If you ever want to know what is really going on watch animals, plants and insects.  We may refer to them as lower life forms, but they seem to be far more aware than we are.  They don't make excuses.  They just adapt to what is happening to their world.

Last week we were out at an outdoor event eating hamburgers.  Suddenly wasps started to land right on the food we were holding.  Surprising?  Not really, but generally this usually becomse a problem in September when the flowers and other food for wasps starts to become more scarce.

Have you noticed anything else like this?  I bet you have.  Perhaps a flower blooming earlier than it did 5 or 10 years ago.  Animals normally seen only in the south starting to appear farther north.

I cannot say whether the wasps were really just more abundant where we were or it was really a change...but it makes me wonder.  What is the animal kingdom telling us?  Lassie, what is it?

What does environmentally friendly really mean?  At the most simple level, it may mean does it directly damage the environment.  For example, lower emission vehicles or solar powered homes.

But let's think about this at a more systemic level.  Here are some more aspects to think about when comparing using product A or product B:

1.  How long does the product last?  So how often do you have to buy it?  How oftne do suppliers have to ship it? 

2.  How is the product made?  What materials does it require?  How efficient is the product?

3.  How is this product distributed?  Truck, rail?  How often and how much space does it take to ship?

4.  What kind of packaging is being used?

When we think about environmentally friendly think about the whole picture.

More to follow

Recently we purchased two solar garden lights to enhance the look of our yard.  We did not want to put wiring down so we went with the solar/led variety.  It is amazing to see these lights turn on at night.  My children really like them too.

OK so they are not the most powerful lights, but the light they are shedding on my children's minds about what is possible is extremely powerful.  They are growing up seeing alternative energy as part of how we live not as an alternative to how we live.

Live by example.  People are watching.