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Thinking About Thanks: A Special Post

Thanksgiving, that uniquely North American holiday celebrated in the United States and Canada, is a time to be with our families, enjoy a special meal, and think about all we’re thankful for.

But this year, with its innumerable difficulties, social challenges and obstacles, and of course devastating pandemic, it may be harder than usual to gather with our families and maybe even to think of what we’re thankful for…the two most important parts of Thanksgiving.

This year has been so hard on so many people––including kids, although adults might not recognize this. The pandemic has made school this year more challenging and often less fun; many kids (like my sister and I) really miss seeing our friends in person. Some kids haven even dropped out! 🙁 But it’s especially been a hard year for many kids whose parents have lost their jobs––or worse, for those who’ve lost family members to COVID-19.

Climate change doesn’t help, either. Because even though we’re emitting less greenhouse gases this year due to more people working and learning from home, the climate is still under threat. But I don’t want to think about such depressing things when I’m trying to stay optimistic! I tell myself. Although I know I need to think about it––that is, think of ways to prevent or slow it. And even when that’s hard, it also takes a little optimism, and feeling grateful for what we have.

So, this Thursday, when you’re gathering around your table (or around your phone or tablet) to connect with your family––even if you don’t usually celebrate Thanksgiving in your country––take a moment to think of all the things you are thankful for.

If you have felt happy…be thankful for that, and for all the things that have gone right, that have given and continue to give you those precious moments of happiness.

If you have access to technology…be thankful for the technological advances, like those that allow you and your family to at least see each other’s faces, not to mention those which can slow climate change.

If you have a way to keep clean…be thankful for the sanitary supplies, like the good old-fashioned soap and water now available to almost everyone, that are keeping everybody so much safer and healthier.

If you have clean water…be thankful for that water. Some kids have to walk a long, long way to get it, and when they get there, the water often isn’t clean or safe to drink.

If you get to learn…be thankful that you’re learning, satisfying that deep hunger for knowledge, and giving you that chance to educate yourself of which too many kids are deprived. (Um, not feeling particularly grateful for school right now? Just consider what some kids have to go through just to get there!)

If you are fairly safe…be thankful for how safe you are, even if you still feel scared sometimes. No matter what your worries, chances are that you are safer (and more loved) than you know.

If you are loved…be thankful for that love. It is an irreplaceable gift given just to you.

And that’s not all…

Be thankful for how wonderful this world still is, considering how much worse it could be.

Be thankful for the people who are speaking out about the growing threat of climate change, and even willing to do something about it.

Be thankful that, miraculously, the world is changing not only for the worse, but also in many wonderful ways, however small, that slow down climate change and will eventually make our world better.

Yet sometimes…do you feel it’s not enough just to be thankful? Do you feel like you don’t have the resources to make a big enough impact? Have you ever wanted to help create more things to be thankful for––like a healthy planet? Do you want to speak out, but think, I’m just one kid…I’ll leave it to the experts and those already speaking out––?

Well, if you’re thinking this, you should not let it stop you! Do it anyway! If everyone who is speaking out now let this worry get in their way (and I’m sure they might have thought this same thing, too, at some point), there would be no Malala Yousafzai, no Amy and Ella Meeks, no Alexandria Villaseñor, no Isra Hirsi, no Katie Eder, no Vic Barrett, nor even Greta Thunberg to inspire us. Unthinkable!

And as for me, I certainly wouldn’t be writing this…I might not even know anything about climate change at all!

So, speak out––and don’t let anyone stop you! No one can take away your voice…or, for that matter, your optimism, or your thankfulness for the planet we live upon! You alone can decide not to let anyone silence you or convince you to just give in or give up.

For one happy day at least, just be thankful for this amazingly beautiful, wonderfully life-supporting, unfathomably special, irreplaceable Earth––the Earth that we have the marvelous good fortune to live and grow upon.

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Thank you for reading!

SolarBear

Halloween’s all over? What now???

When the Candy’s All Gone

After Halloween

Halloween, a.k.a., All Hallows Eve, is one of my favorite holidays because it’s just so much fun to dress up––and, of course, get candy!

But what happens after the busy holiday is over? What happens to the old Halloween costumes with which you’ve officially finished? What happens to the zillions of candy wrappers? What happens to all those little cheap plastic things that are fun for a short time, but then you’re done with? What happens to the old jack-o-lanterns? In other words — what happens to the trash?

The answer? I’m sorry to say, they’re probably in the garbage can or in a big black garbage bag ready for eternal relocation to the overflowing local landfill. This outcome for the Halloween trash is frustratingly hard to avoid––that is, unless you plan ahead and use the five Rs!

For our Halloween reformation, let’s start with the costumes, one of the most important parts of the spooky festivities (hopefully you didn’t buy a costume before you read this article!). There are 4 things you can do:

Thrift it! Wash, wipe, and smooth out your rumpled costume, then go to the thrift store to drop it off so it can become someone else’s favorite costume next year! Who knows — maybe you’ll even find your new-to you costume for next year! (BTW, getting clothes at a thrift store does not mean you’re “poor” or make you “look” poor! Just wash them and wear them––people won’t even notice. It does mean that you’re resourceful and a smart saver, though! Plus, the money from thrift stores usually is given to charity, so you’ll be helping other people out!
Pass it down! Got some younger siblings, cousins, or friends? They might like your old costume for their next year Halloween. Wash it or wipe it clean, and bag it up for them.

Now…on to the candy, everyone’s favorite part of Halloween! (Yes, even you grownups who eat the leftover candy.) Of course, there’s nothing wrong with trick-or-treating, but there’s definitely something wrong with all the wrappers from the trick-or-treating.

Now there’s good news…and there’s bad news: The bad news is you can’t recycle or compost most of the candy wrappers, except for those made of paper like the paper sleeve around some candy bars (like Hershey’s). The good news is that you can reuse the clean wrappers and make them into art!

Here are some fun examples of art made with recycled items:

Monedero haciendo juego envoltura de caramelo estilo 8 x 5 | Purse crafts, Magazine crafts, Paper crafts — **This is cute! Although it might be hard to find such pretty wrappers, you get the idea. Photo credit:** https://www.pinterest.com

SAMSUNG CSC | Inhabitots — **Bows! Photo credit: Inhabitat.com**

11 Clever Candy Wrapper Crafts You Can Do After Binging on Halloween Chocolate « Halloween Ideas :: WonderHowTo — **Talk about fashionable! Photo credit:** https://halloween-ideas.wonderhowto.com

DIY Crafts: 7 Easy DIY Miniature Candy Notebooks - Cool & Unique Craft Tutorial - Everything 4 Christmas — **Adorably tiny! Photo credit:** http://www.everything4christmas.org

Recycled Costumes by The Sustainable Sirens | Gift Ideas | Creative Spotting | Recycled costumes, Green costumes, Victorian costume — **And even though it’s not made out of wrappers per se, I thought I’d post this anyway ’cause it’s just so cool and creative! Photo credit:** https://www.pinterest.com

(Pretty crazy, right?)

Now on to the last things: Halloween decor! Okay, as for the reusable Halloween stuff? Just box it up and save it for next year…or if you’re done with it, offer it to a thrift store, too. But as for pumpkins…

You can compost your jack-o-lantern into fertile soil! Yep, just let it rot away on a compost heap or hidden corner of the yard or garden (just remember to take out the candle first)!
You can eat your pumpkin as long as it hasn’t gone bad! If it isn’t smooshy and still smells fresh, just cut it up…Place the pieces of cut pumpkin on a tray and roast about 350F until the pumpkin’s insides are soft enough to stick a fork into them. Make a pie, pumpkin soup, or anything that suits you! (The thought of pie is making me awfully hungry, though…)
While you’re at it…toast any remaining seeds––they’re delicious!

I love Halloween, don’t you? But it’s just one of the many holidays of fall and winter. Watch out for more posts about eco-friendly ways to spend your holidays––hey, that rhymed! But for now, just get ready for one crazy Halloween clean-up while I continue trying to figure out what the heck I’ll make with my cooked pumpkin this year…Who says you have to wait for Thanksgiving to eat pumpkin pie?

Underwater Perspective

by Callisto

You step into the warm sand and wiggle your toes. Then you run towards the ocean, and you can hear the laughter of kids building sand castles and splashing in the salty water. When you reach the water, a smile comes to your face; it seems like an endless expanse of swimming pool. You step deeper into the water and waves lap around your knees; then you step in even deeper, and the sea is up to your waist; next, you bend down, and let the water slip around your shoulders. You let out a cry, because the water is cold; your bathing suit won’t protect you much from that. Then you leap forward and start swimming.

Your arms and legs paddle the water, and propel you farther into the ocean. You take a deep breath and close your mouth, then dive into the blue sea. You had put on goggles to protect your eyes, so you are able to see through the water. You swim downward, and touch the sand that has settled at the bottom with your hands. The sand slips through your fingers and makes a cloud around your arms, before drifting back down––or being carried away––by the ocean current. By this time you need air again, and swim back up to the surface.

Once your head breaks through the surface of the water, you gasp in lungs full of air, but once you catch your breath you don’t hesitate to dive under again. This time you see pieces of shells mixed amongst the sand below. You see a conch shell, and your heart soars with delight; it is whole, not a chip of it is missing. You reach down to grab it, but it moves just beyond your grasp, so you swim closer to it…but again it seems to move further away. You try to grasp it a few more times, but just as before, it never lets you touch it. You look around to see if any of the other shells are affected by the waves, but they haven’t moved a bit. When you look back down at the conch, you realize that it is ten feet below you now. How did it do that? you wonder. You swim toward it, hoping to just grab it…

Suddenly, you realize that you’ve been underwater for almost a minute, and your lungs are screaming for air. You look up, and see the surface far above you. You didn’t notice that you’d swum that far down! A strong current comes out of nowhere, and drags you farther out to sea. You kick and fight the water around you, but it does nothing. The current is too strong. Panic flares through your body. Are you going to drown down here? What are your parents and friends thinking, back up on the beach? Did they see you go under, and are they calling the lifeguard? Or are they all too busy chatting, and have no idea that you are sinking into the ocean’s depths?

All of a sudden, you realize that you are now being carried into a reef. Had you not been in life-or-death danger, you would have been star-struck by the beauty of the diverse corals and other aquatic life around you. You thrash in the water, and notice that you’ve caught the attention of a creature, but you don’t know what it is, because you only see it out of the corner of your eye. Then, you see the conch in front of you, and nearly gasp with surprise. You grab out for it, and to your shock and delight, your hand wraps around it. Suddenly you feel rejuvenated, as if your lungs are full of air again. How did that happen? You don’t care; you’re just glad that it did.

Now, you notice your surroundings. You gaze at the reef in awe. The vibrant colors around you dazzle you, and with the hand that isn’t clutching the conch, you can’t help but reach out and touch a orange brain-coral you drift by. A school of blue fish swim around you and tickle you with their soft fins. A large smile spreads across your face; this feels like a dream. You let the current drag you along, although it’s not nearly as strong as before, and you could easily swim against it if you wanted to.

A sea turtle swims by, but when she sees you, she turns her head away from you defensively. Why would she do that? You’re a human, not a shark; you don’t mean it any harm. The reef suddenly disappears below you, and you find that you are now floating above an underwater cliff. You gaze down it, and stare deep into the fathoms of the ocean and the darkness beneath you. Your curiosity calls you to swim down, and see what lies in the world beneath you. You follow its command, and slip downward, still clutching the magical conch. As you swim leagues beneath the surface, you almost forget that you are a land creature, instead of one of the sea.

When the chill of the deep water creeps into you, you look around, and for a second, you wonder if you have swum into outer space. The only light around you now is the twinkling stars. Or are they stars? They are stars––the stars of the deep sea. They are the light that the creatures down here give off to communicate or lure in lunch. They are stars of bioluminescence. You reach forward to an especially bright star, and find that it is a dragonfish. The small creature looks somewhat like something out of your nightmares, but it also brings a sense of calm to you. It is welcoming you to its home. You follow it as it swims through the abyss, and it shows you the grandeur of its habitat.

You would have followed it forever, if something had not told you to go up. But which way is up? You don’t know for sure, now, but your legs and arms direct you that way. When you go up, you squint, as you are wrapped in warmth and light. The dragonfish cannot follow you, so you say goodbye. When you reach the top of the cliff again, you look around you.

Your heart fills with horror. Everything is lifeless. At first, you think that you are in the wrong place, but recognize the shapes of the coral…or what used to be coral. The skeletons of the coral are pale and brown. A plastic bag drifts by. A plastic bottle lies in the sand. Oil, darker than night, slides around you. How did this happen? How long were you gone? You swim sorrowfully through the dead reef. Even the current seems dead. The sea turtle you saw before swims by, one of her flippers wounded. Now you know why she had turned away from you: she knew what humans could do.

Now, she just looks at you with deep sadness in her eyes. She knows that you, as an individual, are not to blame; it is your kind that are to blame. Your tears mix with the salt water as you think, “It doesn’t have to be this way…it doesn’t!” The turtle turns her gaze away from you. You feel shame for your kind. Having arrived on the beach once again, you sink to your knees in the sand. “It doesn’t!” you exclaim again.

Suddenly your eyes open. You are lying in your bed in your house.

It may have been a dream, but you know that what you saw in the dream is true. “It doesn’t have to be that way,” you say aloud, and with all your heart you know that this is so. But will you do anything to prevent it?

That’s up to you.

Got a recycling bin? Still bored? Make recycled art!

Because “Earth” Without Art is Just “Eh”

An Even-More-Fun Way to Recycle!

Love art? Me, too! Art is one of my favorite things in the world. I’ve always wanted to be an artist and illustrator as well as a writer.

But, you say, you’re running out of things to make art with, because the coronavirus has you staying inside, unable to make an art store run?

No worries, fellow artist! I have a solution for you.

How about that recycling bin?

Check your recycling bin––you’ve got plenty of art materials in there! Just consider: you’ve got paper and pasteboard (the stuff cereal boxes are made of) in a bunch of different colors; you’ve got jars and cans you can put paint in (and on), and boxes you can use to made all kinds of things! And you’ve probably also got bags, and containers, and cardboard, and old magazines or newspapers, and bottle caps, and those loop things that come on bottles and cartons, and bread ties, and more… You’ve got tons of art materials!

Here’s how Callisto and I recently made art from our recycling bin here at home. These ideas might just help to get your creative juices flowing, too…

Recycled Project #1: Saturn V Rocket

My space-fan sis, Callisto, created this cool model of the Saturn V rocket (above). Sure, you can buy kits for this rocket online––they’re from Japan, and cost over $1000! But hers cost $0 (except for the tape and glue) and her model did our planet some good. Now, that’s great value for money!

Materials used: Paper towel roll, toilet rolls, scrap paper, 3 kinds of tape, glue, markers, & LOTS of patience

Her artist’s statement:

“I made this rocket on the 11th of April, 2020, the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission and launch of the original rocket…and because I love space. [Since] it helps the earth, I used recycled materials; I think that it would make the Apollo 13 astronauts more proud that I used recycled materials than a bought model kit. The astronauts had a really tough time on that mission, just like we are having today [with the Coronavirus pandemic]. But they survived, and we will, too!”

Recycled Project #2: SolarBear’s Original Fire Dragon!

Materials used: Junk mail, old calendars, a discarded piece of foam core (for the backing), marker, glue

And here’s my artist’s statement:

“It’s better for the earth to use recycled materials than new ones…and, honestly, it’s more fun. [It WAS fun!] But you shouldn’t see my room right now (because it’s covered in scrap paper). I’m going to hang this on my side of the room in a special spot when I get my room cleaned up..which might take a while!”

Now, it’s your turn! Go check out your recycling bin, and use what you find to craft some amazing art! If you want to submit your own work please contact me!

PS––If none of these ideas spark your imagination, try this funny trick to help you get an idea: with just your eyes––not your head––look back and forth as quickly as you can. This type of eye movement apparently connects the two sides of your brain, and literally helps you become more creative. (I learned this on the cool Netflix show, Brainchild––check it out!)

PPS — And just a reminder from my mom: Don’t forget to clean up your room afterwards! Although you probably also have a parent to tell you this. And you probably––I mean, definitely––won’t need the reminder!

Bored? Start a Recycling Bin

Make a difference with a recycling bin!

An Alternative to Trash––?

Stop! Don’t throw that away!

“Then, what should I do with it?” you may ask. “It’s just trash.”

You can recycle it, that’s what!

But…you say you don’t have a recycling bin?!? And yet you love the earth, and want it to stick around?

Well, at least that’s easily fixed! Come on, we’ll make one!

How to make a recycling bin

First, my plastic-bottle-using friend, find a large box you aren’t using.
Second, you put your recycling––like that plastic bottle in your hand––in it!

Sooo easy!

And what do I mean by recycling? Well, I mean these things:

Recycling Types 2

Got that? Awesome! If you have any of the items shown above headed for the trash, clean them out, and put them into your new recycling bin, instead! Worried about it getting stinky or yucky? Just rinse out those containers, cans, and jars, and it won’t be a problem.

Then, when you’ve filled it up, either take the box of recycling to your local recycling center, or if your area has recycling pick-up, leave it out on the curb on trash-day. You can look for your county’s or city’s recycling rules online. It’s that easy!

Note: Some recycling centers take more (or different) items for recycling, so be sure to check out what your local center can take. That way, you can recycle even more items, or avoid contaminating a load with something that’s not supposed to be in there.

And remember, you’re not doing this for your own gain––although you will have less trash to take out––but to make the world better! Recycling is a huge part of stopping climate change.

And best of all…the polar bears thank you!

Polar Bear Thank You

On our 50th Earth Day, 22 April 2020.

Dear Planet Earth,

I’d like to tell you how beautiful and bountiful you are before that’s all gone. And I’d like to say Thank you.

Love Earth

Thank you, water––that liquid that keeps all alive. That liquid that’s refreshing when climate change makes the days hot, that liquid that gives us the fish we use for food, that ingredient that makes life possible. I am sorry that we are clogging and fogging you with plastic and oil, killing ecosystems that we depend on.

Thank you, fish and birds––those animals that fly and swim, those animals that fed us before we knew much else, those animals that have inspired us to go down deep beneath the waves and high into the skies. I am sorry that we are killing you and feeding you deadly things that are not food.

Thank you, trees––those magnificent towers, much more beautiful than any man has made, that reach to the skies, that give us shelter in a storm, that give us forests to explore, that give us houses and fires that keep us warm on the coldest of nights, that give us inspiration for the accomplishments we have made, and that help us undo what we have done by giving back that oxygen that we replace with carbon dioxide. I am sorry we are killing you for our own personal gain.

Thank you, plants––those living things we ate before we left the trees, those things we make into medicine, those things we make into clothing, those things we use to make our gardens, those things that are bravely standing at the bottom of the food chain, those things we need for countless reasons. I am sorry we are killing you and destroying the vast wildernesses that you have created.

Thank you, mammals––those creatures that we love, those creatures that we are, those creatures that run and dig, those creatures that climb and fly, those creatures that swim and leap, those creatures that kill and eat, those creatures that keep us company when no one else will, those creatures that have armor and fur, those creatures that dominate and co-exist, those creatures that live and die. I am sorry we are killing you, selling you, and using you.

Thank you, soil and rock––that keep us standing, that keep us together with the wegiht of gravity, that provide the minerals that help make us possible, that make life possible, that have been smashed, that have been cracked, that have been eroded, that are older than everything. I am sorry we are drilling into you and bombing you so much that it seems we are at war with you.

And thank you, so, so much, for us. I am sorry, so sorry, that we are destroying ourselves.

Earth, I want you to know that you are the most unique planet that ever was. I want you to know that we love you even if it seems we don’t. I am sorry we have bashed, cracked, fracked, polluted, melted, cut, deforested, neglected, used and abused you.

I only hope we can revive you.

With love,

Corona-Change

Bright Side: The 2020 coronavirus pandemic has a silver lining?!?

Welcome to the Bright Side, where optimism rules and we see the glass half full instead of half empty. This is where we walk on the sunny side of the street…even while we’re social distancing. Yes, even during what may be the worst pandemic of all time, we need to find something positive. But, wait––are there any positive things???

Whoa! What happened to this picture of the famous India Gate?

Did someone just put a filter on one side? And how about all those people in the background on that side? Don’t they care about “flattening the curve” to help coronavirus?!?

Well, they didn’t have to worry about that…then. That’s right: one half of the picture was taken in a different time––or as a friend says, BC, “before coronavirus”––in November of last year.

What about the other half? That was taken recently, on March 30, 2020.

But…what does this mean? You see that half that looks like a layer of see-through brown plastic? Well that’s a layer of smog (pollution) from factories, cars, trucks, and planes. Crazy, right?

And the other half? Can you guess why the air is cleaner since the coronavirus came along? Well, if you guessed, “because nobody’s there to drive and fly,” you’re absolutely correct: the coronavirus lockdown, during which everyone has agreed to stay home to keep people healthy, is actually making the air cleaner!

So, is the coronavirus a good thing? No way. But at the same time, there is a “silver lining” to the awful black storm cloud of this pandemic…a little bit healthier planet.

(In fact, if we had cleaned up the planet like this without a pandemic and people being out of jobs, just by working to make things more efficient and clean, expert Dr. Katherine Heyhoe says we’d already be a quarter of the way toward meeting our climate goal (StarTalk 45:55). Wow!)

However, I understand it may be no fun to wait it out at home during this time. Here’s a web comic my sister Callisto made, that might help make waiting it out just a bit more bearable:

callisto art 3 callisto art 1 callisto art 2