Romantic Long Walks at the Beach...

Mama gnome muses, "What can be more romantic than walking at the beach, the waves lapping at her gnome feet and the ocean breeze fanning Mama gnome's face?"

How about walking with a giant trash bag while Mama gnome participates in "what may be the largest volunteer day in the planet."

Yes, very romantic indeed.

Coastal Cleanup Day is coming up on September 19,2009.

In Southern California, it is coordinated by
Heal the Bay and the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors.

Coastal Cleanup Day is an international event. Ocean Conservancy reports 60 countries have participated last year.

Please check with your local government where you can participate.

Please visit Heal the Bay or Ocean Conservancy for clean up sites, their rules for what to pick up and what to leave alone as well as how to safely pick up trash especially if your children will be going with you.

Here is an example of love gone awry.


video from: AnimalPlanetTV


Reusable bags are more romantic and cooler than those thin, plastic bags that end up in the oceans or in landfills or in our streets. And in that case, they all end up in the ocean anyway.

Mama gnome will never forget the Great Pacific Garbage Patch or as Mama gnome calls it on the blog The Great Pacific Garbage Monster, a self-made monstrous island of humankind's trash including tons of plastic bags, out in the Pacific Ocean.

That Monster breaks Mama gnome's heart, not to mention kill countless marine animals and seabirds.

Please help keep our oceans clean.

Be romantic all the time and stay green.

(c) 2009 Jenaelha Friendly Gnome's Blog

Mirrors, Mirrors in the Desert, Who's the Hottest of Them All? Solar Power, Mama gnome...

Once upon a time, in a land far away (Pasadena), a council (eSolar) of magi (scientists), wizards (engineers) and earth friendly humans (environmentalists and some pretty cool men and women humans) came together and project Sierra Sun Tower was born.

Their idea was majestic and lofty. Higher than the tallest mountains.

Higher than the atmosphere and the ozone layer. Yes, even higher.

Higher than the moon?

U-huh.

Higher than the stars?

Um, okay, now come back down a bit and settle on the nearest star to our planet.

Yes, that one.

The sun.

For their goal was to harness the sun's power using thousands of mirrors (24,000 mirrors or heliostats) to heat up water in two towers to convert solar energy into enough electricity that will power 4,000 houses.

What is Mama gnome talking about?

Is Mama gnome suffering from heat stroke?

No, no, no. Though sleep deprived, Mama gnome's mind is as sharp as sloth's toes.

According to eSolar:

"Sierra SunTower will supply 5 MW of clean, renewable energy to the grid. The full-scale power plant, the only one of its kind in the U.S., produces electricity for Southern California Edison (SCE) and will power up to 4,000 homes."

photo from: eSolar


In addition to creating clean, renewable energy, they've created hundreds of jobs for people at this time of economic difficulties.

Mama gnome is really impressed with this council of gifted humans.

Can they be any more brilliant?

It turns out, YES.

According to their Sierra Tower Fact Sheet:

The 5 MW output of Sierra SunTower will reduce CO2 emissions by 7,000 tons
per year. For perspective, Sierra SunTower’s annual impact is equivalent to:
• Planting 5,265 acres of trees
• Removing 1,368 automobiles from the road
• Saving 650,000 gallons of gasoline

Here's a video by another brilliant human, Hank Green of ecogeek.org explaining this project:

video from: ecogeek

Mama gnome feels hot all of a sudden.

Did the TV just turn on by itself?

Whoa...

Mama gnome will hide in her burrough for a while but will return soon after she's cooled down sipping relaxing draught.

Meanwhile, stay Cool, stay Hot, stay GREEN.

(c)2009 Jenaelha Friendly Gnome's Blog

Mystery Animal of the Day

Mama gnome presents:

Mystery Animal of the Day


Mama gnome thought these creatures were mythical.

But they truly exist.

Found only in southern and western Australia,

these dragons swim in the the oceans.


If you guessed Leafy Sea Dragon,

Mama gnome offers you a strong cup of morning elixir, so vital for existence.

And Mama gnome says, "Maybe try sticking to reusable bags for a month and help keep the oceans clean?"

Leafy Sea Dragons are named after the mythical creature because of the resemblance.



photo by: EyeKarma


And they are quite beautiful with the leaflike attachments that act as camouflage allowing them to blend in with their surroundings.

Unlike the mythical fire-breathing dragons, these leafy sea dragons are very docile and do not even have the ability to hook their tails like their cousin, the sea horse.

They are vulnerable to being washed ashore when dragged by currents, especially after storms.

Their diet is mainly plankton and small crustaceans.

Like the seahorse, male leafy sea dragons carry the fertilized eggs produced by the female.
Up to 200 eggs can be attached to the underside of their tail.

The male sea dragons also help hatch the eggs.

Mama gnome is quite impressed by this.

Though the Australian government has placed the leafy sea dragon under protection they are threatened by people who use them for "alternative medicine" and by collectors.

Leafy sea dragons are also threatened by loss of habitat (coral reefs and seagrass) and pollution from runoffs and sewage dumped in the ocean.



video from: Madge1964

Mama gnome will now go into camouflage and swim amongst the sea dragons to fend off humans who illegally collect them.

You stay on land and fend off the pollution from running into the ocean.

Go green.

(c) 2009 Jenaelha Friendly Gnome's Blog

Gnomelets: Eco-warriors in the Making

Today was another hot summer day.

Daddy gnome doesn't like the heat.

Daddy gnome gets grumpy with the heat.


Mama gnome doesn't like the heat.

Mama gnome gets wilty with the heat.


But Mama gnome's spirit stands guard by the air conditioning thermostat.

To change the settings on the thermostat, two keys on opposite sides of the machine must be inserted in synchronicity to input binary codes to lower the temperature, i.e. change house from
heated savanna to cooler artic cove.

And Mama gnome guards the codes and keys with her life. Bwahahaha! Bwahahahaha!

I kid.

Seriously, um, computer savant Mama gnome doesn't know how to change thermostat temperature even if her life depended on it.

But instinctively Mama gnome knows how to push the up arrow on the thingey to make everybody in the house uncomfortable in the summer.

Some days even little gnomelets complain and say, "Mama, it's hot."

Mama gnome says, "Go stand by the fan."

Elder gnomelet says, "I'm still hot."

Younger gnomelet says, "Mama, did you know potatoes don't talk?"

And so Mama gnome turns on the air conditioner.


Fifteen minutes later after apple and yogurt snack, Mama gnome settles in her rocking chair cradling gnomelets on her lap to guess what the MYSTERY ANIMAL OF THE DAY is.

The latest Mystery Animal was the Philippine Eagle.

The nice man in the video narrated how the Philippine Eagle's forests are "rapidly disappearing."

Elder gnomelet asks, "Mama, why are the forests disappearing?"

Mama gnomes says, "Some people cut down trees when they're not supposed to or they burn

the forests down."

Elder gnomelet says, "Hummph!" in disgust.

Youngest gnomelet says, "Mama, maybe bullies cut down trees."

Mama gnomelet says, "You're right, little one. You're right."

Elder gnomelet says, "That's terrible, Mama. They shouldn't do that. You should put that on your blog."

Seriously. She did say that.


Little gnomelets are wise, thus Mama gnome blogs so.


Mama gnome urges everyone to support planting or replanting of trees in our forests.

Give the gift of trees.

Young gnomelets and humans can learn about these issues even as young as my gnomelets who

are three and five in human years.

So they'll grow up to love trees.

Tree hugger today, Eco-warrior tommorrow.



video from: Arbor Day Foundation


GO GREEN.

(c) 2009 Jenaelha Friendly Gnome's Blog

Relax in the Atlantic Ocean Jacuzzi with a Plastic Frou-frou Drink

Mama gnome relaxes in the warm water, sips her frou-frou drink and daydreams about emerald green forests.

Yuck. That drink was awful.

Then she felt seaweed wrap around her foot.

Wait a minute.

Seaweed?

In the jacuzzi?

She opens her eyes.

AHHHH!

She wasn't in a jacuzzi.

And the frou-frou drink was from a gross used plastic bottle.


Mama gnome can be dramatic sometimes.

But who knew real life would be even more dramatic.

According to this news report today:

"July was the hottest the world's oceans have been in almost 130 years of record-keeping."

The hottest in one hundred and thirty years...

Is there a gigantic water heater out there warming up the oceans?

Um...Let me guess.

Could it be...earth warming? Or as humans call it: GLOBAL WARMING?

I'm being facetious.

Mama gnome is quite familiar with earth warming, thank you very much.

'Tis a very unpleasant reality.

And to all who think the warm ocean waters will be fine by next summer, think again.

"This warm water we're seeing doesn't just disappear next year; it'll be around for a long time," said climate scientist Andrew Weaver of the University of Victoria in British Columbia. It takes five times more energy to warm water than land.

So what can happen with oceans warming up?

Coral reefs are bleached white and can die off from the heat.

Warmer temperatures affect weather patterns including hurricanes.

Warmer waters affect ice sheets and glaciers causing the ice to melt and therefore sea levels will rise.

And then afterwards...

It's too depressing for Mama gnome to continue.

Mama gnome needs a drink,

preferably not from a gross plastic bottle bobbing in the ocean like these:


photo from: greenpeace.org


Oh, I know.

Mama gnome will just watch a nice, relaxing, funny cartoon.

That'll get rid of these "end of the world" feelings.


video from: SenhorCroft



Mama gnome is going to hide under the covers and hope it's all a dream or nightmare.

Seriously, PLEASE, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Go GREEN.

(c) 2009 Jenaelha Friendly Gnome's Blog

"Oh, by the way, meet my Frenemy..."

Mama gnome is back.

She's not giving up.

As long as there is one seed left or one sapling standing, Mama gnome will fight for Planet Earth.

And oh, by the way, meet my Frenemy....


What is a Frenemy?

According to dictionary.com a frenemy is:

(noun): a person who pretends to be a friend but is actually an enemy; a rival with which one maintains friendly relations.

Do you know a frenemy? Do you have a frenemy?

Mama gnome wants to expose a frenemy.

A big one.

It is one of Mother Nature's Frenemies.

And Mama gnome describes Mother Nature's Frenemy as:

(noun): something disguised as eco-friendly, but is actually an eco-enemy.

An eco-frenemy!

And here is one of Mother Nature's Biggest Eco-frenemy:


The Three Gorges Dam

It is a behemoth of a dam that cuts through the Yangtze River in China.

photo by: Christoph Filnkößl

"It is the world's largest electricity-generating plant of any kind."

This is the supposedly eco-friendly part.

For this, about 1.3 million people were displaced from their homes. That doesn't sound friendly to me.

They touted this dam as a step to reducing greenhouse gases.

Yet even before completion, this news report came out.



video from: NTDTV

This article also reports:

"One of the most worrying consequences of the project has been the sharp increase in landslides around the dam. Studies by geologists have shown that the water seeping out of the reservoir and the huge pressure changes are weakening the banks."

The construction of the dam also "flooded several important archaelogical sites" according to an article by Time.

What do you think? Eco-friendly or truly eco-frenemy?

I think I'll check the eco-frenemy column.

Um, did I mention the dam sits on two major faults?

As in possible earthquake major faults.

As quoted from this article by Scientific American:

One of the greatest fears is that the dam may trigger severe earthquakes, because the reservoir sits on two major faults: the Jiuwanxi and the Zigui–Badong. According to Fan, changing the water level strains them. When you alter the fault line's mechanical state," he says, "it can cause fault activity to intensify and induce earthquakes."

Now is this eco-friendly or eco-frenemy? Try eco-frenemy and eco-crazy.

And don't even get me started on its effects on wild life. Too late.

You got me started.

The baiji is/was a freshwater dolphin found only in the Yangtze river. What happened to it?
According to this the baiji is now "functionally extinct."

Organizers declared the Baiji "functionally extinct", which would make it the first aquatic mammal species to become extinct since the demise of the Japanese Sea Lion and the Caribbean Monk Seal in the 1950s. It would also be the first recorded extinction of a well-studied cetacean species (it is unclear if some previously extinct varieties were species or subspecies) to be directly attributable to human influence.

They explain that even though there might be one or a few baiji left, it is "not enough to save a functionally extinct species from true extinction."

Another fish in trouble is the Chinese sturgeon. Found only in the Yangtze river, it is classified endangered by IUCN.


video from National Geographic


So far I've counted a gazillion eco-frenemy points. Eco-friendly points? Zilch.


Now don't take my word for it.

Please watch this.


Video from: News Revue


So Mama gnome's just going to call it as it is.

This Dam is not Eco-friendly.

It's not even Eco-Frenemy.

It's truly Eco-Scary.

Rally around Mother Earth.

Rally around her and Go GREEN!


(c) Jenaelha Friendly Gnome's Blog

Mama gnome gives up...

Sometimes, Mama gnome just wants to surrender to the environmental saboteurs,

put up her hands and say, "You win. I got nothing."

Mama gnome is in a sad dark place tonight.

Planet earth is in great peril.

And there's nothing Mama gnome can do to save the Chinese sturgeon, the Philippine Eagle, the elephants, polar bears, great whales or even the birds in her garden.

Because man will never change. And all is lost.

You go tell Planet Earth.

You go tell all her children.

For I haven't the heart.

I got nothing left.


video from: The Secret

(c) Jenaelha Friendly Gnome's Blog

Got cigarette? Got wildfires, deaths, destruction, toxic oceans and beyond...

Mama gnome sits at her stoop tonight and looks up at the sky.

She tries to look at the stars but has difficulty because of smoky haze coming from onslaught of terrible wild fires now raging in mountains in the distance.

Mama gnome wishes humans and animals in distant mountains are able to flee to safety and stay safe.

But what of their homes? What of their trees? Gone and for what?

Mama gnome is quite upset to learn one of the fires was caused by a smoker who tossed out her cigarette "recklessly."

No, she didn't.

Yes, she did.

The sad thing is this has happened before.

And actually numerous times.

Can you tell me anything good that'll come out of smoking?

U-huh. Exactly.

And what's worse, cigarettes are worse than candy wrappers as far as littering and damaging the environment.

Here's an excellent article that lists all the terrible after affects of people lighting up a cigarette.
They report:

"According to the American Burn Association, about 900 people in the United States die each year in fires started by cigarettes, and about 2,500 are injured. About 100 of the fire deaths each year are children and nonsmokers. Nationally, annual human and property costs of fires caused by careless smoking total about $6 billion. In 1997, there were more than 130,000 cigarette related fires."

This video is short and sweet


video from: Ambassador321



My dear smoking human, I know you care for the environment.


Here's your chance to be a hero.

Seriously. This is it.

Give it up.




video from:galindadagood

Save yourself, save the children and animals. Save the world.

Be a hero and stop smoking.

Go green.


(c) Jenaelha Friendly Gnome's Blog

Mystery Animal of the Day

Mama gnome presents: MYSTERY ANIMAL OF THE DAY

It's the largest eagle in the world.

With a wingspan reaching over 2 meters or 7 feet.

And a height of over a meter or 3 feet ( about as tall as youngest gnomelet)

It's been described as resembling a griffin.

It's found in only one country in the world.

IUCN lists it as critically endangered with less than 200 birds left.

It is sadly the most endangered eagle in the world.

If your guess is the Philippine Eagle, Mama gnome claps her hands together and guffaws.

And she says, "Please give the gift of trees in honor of this majestic bird."



Photo by: Klaus Nigge/National Geographic


The Philippine Eagle is also called the Great Philippine Eagle, Haribon, or Monkey-eating Eagle.

Mama gnome just stares at the picture above and marvels at this magnificent bird.

With blue-gray eyes and brown feathers on its nape formed like a crest.

"These feathers give it the appearance of possessing a lion's mane, which in turn resembles the mythical griffin."

Its diet includes: reptiles, birds, monkeys, flying lemurs and Asian Palm Civets.

The Philippine Eagle mates for life and they produce a single young only every two or three years.

It's beyond Mama gnome's sadness to report how these eagles are disappearing as Mama gnome types these words... and these words... and these words...

After the stage of critically endangered, the next stage is EXTINCT.

It's not you "get one more chance" stage.

And not, "Oh, maybe one last final chance to save them" stage.

NO, the next one is,
as elder gnomelet says, "Extinct, that means they're gone. THEY'RE...NO...LONGER...ALIVE."

Yes. She said it with dramatic pauses just as I indicated.

According to this report:

"Indeed, with deforestation rates in the Philippines among the highest in the world (more than 90 percent of primary forest may have been lost to logging and development)..."

Ninety percent lost? Um, that leaves maybe 10 percent.

Are you kidding? Is that just someone's backyard?

What can we do as gnomes and humans?

• Inform yourself
  


• Volunteer
  


• Donate



• Write letters to your local and national government



• Plant trees



• Give the gift of trees



• Boycott businesses that perform or promote illegal deforestation and logging.


• Support green businesses


• Visit Haribon Foundation



• Visit Birdlife International

And here is the majestic PHILIPPINE EAGLE:




video by Wild Chronicles

Mama gnome now feels like fluffing her hair up like a lion's mane and snatching up fiendish illegal logger humans. CAWWW! CAWWW! CAWWW!

Oops...I think that's a crow. Not Eagle.

Umm, you get the picture.

Please come visit Mama gnome's little garden soon to find out about the next

MYSTERY ANIMAL OF THE DAY...

(c) 2009 Jenaelha Friendly Gnome's Blog

Person of the Day: Maria Lam

Mama gnome is proud to present the Person of the Day: Maria Lam



Mama gnome also wants to wish Maria, "Happy Special Day!"

Thanks for visiting Mama gnome's little garden, Maria. Please tell us about yourself.

I am a wife and mother of three awesome kids: Kim Mikhael, Raymond, and Eliana.
I am a Special Education Teacher working for Broward Schools.
I spend my spare time tending to my flower and vegetable garden.
Most of our fun family acivities include reading, fishing, biking and walking in the park,swimming, visiting arts and science museums, watching 3D movies,eating out, visiting parks and wildlife,and tending to our koi fish in the backyard pond.

As a teacher, what knowledge do you want to share with your students about the environment?

As a teacher, I want to impart the knowledge and understanding that our environment is our home.
Everyone must take responsibility for any action that will impact our environment.
Caring for our environment means securing their future.

Does the curriculum teach about the environment?

Yes, it is mostly incorporated in the Science subject.

Are there any books you are using now that teaches about this?

There should be an infinite number of books out there that can be useful in teaching about the environment.
A few that I can mention here are the following:

The Dragon and the Unicorn by L. Cherry-- tells of how a dragon and unicorn help a princess save the forest

Tree of Life: The World of the African Baobob-- shows how various life forms live on a tree

Johnny Appleseed---a story which is actually in most reading books used in the classroom

There are also the classics:

The Very Hungry Catterpillar, Where The Wild Things Are, Stellaluna

Is there a need for more kid-friendly books about the environment?

I think that we can always use books that will impart positive values,optimistic rather than pessimistic messages.

Children need both non-fictional and fictional stories that will satiate their curiosity.

What is your favorite vegetable dish?

Chop-suey and grilled asparagus.

(Mama gnome's tummy rumbled at hearing this.)


If you can be a vegetable, what will it be and why?

I'd be a broccolli because it looks like a tree of life to me. And don't forget that it is delicious too.

(Mama gnome nods her head)

What is your favorite animal?

My favorite animal is the peafowl(peacock for males and peahen for females).
These are magnificent animals.

If you can be any animal, what will it be and why?

I'd like to be a peacock because they are the ones with the brightest plumage and if I am one,I can definitely live in the wild.

What advice can you give people/kids about being more eco-friendly?

Before you acquire a piece of man-made stuff, ask yourself these questions:

• Is this good for me?
• Is this good for the environment?
• Do I really need it?

If the answer to all is YES, go for it.

Do you have a favorite book or story that involves the environment or nature?

The Book of Genesis

What are your inspiring quotes?

Take Nothing But Pictures

Leave Nothing But Footprints

Kill nothing But Time

---Motto of the Baltimore Grotto- A Cave Society

Take care of the Earth

And She will take care of You
-Anonymous

Any additional comments or advice, Maria?

Here is a simple guideline for parents to refer to when choosing picture books on the environment:

1. Is it fiction or non-fiction?

2. Does it offer scientific information?

3. Are issues on the environment treated explicitly?

4. Are there nuances of optimism vs. pessimism on environmental issues and human behavior?

5. Use of fantasy vs. realism

6. Needs and actions of humans vs. other inhabitants of the natural environment

7. Human views on homes and habitats
(Source :Picture Books and the Environment:Bibliography and Study Guide By Hanlon)


Thank you so much for sharing your human and teacher ways with us, Maria.


Mama gnome now feels like reading a book and eating chopsuey.

I hope you've enjoyed learning something from Maria Lam.

Please visit our little garden soon for our next Person of the Day.


(c) Jenaelha Friendly Gnome's Garden

Bad dream? Good dream?

Mama gnome dreams in color, psychedelic colors sometimes and wakes up remembering most of the details.

Last night, Mama gnome had a weird dream.

She dreamt of a baby elephant.

It looked like a baby Asian elephant. The one with smaller ears.

photo from: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:SuperJew

Here's a picture of a baby Asian elephant with its mother.


The baby elephant Mama gnome dreamt of was lost in a flooded village.

The water was high. High above the elephant's head.

The poor animal stuck its trunk above the water for air.

Mama gnome walked up to the embankment where an old friend/classmate from college was just watching the wandering elephant.

Mama gnome asked, " Hey, -------(friend's name), why don't you help the elephant?"

But the old classmate/friend just shook her head.

Without wasting another moment, Mama gnome jumped in the water.

She swam towards the elephant.

And just like any dream where Newton's laws or any other physical laws are suspended,

Mama gnome and elephant walked side by side, both submerged in the water.

Mama gnome had no trouble foregoing air.

They made their way around the village until finally they clambered up a path,

out of the water together.

Then Mama gnome woke up.

Was it a good dream or a bad dream?

I think it was good because the baby elephant and Mama gnome made it out of the flood okay.

I think it was a bad dream because in reality Asian elephants are endangered.

According to IUCN:

...an overall population decline of at least 50% over the last three generations (estimated to be 60–75 years, based on a generation time estimated to be 20–25 years) seems realistic.

They are endangered because of the continuing trend of poaching and habitat destruction.

And Mama gnome cannot help them as simply as walking with them up and out of the flood.



video from: www.conservenature.org

Visit elephantconservation.org for more information.

And please, remember, there is no beauty in ivory for an elephant was killed for it.

Go green.

(c) Jenaelha Friendly Gnome's Blog.

Mystery Person of the Day

Mama gnome presents the

MYSTERY PERSON OF THE DAY:


He is Mama gnome's favorite artist.
He was born on March 30, 1853 in the Netherlands.
He was a "pioneer of Expressionism."
He started his career as an artist when he was 27.




If your guess is Vincent van Gogh, you get a great big hug
and Mama gnome says, "Why don't you paint sunflowers then..."


photo from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:VincentVanGoghFoto.jpg


Prior to becoming an artist, Van Gogh worked as an art dealer, a missionary worker and teacher.

He was very close to his brother Theo. Theo encouraged, mentored and supported Van Gogh emotionally and financially.

The brothers loved each other unconditionally. Right up to the final moments of Vincent van Gogh's life. Here is an account:

Vincent and Theo remained together for the last hours of Vincent's life. Theo was devoted to his brother, holding him and speaking with him in Dutch. Vincent seemed resigned to his fate and Theo later wrote: "He himself wanted to die; when I sat at his bedside and said that we would try to get him better and that we hoped that he would then be spared this kind of despair, he said 'La tristesse durera toujours' ('The sadness will last forever.') I understand what he wanted to say with those words." Theo, always his brother's greatest friend and supporter, was holding Vincent as he spoke his last words: "I wish I could pass away like this."

Vincent van Gogh died on July 29, 1890. He was 37 years old.

His brother, Theo van Gogh, died six months later.


Though Van Gogh started his career as an artist late,

...during the last ten years of his life, he produced more than 2,000 pieces, including around 900 paintings and 1,100 drawings and sketches. Most of his best-known works were produced during his final two years, amid the recurrent bouts of mental illness which led to his eventual suicide at the age of 37.

Vincent van Gogh lived a tumultuous and difficult life. Yet through all his hardships and sadness he painted the most beautiful paintings, capturing the most vivid colors of nature, sunflowers, irises, almond trees, stars and people.

Mama gnome will always be grateful to him for showing us the wonder and beauty of our planet.



video from Shaelrion
"Vincent" by Don Mclean

Mama gnome hopes you've enjoyed learning a little bit about Vincent van Gogh.

Thank you for visiting this little garden and come back soon to find out who will be the next Mystery Person of the Day.

Please help keep our planet beautiful. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

(c) Jenaelha, Friendly Gnome's Blog

"How do I love thee? Let me count the trees."

"How do I love thee? Let me count the trees..."

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten! Ten trees, honey. Is that okay?"

"Yes, and you'd better not divorce me, 'cause then I'd want fifty."

In one of the most romantic and moving stories, Mama gnome has ever read, people are asked to plant ten trees in order to get married.

How romantic is that? Get married and plant trees at the same time?

In the Javanese province of Garut in Indonesia, couples are asked to plant ten trees to get their marriage license.

And if they divorce, they need to plant fifty trees.

Indonesia is the third largest producer of green house emissions after China and the United States. This is due to massive deforestation in the country due to overfarming.

The act of deforestation itself releases carbon dioxide and with the the trees gone, carbon dioxide is less absorbed and thus more emissions are released.

According to this CNN report,

Forestry officials have identified "critical land" in Garut, which has been overfarmed and needs to be reforested. The overfarming leads to erosion, which can cause major flooding.

Environmental officials estimate that 50 million trees are needed in Garut alone to reverse the harm done by overfarming.

Fifty million trees! How much will that cost? So they came up with a brilliant plan to ask couples to plant trees.


video from cnn.com


Can you imagine if they did that everywhere?

Las Vegas would be a forest and not a desert.

Mama gnome says, "Ka-ching! Jackpot."

Anybody planning a destination wedding? I hear Garut, Indonesia is very romantic.

Go green.

(c) Jenaelha Friendly Gnome's Blog

Mystery Animal of the Day

Little gnomelet asked me yesterday, "Mama, do you have a new Mystery Animal of the Day?"

And so...

Mama Gnome presents MYSTERY ANIMAL OF THE DAY...

It has a flat, short head, big eyes, long legs and a short tail.

It's the slowest mammal in the world. It moves so minimally algae grows on its fur.

It can hang from tree limbs quite adeptly.

A three-toed species of this animal is critically endangered.


If your guess is Sloth, you win a double high-five and

Mama gnome asks, "Why don't you go volunteer at an animal shelter then?"

Here is a picture of a Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth:
photo from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bradypus.jpg


Sloths are found in Central and South America.

The pygmy three-toed sloths are critically endangered according to IUCN.

And with continuing loss of habitat and poaching, other species are also threatened.

Sloths are grouped into two families, the three-toed sloths and two-toed sloths.

Here is a picture of a two-toed sloth.


photo from nationalgeographic.com

As you can see the three-toed and two-toed sloths are equally cute and awesome.

The only difference is the two-toed sloths have two fingers. And the three-toed sloths have three fingers.

But all sloths have three toes.

Is that confusing or what?

Never mind.

Just remember the cuteness and awesomeness of both groups are equal as proven by the algebraic formula below:

3 toed-sloth = (100 % cute) + (100% awesome) = 2 toed-sloth


Sloths move at a speed of 1.2 miles per hour or .54 meters per second.

And when it's in a super hurry as in running away from danger it moves at a staggering fifteen feet or 4.5 m. per minute.

The main staple of the sloths' diet are leaves.

Sloths' fur is host not only to algae but also to non-parasitic insects.

Here is a video of this fascinating mammal.

video by http://www.youtube.com/BBCEarth

Mama gnome now feels like slowing down, eating edible leaves and looking cute and awesome.

Hope you've enjoyed learning a little bit about Sloths.

Please visit Mama gnome's garden soon for the next Mystery Animal of the Day.

Go green.

(c) 2009 Jenaelha Friendly Gnome's Blog

Endangered Species

Endangered...

Hundreds of thousands killed.

Millions lost their homes.

The killing continues...

DARFUR


Warning: Parental guidance for children





video from save darfur coalition


Warning: Parental Guidance for Children


video for DARFUR Now


Mama gnome cannot comprehend why humans behave like this.

Humans kill humans.

Please help.


SAVEDARFUR.ORG

The International Rescue Committee

UNHCR United Nations Refugee Agency

United Nations World Food Programme

Save the Children

OXFAM America

(c) 2009 Jenaelha, Friendly Gnome's Blog

Person of the Day

Mama gnome presents the Person of the Day: Lala de Leon

Lala, please tell us about yourself.

I am 40 years old, re-singled, mother to a 9-year old boy named Lorenzo.

Although my educational background is Psychology, I have taken interest in bringing together Psychology and Spirituality in my various involvements in the formation ministry. I do trauma work aside from consultancy work in Psycho-spiritual formation. I used to be involved in social development work involving women and children's issues.

How would you describe your way of life?

Tough one. Let me try. I would like to think of my life as an ongoing attempt to work towards integration and healing.

Integration of the three aspects of my being--body, mind, spirit. I believe that we cannot compartmentalize our life. . . what happens to the body is a mirror of the state our psyche and our soul, e.g., when we are sick, our body is calling our attention to certain dis-ease in our inner life.

Healing and integration go together. . . Since we were to some degree wounded as children, we are constantly challenged to move towards healing of our body-mind-spirit. The goal is so that we may become the wonderful beings that God created us (I call this reclaiming our God-image) towards fulfilling our unique mission in life.

Healing and integration though are life-long processes. . . no one becomes completely healed or integrated. We are all becoming, evolving.

Part of this integration is being one with nature. . . allowing nature to heal us and taking care of mother earth so that we can live in harmony.

How long have you been living your life like this? And are you vegetarian?

I've been trying to live my life in accord with the body-mind-spirit integration approach since my mid-20s but had been "more faithful" during my mid- 30s (as I entered my midlife transition years) That's also when I started my vegetarian diet as I promised to do when I was in my late 20s. But, I occasionally still eat free-range chicken. As in once or twice a year.

Why live like this?

Initially, it was mainly out of a desire to have a healthier lifestyle. First, vegetables are much healthier, easier to digest. (I found out recently too that a vegetarian diet is strongly recommended for my blood type-A) Second, we hardly have free range animals. Most are injected with antibiotics which our body absorbs. Third, I don't want to patronize the big poultry and other meat industries which thrive on practices which are cruel to animals and which are not environment-friendly.

Do you have any goals for living your life this way?

I guess going "vegetarian" and being a follower of naturopathic medicine (in contrast with allopathic medicine) support my attempt to live my life towards body-mind-spirit integration and holistic healing. By not automatically resorting to conventional medicines (which are largely suppresive), I think I am helping my body to tap its healer within and to work on the deeper psycho-emotional issues which underlie the physical symptoms. Given the right conditions (including healthy lifestyle), our body has the natural capacity to heal itself.

I'd like to share a favorite experience. I am one of those who believe that fever is a "friend", that it helps the body fight an infection. Hence, I hadn't taken paracetamol since about 7 years ago. Haven't given my son since about 4 years ago. Had to go against what many docs would prescribe for my sick son. But my son has survived several fevers of temperatures as high as 40 degrees. That is helping the body heal itself instead of suppressing the fever and the body's natural healing process.

Any regrets?

None whatsoever. I have gotten used to having lesser choices when eating in parties and when eating out. . . and this gives me reason to learn to cook my own food--with love! Unless I'm too stressed and cooking and eating are functional activities, hehehe.

I've not had antibiotics for about 8 years and all forms of conventional meds for almost 7 years. Not even Paracetamol.

What advice do you have for people who want to start living healthier lives?

Be clear about your motivations. Know why you want to do it and what you want to do it for. Fad is not a good reason. . . the "in" thing always changes.

And healthy does not have to be bland or boring! Healthy can be as vibrant as the greens and yellows and oranges of the plants we eat. And, when you fail once or twice, don't give up (as our mama gnome would probably tell us). Be gentle with yourself.

What is your favorite book about this topic?

I like the books of Caroline Myss.

Do you think your lifestyle is eco-friendly as well?

Yes, definitely, especially since I also support organic products. I try to buy pesticide-free products. I harvest vegetables from my mother's and our neighbor's garden. I've left one plant bare already, hehehe.

An important decision I made just last year was to stop using deodorant/antiperspirant. These are known to contribute to breast cancer. For a year now, I've been using calamondin (freshly squeezed calamondin) as deodorant. Also a good facial toner. So half goes to my face and the other half to my underarm. Aside from saving my body and our planet from all the toxic chemicals contained by the regular deo/antiperspirants, I also cut back my use of plastic bottles from the deodorant/antiperspirant.

What is your favorite animal and why?

I never thought of a favorite animal. But I think I like wolves for being wild, fierce, and wise. I also like sea birds. I read somewhere that they live on the edge of cliffs especially when they are nursing their babies. Can relate a lot with that. . . as I see my life as being "on the edge."

What is your favorite tree and why?

Favorite tree? Hmmm, can it be a favorite plant? I like the bamboo. It makes the surroundings where it is planted cooler. And I like its being pliant--symbol of resilience.

I like the pine tree Pala. I like the way its leaves are pointed upwards as if to praise and give glory to God our creator.

If you can be any kind of living thing besides human what would it be and why?

I think I'd like to be a bamboo. This is funny because I used to hate it when, as a very thin child, others used to tease me and label me as tikling (referring to the tall and thin bamboo). In recent years, I have enjoyed looking at the bamboo plants planted next block to my house. It's so refreshing to just watch them dance with the wind, bending and flowing as if to remind us that the only way to survive gracefully amidst adversities is to bend and flow.

What's the one thing you advise people to help the environment?

We have only one planet. The most important legacy we can leave for the next generations is a planet that's livable, a planet that can allow them to live life in fullness. All other efforts will be fruitless if our planet is destroyed beyond repair, if it can no longer nurture life.

Any last comments?

Wow, I enjoyed answering this! I hope my simple sharing will help trigger critical thoughts and deep care and compassion for all life--human and otherwise.

Thank you Lala for teaching Mama gnome your human ways and Mama gnome was particularly happy with your earth-friendly tips and insights.

Mama gnome now feels like making a fresh Calamondin facial scrub and standing tall and all bendy like a bamboo.

Mama gnome hopes you've learned something from Lala de Leon.

Tune in again for our next Person of the Day.

Go green.

(c) 2009 Jenaelha Friendly Gnome's Blog

How'd you like your steak? With a side of tree frogs or tapirs?

I know what you're thinking.

What does your steak have to do with tree frogs and tapirs?

Has Mama gnome lost it? I wish I had, then it would be easier for me to forget this horrible mess we're in. I don't even know where to start. But I'll try my best.

Mama gnome loves trees. Loves forests even more. And as far as rainforests, let me tell you about one who is very special.

She is Amazonia.

The largest rain forest in the world is the Amazon rainforest. Her range touches nine countries, with 60% of it in Brazil, 13% in Peru and smaller portions run in Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.

The Amazon rainforest is the most biodiverse rainforest on Earth.
She is home to thousands and thousands of plants, millions of insect species, thousands of species of fish and birds, hundreds of species of mammals and reptiles.

The Amazon rainforest is where you'll find tapirs, leaf-cutter ants, anacondas, jaguars, emperor tamarins, pygmy marmosets, two-toed sloths, harpy eagles, pink dolphins, tree frogs and countless more wonderful animals.

Not only is the Amazon home to all these animals, she is also home for more than 350 ethnic and indigenous groups of people. Their land for thousands of years.

How much do you think this biodiversity and ancestral land is worth?

How about priceless dollars, pesos, euros, francs, gold... She is priceless.

And yet people are burning, flooding and destroying the Amazon.

http://veimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/20945/image08082006_md.jpg

This picture from NASA shows square brown areas where the rainforest has been cleared in the Mato Grosso state of Brazil.

According to this report, almost 3 million acres of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil was deforested from August 2007 to July 2008.

"Today, rapid deforestation threatens the Amazon. At current rates, 55 percent of its rain forests could be gone by 2030—a looming disaster not only for the region’s plants and animals, but for the world."

That's more than half of the Amazon rainforest gone in 21 years.

Twenty one is not some abstract number in the distant future.

That's our lifetime, our children's lifetime, our grandchildren's lifetime.

Who or what is destroying the Amazon?

Basically, this is where your steak or chicken comes in.

With more and more people in the world, more and more people are eating meat.

Therefore, people who are only capable of short-term planning and consider the rainforests not as profitable, employ slash and burn methods to clear the forests to make way for cattle and soy farming.

And Mama gnome has to consider that there are probably desperate people as well who have no other economic means but to do this.

Why soy?
To feed the cattle and chicken in factory farms where meat is processed and mass marketed to the world.

If you are now slumped down in front of the computer, depressed and frustrated with this dilemma, Mama gnome says,

"Dust yourself off. Pick yourself up and let's get to work."

Please, please consider changing your diet.

Now, don't panic.

The spectrum is wide.

On one end is becoming vegetarian and vegan.

The other end is not changing at all. Just go about your business as usual.

I propose somewhere in the middle to start. How about really looking at where you buy your meats and produce?

I know times are hard and fast foods are the cheapest.

But really consider purchasing local produce, meats that are grass fed and not from factory farms.

And even the act of limiting how often you eat meat would make a world of a difference not just for the Amazon, but for your health as well.

How about considering growing your own produce?

I'm sure where you live gets more rain than where Mama gnome lives. Ehemm, lots of Joshua trees here. Not that that's bad. But the gnomes (especially you know who), do their best to save water, our lawns are the attractive color of beige.

Visit here http://www.worldwildlife.org/what/wherewework/amazon/index.html
to read up about the World Wildlife Federation and what it is doing in conjunction with the Brazilian government to save the Amazon.

Also visit here to read up more about the deforestation of the Amazon.

http://amazonconservation.org/

http://www.mongabay.com/brazil.html

http://www.amazon-rainforest.org/

Participate in tree planting.

Purchase electronic cards from Arbor Day Foundation where they plant a tree for every person you give an electronic card to.

And watch this:

video from http://saveouramazonrainforest.blogspot.com/

Side note: Mama gnome thought she had to give up soy milk, veggie burger and tofu as well, but..."the soy that is used in veggie burgers, tofu, and soy milk in the United States is almost exclusively grown domestically, not in the Amazon."

Darn... I mean, good, good, very good.

Yes, it's almost 3 months since I've taken on my greatest challenge and I haven't fallen off the wagon, so to speak.

But for a moment Mama gnome did consider surviving only on air but that's a precious commodity too.

How about lint? Nobody misses lint. Pweh, pweh. Nah, won't work.

So Mama gnome has to ask this unpleasant question,
"Before you eat that hamburger, what side dishes are you eating with it?"

Go green.

(c) 2009 Jenaelha Friendly Gnome's Blog