume in the last 100 years. I'm going to aim for eating low on the foodweb twice a week.

Won't you join me in Veggie Tuesdays and Thursdays?

Green Products as Gifts

Green Holiday Action #28

As we approach the beginning of a new year, I'm making a resolution to bring a Green Practice into our daily living each month.

We have a great place to start with some of the gifts we received this holiday season:

• organic cotton dish towels - Pay attention to the fibers you surround yourself with. Cotton is a natural plant fiber. People and other animals have been using the soft, insulating fibers of cotton for thousands of years. But growing cotton can be hard on the land, especially if pesticides and herbicides are used. Organic cotton is more expensive in the store, but less expensive in the long run because it does not contribute to other environmental problems.
• e-cloth - This is a new product for me, it is a special cloth that allows you to clean glass and polish surfaces using only water. I'm excited to give it a try. I'll keep you posted on how it works.

The choices you make on everyday items, especially cleaning products can make a big difference in the environment. Not only are you making choices that are healthier and more sustainable, but you are also letting the producers of products know that you will stand up for the environment with your pocketbook. The best way to take a polluting product off the market is to not buy it.

Recycling Christmas Trees and Greenery

Green Holiday Action #27

Pine boughs and yard greenery have been decorating the house inside and out for the past couple of weeks. (Green Holiday Decorations)

Today I got in the mood to take some of it down. But I'm still using some of these branches because now they are providing mulch on areas of the hillside that have bare earth. Smaller branches went into our household green bin provided by the city. This green matter will be chipped and composted by the city.

Our live tree went back out into the yard. But if you have a cut holiday tree, you can still make green choices. If at all possible, don't send your tree to a landfill.

In Los Angeles, you can cut up your tree and put it in your green bin for vegetation. You can also recycle the whole tree by taking it to a number of drop-off locations at parks and fire stations throughout the city. For a location near you, check out the L.A. City Bureau of Sanitation website. The designated locations in L.A. will only be recycling whole trees next weekend, Jan. 2-3, 2010. Follow the directions on the city website for how to prepare the tree for recycling.

If you live outside of the Los Angeles area do a web search with key words "recycling Christmas trees" and your city name. Many cities offer some way for you to recycle holiday trees.

Recycle Those Holiday Cards

Green Holiday Action #26

Holiday cards come in such a beautiful array of colors and themes. When the season is over repurpose those beautiful scenes and sentiments. Here's a wonderful suggestion from my friend Kim:

I always enjoy seeing green suggestions around the holidays. I don't think this actually started as a "green" idea, but something I've been doing since I was a kid is making gift tags out of last year's holiday cards. I tear off the fronts and fold them to make little tags with designs from the card's artwork. I don't do anything particularly fancy with them, but I usually get some comments about it being creative. I think my parents were just trying to save money by not buying gift tags, but now I think of it as a green tradition. And I don't have to feel bad about tossing away a stack of Christmas cards that people have sent me. - Kim

I been doing this for years myself. Sometimes a beautiful tag made from a holiday card can become the focus of a gift's wrapping. You can fold them, cut them into shapes, or just use parts of a card's decoration that you like the best.

Have you noticed that there is an added benefit to getting multiple use out of resources? It saves financial resources as well.

Holiday Boxes and Bows - Recycling and Reusing

Green Holiday Action #25

This year at our family holiday gathering we tried to act green while opening presents. We placed two large containers in the room for wrapping paper that was recycleable, a basket to collect reuseable bows and ribbon, and a container for trash.















I'm so proud of everyone because we:

• reduced the number of physical gifts and therefore cut the amount of wrapping in half (Trim Your Gift Shopping List)
  
• no one used plastic or polyester film wrapping (Say "No" to the Shiny)
• most of the wrapping was recycleable paper, only a little was foil paper that went in the trash
• boxes were reused from years before and those that were still viable were gathered up for next year
• bows were at a minimum and gathered up for use again next year
• numerous gifts were wrapped in reuseable fabric Santa Bags
• a number of the gifts given were green (Shopping On-line, Give Experiences, Green Holiday Gifts, Give from the Hearth and Yard)
  

A couple of the gifts were inspiring and creative, more on that later.

Hope you had a day filled with joy and giving.

Decorate a Living Christmas Tree

Green Holiday Action #24

Here's a photo and suggestion from my friend Eleanor - decorate a living tree outside.


A living tree is never perfect, but it is always part of the earth. When you decorate a tree that is already living and growing in your yard or garden, you are demonstrating your connection with the world around you.

Throughout the year this tree in Santa Clarita is habitat for birds and insects. Though it dresses up for the holidays, it continues to be part of the environment.

Whether you bring a living tree into your home, use a recycled tree, or decorate a tree in your yard, you are making a choice for a more sustainable future.

Plan Your Santa Route

Green Holiday Action #23

Santa has a very green practice, he plans his route for greatest efficiency.

Whether it is last minute shopping or delivering gifts from your hearth, plan your route. Making one well-mapped-out sweep to all of your intended destinations, rather than multiple trips, will save resources and time.

Recycled Holiday Trees

Green Holiday Action #22

Recycling can come in a variety of forms. What we used to call antiques are actually recycled items–furniture, glassware, china, and even decorations–that are passed on from one generation to the next rather than being disposable.

I love having a live holiday tree in my house, but a number of people have commented that they have artificial trees they have used for years. Here is one of my favorite comments from my friend Marie:

We live in a condo and do not have a place to plant living Christmas Trees. However, 15 years ago we were passing an antique store in Silver Lake and saw an aluminum Christmas Tree in the window. We decided we had to have it, but the owner wouldn't let us have the one in the window. But searching through the backroom he came across another one in it's original 1950's White Front box. We were old enough to remember when there were lots of White Front stores around Los Angeles, so we scooped it up, and it has been our tree ever since. And every year we add more homemade ornaments or ornaments picked up on our travels. We love our shiny little tree which we recycle each year, even though we didn't even know the word "recycle" when we bought it--we just didn't like the idea of throwing away a once beautiful, but eventually dried out and crumbly tree. - Marie

Think of your holiday decorations as a resource investment. Skip the cheap disposable items and make your purchases something you can use for years to come.

Give From the Hearth and Yard

Green Holiday Action #21

One of the important actions you can take for the planet and yourself is to know the ingredients that go into the food you eat. Palm oil is a common ingredient in packaged foods and even cosmetics and soaps.

While some palm oil is grown in sustainable ways, most is grown on large plantations that are chopped out of important tropical forests. Vast areas of Indonesian forest, vital to plant and animal biodiversity, are lost to supply palm oil for products sold in the U.S. The choices you make when you buy soap products or a box of cookies can have a direct effect on creatures a world away, like wild orangutans. I was surprised when palm oil was an ingredient in my dog's favorite natural dog cookie. For more on orangutan issues: Orangutan Conservancy.

When you give a gift from your own hearth you can make the decisions about ingredients–healthy, local, fresh. Some of my friends make wonderful gifts in their kitchens. For example:

• My friend Brian makes an incredible mustard. I made sure that I was on his Santa list again this year.
  
• Homemade baked goods typically have lower fat levels and calories because they don't include palm oil and fats with a long shelf life.
  
• My lemon tree has a bumper crop this year. With lemons in the market at 50 cents a piece, a bag of lemons in a repurposed net bag has been a welcome gift for many of my friends and neighbors.
  
• I tried a new recipe and made a cranberry liquor. People are asking to be on that Santa list for next year. But don't tell my sister, because I made it as a gift for her.

When you give from your hearth, you give from your heart and you make the choice for that heart to be green.

For more Green Gift ideas:

• Shopping On-line
• Trim Your Gift Shopping List
• Give Experiences
  
• Green Holiday Gifts
• Recycled Gifts
• Give From the Heart
• Recycling Electronics and Saving Gorillas
• A Better Way to Carry Water
  

Classic Holiday Fun - A Christmas Carol

Green Holiday Action #20

How about a party that is low in impact and high on Holiday Spirit. Friends of ours, Douglas and Rosanne, started this party tradition four years ago.

A group of us gets together to read Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol aloud for a live audio production on the Internet. Not only is this a different kind of interactive event, the kids that have participated are growing up to be exceptional readers and confident public speakers. They started out doing sound effects - chains and creaking doors. Now they read and for our Halloween Ghost Stories reading this year, they came with their own material.

You can listen to A Christmas Carol LIVE or even participate via the Internet. We will be live at 3 PM Pacific Standard Time.

To Download the mp3 file of the audio: Reading of A Christmas Carol

You can also watch the video captured live on uStream.tv.

Watch the 4th Annual Reading of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol"


To listen to previous audio productions check out Eclipse-1 Media.