The latest volume of SEA Currents, our annual-ish newsletter, has arrived!
Check it out to read about some of our ongoing projects, including Maria’s updates from Saint Lucia, collaboration in the Dominican Republic with utility provider Haina, and our local TenneSEA stormwater education and Best Management Practices work. I say “some” because there’s so much going on right now, we didn’t have room to fit everything!
Yep, according to this article by National Geographic, herring fart. And not only can they fart, but they actually communicate by passing gas.
I’m debating on whether or not I should tell the kids I am teaching about this…
*ppftph*… What! Miss! I was just telling a secret!
(video link: http://youtu.be/OcwCYIfm6eA)
I harp a lot about reducing waste (which is VERY important!) but when you do have waste, the next best thing you can do is to REUSE! There are so many creative ways to reuse your plastic, but I hadn’t seen this one before! Cupcake holders! love it.
What other cool re-uses are there for plastic bottles?!
Because as I hiked through the forest down (yay!) to the beach (even more yay!) in Belvedere with my dear friend and fellow camp counselor, Menalick, I saw (and half the time, ate) fresh coconuts, cacao seeds, Jamaican plums, limes, golden apples, nutmeg, tamarinds, almonds, cashews, breadfruit, and dasheen. That’s just what I was able to identify! Plus there are tons of other local foods here that are SO tasty and really plentiful! It’s always interesting for me, no matter where I am, to go into grocery stores and see what everyone is eating, and I don’t know why but it surprises me when I see foods from other countries here. Why? Why import this trash food from thousands of miles away when there’s SOOOO much wonderful food here?
But then I realize that as an American, I am guilty of doing that for probably 99% of the meals that I eat. Sure, I may shop at whatever branch of Whole Foods is in my area, or try to eat at local restaurants, but let’s face it – it’s expensive! And how backwards is it that I have to pay more for something that HASN’T traveled over 100 miles from my stomach!?! Eating local foods is one of the most effective ways to live an ecofriendly lifestyle because it not only reduces gas use and carbon emissions, but if it is a native plant (or at least one suited for the environment), it requires less maintenance in terms of water or fertilizer resources!
Though I am excited about many many things about my time here in St. Lucia, being able to afford to eat locally (and actually not to much otherwise since imported food tends to be pricey) is one of my favorites!
We talk a lot about how important water is and how it’s becoming a more precious and valuable commodity, but do you know how well you’re doing at curbing your water use? Check out this handy dandy little water footprint calculator from National Geographic! All you do is answer some questions about various aspects of your lifestyle, and it’ll tell you where your water use is concentrated.
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater/water-footprint-calculator/
Why do you need a whole questionnaire to figure that out, one might ask. The answer is that water use isn’t just confined to the water that comes out of your home faucet. Sure, the length of your shower, how often you water the plants, and how many dishes you wash all determine your water footprint. But there’s so much more you might not even consider! For example, when was the last time you bought a new laptop, pair of jeans, or even a juicy T-bone steak?? There’s water that goes into the manufacturing and transportation of electronics, clothes, food, and more and that has to be added into your footprint!
After you measure your water footprint, take a moment to consider how you can reduce your own personal water usage. Can you come up with three things you can reduce, reuse, or recycle in your everyday life? With every little change you make, not only will you reduce waste and unnecessary consumption, you’ll reduce your water use too!
The average US citizen uses close to 600 liters of water per day. If you think it’s impossible to reduce your water use at all, consider that in most African nations and many in central and South America, the average person uses less than 50 (or in some cases, even less than 10) liters of water per day!
Check out this cool graphic from Project AWARE! And remember, the Tennessee River Rescue happens October 1st, so be sure to help out if you’re in the greater Chattanooga area!
As sad as we in Chattanooga are to lose Maria to the islands for the next year, how lucky is St. Lucia to pick her up! No more than a day into her time there, and she was already picking up cane toads the size of her head!
Day 1: Captain’s Log
Thanks to the wonderful growth of Caribbean SEA over the last couple of years, I am able to live and work in St. Lucia for a year! I’ve been there twice before for summer camps, but this is my first time here by myself. And yes, part of me is nervous because I am leaving a great (great great great!) network of friends and coworkers behind and I absolutely love the city of Chattanooga, but at the same time, I am so excited! I’m so optimistic about this coming year and I think that there are plenty of opportunities to be had. And as nervous as I am about leaving my amazing Chattanooga support team, I am realizing how great of a support team I have here too! And although I never had too much of a shell to begin with, this is gonna make me break out of it for sure! It’s gonna be a fun year, St. Lucia!
Check out this video about the coral reefs off Haiti! Maria and Mary Beth participated in Reef Check in the Dominican Republic, and this story is about the same thing in Haiti: volunteer eco-divers checking out the health of the reefs.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I have made it back into the United States of America!
Due to some difficulties with flying standby and full flights out of Santo Domingo, I am very excited to say this! Not only because I am a very proud American, but also because, as much as I LOVE travelling to St. Lucia and the Dominican Republic (which I need to tell everyone about still…), I also love having safe drinking water at the turn of a faucet. Anyone who knows me knows that I have this water insecurity thing – I can’t leave the house without one of my water bottles, and I always have a jug of water in my car in case I need to refill it out of reach of a water fountain/sink/hose (I’m not picky about source, I just need water!). But in some other countries, you really can’t do this. Trust me, I tried and failed. You have to buy bottles/bagged/jugs of water. And ooooooh do I hate bottled water! But what’s more is that some people absolutely cannot afford to buy clean water. Nor do they have the means to keep their water clean (read: septic tanks or sewage lines). But hey, maybe this is why I’ve chosen this line of work… I want everyone to be able to have the same idiosyncrasies as me! And not have to pay the price of their health to do so!!
