The email newsletter called "Backyard Nature" had some interesting ideas this week. Here it is: _______________________ B A C K Y A R D N A T U R E N O T E S! by Carolyn Allen Published every Tuesday and Friday. _______________________ Hello, Have you heard the slogan "Think globally, act locally?" Today I'm going to challenge you to put that slogan into words that "work" in your backyard... and community. Today's issue brought to you by NextCard **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** NextCard-The First, True Internet VISA: Get online account info, download statements, email questions, sort transactions, pay bills, transfer balance, & 100% safe for Internet shopping. Save money with online approvals and rates as low as 2.9% APR! Learn more: http://www.cyberbounty.com/ad?a=76&b=9999&c=1273 **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** The U.N. Working Group of Sustainable Product Development asked experts from around the world four thought provoking questions...so I thought you might like to think about the same questions slightly edited to fit our "backyard" scope of operation: 1.Do you believe that using renewable materials in products is an important part of "sustainable development"? And can you identify 3 or more renewable materials being used in your home or backyard? 2.In what ways do you think the use of these materials might be more widely promoted among family, friends and community or work teams? Without preaching or guilt, of course! 3.Do you see any negative implications resulting from the increased use of renewable resources in products? Hmmmmmmm...... 4.Looking forward, towards 2050, in what new ways do you imagine we might then be using these materials? This could be interesting! Share your thought with the rest of us! "Sustainable" has become a buzz word in development and manufacturing recently, and some purists feel that it has been thoroughly polluted with ineffective principles. But I think a word means what you put into it :-) so we can work together to define "sustainable" in an earth-sustaining way. If we give it a bit of thought, maybe we can find little everyday ways we can make our own homes more sustainable. Some key principles to consider include: * Rent or borrow in place of owning one of everything * Fix broken tools, appliances, etc. even if it costs more * Use non-endangered materials for construction, furnishing and clothing * Use less water * Use organic soil nutrients vs. chemical brews * Eat simple, local, in-season foods that do not require large impact on the environment such as long distance transportation or extensive processing. * Celebrate natural beauty -- sunsets, sunrises, a pinecone, a bird soaring through clean air, crystal clear starry skies... Carolyn Allen Backyard Naturalist [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________ EDITOR'S NOTE Visit our Web site "BackyardNature.com" at http://www.backyardnature.com If you have questions, suggestions or stories please send me an email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________ TELL A FRIEND Please forward this issue of "Backyard Nature Notes" to friends, family and coworkers and invite them to subscribe. __________________________________________________ IMPORTANT ADDRESSES: Web site: http://www.sodamail.com/site/bn.shtml Change address: http://207.153.204.247/cgi-bin/gt/login.html Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________ COPYRIGHT 1999-2000 Carolyn Allen and SodaMail LLC. All rights reserved
