I love visiting beaches in the off-season, after the hordes of tourists are long-gone and you can have the whole wide expanse of sand and surf to yourself. This probably stems from growing up in the (exceedingly beautiful) beach town of East Lyme, Connecticut, (photo above), where summers meant the streets, shops, restaurants, and beaches were filled with out-of-town guests (we called them "summer people"), and fall meant a return to "normal." Life in balance again.
Our children are remarkably peaceful when they're at play on a quiet beach. Recently, we were in Newport, Rhode Island, and they enjoyed exploring the little tidepools among the rocks, sharing their discoveries with each other.
(c) 2012 by Joy Sussman/JoyfullyGreen.com. All rights reserved. Text and photographs cannot be used without express written permission from the author.
Our family had the good fortune (through a prize won at an auction fundraiser) to spend the day (and some of the night) with the New York Yankees today. It was worth every penny spent for an experience we'll never forget. Most notably, we got to meet Derek Jeter and he signed two baseballs for us (one for each of our children).
I learned that Derek Jeter is very, very tall.
I also learned that the New York Yankees are trying their best to get the fans to recycle everything thrown away at the games. They even want to compost the food scraps! Before the game started, there was a public service announcement on the jumbo-tron featuring all of the Yankees talking about the new recycling cans that are all over the stadium, and encouraging the fans to deposit their items in the proper receptacles. The teammates shared a lot of impressive facts about how many forests would be saved thanks to more recycled paper products, how many gallons of oil wouldn't need to be consumed for transporting the garbage to landfills, how much cleaner the air and water would be with less pollution from the factories...you get the gist. I was pleasantly surprised to see this announcement (as I somehow hadn't noticed any of the new cans on our way inside), so I headed out to the refreshments area to take a look at this grand recycling plan in action.
The guys were right: The cans were all out there, waiting for the right trash to fill them up. The problem was that the wrong trash was in each and every can that I checked. Plastic cups, wrappers, and straws were in the food composting can. Food and cardboard trays were in the "Plastic Only" can. And all sorts of recyclables were in the "Trash Only" can. So, even though the Yankees and their stadium are taking huge steps in the right direction, the fans are severely hindering their environmental efforts.
I had thought that if you throw food waste into a recycling bin (or mix other things that don't belong together), it ruins the whole load and the recycling company has to dump the whole thing. However, after checking out the company that runs the recycling program for Yankee Stadium, Action Environmental Services (www.ActionCarting.com), I found that they "remove any recyclable material from the waste stream prior to being disposed." Their website is comprehensive and worth a look for any environmentalist. For a facility that handles tons upon tons of garbage, they run a remarkably clean operation. I also appreciated, under the heading of "Core Values," that they listed "Integrity" and defined it as: "We do the right thing even when no one is looking." (I remember a scathing news report from many years ago, involving a major city's recycling efforts--it turned out that everything was being clandestinely dumped at the landfill.) All in all, I was suitably impressed with this particular recycling company and I'm glad the Yankees chose them for the massive job of handling the refuse at the stadium.
My hope is that Yankee Stadium and Action Environmental Services quickly find that they would benefit from running the PSA at least one or two more times during the game instead of only once, pre-game. Midway through the game and at the end would be ideal for reaching the most fans and educating them about the program. Also, the cans are not always grouped together inside the stadium, so (from what I saw) anybody passing by a single can just throws out whatever he or she is carrying, either not realizing the error or not caring enough to walk another twenty feet to the appropriate receptacle. Clear signage around the cans might also help (I'm picturing a "STOP!" sign to get attention). In addition, I didn't see any place to put all of the cardboard trays. Out of the bins marked for "Food", "Plastic", or "Trash", I guess they would prefer us to throw out the cardboard trays in the ones marked for "Trash"? (I found cardboard trays in all three bins, so there is definitely room for clarification in this area.)
In any case, as I've learned from working on environmental initiatives at our children's school, these programs take time to work themselves out, and I have faith in the Yankees and their recycling company to get the job done right.
Speaking of getting the job done right, the Yankees won tonight against the Oakland A's, 10-9, in 14 innings.
It was worth sticking around 'til the very end, through rain and rainbows.
(c) 2012 by Joy Sussman/JoyfullyGreen.com. All rights reserved. Text and photographs cannot be reproduced without express written permission from the author.
Yesterday, it was the perfect September day--not too hot, not too cold--just nice and crisp, like an apple. So we headed to the local orchard after school.
You already know how much I love Sun High Orchards (see this post), so I surprised the kids by picking them up from the schoolbus and heading straight over to the farm. Of course, first, Charlotte needed to put on her pink princess skirt over her school pants. (Lately, she can't stand wearing pants and is all about the dresses and skirts. She's a very girly-girl. It's sweet.) There was something so pleasing and refreshing about being outdoors late on a September afternoon, wandering around leisurely, in search of the perfect apples.
Zachary was particularly proud whenever he found a really good one.
Charlotte needed to show me every single apple before she put it in her bag.
When we had collected our fill, we headed over to the animals' area to say hello.
I had never noticed before how a goat's eyes are like cats' eyes, but horizontal instead.
Once we got home, we realized that we went a bit crazy picking the apples. We really had a lot of them! But they were so pretty, like little sculptures.
Delilah doesn't know quite what to make out of them.
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As a nature-lover, I'm so happy to be a lifelong resident of the Northeastern United States, because we experience all four seasons in relatively equal durations. I have some friends in Florida and California with young children who have never seen snow, except on television or in movies. (My own children are incredulous about this fact.) Sure, there are some dark days in January when I wish it were about 20 degrees warmer, but for the most part, I relish the differences in the seasons. Now, as summer is winding down and the kids are already back to school, I'm reminded of a classic book for children called Frederick by Leo Lionni, in which a little mouse gathers all his memories of the sunny days of summer so that he will be able to warm his friends with poetic recollections in the winter. Quite simply, he thinks about what he will miss about the season. So, here's what I will miss about summer:
Fresh basil and tomatoes growing on the porch.
The sound of peepfrogs at night.
Fireflies.
The view from our living room window of a full hedge of Rose of Sharon...
Walking the dog without a jacket.
Star-gazing in the back yard without shivering.
Chipmunks...
Studying insects up-close...
Speaking of studying insects up-close, there's a gorgeous new hardcover book for children called Step Gently Out by Helen Frost, with stunning close-ups of insects by photographer Rick Lieder. Now, I'm not a person who is squeamish about bugs, but even some friends of mine who are otherwise (hmmm, how shall we say it?) "unthrilled" about them found the photographs in this book captivating. It's one of my favorite new nature photography books, and our school's Green Team just chose it as one of our selections for the teachers' back-to-school gifts. (Shhh! Don't tell the teachers...the books haven't arrived yet!) I also like the message that it subtly imparts to children about not fearing insects (or being cruel to them), but instead being fascinated by them and seeking them out.
What else will I miss about summer? Eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner outdoors.
Days that last until 8:30 p.m.
Reading a book while lounging barefoot in an Adirondack chair...
Strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries.
Triple-berry pie from Sun High Orchards.
Just picked corn-on-the-cob. (New Jersey prides itself on sweet corn and blueberries.)
I'll tell you one thing about summer that I definitely will NOT miss: Stinkhorns!
The Stinkhorn has got to be the most vile fungus ever! With its brownish-black, sticky goop on the tip that attracts flies (which spread around the spores), they can sprout up to full height (about six inches) in just a few hours. I've never experienced a faster-growing or more annoying plant in my life, and this is coming from somebody who has suffered terrible rashes from poison ivy. To get rid of Stinkhorns, you've got to dig up their nasty white eggs (attached to the red stalk) and throw them out in sealed bags. Then you've got to dig around in the neighboring soil and search for the eggs that haven't sprouted yet. Toss those out, too, and not in the woods or they'll sprout up all over the place. When these little devils first started appearing in our mulch after a heavy rainfall, I was researching what they were called on the internet and I literally googled "disgusting red mushroom with brown tip." Scores of photos of the offending plant immediately popped up, along with hilarious descriptions from other people vexed by them. I also discovered the Latin name of the Stinkhorn: Phallus Impudicus. I don't think I need to translate "phallus" for you, but "impudicus" means "shameless or immodest." At least I got a laugh out of that translation! But since this blog is called Joyfully Green and not Disgusted By Gross Stuff, I'll get back to the things I really will miss. (Phew...rant officially over.)
I'll miss this stage of our Japanese Maple trees, just as they switch from green to red...
I'll miss trees thick with lush, green leaves and dappled with golden light...
I'll miss Dairy Queens everywhere, Yogurt Land in Denville, and Taylor's Homemade Ice Cream in Chester (the latter two stay open in the colder months, but it's just not the same).
And most of all, I'll miss the long, lingering days with my children...
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Alison Inches: I Can Save the Earth!: One Little Monster Learns to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle (Little Green Books) "One little monster learns to reduce, reuse, and recycle." That's all good, of course, but my own children laugh out loud every time they read how Max the Little Monster (before his attitude adjustment) clogs up the toilet with too much toilet paper, yelling "Hungry Toilet!" Kids...they just love the potty humor. Made from 100% recycled paper.
Julia Rawlinson: Fletcher and the Falling Leaves This book is incredibly sweet. A sensitive, little fox named Fletcher cannot understand what is happening to his beloved tree at the onset of autumn, and he tries everything in his power to keep the leaves on the tree. When he wakes up one winter morning to find his tree covered in dazzlingly beautiful snow crystals, it chokes me up every time. Although it's not about saving the earth, the book is a lovely tribute to nature and its seasons.
Diane Muldrow: We Planted a Tree I love how this relatively new book (published in 2010) is charmingly illustrated in the same style as those Little Golden Books from the 1960's. In simple prose, the book explains what happens when you plant a tree and watch it grow, while enjoying the benefits of fruit, shade, budding flowers, and cleaner air.
Dr. Seuss: The Lorax (Classic Seuss) This book is a classic for a reason. As I was reading it for the first time to my children, I could see the shock and sadness on their faces when the very first Truffula Tree was chopped down. Unlike the progression of The Curious Garden (see below), things just keep getting worse--all in the name of "progress." It ends with a powerful message: "UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." Great for generating conversations with young children about caring for and protecting natural resources. Printed on recycled paper.
Peter Brown: The Curious Garden First, I have to admit it: As a mom, I'm *slightly* bothered that a little boy is walking around a creepy city all by himself, and "stumbles upon a dark stairwell" which he decides to head up. However, this book is simply magical, so I'll chalk it up to "willing suspension of disbelief" and let it go. With each page, as Liam grows from a novice gardener into a Green Thumb Extraordinaire, the dreary city in which everybody stays inside becomes a green utopia that everybody enjoys. Liam helps the whole city to bloom, and changes the mindsets of its citizens, simply by taking the first steps and sticking to his mission--without any preaching whatsoever. My favorite parts are the multiple spreads with no words at all, which depict how the gray, dirty city is growing greener and cleaner with the passage of time, thanks to our hero. Printed on recycled paper.
Lewis Blackwell: The Life & Love of Trees Hands-down, this is my favorite photography book of all time. The collection of photographs, from close-ups of leaves to forest vistas, is simply breath-taking. It sits on my coffee table at home, and whenever I need a breather, it's there for me with its exquisite portraits of trees, accompanied by some poetic food for thought. I do find it odd that this, of all books, wasn't printed on recycled paper, but perhaps the publisher felt the photographic quality would be diminished? In any case, I forgive the transgression, because this book is a heart-breakingly beautiful ode to trees.
Richard Louv: Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder I feel like I grew up with Richard Louv. His childhood was so similar to mine, with a neighborhood full of children all outside, playing together, and exploring from morning until our parents called us home for dinner (and then back outside again after we ate). Louv makes some very compelling arguments for limiting technology and reintroducing your children to the powerful, healing effects of nature.
Henry D. Thoreau: Walden: A Fully Annotated Edition Like many other Americans, I read this book in high school English class, but it means much more to me now, as an adult. Living in our "More! More! More!" society, it's always a good reminder that you can, indeed, exist quite happily with just the basics. I chose this edition for the interesting annotations, but also because the cover photograph of a small house in the woods is so tranquil, simple, and pretty--it sits on my coffee table to inspire me.
Ed Begley Jr.: Living Like Ed: A Guide to the Eco-Friendly Life Ed Begley, Jr. is a pioneer in the green movement (he's been eco-conscious since 1970), and he's one of my heroes. I can't live exactly like Ed (which I'll detail in another blog post in the future), but I love his approach: "You don't climb Mount Everest in a single day." He groups all of his suggestions into "Easy Changes" (which he calls "the low-hanging fruit"), "Not-So-Big Changes" and "Big Changes" (in which the biggest pay-offs require some up-front investments). You can pick and choose what you want to try. Have I mentioned that Ed is one of my heroes? Printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper.
