It’s so easy to look at what has happened in the Gulf of Mexico and blame BP for the oil spill. That’s not saying that BP was not at fault because truly they are. It’s simply saying that we have drilled in very deep water for a long time without a large incident like this and have been really lucky considering the amount of drilling that has taken place as well as the risks and shortcuts that have come to fruition.

Those who have lived on the Gulf Coast for a long time have seen evidence of oils spillage over the years. There has been oil that has been recovered on the beaches and out in the ocean just never in the amount that we see right now and of course never devastated the wildlife and fisheries like this spill has and will. But we should have known something like this would eventually happen. Even though the oil companies have a lax plan for these occasions they knew it was possible because they had a plan. But it was always worth it so they could deliver oil to the American public as cheaply as possible. It just turns out that we will be paying for this cheap oil for a long time and the bill will be higher than we ever thought.

When I married I had no idea that I had married into a family of hoarders because they called themselves “collectors”. The problem is that they collect everything! I am lucky because my spouse and one sister see this and know it is a problem. They both struggle against the compulsion to hoard some things but being aware and having each other to talk to about it has been a life and marriage saving activity. The other sister and brother as well as mother and step-father are another story.

When my mother-in-law came to our home and realized we had given away a chair, I thought she was going to cry. She asked my wife why she wasn’t called first because she would have taken the chair even though we know she has no where to put it. We just don’t tell her about anything that we throw away because she would be aghast to know the cards and letters have been recycled as well as baby clothes, etc. We simply tell her that they are stored in the shed out back as it tends to make her physically ill if we tell her we have thrown them out. I hope she never figures out that our little shed has no way of holding everything we have told her is out there.

Sometimes I think we spend more time than we should making our homes, yards and gardens beautiful while we neglect beautifying what is most important; our inner world. I know far too many people who are either burned out or close to being burned out that it’s not even close to being funny. The term “burned out” is also extremely interesting as it implies that we each have a fire that burns inside of us. So if we had a fire that needed to be tended every day for our life sustenance, would we not spend a good deal of time making sure it keeps burning?

Being able to tap into ones “fire” or lack of is not always an easy thing to do as most of us are just walking through life not paying attention to anything that comes from within. We have been told to pay attention to everyone else; the kids, your spouse, your boss, politics, news and everything else but you! However, if you continue to pay attention to everyone else at your own expense, be prepared to eventually burn out and join the throngs or other people that are oblivious to their own fire. Or make a different decision today to tend to the fire that makes you tick. May it always burn brightly!

We are always talking about growing our own food and gardening with the environment in mind but that doesn’t mean you can’t add some great items to your yard and gardens to make it inviting and beautiful. One of my favorite things to add is trellises. These can be a great addition to flower beds, raised vegetable beds and gardens. They also make smaller trellises that are great with cucumbers and squash and a number of other low growing vegetables.

Another wonderful addition to any garden is the garden arbors. Many have trellis sides so you can grow many of your favorite flowers or vegetables right up the sides of the arbor. Arbors can be show pieces in the garden and add to the flow and look. You can place a chair under the arbor or just keep it open. In some cases, it’s wonderful to allow the arbor to fill in the sides and the top creating a beautiful canopy of blooms. Just writing about it makes me want to go out into the garden right now and just take it all in!

Gardening is a fun hobby.  It can be an environmentally friendly hobby as well.  It is important to think responsibly about what happens in the garden.

One of the first thoughts about environmentally friendly gardening should be the use of safe fertilizers and pesticides.  Fertilizers should be organic in origin.  Fertilizers should not be produced by big chemical companies.  That is not organic or environmentally correct.  Pesticides should be eliminated from the garden completely.  They are dangerous nerve toxins that harm the environment and the person who applies the pesticide.  They work only in the short term and cause major long term biological damage.

Another thought that should be considered when having an environmentally friendly garden is water usage.  Only 2% of all the water on our planet is fit for drinking.  This is not only due to pollution, but only due to all the oceans.  That salt water is not appropriate for plant life either.  Wise water usage is important to make sure there is enough drinking water for our communities.  Rain barrels are a great way to safe water for plants and conserve water for people to drink.

When I was a kid, I spent every weekend at my Grandmother’s house, and every Saturday night, we would watch The Golden Girls.  It was my favorite, and remains one of my favorites today, as I bask in reruns on Lifetime.  For years, my friends would make fun of me for this dedication to what they called, “an old lady show”, to which I would reply, “do you know how many Emmys this won?”  I just knew that one day, they would come to their senses, and just look who’s laughing now!

Who would have thought that the latest Hollywood “It” girl would be the 88 year-old, comedy powerhouse, Betty White?  With a career that spans over 70 years, I would think it’s about time!  After winning the SAG Lifetime Achievement Award, and appearing in a hilarious Superbowl commercial for Snickers, a relentless Facebook campaign was launched to get her to host Saturday Night Live.  And on May 8^th, 2010, they were successful.  Betty hosted the Mother’s Day episode of SNL, garnering higher ratings than any other episode this season.

I have always been a fan of Betty White, and respected her work on The Golden Girls, Mary Tyler Moore, Mama’s Family, Password, as well as her efforts as a tireless animal advocate.  But, what I admire most about Betty is what she represents – that it’s never too late, you’re never too old, and always have a sense of humor.

It is very important that communities plant trees in an effort to beautify public spaces.  Trees are important in many ways.  The most important way trees are important is that they provide oxygen as a byproduct of their respiration.  Without that oxygen the air on Earth is not breathable for human beings.  This seems so simple, yet communities all across the nation clear land for development and never plant back in as many trees as were removed.  Our planet is not habitable without air to breathe.

The second thing trees do is provide homes for birds, insects, and lots of other animals that need shelter.  A large shade tree may be home to more than 20 species of wild animals. This biodiversity is essential for maintaining a healthy balance of life on Earth.

The third thing that trees do for us is provide some climate control.  In the spring when the leaves come out, the trees provide valuable shade from the sun.  The shade keeps us cool and reduces our sun exposure.  On the reverse side of that, during the winter, the trees loose their leaves and allow valuable sunlight and warmth to shine on us during the coldest days of the year.

Spring has sprung. Birds are chirping. Flowers are blooming. What a perfect time to be outside! Whether your choice of outdoor activities is tending a garden, walking the dog, or riding a bike – it’s a beautiful time of year to spend as much time outdoors as possible. Recently my wife and I bought ourselves bicycles to get some exercise and enjoy the sunshine. Nashville, the city where we live, has a greenway system. The greenways improve environmental quality by protecting plant and animal habitats. Greenways also help clean our water and air through dedication of sensitive areas like wetlands, forests, and flood plains. They also facilitate alternative travel. By providing bicycle and walking routes between homes, work, and other destinations, the greenways become part of the infrastructure necessary for an integrated approach to transportation planning.

The city has also been working on adding bike lanes in multiple areas of the city. Biking is not only great exercise, but is also a very “green” mode of travel. One of the benefits of living in an urban area is that many of the businesses in which we encounter in our day-to-day lives – grocery stores, post office, banks, are conveniently available in a relatively small radius. With the cost of oil back at over eighty dollars a barrel, sending gas prices up, riding a bike not only helps your waist line but your bottom line as well. Trips via the bicycle versus your vehicle saves not only the gas it takes to go there and back, but also the gas for the air conditioner and the wasted gas it takes to idle at the stop light. Bike riding is as efficient as it is fun.

There are a lot of people who think that being green is difficult or time consuming. But I have news for them. Despite what Kermit the Frog may say, it is easy being green. Not only is being green easier, it is more practical as well.

There are plenty of things that people do that is an inconvenience for them and it is also bad for the environment. Buying plastic silverware and dishes is just one example. It costs you much more money to continue to buy more and more plastic dishes and silverware. And those dishes and such that you have used go straight to the landfill to pollute the earth.

There are plenty of other examples, such as using too much water when bathing or running the faucet too much when you are washing your hands or letting the hose just run water while washing your car. These things will increase your water bill. Also, leaving the lights on in rooms that no one is in can increase your electricity bill as well as burn coal that will harm the environment. Making note of these things is both good for you and good for the planet.

For those of us that already recycle, we either no the answer to this questions or just assume it’s the right thing to do. What most of us never see is the result of NOT recycling. There are masses of amounts of materials from tin to plastics and even toxic chemicals that lie beneath the earth as well as collecting in our seas that are tucked away so we don’t have to face the facts of what we are doing as a people of the earth to our planet. This is not a United States issue; it is a global issue. However, if each of us does our part then we begin to make a dent in the collection of all this trash that will not decompose.

The other reason is for the recourses that are saved by recycling. If we use recycled paper then it saves trees. If we use recycled plastic it saves petroleum for other uses. And the last reason we need to recycle is for future generations that will already have to figure out what to do with the mass of trash on this planet. The more we can use biodegradable materials the better off those generations will be.