Resource Guide to Solve Urgent Global Issues
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Introduction
I am Alekz Londos, the C.E.O. of Advanced Disaster Relief. I have 16 years of experience as a photojournalist. After being a witness to so much destruction, death, mass suffering, and failed humanitarian responses, I was driven to make a difference and became involved in emergency services. I have independently provided international disaster relief support and immediate medical care to critical areas before the military and multinational organizations arrived. I have done search and rescue, body recovery, psychological debriefing, debris removal, risk mitigation, and rebuilt infrastructures. I focus my mission objectives on benefiting humanity and our environment. I then write inspiring stories and utilize mass media to help raise awareness and compassion towards tragic events.
I began my career working for major TV news stations in Reno, Nevada before becoming an independent, freelance photojournalist in 2002. My images have been featured on CNN, NBC, CBS, FOX, ABC, KSBW, Associated Press (AP), World News (WN), Philippine National News, and many other news outlets. I have been published in newspapers 34 times: The Huffington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, LA Times, Aptos Times, Santa Cruz Sentinel, Mercury News, Reno Gazette Journal, Santa Cruz Good Times, and Reno News & Review. I have been interviewed by Anonymous (the international cyber hacking group) as well as KSCO, KTOK, and KRXA radio stations.
I took a variety of courses at Cabrillo College in 2008 and years later had accumulated 81 units. I mostly studied emergency medical training, environmental science, horticulture, sustainability, and renewable energy and resources, all of which I could apply to my career. I completed the Red Cross course in Santa Cruz and become a disaster relief volunteer in 2009. I also completed the Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) course at the Felton Fire Station in 2010. I now consider myself a hybrid photojournalist, environmentalist, humanitarian, and activist.
I self-deployed to hazmat cleanups, lightning storms, wildfires, floods, sinkholes, landslides, snowstorms, car accidents, and a commuter train crash. I was in New Orleans during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the Philippines during the aftermath of Super Typhoon Haiyan. I have been through three other hurricanes as well: Gustav in 2008, as well as Isaac and Sandy in 2013. I also went tornado chasing in Oklahoma in 2013. I was in Ghana during the peak of the Ebola Outbreak in 2014. I volunteered in Nepal during the earthquake aftermath of 2015. I lived in the epicenter for a month on my own while treating medical patients and helping the community recover. I went to Erbil, Iraq in 2016, where I brought supplies to the Peshmerga military, distributed medical aid to the clinics, and volunteered in Syrian refugee camps. In 2017, I flew to Houston, Texas right after Hurricane Harvey and volunteered, a week later I flew to the Florida Keys to help residents evacuate [just two days] before Hurricane Irma made landfall. I also evacuated and made it to Fort Lauderdale. I was out on the streets helping people during the actual hurricane. As soon as the storm had passed, I traveled back to the Florida Keys and conducted a variety of disaster relief projects. A few weeks after that, I traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico. I arrived 12 days after hurricane Maria had made landfall. I traveled to Fajardo, took a ferry to the remote island of Vieques and volunteered independently for over two months.
Throughout my missions, I have been a witness to the unimaginable, widespread destruction of catastrophic man-made and natural disasters. I have discovered and exposed horrific environmental cover-ups and several illegal dumps. I am extremely saddened by the egotism, greed, and lack of compassion by both people and corrupt corporations that are contributing to the destructive impact of industrialized nations. In this moment, we are all witnessing the rapid disruption and alteration of our planet’s biosphere and we are still carelessly wasting resources and destroying the Earth's fragile ecosystems. The exponential rate of man-made climate change is the collective result of our selfish, repetitive actions, our over-consuming society, and profit-based, consumerist world economy wasting resources and destroying our Earth's fragile ecosystems. Inherently, we have the responsibility to take initiative in being accepting and supportive of our transition towards an ecologically-sustainable global society.
I have been contacted by scientists, geologists, environmentalists, activists even CEO’s of major corporations regarding the future challenges we face. I was overwhelmed by the large volume of Facebook messages, comments, and emails to where I couldn’t respond back to everyone. I realized unified global action was necessary. I began writing this comprehensive "Resource Guide to Solve Urgent Global Issues" document as an educational text of my knowledge, experience and yet another desperate attempt to present society with compelling solutions. It details a wide range of subjects that will not only benefit those working in emergency services and government-appointed positions, but also the general public.
This document is decipherable in 91 written languages on the website with a built-in English audiobook reader. The English MP3 and English PDF are also downloadable for free.
http://www.advanceddisasterrelief.com/resource-guide.html
The 6X9 inch paperback book and PDF is 200 pages with 167 charts, graphs and extraordinary color pictures. The book is available at Santa Cruz Book Shop and on Amazon. Even if you don't purchase the book from Amazon, you’re still able to download the free PDF, read the content, and leave an Amazon rating or review. Every 5-star rating and positive review will help this book reach a larger audience.
The kindle-compatible download is sold exclusively on Amazon. With each new book purchase, my humanitarian missions and creative environmental project ideas are supported. If you already own the printed book, please extend its life-cycle and give it to someone new once you’re finished reading. https://amzn.com/1539602729
Our Combined Impact
We are passing a pivotal moment in human history where we still have the ability to gain control of the rapidly accelerating biosphere of the planet. Humankind has drastically altered the planet, atmosphere, and has even polluted space with over 670,000 pieces of space debris, exploration equipment, and human spacecraft. Our careless human activity is having a devastating effect on our climate system, resulting in: hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, droughts, floods, landslides, forest fires, record temperatures, melting glaciers, melting polar icecaps, and deteriorating eco systems and agriculture. Since the 1970's, our world’s accredited scientific community has been continuously warning us of the impending dangers we would face. They knew that if we do not reduce our consumption of fossil fuels and precious resources, we would see these types of devastating effects. They not only warned our present generation; they had also warned our parents and grandparents. These scientists were denounced and disregarded by the masses that purposely and apathetically ignored the scientific communities for greed, power, money, stature, or for selfish political or religious agendas. Now we are witnessing the super-storms and deadly heatwaves that our top scientists predicted decades ago.
We have access to more information now than ever before. People are increasingly disconnected from each other in regards to authentic social interaction because of mobile technologies such as computers, tablets, smartphones, and personal music devices. Children are growing up disconnected from nature, raised on sugar and GMO-sourced junk food, fast food (especially pizza), TV shows, violent video games, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tinder, and Facebook.
We are cutting down the rainforest that we rely on to replenish the oxygen we breathe. Right now, rainforests around the world are being cut down or burned for suburban neighborhoods, farmland for livestock feed, or to grow palm oil. Palm oil is in about half of all packaged products sold in our supermarkets. Palm oil is used in potato chips, cooking oils, candy, fast foods, coffee creamers, butter substitutes, cosmetics, shampoo, soaps & detergents, ice cream, biodiesel, etc.
We consume seafood, meat, and dairy products far beyond a sustainable level. Raising a mass concentrated number of livestock causes extensive damage to land and pollutes water sources downstream. Livestock use more labor-intensive resources as well as water than does fruit and vegetables of equal weight. Eating non-organic meat pollutes our bodies with antibiotics that are not safe for human consumption and are fed to livestock to keep them alive long enough for slaughter. They are also fed hormones to grow faster than normal. Livestock operations are a major contributor to the release of methane as well as the use of tons of antibiotics.
We carelessly waste fossil fuels and are dependent on them. We use them in our plastics, for energy, transportation, construction, shipping, trade goods, computers, and electronics. Nearly everything we consume is manufactured with fossil fuels.
The poor regulation of manufacturing, agriculture, and industry disperses billions of tons of pollutants and poisons into our atmosphere, our fresh water aquifers, our oceans, lakes, rivers, and streams.
We are hunting the wildlife that balance our ecosystem and we are killing off endangered species for their furs, hides, or tusks, just for souvenirs and trinkets. This is an unconscious destruction of millions of animal species, who are all crucial for the future of our ecosystems.
Nitrogen has been synthesized from fossil fuels. Nitrogen is a main component that plants and trees uptake and assimilate to grow. The introduction of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) added with the mass amounts of synthesized nitrogen produced has allowed us to grow food in places previously impossible. This is the main contribution to the drastically accelerated human population growth.
Global Warming Explained
The Earth’s biosphere took billions of years to form and self-regulate global temperatures. Carbon and other elements were removed from the atmosphere in a process called sequestration. It was stored in either solid, liquid, or gaseous mediums. Some carbon-based medium examples are dirt, rocks, biomass, plants, trees, insects, animals, people, seaweed, phytoplankton, coal, natural gas, and other fossil fuels.
The Earth’s biosphere is a balanced molecular mixture of gasses and is mostly separated in layers surrounding the planet. The mixture and water vapor clouds are like a global thermostat. It allows light and radiant heat to enter the biosphere and some to escape. There have been several long, hot periods and ice ages, although these climate transitions took millions of years to complete, which is a drastic comparison to the global temperature changes that we are seeing in the 20th century.
Greenhouse gases are a combination of water vapor, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, nitrous oxide, helium, ozone, and other molecular gases. Greenhouse gases are the most significant contributor to the acceleration of global warming and are destroying the regulating atmospheric thermostat. Greenhouse gases are generally caused from human activities and habits of life-style choices. The current global atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases are 404 parts per million (ppm). Ppm is the unit that describes the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The levels haven’t been at 404 ppm concentration for millions of years. When we burn trees, coal, natural gasses, and other fossil fuels, this carbon is released back into the atmosphere. When plants on land or phytoplankton and seaweed in the oceans die, carbon is released back into the atmosphere as well.
The overpopulation of mankind, consumerism, and fossil-fuel powered machinery, combined with the destroyed carbon-based rainforest during the industrial revolution, has drastically accelerated greenhouse gases and changes within the biosphere. Forestry, agriculture, waste, wastewater, industry, energy supply, transportation, and residential and commercial buildings are the main greenhouse gas emitters. Each of these categories contribute to global warming. Everything single thing we do, every simple choice, every mundane task, every product produced, and everything we buy has a greenhouse gas footprint. For instance, using Roundup to kill plants deemed as “weeds” not only poisons the Earth; it kills the carbon- capturing plants that help regulate the atmosphere. The more people drive vehicles, waste food, waste water and waste electricity, the more unnecessary greenhouse gases are emitted.
The 404-ppm concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere further traps heat radiating from Earth and prevents it from escaping back out into space. This is what is driving global warming and causing the severe climate change anomalies we have been witnessing.
Climate Change and Severe Weather Events
Scientists had warned us of warming events we must avoid in order to prevent reaching the tipping point that would cause irreversible and irreparable damage to our biosphere and throw the climate into a cataclysmic nightmare. We are now witnessing the types of weather phenomena scientists had predicted: severe and extreme global weather patterns, more concentrated rain storms, more weather-related floods on a massive scale, colder winters, stronger blizzards, hotter summers, mega droughts, desertification, etc. Global lightening activity also increased due to higher atmospheric moisture concentration. This causes a feedback loop sparking more forest fires in drought-affected areas and more carbon is thus released.
It is infuriating as it is depressing, that so many ignorant Americans demanded they see proof climate change was happening before they would do anything to help us stop it while every accredited [trusted] scientist knowledgeable in the field had been warning us for decades, once we started witnessing the climate changing, we would have passed the climate’s tipping point and then too late to stop it.
The accumulative heat in the atmosphere has altered the regularity and consistency of the tropospheric jet stream in the upper levels. This has caused alarming anomalies in historic weather averages. Higher global average temperatures make weather predictions and reliable forecasting more difficult. There is now an increase of attention and money directed towards climate-related research. There are more comprehensive studies being conducted, calculated, and analyzed in regards to the relation between climate change and severe weather patterns. This effort will prepare us for any catastrophic weather scenarios of the future.
One of the most severe events that could ever take place is already underway. The warmer atmosphere is melting the Greenland ice sheet and Siberian permafrost. The Siberian permafrost is releasing billions of metric tons of methane into our atmosphere. Methane is the most destructive of all greenhouse gases. If there was no ice in the Arctic Ocean, the frozen, sea-floor methane (just a few hundred feet below sea level) would melt and massively release megatons of methane. This would throw off our entire atmosphere instantly and within 1-2 years most of all life on Earth would soon die. This is why scientists, meteorologists, and environmentalists have desperately tried to prevent this event from taking place.
Even though heat has been trapped in the atmosphere, much of the heat has been directly absorbed into the oceans. This has allowed toxic blue-green algae to proliferate while initiating mass coral reef die-offs and mass sea life die-offs. The warmer ocean temperatures are disrupting ocean currents, slowing global ocean circulations, and at times has caused them to change course. This is disrupting global fish and bird migration patterns.
Warmer surface and deep ocean temperatures will lessen the frequency of super storms, although they will increase the Accumulated Cyclonic Energy (ACE) intensity around the world and therefore increase the severity of storms. Storms like Hurricane Katrina, Super Storm Sandy, Super Typhoon Haiyan, Vongfong, Patricia, Matthew, and many others within the last few years each set new records. Haiyan was the most powerful typhoon in recorded history. It had 895 mbar (hPa) 26.43 Hg, 195mph wind speed sustained for 1 minute, 145mph wind speed sustained for 10 minutes, 235mph wind gust, and forward speed of 34mph. Hurricane force winds were over 370 miles wide and 1,120 miles wide to the outer cloud bands. This storm broke all scientific intensity scale records at 8.1 on the UW-CIMSS ADT Tropical Cyclone Intensity Estimate scale that previously capped out at 8.0. An estimated 1.1 million houses were damaged in the Philippines. 52% of those were partially damaged, and 48% totally damaged. In 2015, 3 simultaneous category 4 hurricanes had formed in the Pacific Ocean (hurricane Kilo, Ignacio, and Jimena) broke several new records. Cyclone Winston made landfall in Fiji as a category 5 in early 2016. With winds of 185mph, it was the strongest tropical cyclone on record in the Southern Hemisphere and had broken yet another record.
Every day we are not progressing towards sustainability and working to slow global warming is one day closer to a catastrophic [global] climate change meltdown scenario.
Melting Glaciers and Rise in Ocean Sea Level
The increase in atmospheric and ocean temperatures is accelerating the melting of the Greenland ice sheet and polar ice caps, thus causing the ocean sea level to rise at an accelerated rate. Some skeptics mention that the Antarctica ice sheet is expanding, although the layer of ice is only several feet thick, not like the glaciers melting that are hundreds of meters high.
Since the late 1970s, the Arctic has lost an average of 20,800 square miles (53,900 square kilometers) of ice per year. The Antarctic has gained an average of 7,300 square miles (18,900 sq. km). If we combine the average annual ice loss of the Arctic and the ice that Antarctica gained per year, for the last 40 years, the difference is 13,500 square miles (35,000 sq. km) of ice. In conclusion, on average, 13,500 square miles (35,000 sq. km) has been melting away every year, for 40 years. We must rapidly invent more low- energy methods to extract methane, carbon, and greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, and convert them into a safe byproduct or durable carbon storage medium that can be safely stored.
I have foreseen many catastrophic scenarios and warned others through various outlets. I predicted the catastrophic destruction of Super Typhoon Hayian and even predicted that the subway tunnels in New York would flood long before Superstorm Sandy made landfall. Beach front homes and low elevation properties will not be protected. They will begin to depreciate and lose their value in the following years. The rise in ocean levels will continue to erode, destroy, and inundate coastal regions, rendering them uninhabitable and pushing populations further inland to higher elevations. The UN recently evacuated many inhabited islands before they sunk or washed away. The UN is evacuating indigenous communities still living on the remaining islands that are threatened. It’s apparent that we must take drastic steps to stabilize the ocean levels while relocating the cities in low elevation coastal areas.
If we can build massive pipelines to transport oil all over the world, if we can run internet lines across the Atlantic Ocean floor, if we can move mountains, build mega cities, and fly spacecraft to other planets, then why are we not safely pumping ocean water into large reservoir valleys around the world? This would prevent the ocean levels from rising higher and save thousands of coastal cities. The benefits of saving thousands of coastal cities from flooding, stopping more pollution entering the ocean, and preventing billions of people from migrating to higher ground would far outweigh any environmental damage this project would cause. The ocean- water reservoirs would be in remote canyons that were studied and chosen for the necessary characteristics.
The majority of the people who own or rent will NOT remove their property or entire house before the ocean destroys it. We can look at the mining and oil industries as consistent examples of this when they liquidated their assets, claimed bankruptcy, and abandoned their unwanted equipment, machinery, buildings, and infrastructure. We must plan for this lack of responsibility and establish new laws, regulations, and insurances to address these concerns.
It’s a waste of our time and resources to grant building permits on any construction project in low elevation coastal areas. In some regions, it is already too late and there is already alteration of the current infrastructure to mitigate ocean impact. This is accomplished by elevating roadways, houses, and buildings, similar to communities in Florida.
Many governments are already considering or are in the process of constructing sea walls with built-in water pumps. This is not a sustainable option; we cannot afford or logistically build sea walls around every coastal city or small community. They will cost billions of dollars, always be dependent on electrical power to run the water pumps, continually need maintenance, are always at risk of failure, and eventually need to be built taller. The communities with less funding would eventually have to retrofit homes and buildings similar to those in Italy.
There are many areas even here in the US that are of immediate concern. The City of New York City in New York, Miami in Florida, New Orleans in Louisiana, and San Mateo in California are some that are at immediate risk. The planning involved when building hospitals and government buildings usually takes these long-term predictions into account. The Facebook facility was not built with this in mind. It will be the first to flood due to the rising ocean sea level. This is based from my personal map research analyzing high valued properties in low coastal areas in California.
We must stop being so ignorant and completely discontinue approving any new "building project" permits in low-elevation coastal areas. We must begin the complex process of relocating rural communities to higher [safer] elevations further inland and prepare the world's coastal megacities for the imminent ocean level rise of the future.
The City of New Orleans and surrounding parishes must begin evacuations immediately. They will then have to demolish, scrap, remove, and recycle the entire (historical) region as it will soon be submerged and converted into a massive salt water lake.
The City of New Orleans has already spent billions of tax payer’s dollars in building storm walls and pumps; much of them have already proven to be ineffective in every scenario. It is too expensive and unrealistic to build a concrete and rebar sea wall high enough surrounding New Orleans to prevent every storm surge from breaching the city. Imagine if each of the major cities around the world at risk contributed a billion dollars towards the overall development of this project. There could even be a portal where anyone could donate through. This wouldn’t solve the severe weather events or permafrost methane release, but it might buy us some time until new advancements in science and technology prove successful or more people begin transitioning towards sustainability lifestyles.
Governments could build massive ocean water pumping facilities around the world. The water would be pumped from the ocean into large designated reservoir valleys. These selected (geologically designated) areas would be chosen to avoid salt water from penetrating the bedrock and entering freshwater aquafers. This will be the cheapest and most effective method to stop the global ocean from rising and wiping out thousands of coastal cities. I thought of this concept several years ago, and just last year scientists desperately started pumping ocean water onto glaciers so it would freeze and this method didn’t even work. My option would help create jobs and save the smaller, impoverished communities with limited options and lack of funds to build sea walls.
Even if some of these areas had sea walls, a “storm surge” would render
them ineffective. A “storm surge” is caused from large, low pressure oceanic storm activity. It occurs when the height of the ocean level rises above the 19-year averaged mean sea level in a specific area. A “storm tide” is the height of the storm surge added with high tide. This will be much more severe during spring tide (which happens twice a year), when the sun and moon’s pull on the ocean is at its greatest. “Tsunami” is a term many people around the world use in replace of “storm surge.”
When a major low-pressure storm system makes landfall during the peak of high tide, it causes a major storm surge that floods into a coastal community. There are usually heavily damaged or destroyed homes and buildings. After these events, I’ve seen entire neighborhoods loaded up and removed. The debris is first moved into a massive pile via trucks and backhoes before it is loaded up into dump trucks and taken to a dump or landfill. THIS IS NOT SUSTAINABLE! The current system is NOT working because it contributes exponentially to the problem. We will have more floods, more storm surges leveling communities, and we cannot continue to just take it to the nearest dump. We need organization of volunteers, crews, or hazmat teams to sort through this debris and separate chemicals, metals, and recyclable elements (including wood, roofing, and sheetrock) that do not belong in the dump.
The ultimate solution is investing into sustainable solutions that would stop or reverse global warming. We must realize that once we are out of oil and further exceeded the greenhouse gas threshold the atmosphere can handle, we will not be able to build an Ocean Water Relocation System (OWRS). If we don’t take preventative steps before the ocean level rises any higher, then entire cities will soon be violently washed away in a destructive feedback loop. Each lost city will further contribute to our global ocean pollution crisis. This includes military bases that would become inoperable and threaten U.S. National Security or flooded nuclear reactors built at sea level that take decades to properly decommission.
All of this should make people at least think, what is more important, building a wall to keep out illegal immigrants and future climate change refugees or building walls to protect low elevation coastal cities from the rising ocean sea level?
Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW) is Clear
I regretfully underestimated people's stupidity. I spent many years of my life doing everything I could to further educate others about Anthropogenic Global Warming while also helping people prepare for the climate change emergencies now happening.... yes, I'm upset because I feel that I have failed. Even though all of this was predicted decades ago, I continue to meet people who are living in their happy bubble, don't keep up on world news and STILL doubt anything climate related is of concern. HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE BEFORE MORE PEOPLE HELP US SLOW GLOBAL WARMING!!
The majority of our society has completely failed to accept our impact on this planet. Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW), global warming, or climate change, it does not matter what we want to call it or if we believe in it or not; it is happening and it will drastically affect every man, woman, child, and living organism on Earth. We are currently dealing with a worldwide emergency that has and will continue to cause unimaginable suffering and devastation. If people fail to do the appropriate research and still don't believe in Anthropogenic Global Warming AGW or Man-made Climate Change then they are only making everything much more difficult for yourself, you will not be educated enough to help us, to prepared, to adapt or survive the future we are creating. Sadly, you will put all of your own family, friends and everybody you love at risk,.... all because you chose to be ignorant in this crucial and pivotal moment in time.
I am not only saddened and disappointed; I am furious with the world leaders and basic people that held us back. In the near future, climate change will lower the quality of life for most people and places all of us at risk.
There are many social and behavioral aspects that got us here. Our society has been purposely preoccupied and dumbed down through religion, politics, and agenda-based media programming. Presently, we have an entire generation distracted by sports, video games, TV shows, pornography, easily accessible illicit drugs, psychologically harmful pharmaceuticals, or are simply so focused on their own careers (caring more about “success”) that they have actually lost grasp on the realities happening around them. Ignorantly, through this mass societal brainwashing, they cannot or choose not to acknowledge the fact that mankind is responsible for altering and destroying our planet's natural environment and biosphere. Millions of people cannot grasp the fact that we have significantly contributed to the rapid acceleration of global temperatures with greenhouse gasses and have polluted almost every portion of the planet.
Global warming deniers threaten humanity and reduce the probability that mankind will eventually visit or inhabit distant galaxies to carry on the human race’s genetic genome throughout eternity. The denial mindset creates an inability for them to responsibly take action. They don’t make the effort to individually lower their carbon footprint and minimize their environmental impact. This slows down our combined progress towards sustainability. I feel that interfering with global warming awareness should be considered a crime against humanity and it would be wise to impose laws against allowing politicians into office if they doubt the basic science of a warming planet. Our society cannot afford to continue wasting valuable time interacting or engaging in these pathetic conversations and debates that clearly enable these deniers. Global warming debates simply fulfill a denier’s need for attention and desire to get others upset and see a reaction. These people are manipulating and misleading our society, including their own family and friends, towards an irreversible path. They are slowing down our potential progress that we as individuals and as a society could be making with our transition towards an ecologically sustainable global society.
It was our world governments who had the ultimate responsibility and failed to take action. They should have prioritized environmental and climate change issues before everything else. They should have contacted the major news outlets and informed the general public of impending danger we would eventually face. The news networks’ primary responsibility is to inform the public of important issues and developments through a variety of mass media. Sadly, what airs on the news comes down to the individual viewer. It is people’s stupid hobbies, self-interests, and life choices that dictate the news broadcast agenda.
I appreciate NASA and NOAA for the work they have accomplished. They have been trying to warn people about global warming for decades and no one listened. They do scientific research and they provide the general public with their findings through their website and other outlets. Of course, like any company, entity, complex organization, or federal government-funded program, we may see secrecy and some corruption. I feel that the employees working for each organization do their individual tasks and complete the objectives they must focus on. NASA has even created an amazing section of their website dedicated for adults as well as children to better understand climate change.
Time Magazine published some of the first mainstream media stories confronting global warming. I still have the magazine titled “Is Global Warming Fueling Katrina?” by Jeffrey Kluger, Monday, Aug. 29, 2005. It was Time magazines that inspired me to study environmental sciences and the more I learned, the more I reached out to warn my family and friends.
The Realization of Our Reality
Environmental awareness is crucial to the survival of the human race.
Accelerated global warming is underway and happening much faster than many people realize. This is exactly what was predicted and consequently, we are now out of time because we waited until now to even begin our transition towards a sustainable society. We have no choice; we must work fast, effective, and adapt extremely quickly. Please know that we cannot give up; this is our responsibility to accept and resolve for future generations!
One must realize that they are part of the problem before they can take the correct steps to fix that problem. The work ahead to curb global warming and avoid the catastrophic events that await will be very difficult and more inconvenient than had we transitioned sooner.
There are many of us who want to make a positive difference, although do not always know where to start or how to get involved. We should first broaden our knowledge of environmental solutions, then realize what steps we can take. This is knowledge that will essentially help our transition towards a sustainable and eco-friendlier society.
Unfortunately, there are obsessive distractions that are slowing global progress. When some famous actor/actress, sports athlete, artist, or musician dies, it is just another temporary (societal) distraction from the widespread environmental and humanitarian issues that actually matter.
Imagine if the number of people who talk about, admire, and post stuff about every famous person for months after they die was instead focused on urgent issues; for instance, discussing the billions of people that will soon die if we do not immediately address urgent environmental issues and climate change.
Imagine if scientists, meteorologists, and journalists had the masses following them, supporting them and cheering them on as does a basketball player who is good at throwing a ball into a hoop or baseball player that can hit a ball with a stick.
Imagine what we could accomplished if we directed an equal amount of our attention towards the issues currently affecting billions of people around the world, that if left unresolved, will cause more climate refugees, mass suffering, and more death.
We must all reassess our goals, rethink our priorities, and carefully consider what is being accomplished every day. We should network with those of similar interests as well as inspire and encourage each other to get involved. Together, we can collectively change the direction of the degradation of the environment for the billions of people who will inherent this earth throughout future generations and the rest of all humanity.
We all have a moral and ethical responsibility, as individuals, to take initiative in becoming involved in any way that we can. We all have the human obligation to be accepting as well as supportive of our transition towards a sustainable society. We must hold constructive conversations and become involved in projects that will help humanity and benefit our environment. We must make responsible, conscious choices concerning the way we live our lives, the companies we support, the things we buy, and even how we choose to spend our time. This will impact our planet.
All governments, local municipalities, as well as major news networks have a moral responsibility to accurately inform the general public of the impending dangers we face from climate change. They have a moral responsibility to do so in the strongest of terms and language so that the listener understands the dire situation we face as a species. We must speak out loudly and set our demands against the oil industries, the corporate logos, the brand names that we trusted, the large corporations, the greed on Wall Street, and the pharmaceutical industry that mislead us. And most importantly, we must speak against the typical consumer, for we are ultimately the ones most responsible because we buy into convincing marketing strategies and advertisements.
The Largest Population Migrations in Human History
During the aftermath of disasters, I’ve seen mass homelessness and people struggling without food, water, medicine, or immediate medical help. They desperately dig through debris, destroyed homes, and polluted waters. I have seen psychologically devastated and malnourished people eating contaminated and spoiled food as a means of survival. Due to global climate change, we are near the largest population migrations in human history. After most major disasters, the victims are completely dependent on the supplies and resources that the international response teams provide. Many people are incapable of migration because of either money, disabilities, sickness, or injuries. The sick, injured, disabled, elderly, and children are often the most vulnerable victims of global warming. They are left homeless, without food, water, medicine, or immediate medical help. Resources become scarce. There is no running or clean water without toxic chemical pollutants, rust, metal contaminants, or pathogenic microbes. In the susceptible developing world, people die if we do not take immediate action. Hunger, thirst, and desperation is imminent; a mother should never have to choose which child to feed and which one to die. These devastating realities will proliferate in the vulnerable and impoverished third-world countries. After major disasters, establishing child-safe zones and arranging for stress debriefing (through counseling) should be prioritized.
International Humanitarian Aid
International response is crucial when the scope of a disaster overwhelms local and regional resources. This does not happen as often in the United States, Japan, and several other first-world countries that have vast resources, money, and stability, although most people living around the world cannot truly depend on their own governments or regional aid organizations for help. Some examples are the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, the earthquake aftermath in Haiti, the present war in Syria and food shortages in Venezuela.
We need those working in international emergency services or high level military positions to adapt with the changing environment around us by developing better personnel and resource mobilization systems from the inception of a storm or disaster. The international community must re-evaluate existing procedures, improve response management protocols, and be more vigilant while continually training for disasters of the future.
In 2016, I traveled to Erbil in the Kurdish region of Northern Iraq to help Syrian, Kurdish, and Iraqi refugees. I went by myself as a humanitarian to raise awareness of the crisis and encourage outside help. I collaborated with the Kurdish Government, Peshmerga Military, refugee camps, and Habib Al Malih Medical Center. I brought International Survival Kits [ISK]’s, food, medicine, medical, and military equipment. Most of the supplies were donated to the (under-equipped) Peshmerga Soldiers fighting ISIS on the front lines and courageously protecting humanity.
The Habib Al Malih Medical Center opened in August of 2014 to assist families fleeing ISIS from the Ninaveh plains and Mosul, located 40 miles West of Erbil. They treat an average of 150 patients each day and were out of most medical equipment and medications. They did not have facemasks, diabetes test strips, or a single blood pressure cuff in the clinic.
While in Erbil, I acquired access to Qushtapa Syrian Refugee Camp from the Ministry of Defense. The high security surrounding the camps protects refugees from terrorism. I was authorized to deliver supplies, interview the lead social worker, and take pictures for my projects. This camp was 10 miles South of Erbil and housed 6100 people. Most of them continue to struggle for consistent income and to prosper like they had before ISIS. Some residents constructed stores in the camp to generate income and independence. There were 400 families that UNHCR could not provide meals for because of limited funding.
In met a young man named Mustafa, a 19-year-old Kurdish Peshmerga soldier and refugee from Mosul. The day ISIS entered Mosul in June of 2014, his father told him to leave the city. He fled to Erbil while his family stayed behind. Mosul was taken over by ISIS that day and has been under their control ever since. Mustafa lost contact with them two months ago, when ISIS removed everyone’s ability to communicate. ISIS shut down the internet, confiscated cell phones, radios, and satellite boxes to avoid informing people of the impending liberation of Mosul. Mustafa has grown up surrounded by war and now separated from his family. He tells me there is no future in Iraq and asks how to obtain US asylum to create a new life.
Over 251,000 people have died since the 2003 invasion, according to the "Iraq Body Count Project." The loss and deep pain of war is horrific. It's upsetting that because of the US invasion of this region, it now lays in ruin and most Americans will never have the opportunity to visit the Middle East within their lifetime. We must become caring, generous, and accepting of native people and foreigners of different ethnicities. This sets an international example, improves foreign relations, stabilizes the global economy, and help reinforces universal values in unstable countries that may become dangerously hostile and unpredictable.
We not only have to prepare the world for natural disasters such as earthquakes; we will also have to prepare our infrastructures for more severe super storms, heat waves, and extreme weather patterns. Remember, we are just beginning to see the consequences of our biosphere’s imbalance. In the future, the global scale of disasters will further strain the demand of international aid and many people will be left to survive on their own. We all need to do our part individually and have work, school, and family meetings to set emergency preparation plans. There was an alarming amount of seismic activity along the San Andreas fault line in California during 2016. If you live near an active fault line, please always be prepared for the likelihood of an imminent earthquake. If you can afford a Bug Out Bag (BOB) then you should have one in your home, office, or car. It is smart to prepare the basics such as prescription medication, food, and water to last at least 3 days. Please remember to check on the disabled and elderly people in your community before major storms, during heat waves, and after major disasters. This will put less strain on the emergency service personnel responding to disasters. The first responders will then be able to help those who need it the most and better allocate resources.
You can quickly enter the field of emergency services and begin training in disaster relief or medical response. If a disaster strikes, the training would allow you to help those around you and also those you love. I would first recommend taking all of the Red Cross courses if they are offered in your country. Next, you could take the Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) course and eventually the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) course. You could also check into wilderness survival courses, lifeguard training, or visit the FEMA.gov website. FEMA offers many online tutorials, training simulation modules, and tests related to disaster relief. Many of these skill sets would help you get hired at an entry level position working for a nonprofit or business. If you would like to continue this as a career path, you could take the paramedics course or begin volunteer firefighting training.
Billions of Starving People and We Are Wasting Food
There are billions of starving people all over the world, mostly children. We cannot continue wasting food. One source is fresh, ripe, organic fruit left on fruit trees throughout residential neighborhoods. Please observe the fruit trees on your property and throughout your community. Let's stop wasting fruit every year, year after year, and become less dependent on a global food network that only supports heartless corporations.
Why can’t people seem to make the connection that the oranges and apples growing on a tree are the same, if not better than the oranges and apples sold in the super market?
Is it because our society is too lazy to even pick the fruit from their own trees when we actually need to be growing food in every single public/private planter bed, front and back yard worldwide!!
Why do people choose to purchase non-organic (poisoned, mutated, nutrient-lacking) food that is processed rather than eat healthy organic food from the trees growing in their own yard?
Please pick some of the fruit from your property and place them in either bags, boxes, buckets, or crates and set them in your front yard or along the sidewalk. Placing a “free" sign might encourage more hesitant people to take some of the fruit. If you have an excessive amount, you could drop them off at a local church or homeless shelter. People could even network on social media and organize in teams, then go door-to-door offering the free service of picking the fruit for the resident and placing it on the sidewalk out front.
On a larger, more sustainable scale, governments should be incorporating fruit trees when planning or revitalizing landscaping projects throughout our communities. Please bring this up at your next city council meeting and help establish the change we desperately need.
While AI, robots, machines and new computer software continues to replace human employees in the workforce it will further divide the gap between the rich and poor. It will also increase the percentage of people living in poverty and drastically increase the homeless population ......so instead of focusing on creating more jobs in unsustainable sectors such as the fossil fuel industry [that compromises the environment as well as lowers our future quality of life] we must structure, promote and implement universal income!
Food Security
Please choose organic the next time you go out shopping. From a sustainable perspective, it’s crucial that we transition to an organic food production system that has minimal impact on the environment and improves our personal health. Organic food is usually less processed and certainly grown with less or no volatile chemicals. Eating organic supports companies with higher standards, stronger ethical beliefs, and improved health practices in general. Their facilities undergo more inspections than those of non-organic food production.
Corrupted scientists, big pharmaceutical corporations, and other chemical companies collaborate with Monsanto in the non-organic food industry. GMOs, created by Monsanto, allow people to grow mass amounts of low quality, low nutrient food, although they become dependent on chemical fertilizers and pesticides. They are poisoning our society and polluting the entire ecosystem. Congress is also paid off by corporations that fund their campaigns and do not listen to the people.
GMOs are not the solution to world hunger or sustainable food production. Part of what caused exponential global population growth was the creation of GMOs. This has allowed plants to grow in regions around the world where they are not naturally meant to grow and enabled people to flourish and live in previously uninhabitable regions. We have outgrown nature by changing the genetic makeup of nature. We have billions of poor, hungry, or uneducated people unknowingly feeding their family toxic, store-bought food. We are so detached and disconnected from the origin of our food, which is now unrecognizable due to extensive processing and clever packaging.
Non-organic food is grown with commercial chemical, synthetic, nitrogen fertilizers that are processed from fossil fuels and we are already past peak oil!! When our global oil supply is depleted, our synthetic fertilizers will become unavailable and international commodities transportation system will decelerate. This is one of the many reasons why our transition to the organic food industry is so important.
Organic companies practice sustainable methods such as: companion planting, crop rotation, encouragement of plant-derived extract pesticides, and the incorporation of beneficial and predatory insects to avoid the use of toxic, chemical-based pesticides. An important way to help solve our world’s food crisis is to buy organic whenever possible, preferably at farmer’s markets and health food stores. Stores will expand their organic selection and lower prices of organic food to accommodate the demand. Please vote with your money to help this transition take place.
Gardening Projects and Organic Food Production
Individual food production and small farms supplement the world’s food supply. They really need everyone to get involved. I have many years of gardening experience and have taken college courses in hydroponics, organic edible landscapes, and gardening. I have spent hundreds of hours studying horticulture since it is a solution to the sustainability of our future. I have always bought 100% organic and mostly heirloom seeds or starts for my gardening projects. I ran a very successful organic hydroponics and aquaponics system in the past. I have raised rabbits, had earthworm bins, and large compost piles of rich, organic matter used to brew compost tea.
We must become reconnected with our food. We can buy heirloom organic seeds to grow our own food or start a community garden project. We must barter with the food we each grow for goods and services. Small scale gardens, homesteads, and communal living whenever possible is what will help heal the earth and the soil and lessen the strain on the global food supply. Remember, this is how we vote with our money and how we choose to spend our time. It is very important to support the organic food industry with every purchase by choosing organic produce and products. Even once in a while will help make a difference. The corporate stores here in Santa Cruz such as Costco, Safeway, and Grocery Outlet have drastically expanded their organic selection to accommodate the growing demand. We need more people to start demanding that their supermarkets sell only organic products and carry brands that use the NON-GMO Project label.
Choosing an organic lifestyle also protects the farmers who dedicate their lives to produce the food we so conveniently get at grocery stores. This is because farmers that do not use organic methods are using pesticides on their crops that, especially after repetitive use, poison them and their families! These pesticides are sprayed in massive amounts and are then blown in the wind, contaminating people and places even miles away. Sadly, many school children are still victims to this pesticide over-spray, primarily those in low-income schools situated near farms. In the Santa Cruz County of California, the most used and deadliest pesticide, Roundup, has been used at schools like Calabasas Elementary School, located in a residential neighbor full of children and only a few houses away from Lakeside Organic Farm lands. To add to this travesty, these pesticides are used purely for cosmetic purposes, without regard to the health of the kids, who could care less if their school had a few “unwanted” plants growing around! After attempting to contact the number provided on the warning sign posted, no calls or emails were returned. Someone needs to be accountable for these careless, harmful actions!
The large volumes of chemical fertilizers and loosely regulated methods of livestock production has added to ocean acidification and has created dead zones near the river mouths along the coast. We need to invest more attention and money into large-scale greenhouse aquaponics and hydroponic systems.
Soil in many parts of the world is now drastically depleted from non-organic, mono-cropping agriculture using synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, which cause surrounding vegetation to become weak and vulnerable. This plant life is also more susceptible to new varieties of insect infestation or systemic disease. We have been depleting the top soil layer of the Earth’s crust for centuries. We are also killing off the beneficial microorganisms living in the soil with non-organic agriculture practices. Soil microorganisms consist of a balanced combination of actinomycetes, fungi, protozoa, and algae. Each of these groups of microbes have critical functions and characteristics that create healthy, fertile soil. We must compost our organic waste materials to recharge and fertilize the soil in our fields in order to avoid more chemical fertilizers from entering our ecosystem. Every time you rake up leaves from around your yard or dispose lawn cuttings, you are removing vital micro minerals and nutrients that would compost into the top layer of soil. Heathy, organic topsoil functions as a large carbon sink, retains more water, and grows nutrient-rich food. The plants and trees that are nourished by it also store carbon and potential organic material.
Boycott Roundup Products
We must collectively and urgently BOYCOTT every Roundup product and ban its distribution around the world. It has recently (finally) been labeled by the state of California as a type 1 cancer-causing substance. It is not only invoking chronic diseases, killing living beings, and polluting our entire environment; it is killing off the smaller plants that produce oxygen and naturally decay into nutrient rich (carbon-holding) soil. Using synthetic chemicals like glyphosate (which is Roundup’s main ingredient) over time can cause unwanted weeds to become more resilient towards pesticides. I hate seeing people, parents especially, who use Roundup in public areas near the ocean where their children and neighbors play and work. This is surprising legal and not talked about enough.
I learned from my hazardous materiel course at Cabrillo college that the FDA only requires companies to list active ingredients on chemical product labels and they do not have to list any inactive ingredients. From what I have seen, the inactive ingredients in most chemical products range from 50-99% of the total volume. This is the same for Roundup, which contains 41% glyphosate (the active ingredient) and 59% inactive ingredients of an unknown chemical substance. You can personally observe this on any Roundup product.
Proposition 65 of the state of California has announced that glyphosate is a cancer-causing ingredient, although there are no cancer warning labels listed on Roundup products. It is discouraging that cancer warning labels, however, are listed on some organic and even chocolate products. Is our society really this mislead and brainwashed?
It is unhelpful when people take their unwanted Roundup products to hazmat waste management facility in hopes it will be disposed of correctly. Many of these facilities take the Roundup and resell it back to the public at a lower price. They do this here in Santa Cruz County. This shows us that we need to work with local waste facilities so this does not continue to happen.
The city of Irvine has banned Roundup use in public parks and schools due to the high incidence of childhood cancers near areas sprayed. Banning Roundup on a larger scale is imperative to lower chronic diseases and cancer in our communities. We need to take initiative in our towns to start boycotting campaigns, set up information tables and share relevant research on social media regarding the dangers. We need to be talking about Monsanto’s horrific actions. We need to create widespread petitions in order to increase public awareness and political changes. Please research March-Against-Monsanto to see if there is an active group addressing these issues near you.
A great example of a local victory for environmental change occurred on November 16th 2016, when the Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) board members unanimously voted to ban the use of Monsanto’s Roundup at their 34 schools! These schools are all located in the Monterey Bay area where many coastline sections are protected National Marine Sanctuaries.
Prior to the meeting, I networked with other activists who were also in support of the ban. We posted relevant facts, data, and information through social media and even constructed colorful posters, fliers, and small handouts to help raise more awareness. There were twelve of us that spoke at the podium: parents, teachers, and other valued members in the community. We respectfully presented the board of trustees with research, safety concerns, supportive information, and emphasized alternative, non-toxic options for weed and pest control. This ban further protects Monterey Bay natural habitats and children from the long-term risk of cancer. This was a monumental victory for all environmental activists and sets a moral example for schools and colleges throughout the United States.
Non-Toxic Irvine provides a variety of pesticide facts and organic landscaping information. They can also email you a downloadable “playbook” document detailing the necessary steps to ban Roundup in your community. http://www.nontoxicirvine.org
You can successfully implement this crucial directive locally by directly contacting your district representatives or school board trustees (most effectively by speaking at one of their meetings during designated public opinion times) to request a Roundup ban to be put on their agenda.
Please boycott Roundup and all Monsanto products.
Mapping Global Fishing
The Mapping Global Fishing platform works by analyzing data points from the Automatic Identification System (AIS) network. AIS tracks GPS broadcasts of a ship’s location. It was primarily designed as a safety mechanism to avoid collisions at sea, but information about the vessel’s behavior can be derived by analyzing the identity, speed, and direction of broadcasting vessels. Global Fishing Watch removes all the cargo ships and other non-fishing vessel activity, providing an unprecedented view of human interaction with the ocean. This allows us to track illegal fishing activity or even receive alerts when a vessel has entered a protected area. http://globalfishingwatch.org
It's important for those who eat seafood to be responsible when purchasing it. Seafood Watch has created an extensive list that allows people to make informed choices with sustainably-sourced seafood. http://www.seafoodwatch.org
Mega Droughts and Water Conservation
Most of the Northern hemisphere and several regions in the Southern hemisphere are rapidly entering mega droughts. The interconnecting stream networks are affected and massive lakes and reservoirs are at alarming low levels.
Vast regions are increasingly breaking historic heatwave records to where numerous people are dying and governments are frequently activating State of Emergency protocols. The current drought has caused us to extract (siphon) water from natural underground aquifers far beyond their recharge rate. This increases the frequencies of small earthquakes and has even lowered the elevation of the central valley in California and other affected areas.
When coastal fresh water aquifers are discharged beyond their recharge rate, salt water then enters the aquifer to where the water becomes non-potable, unless it is strenuously filtered. Clean, potable water consumes a large amount of energy, electricity, and resources to capture, filter, and then transport to its final destination.
I recommend that you research these topics in depth to learn about what you can do to help and make immediate arrangements on your own accord to better prepare for this imminent crisis. It is critical for us to individually implement drastic water conservation methods throughout our lifestyle routine. Some people can simply acquire storage containers (for their own use) to redirect a portion of the annual rainwater through the process of rainwater catchment, if laws allow and the county is not corrupt. We could even divert rainwater runoff back into natural ponds and lakes rather than letting it flow down into storm drains.
Some communities dig huge holes (in the appropriate areas) where there is an abundance of rainwater runoff to help capture the water before it flows into nearby creeks. This is done to allow damaged forests the ability to regrow. This method unfortunately attracts and aids the proliferation of mosquitoes. Since malaria, dengue fever, Zika, and other deadly diseases are associated with mosquitoes, this method is now a concern. I would like to point out that some cities provide “mosquito fish” through government funded programs. They are free (and crucial to attain) for those who have standing water on their property, slow moving creeks, or stagnant ponds. The small fish eat insects and mosquito larvae before they hatch. The fish are very adaptive in diverse water sources and can withstand a variation of pH levels. Another semi-pure water sourcing method is fog collection in arid regions. This enables moisture to be harvested from a system of nets before it is diverted into catchment tanks.
If you’re thinking about repaving a sidewalk, patio, or driveway, please research “permeable concrete.” This medium allows water to penetrate the concrete into the ground below. This will even lessen neighborhood and city flooding from an accumulation of rainwater runoff.
If you want to invest (profit) from a successful company, as well as secure our future, then I recommend American Water Works (Stock Ticker AWK). They are one of the largest US companies who build and maintain the existing water supply network for millions of customers.
Water Purification Information
When trying to purify water for drinking, you can boil it for 30 minutes, use water purification tablets, or reverse osmosis. This will kill or filter out microorganism pathogens. Most ceramic water filters and products such as the LifeStraw will filter out 99.9999% of bacteria and 99.9% of parasites, although will NOT filter out microorganism pathogens smaller than 0.2 microns. This is very important to know because there are many deadly viruses much smaller than 0.2 microns in size. These are the most effective ways to prepare clean drinking water. You can exclusively use a reverse osmosis system (which takes energy) or you can follow these three steps.
First, use a cloth and filter out the large particulates such as dirt and grit. Then use a hand pump and filter the water into a clean container. The last step would be one of the two options: 1. Boil the water for 30-45 minutes, or 2. Use water purification tablets that are FDA approved to break down the outer membrane of cryptosporidium and kill all pathogens. Please research “bio sand water filter” to see how water can be filtered in remote third world countries.
Bottled Water Crisis
There are too many people who spend thousands of dollars a year
supporting the bottled water industry. These people are brainwashed through marketing advertisements or are just lazy and repetitively succumb to this convenience. It makes me sick; here we are in 2016, with non-bias studies and research conducted by nonprofits, educational documentaries, unlimited information through the internet and social media, and many modern advancements in personal water filtration systems, yet people continue to buy bottled water, live without any regard to the carcinogenic toxins they’re drinking, and have no concern for the pollution the plastic bottles cause.
Companies like Coca Cola and Nestle source water from our natural springs, creeks, water reservoirs, and sometimes it is just plain tap water. This disturbs the balance of our ecosystem and depletes the water needed to fight against regional wildfires.
Bottled water is marked up 4000%-200,000% above the company’s overhead and production cost.
The water has been scientifically tested and found to contain several carcinogenic chemical pollutants. The water is contaminated from the processing facility as well as toxins that are leached from the plastic bottle itself. Please take 10 minutes and research some of these studies.
Seeing someone holding a plastic water bottle makes me question their intelligence and compassion for our environment. After the water is drank, the single-use bottle contributes to an uncontrollable amount of plastic waste. Bottled water is simply NOT sustainable and solutions to this global issue are very simple!! We must adapt and make responsible and conscious decisions after knowing the massive global impact.
Step 1. Buy or acquire a water container, preferably stainless steel or glass.
Step 2. Fill it up with water when you are near a safe water source.
Step 3. Distilled water sold at water stores is the purest you can buy. This water has <1 ppm, which means virtually no contamination. All of the minerals we need come from a healthy diet and we do not need any in our water (amounts are negligible in most other clean water sources anyways).
You can install a kitchen sink water filter or purchase a water filter pitcher. You can also purchase BPA free or glass water storage containers and refill them at a filtered water store or machine. You could incorporate this basic task with your weekly or monthly routines.
In addition to the bottled water scam, did you know that fountain drink soda machines in every Mc Donald’s, Burger King, Taco Bell, 7 eleven, Wendy's, KFC, and most gas stations contain just tap water, carbonation, concentrated flavorings, and synthetic sugar?
There are isolated situational circumstances and exceptions when utilizing the convenience of bottled water is an acceptable source of hydration, such as in emergency preparedness for a natural disaster, distribution during the aftermath of natural disasters, or when people do not have access to safe, clean water of public drinking quality standards. The situation in Flint, Michigan is an example of an emergency where bottled water is a need rather than a want or convenience.
Marketing and Advertisements
In the future, we will see even more marketing and advertisements. The ads will become widespread, more appealing, and invasive. The marketing industries will grow and company marketing budgets will increase to compete against one another and sell us their products. We are already seeing the environmental impacts of the mass mailings we receive. Over 100 million trees are destroyed for junk mail annually. This creates 51 million metric tons of greenhouse gases. I will not be a part of this overconsumption or give into advertising ads and the sickness of greed.
Living Outside of Our Means
We live in a sickening, consumeristic society of excessive greed, stupidity, and waste, spending our printed money on everything we want and possessing things we do not even need. We buy our plastic electronics, chemical cleaners, and cheap merchandise for a lifestyle of laziness and modern convenience. In return, we are locked into never-ending corporate slavery. The majority of these products will soon be obsolete, upgraded, replaced, broken, expired, and worthless. Consequentially, most people will carelessly discard them in the most convenient and illogical way possible.
We live fake lifestyles and fake our happiness. We are a depressed, consumeristic society, that promotes unsustainable, consumerist choices, such as running on a tread mill rather than exercising outdoors, using weight machines rather than utilizing bars at public parks, or using a leaf blower rather than simply raking leaves. We also see this with household snow shoveling (snow machines), chopping wood (log splitters), etc.
Our fake-oriented society uses cellphone towers disguised to resemble
trees, plastic Christmas trees and holiday wreaths, fake snow at ski resorts,
decorative plastic flowers, fake honey with no traces of pollen (imported from China), linoleum floors with wood print patterns, counterfeit imports from China, fake leather and polyester fur derived from fossil fuels, fake silicone implants in our bodies, and fake digital money.
We see fake personalities in politicians and celebrities with their fake smiles, fake societal relationships, fake role-playing video games, fake pharmaceuticals with synthetic fillers, and even chemically-created serotonin and endorphins to replace one’s happiness.
In order to provide this (unnecessary) junk to the consumer, we irresponsibly extract, harvest, or remove finite resources far beyond their ability to recharge or replenish. This is done either illegally or with limited regulations, inspections, or governmental oversight. This drastically accelerates environmental degradation and usually increases the volume of toxins entering the natural eco-systems, further contaminating our water supply and global food chain.
Pollution is one of the fundamental factors of chronic diseases; 1 in every 2 people (in our children's generation) will get cancer throughout every industrialized nation around the world.
This is why we need people like you to make informed decisions with every purchase; vote with your money and support the right companies. You can do this when choosing products known to be sustainable, toxic-free, organic, or that have the ability to function as designed for an extended amount of time. It's a good investment to first research products or you can (less reliably) base your decisions from packaging information labels such as Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Post-Consumer Recycled Goods, Fair Trade, Organic, Non-GMO, sustainably sourced, etc.
Preppers Are Selfish and Unrealistic
Preppers are those who hoard large, irrational amounts of supplies and resources just for emergency preparedness. Preppers have a very short-sighted and unrealistic concept, which is to just give up on everyone and save themselves. These people are also a threat to all of us because they are more likely to not contribute to our society’s transition towards sustainability because they are in the process of selfishly investing into and planning for their own personal and family’s survival. These people hoard thousands of pounds of food and water or have underground bunkers. The money that they are using to accumulate products could be invested into renewable resources, international aid organizations, and directed in ways that would make our world a better place for everyone. What good is all this stuff they are hoarding when the environment is unlivable for their future generations? How long would you want to survive in an underground bunker, 1 year, 5 years, or the rest of your life? I feel that there are several different stages people go through in regards to the state of the world, the first being that people are simply unaware.
Hoarders and the Wealthy are Holding Back Resources
PEOPLE NEED TO STOP HOARDING RESOURCES!! THIS SICKNESS IS DRASTICALLY CONTRIBUTING TO THE DEGRADATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND FURTHER ACCELERATING GLOBAL TEMPERATURES. THERE ARE ENOUGH RESOURCES FOR EVERYONE IF MORE PEOPLE WEREN'T SO SELFISH AND GREEDY.
Hoarders are adding more of an environmental impact than the average person. When they hoard goods, supplies, and resources, more will be made to fill the consumer supply and demand. When people hoard cars, metals or recyclable materials, consequently more mining of raw metals will take place rather than if the current unused supply had been recycled correctly.
The wealthy are also holding back supplies and resources from the rest of the world. The wealthy hold back vacant vacation homes and residential properties from the market. In turn, more homes will be built to house those who are financially able to buy or rent. It takes a massive amount of resources, creating a large carbon footprint for every house built. One of the far worse problems with wealthy people is that they are more likely to throw away leftovers or waste good food to just buy more. The wealthy are also less likely to replace damaged or broken items and more likely to just throw stuff away rather than someone who is poor that would continue to use an item, fix it if it broke, sell it, or give it away when they are done with it. I have seen self-entitled, rich college kids’ year after year, who move to a new city to attend college. They have the money to buy everything they need for their temporary housing or dorm room and then throw most of everything away once they graduate and move out. This is a larger issue than most people realize because it is a topic that is rarely covered.
Question: What causes more damage to the environment per capita? The homeless population living throughout forested areas, with minimal possessions and carelessly scattering their trash or the people living in modern homes that completely destroy and level forested areas as they own more things they don't need, consume more resources and have their trash removed to an off-site/out of sight location?
Tiny Homes Can Be Moved and Relocated
Tiny homes are the next means of survival and sustainability in our modern time. There are many advantages with a mobile tiny home, especially when it comes down to several key factors and benefits. Tiny homes go along with a minimalist mindset that is far more sustainable than furnishing and living in a standard-size home. They can be made easily and cheaply while even incorporating recycled materials.
Tiny homes provide the option to migrate and relocate with regional climate changes such as floods, droughts, heat waves, resource shortages, civil unrest, and the rise in ocean sea levels. Scientists have predicted that parts of the Middle East may be completely uninhabitable in the coming decades due to unlivable heat waves. I wrote about this in my book years ago and we are already seeing this today. If these communities had built tiny homes, or begin this transition immediately, their migration and relocation may be achievable.
Another advantage to tiny homes is that off-grid homestead laws are constantly changing. For an example, both Florida and Colorado camping regulations have recently changed. If you created a sustainable homestead in Florida and have been living free from an electrical grid and powering your retreat from solar, the new laws now ban this. Nevada recently increased the solar tax as high as 40%. In Colorado, regulations are enforced that state a well has to be drilled and a septic system installed on personally-owned property. This is to discourage or remove off-grid homes such as Earthships. Earthships are innovative, solar-powered houses that originated from Taos, New Mexico and are made of natural and recycled materials. However, a mobile tiny home can be relocated when an Earthship cannot.
When people own less stuff, and invest more towards buying and owning quality items, their belongings will usually last longer. This is because most people take better care of possessions they value, cherish, worked harder to obtain, or spent more money on.
Fire Prevention, Defensible Space, and Drought-Tolerant Plants
After every major wildfire, there is a tragic loss of homes and personal possessions. We have to acknowledge the long-term environmental damage and consequences from individual house fires, where toxic household items are consumed. Chemicals such as Raid, Roundup, hairspray, laundry detergent, air freshener, disinfectant cleaners, and motor oil all enter and pollute our atmosphere and will also affect the first responders battling the blaze (firefighters, police, volunteers, PG&E, etc.). This pollution will also hurt the communities downwind and contribute to our global air pollution problem. Imagine all of your furniture, every piece of the plastic products you own, your lacquered cabinets, your nylon carpets, linoleum floors, fossil-fuel oil-based roof, rubber products, cheap PVC plumbing, plastic gutters, and painted walls. Now visualize that it was vaporized in a massive toxic cloud that will pollute everything below it when it rains. The toxic ash left on the ground will continue to pollute and contaminate our groundwater once it rains. It will flow into nearby creeks and rivers where plants grow, insects breed, and native wildlife drink. A portion of this toxic water will also seep into the ground, polluting our fresh water aquifers. These are very real concerns that I strongly feel need to be considered when living in high-risk fire zones. People must dispose of unnecessary household chemicals correctly and stop buying consumer items they do not need!
Additional safety steps would be to clean the gutters of leaves, abide by the state mandated laws of defensible space perimeters surrounding homes, and plant drought-tolerant/fire resistant vegetation on properties. These simple steps would have mitigated the severity of the damage caused by past fires, lessened the amount of homes lost, and saved communities thousands of gallons of water to protect them.
Put this in perspective: if someone had hundreds of guns and ammunition stolen from their house, would you be more sympathetic towards that person and their tragic loss or more disappointed in their irresponsibility and lack of concern for you, your family, friends, and children's safety?
Pharmaceutically-Invoked Epidemics and Dependence
The multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical industry has a tight control over the public and governments around the world. Companies like Bayer and Merck own patents on extremely processed medications which contain toxic chemicals, fillers, hormone disrupters, and many unknown substances. One of the most common causes of death in America is pharmaceutically-induced by wrongly prescribed deadly drug combinations. In addition to this travesty, over-use of pharmaceutical drugs has caused chronic diseases. Many disorders that could have been resolved with natural medicine, organic food, dietary, or lifestyle changes have instead been suppressed by drugs and will always return.
The toxins from medications are excreted through the users’ bodies or even directly dumped down the toilet or sink drain. No recirculation water treatment systems have the ability to filter out pharmaceuticals from sewer water. Now the drinking water in major cities inevitably contain trace amounts of pharmaceuticals. This also pollutes our eco-systems, creeks, rivers and water supply. Due to hormone-disrupting properties, fish and frogs are commonly found with genital malformations, which cause them to be unable to reproduce. The evidence is widely available, yet little is done to change any of this other than simply informing the general public of the dangers and advising the disposal of medications through local pharmacies to be disposed of correctly.
Pharmaceutical companies manipulate doctors in medical schools to convince their patients that their drugs are the best way to treat diseases, despite the high risks and costs. Pharmaceutical representatives often take medical staff (who have the authority to write prescriptions) out to dinner and will spend thousands of dollars on food and alcohol. In return, the staff will prescribe that reps’ medication.
When communities are affected by major natural disasters, the people with pharmaceutical dependencies have no access to their medications and often go through withdrawals from a lifetime of dependency.
Natural medicine is safe, effective, and has been used for thousands of years before pharmaceuticals. Traditional and holistic medicine will ultimately save us from the destruction of modern medicine. For instance, there are many natural cancer cures and preventative measures, such as the use of medicinal herbs and mushrooms (specifically reishi, cordyceps, chaga, and turkey tail), organic cannabis oil, and turmeric extract, which has a high percentage of curcuminoids. We must allow our bodies to heal and be prepared for any situation, especially now more than ever. Building immunities naturally is a key to our own survival.
There are now laws in some states making an overwhelming number of injectable pharmaceuticals, also known as “immunizations” or “vaccinations,” mandatory for kids to attend public schools. There is an abundance of research that proves the dangers of injecting these substances, which contain heavy metals like aluminum and chemicals like formaldehyde, directly into the blood stream. We can find all of this information just by reading the vaccination inserts. There is a consistent increase of vaccine related injuries and chronic diseases associated with them.
When people fall for simple-minded, corporate medical scams such as buying “pink” items (as seen with Coca-Cola, Pringles, KFC chicken, KitKat chocolate, Mike's Pink Lemonade, etc.) to seemingly represent or support a cause such as the pink breast cancer awareness movement, it makes me realize how much help (due to lack of independent thinking) people need. These pink-washed companies convince people that they are making a difference in “finding a cure,” when in fact, cancer is getting more rampant; one major reason is because of the overindulgence in these massively-produced, sugary, GMO Foods. We need to focus on cancer prevention rather than donating to wealthy corporations who irresponsibly use the money to make more products that pollute our bodies and the environment.
Emergence of New Diseases and The West Africa Ebola Outbreak
When our climate changes, it offers a wider geographical area of known vectors (disease-causing organisms). The prevalence of many infectious diseases, especially in third world and tropical areas, is caused particularly by biting insects. The recruitment of new strains or sub-strains to the vector pool could result in infections spreading to more or potentially new species. We witnessed this with the avian flu, swine flu, Lyme disease, rabies, distemper virus, Ebola virus, as well as the Zika virus.
I went to Accra, Ghana in West Africa to help stop Ebola during the peak of the outbreak. I get extremely upset when people mention how Ebola just disappeared. IT DIDN’T JUST DISAPPEAR!!!! As of August, 23rd, 2015, 28,041 cases and 11,302 deaths have been reported worldwide. This deadly virus infected an unprecedented number of innocent people; 838 medical staff were affected and it killed over 500 of them. There were 1.1 billion people living throughout the 55 nations on the African continent who were dependent on a collaborative international response.
I can’t believe that people would post ignorant comments that just mock and insult the heroic healthcare workers who went into West Africa and risked or sacrificed their lives to stop the virus before it spread around the world. I had done pandemic training and extensive research years prior to this outbreak and better understood the overall situation than most people. I was also in contact with doctors, scientists, the World Health Organization (WHO), and many other international aid organizations and volunteers. Through my journalistic investigations, conversations, and intelligence collected in West Africa, I learned of the challenges; there was no easy solution with this crisis. The ONLY way to stop this disease is at the source: focusing on isolating and treating the sick, monitoring those who have been in direct contact with them, and burying the dead. The people that said we should close the borders surrounding the infected areas make me disgusted. The people that said we shouldn’t get involved to help the people in West Africa showed me how selfish some people really are. These people interfered with the correct aid process and put the entire world population at risk. The necessary airline flights to transport medical supplies and equipment were irrationally suspended. The medics then didn't have proper supplies and resources to contain the outbreak in the very beginning.
The CDC, MSF, and World Health Organization warned everyone that this virus was getting out of control for months and no one listened. Ebola started getting more news coverage when it started spreading exponentially, killing more people, and jumping borders into cities around the world. Of course, it got even more coverage, just like a forest fire spreading or a dangerous hurricane approaching. An example of how stupid and simple-minded these posts are reflected in a small fire starting in a field, which may get some news attention (like Ebola when the rates were low). When the fire turns into one of the largest forest fires in history, is completely out of control, and is killing everything in its path, then yes, it gets more attention. It’s the media attention that helps with the awareness of a crisis and stimulates the urgency of an international response. When people work together, they gain control of the fire. It’s hurts me when I see people post memes and ignorant comments that discredit all the heroes who sacrificed their lives for the safety and survival of the human race.
Power Outages and the Vulnerable Electrical Grid
Much of our electrical grid and digital infrastructure is constantly at risk from either a severe super storm, natural disaster, or even solar storms from the sun. Solar storms, also known as coronal mass ejections, can shut down regional electrical grids. Solar storms can send out large solar flares, which cause an electromagnetic pulse (EMP). There is also the threat of nuclear EMP devices that cause the same effects when the device is set off above a city or region. When a large EMP is emitted towards earth from the sun, it threatens orbiting satellites, the electrical grid (above ground), most modern cars, and personal electronic devices. When there is a power outage or disruption in our electrical grid, gas stations can no longer pump gas, important medical devices such as kidney dialysis machines no longer work, and we do not have access to our banks or digital money. This also causes ATMs and debit card machines to stop working. I have seen the problems power outages cause first hand after covering so many disasters. This is why we need more communities, hospitals, and government facilities to invest into (stand-alone) alternative, renewable energy sources, not just for the investment or even the environmental benefits, but also the reassurance and ability to maintain electricity during the event of a power outage.
We need more of these solar parking lots!! They not only provide renewable electrical energy for governmental buildings, office buildings, schools, hospitals and stores they also provide shade and protection for the vehicles parked below.
There are parking lots all over the world. We just need more community members to help implement this sustainable design in their community.
Peak Oil and Coal
We are now past peak oil and peak coal. “Peak” is the point in time when the maximum rate of extraction of a resource is reached, after which it is expected to enter terminal decline. Global production is forecasted to drastically decline by the mid-21st century. Even the US military recognized this impending threat and have been retrofitting their facilities and combat equipment with alternative forms of energy. It is very misleading to most people as why gas prices are so low; they do not realize that we are quickly running out because there are more companies, now than in any other point in history, who are researching, hunting, drilling, and fracking for oil. This also contributes to competitive prices, giving us a false sense of security. Within the next two decades, we will be witnessing global fuel shortages. Added with higher temperatures on a warmer planet, it will cause more tension, aggravation, desperation, and will inevitably cause a rapid increase in conflicts and wars. Clean water, food, and struggle for survival will be the new platforms upon which war and conflict will be based. For decades, the wars and conflicts over oil extraction have killed millions of innocent people and will continue until we are no longer dependent on fossil fuels. Innocent populations are being deprived of healthy and safe lives because of this widespread greed. We must take the appropriate steps to transition away from fossil fuels, in the correct order, while we still can, by designing and constructing everything we need to live sustainably. We can use the fuel we have already extracted, refined, and stored to retrieve as much trash as possible from around the world. We must recover, contain, and store all existing nuclear waste dumps with modern containment and storage methods. These are some of many reasons why completing the global transition from fossil fuels to sustainable energy is so important.
When people complain and protest fracking, tar sand extraction, new pipeline routes, and deep-water oil exploration, it is not effective because they are not resolving the root of the issue. These same people often continue to drive poor-mileage vehicles and buy products and resources that use a high consumption of fossil fuels (such as non-organic, non-local food and commodities).
In 2015, there was a major, environmentally hazardous incident at Porter Ranch in Los Angeles, California. This was the largest disaster of its type ever seen. Massive amounts of harmful methane gas erupted from an energy facility in Aliso Canyon, California. Methane is the main component of natural gas. It is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide in regards to climate change impact. The fuel was released and entered our atmosphere at an estimated rate of 70,000 pounds per hour; that's roughly a quarter of the methane emissions in all of California! Over 150 million pounds of methane were released just one week. It took three months to stop the leaks.
If the single methane leak did in fact release 70,000 pounds of methane per hour in Porter Ranch, that is equivalent to 1,680,000 pounds per day. When converted, it is 762 metric tons per day. Yellowstone only produces 0.6 metric tons per day, which is equivalent to 0.0007% of the Porter Ranch leak. This leak released 1,270 times more methane than Yellowstone per day.
To view international fracking locations in real time, visit SkyTruth: http://skytruth.org/viirs
Nuclear Power
The bullet points listed were sourced from the Nuclear Energy Institute:
• Nuclear power plants provided 10.9 percent of the world’s electricity production in 2012.
• As of May 2016, 30 countries worldwide were operating 444 nuclear reactors for electricity generation and 63 new nuclear plants are under construction in 15 countries.
• It cost millions of dollars and takes 10-50 years to decommission a nuclear reactor.
Electricity generated from nuclear reactors creates lower atmospheric emissions per kilowatt per hour (kW/h) when compared to fossil fuels. This process creates radioactive nuclear waste isotopes that take millions of years for complete radioactive decay. People want cheap electricity and disregard the long-term consequences.
Whose fault was the catastrophic meltdown in Japan? The Japanese government? The Fukushima Daiichi owners and employees? The Nuclear Regulatory Commission? The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear meltdown was a consequence of societal choices. It's our fault; our societies have failed and this must stop. We over-consume resources and waste electricity in our digital world. Look at your electricity bill, electronics, and useless material goods; these all take a large amount of energy to produce. The amount of electricity we each consume is mostly based on individual choices; as a global society, we choose to build nuclear power plants to match the current energy demand. The nuclear meltdown was caused by a natural event, an earthquake that caused a tsunami. Any sane geologist would have advised against building a nuclear power plant in this location. Most of the world’s nuclear reactors were built on active earthquake faults. Many of these reactors are located just above sea level and will soon flood as the glacial ice caps continue to melt and ocean levels rise. There are other events that could trigger a nuclear meltdown at any time.
Nuclear waste causes irreversible environmental damage to our ecosystems, which is constantly becoming more apparent and documented. We are witnessing more massive die-offs of animals and birth deformities among animals and humans in our communities. Our entire planet is interconnected, and we are seeing many microcosmic ecosystems collapsing. This is why activists have protested against the development and construction of nuclear power plants for decades.
Using thorium for nuclear reactions is a more sustainable replacement of uranium. Thorium bypasses the conversion and enrichment steps that are necessary for uranium to be refined from plutonium. It causes a similar nuclear reaction that creates the heat used to boil water and spin alternators to produce electricity. The thorium fuel cycle is much shorter than that of uranium and will defuse quickly when not activated. If it is used instead of uranium, we will not have nuclear reactor meltdowns or the task of long-term nuclear waste storage. Our governments chose to enrich uranium from plutonium because they wanted to explore, research, and build nuclear weapons.
We must start investing more into solar, wind, tidal, and geothermal energies, which are sustainable, renewable sources and much safer alternatives. We must stop building new reactors and start the decommissioning process of the old reactors.
Nuclear waste has been improperly stored, managed, and buried in unknown locations all over the world. We have already designed large nuclear waste containers that are tested to be safe and more stable for long term storage, but we are not even using them. We must invest towards researching ways to expedite radioactive decay to prevent more nuclear waste spills from happening.
In some US states, you can contact your electrical utility provider and ask about your options to switch over from being sold coal or nuclear energy to energy that is only derived from renewable sources. You may pay slightly more per kilowatt hour of energy, but you would be supporting a more sustainable infrastructure. You could also invest in solar panels and attain independence from electrical companies and electric bills all together. There are many community colleges that offer courses in solar technology and renewable energies.
We must now begin the decommissioning process for the hundreds of nuclear power plants located in low elevation coastal areas. We must invest the appropriate resources towards storing all radioactive material at higher elevations further inland. In the future, we may then have the technologies to safely deal with the waste. Right now, we have to stay optimistic and get past this scary moment for all of us.
We Hold the Solutions
We hold the solutions and we must work together and stay strong to implement them. Do not wait on other people; you can do your part. We must to talk to our friends, family, and world leaders, completely restructure the way we live, and create a world free of the corruption within our inner-governmental systems. Anonymous will play a key role in keeping our politicians and corporate entities accountable and honest. We must continue to invest in and explore the possibilities of modern technologies to improve renewable energy and resources. There are many countries making progress and other countries that are still falling behind. It will cost our global economy trillions of dollars to deal with global warming, much more than if we had responded sooner, but if we do not take action now, it will cost us everything. We must redesign our entire energy grid to be more efficient and resilient against EMP shock waves. If we act now, it will cost less, create more jobs in the renewable energy sectors, and recruit volunteers and government-contracted companies to work together in an organized, systematic approach to rebuild our failed energy and transportation systems. We must reallocate money we have been investing in our war machine towards saving our planet rather than funding weapons of mass destruction and nuclear arsenal stockpiles that will eventually destroy us.
Projects and Education
In a sustainable society, we can support and promote meaningful causes, volunteer, and donate to both the small and large organizations making a difference. They are taking on important issues such as child abuse, human rights, animal neglect, equality, reforestation, trash clean-ups, cancer prevention, natural resource conservation, etc. If this is something you are passionate about, I urge you to spend your spare time studying and researching this field. Some educational sources are public libraries, book stores, Netflix documentaries, YouTube videos, online volunteer databases, etc.
Throughout civilization, we have never been more globally interconnected than we are now. We can access high-speed digital internet, which connects us to a variety of social media sites. We must utilize this to our advantage to resolve both the humanitarian and environmental challenges we are facing. We can accomplish more if we network with each other about creative environmental project ideas, workshops, and community events. By doing this, we will also inspire and encourage outside involvement.
Additionally, we can follow non-profit organizations’ Facebook and Twitter pages to become even further involved. They send out useful, positive, educational, and meaningful posts to help influence stronger morals, better health practices, and encourage eco-friendlier product choices. In our spare time, we can invite our entire Facebook friends list to like their pages. These organizations will then have a broader spectrum of impact (every time our friends are on their news feed), which will essentially inspire more participation. These connections will create a healthy balance, broaden one's knowledge of environmental solutions, and will thus help establish a sustainable, eco-friendly societal mindset.
We need teachers and professors implementing environmental and philosophical curriculum throughout the standardized public and private schooling system in order for our society to thoroughly understand the importance of ethics and global awareness. When choosing a career, environmental science is not only a rewarding and honorable career path, but also an expanding and incredibly useful career field. Check your local colleges for environmental degrees and scholarships. After you have a degree you could inquire about volunteer opportunities and apprenticeships with your local agencies and organizations. After you get some training, you may be offered a job!
Lead Our Children in the Right Direction
We need to stop supporting and encouraging our children’s involvement with the typical competitive sports such as baseball, basketball, football, hockey, etc. These past-times will not benefit the majority of people or the health of our planet. Even if they become successful sports athletes, they will not benefit the environment this way; this only buys into a negative ideology of entertainment and self-centered worth. We need more parents regulating their children's time spent on electronics such as video games, television, the internet, etc. I feel that families should spend time interacting with each other through outdoor activities and being outdoors in general. These areas of activity may include hiking, mountain biking, physical training, gardening, camping, joining outdoor recreational clubs, enrolling in environmentally educational programs, and visiting nature museums.
Numerous studies show that brain development in children is stunted by the over-use of electronic devices, yet is enhanced by interaction with natural environments. Using electronics such as a tablet as an everyday learning device, or worse, as a babysitter, will inhibit the vital neural connections that especially young children must develop to successfully interact in the real world. Parents should help their children build upon a skill set that will enforce a strong mentality, eco-conscious mindset, universal morality, industrious talents, and awareness of their surroundings and global inequalities. Their skill contribution will be valued by society and necessary for their own survival and prosperity in a world much different than that of their parents.
We Must Modify Our Existing Transportation System
We must divest from fossil fuels with a common sense of urgency and build a new, self-supporting infrastructure. We must transition to electric and physically active forms of transportation within our local communities. Oil company think-tanks manipulate our society with supply and demand. Wall Street speculation controls not only the price of oil but all of our precious and finite resources. Yes, it is ultimately our choice. Some people choose luxury flights or the most convenient and least-efficient way to travel. This, in turn, supports the world’s richest CEOs and the wealthiest 1%. We must vote with our money by purchasing smaller, energy-efficient cars. Congress should allocate more federal funding toward the electric, hydrogen, and air-powered auto industry. We must encourage the online network of carpooling and ride-shares. We need to accept and adapt to alternative forms of transportation, such as bikes, scooters, skateboards, rollerblades, walking, jogging, etc. Let’s invest more towards electric bike technologies and Segways to increase their use.
Without maliciously trying to offend anyone, expressing my opinion from the knowledge and information I have, I feel that it is time for our society to regulate the use of unnecessarily large, lifted trucks, SUVs, and antique classic cars. Classic cars are usually exempt from smog regulations and many do not even have a catalytic converter. We need to adapt to our modern times and help transition towards sustainability. Owning these vehicles is not sustainable and we are already past peak oil.
A catalytic converter is a component that is attached to the exhaust of a combustion engine. It is a type of filter that breaks down the volatile chemical compounds after the (complete and incomplete) combustion of fossil fuels. Most classic cars get very low miles per gallon and pollute more than newer-model cars and trucks do.
It's time to stop egotistically gloating over classic cars. We should drive them as little as possible, repair them if they need a simple repair, and scrap them with no hesitation if they acquire moderate damage. The raw material would be retrieved and recycled to minimize further mining for resources. It would be honorable to purchase something more fuel-efficient or to purchase a smart car, clean air, electric, or hybrid vehicle.
Please be fully supportive of roadway roundabouts. They are more energy efficient than stoplights since vehicles are able to maintain a larger percentage of their traveling velocity on them. This design helps conserve fossil fuels and decreases the amount of energy consumed to accelerate the stationary mass of automobiles to the speed posted in particular areas.
Solar Thermal Energy (STE) Concept
Solar Tower System technology captures solar energy from the sun to be generated into thermal energy and then converted to electrical energy. This implementation of technology is part of our global transition away from non-sustainable forms of energy such as nuclear power, natural gas, and coal power plants. Even hydroelectric power plants are not sustainable because of water shortages and droughts around the globe. The Solar Tower System is based on the Solar Thermal Energy (STE) concept. This system is more energy-efficient than standard solar power fields because each heliostat is more cost-effective than the installation of thousands of individual solar panels. In addition, each heliostat is mounted to reflect sunlight to the top of the tower (the focus). The reflection of the sun’s energy is directed from cumulative heliostats to the focus that captures the energy and heats up like a furnace, generating heat at up to 1,400 Celsius to produce thermal energy. The heat is transferred to fluid (salt and water) and the fluid then carries the heat energy into a turbine to generate electricity. There are several new, technologically-sophisticated power plants developed, engineered, and under construction. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is a particle accelerator that may replace nuclear and coal- generated power, if we do not create a black hole or blow up the universe in the trials. This project has been 30 years in the making and has cost an estimated $6.4 billion USD.
I'm completely disgusted, we live in such an advanced and modern age [with so much potential] to even mention the use of nuclear weapons.
This is absolutely insane..... we are knowledgeable of the long-term impacts nuclear fallout creates and environment has clearly been pushed to its threshold.
Here we are, fighting against each other when we should be fighting to stop the Catastrophic Climate Change anomalies and consequential feedback loops currently underway.
Wildlife, Endangered Species Protection, and Animal Neglect
Endangered species protection, animal trafficking, neglect, abuse, and rescue shelters are important areas to become involved in and to focus your attention on. It is sad, vast areas of natural habitats where animals once lived and foraged for food are where they must now resort to scavenging through our toxic garbage and build their homes from our leftover trash.
Approximately 6.5 million companion animals enter U.S. shelters. 1.5 million shelter animals are euthanized. 670,000 dogs and 860,000 cats. Source: ASPCA
About 2.4 million healthy, adoptable cats and dogs are put down in U.S. shelters each year. That is approximately one every 13 seconds. Source: Humane Society This isn't ethical or sustainable.
Thankfully, we are collectively becoming more aware of the animal abuse happening around the world, mainly through socia; meaadia and online videos exposing these trageties. We have made great progress in the last decade, still, we can do more. We need to stop visiting circuses and amusement parks with animals trained to perform tricks and stop patronizing pet stores just to stare at or buy the newest and cutest pet. Animals are sentient beings; they not here to amuse, comfort, and entertain us while being locked up in cages. Animals deserve to live in their natural (native) environments. Pet shops further support international animal trading and help facilitate illegal animal trading on the black market. We need less caged animals in our homes and more house plants! In many cases, caged animals, in the beginning, are just a temporary satisfaction for one’s self-interest and comfort and soon become forgotten and neglected. We also need to transition from the mindset of being proud to own a full-bred animal with the paper work, to being proud of having a rescued animal from a shelter, thus saving them from being euthanized.
These statements exclude homestead and small farm animals for sustainability and permaculture projects, such as: rabbits, chickens, ducks, goats, sheep, tilapia, catfish, etc. In this subject field, I feel that the main reason companies first test their products on animals is because people buy from the companies and then sue them for every little incident. Natural, organic products, on the other hand, do not need to be tested on animals for safety! These are the products that should be in high demand right now.
One more note, many people constantly criticize animal testing although never address the cause. If everyone mostly bought natural or organic products when buying cosmetics, hair products, soaps, shampoos etc. and stopped suing each other for everything, then many companies would stop testing on animals.
Natural Environmental Protection and Restoration
I need you to really pay attention and realize that 100% of everything you buy, including every man-made product manufactured and every toxic chemical produced, will eventually end up in our environment; YES, EVERYTHING. Please take a moment to think about that.
We have different directions we can take when downsizing. It is important to know the correct ways to separate the stuff that is being throw-out because certain things do not belong in the dump. This is very important to know because some options we can choose will have less of an environmental impact than others. Every one of these options will have a variation of reducing negative environmental impact. Some choices could be to sell unwanted items, donate them, give them away, set them out on a street curb for others (but ensure they get picked up), or recycle them. Consumer items that are broken and made out of raw, natural, and whole materials, belong back in their natural environment and not in a landfill; sea shells are made from calcium carbonate and belong back in the ocean; rocks belong in the ground; organic matter belongs back in the soil. This process of selective sorting will help restore our natural environment and areas of degradation. When a business or individual excessively removes a natural resource from our environment just for self-benefit and profit, it hurts our ecosystem.
We need to be buying and selling products that are sustainable and must stop manufacturing or owning things that don’t serve a purpose. Wood doesn’t need to be painted or lacquered just to look pretty; this process supports the chemical industry and just extends the wood a few extra years with every layer. We must buy or make items made out of whole materials such as sustainably-sourced wood, metal, hemp, glass, plant-based biodegradable mediums, etc. It’s time to transition from profiting from and purchasing non-sustainable consumer products to the production of organic food and clean water before anything else. More people need to be focused on providing cleaner, higher quality food and water sources rather than indulging in products that have no vital purpose. This provides everyone the security of survival in all places and situations. We must stop buying useless souvenirs and trinkets just to place on a shelf. Those that purchase rare stones, rocks, crystals, and especially diamonds contribute to excavation, environmental destruction, human slavery, and soil erosion of the mining industry. Purchasing products made with palm oil, even certified “sustainable, organic, fair trade” palm oil, contributes to global deforestation and the massive burning of our rainforests. Rainforests have been universally known as “the lungs of the earth.” When these great forests are rapidly burning, they release even more gases into our thinning atmosphere, thus making the entire planet vulnerable. These forest fires are so massive that they can be seen from space satellites.
We have the solutions; we know the advantages of growing sustainable materials such as hemp, which grows like a weed. Our society is in dire need of more farmers who use organic and permaculture methods. Children need more opportunities to become educated and excited about a career in growing food and sustaining water. I do understand that some people around the world have limited resources available and significantly less options for stable income. It is the consumer that ultimately makes the choices that businesses will adapt to as our modern society transitions. For example, the Christmas tree industry will have to adapt to selling live, potted trees that can be replanted rather than the trees that are cut down every year if enough people abstain from purchasing dead trees. Another example is how the automotive industry is adapting to consumer choices by manufacturing more electric cars. The oil industry is also adapting to consumer demands by investing their capital into renewable energy.
Vehicle Tires and Railroad Ties are Extremely Toxic
Our environment has a profound impact on our health; where we live, work, learn, and play all affect our behavior. The availability of healthy recreational areas provides increased possibilities for a healthy life throughout current and future generations. In the past, old tires have had a variety of uses such as for Earthship foundations, erosion control mediums, and as playground toys, until serious health risks became apparent. The US has not used tires for erosion control for over 25 years. There are modern construction methods of sustainable design that are safe and reliable forms of erosion control. Licensed erosion control inspectors must survey areas with old tires and incorporate these new erosion control systems (that are up to code) into our existing infrastructure.
Illegal tire dumps occur for a variety of reasons, such as increasing disposal costs, lack of convenient legal alternatives, and lack of awareness and judicial understanding of environmental laws. They also encourage others who see them to also use them to discard their old tires. Illegal, unregulated tire dumps pose a threat to public health, the environment and native wildlife. They can pollute groundwater, local waterways, and decrease property value and quality of life. When anyone has an illegal, unregulated tire dump on their property, it potentially affects the city’s water supply, public health, and environment, which then becomes a concern for everyone.
Most tires are made of synthetic rubber derived from fossil fuel-based petroleum. They slowly breakdown and leach petroleum compounds into the ground, such as lead, zinc, sulfur, carbon black, and carcinogenic PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). This is accelerated if the ground surrounding the tires is wet or moist. Tires off-gas toxins into our atmosphere and can contaminate local water supplies.
Tire piles also become breeding grounds for insects, rats, and snakes. Severe illnesses, including encephalitis, dengue fever, and malaria from disease-carrying mosquitos, all have been attributed to tires containing standing water from rain. Many of the tires we removed during my tire removal project were still filled with this old rain water. Tires also retain heat for a long time, which can extend the breeding seasons of insects.
Scrap tire piles alone are not treated as hazardous waste, though if they are on fire, they are very difficult to extinguish, can burn for weeks or even months, and pose many serious threats to human health and the environment. Tires that are on fire burn very hot. They break down into acidic, hazardous compounds, releasing thick black smoke into our atmosphere. This smoke contains toxic chemicals from the incomplete combustion of synthetic rubber, including carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and byproducts of butadiene and styrene. After a tire is incinerated, heavy metals, black powder, steel belts, and approximately two gallons of liquid oil are what remain. Tire fires are estimated to be 16 times more mutagenic than wood combustion. Mutagens damage DNA and causes cell mutation, which is the first step in a sequence that ultimately leads to the development of cancer. Tire fires are always followed by an extensive hazmat cleanup that is very expensive.
The US Legislature recognized a problem with the management of used tires and passed the California Recycling Tire Act in 1989 (Assembly Bill 1843). The 101st congress implemented this law and regulations were enforced to address these serious issues. Later, the legislature passed the Senate Bill (SB) 876 in 2000 to augment the existing act. Under current law, you must acquire a manifest when transporting more than 10 tires to any location. You must also have a registration permit to have over 500 tires. If you do have over 500 tires, they have to be stacked, organized by size, and have a detailed inventory list. The importance of compliance with the state regulation is to reduce the accumulation of scrap tires in any one place. It is basically a national tire surveillance program. There are many government programs and incentives designed to remove tires in diverse situations.
The railroad industry is replacing old railroad ties with a new design. They are made from concrete with a reinforced rebar interior. This new design is a huge step towards toxic-free railroad tie alternatives with less of an environmental impact. The previous wood ties the railroad industry has used for decades were large sections of unsustainably logged lumber. They would first be treated with an impervious oil mix of toxic chemicals, preservatives, insecticides, and fungicides. This has caused a public health hazard. The chemicals would include coal tar creosote, sporicide, miticide, benzene, naphthalene, phenols, aniline, and arsenic, which penetrate the pressure-treated wood. This practice made the wood fire-retardant, insect resistant, and able to withstand harsh weather conditions, although the chemicals leach into the ground and contaminate the surrounding area. Old or discarded railroad ties are not safe for home gardens, should not be handled without professional oversite, and gloves should at least be used. NEVER burn treated railroad ties!! The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that creosote-treated wood is possibly carcinogenic and is not approved for residential use. If you see railroad ties for sale, please report it to the EPA.
Why Are Businesses Not Required to Provide Recycling?
We all know that we have a pollution problem. Our city dumps are full to capacity and millions of pieces of trash (mostly plastic) are polluting our streets, rivers, streams, oceans, and along public beaches. Most of us make an effort to recycle at home, though we are frustrated when we can't find places to recycle out in public. Why are businesses not required to provide recycling access for their customers and employees?!
We have current laws in place that require businesses who sell compact fluorescent light bulbs and batteries to provide recycling for them when brought in by customers. However, gas stations that we allow to sell us plastic, glass, and aluminum beverages do not provide us a method to recycle the empty container, especially when many people clean the trash out of their car while filling up their gas tank. Of course, the ultimate solution is to just carry our own personal, refillable stainless steel or glass container, avoid high fructose drinks, drink more sustainably-sourced water, and do not purchase the (drastically marked-up) water, soda, and other mass-produced bottled beverages.
I feel that every business owner, apartment complex manager, event coordinator, and school janitor, at any facility, public park, church, or building is responsible for providing a recycling can for employees and the general public. This is a worldwide issue that needs worldwide attention. I have made countless phone calls to business owners regarding this. We need to tell our community members and city council that we want change and expect businesses to provide their employees and customers with recycling access. This is a realistic and very feasible movement that the public can help take place anywhere, just like the one to ban plastic bags in many California stores.
Thousands of people throughout California fought for years to implement the plastic grocery bag ban into law, which included bags that were distributed at retail and grocery stores. This was because the bags had been polluting our environment and harming wildlife on such a wide scale. It is very upsetting when I hear someone standing in line ahead of me complaining to the store checker about the ban. These people must adapt quickly or will be in utter shock in the near future. Volunteers working with the Santa Cruz nonprofit Save Our Shores have removed 44,123 plastic grocery bags since the nonprofit was established in 2007.
Environmental Pollution
Every day people are exposed to a variety of environmental pollutants that cause both short-term and long-term health issues. In addition to the fluoride, choline, chloramine, lead, and trace pharmaceuticals contaminating our cities’ drinking water, there are many common airborne pollutants.
Please become familiar with the term “out-gassing” (also called “off-gassing”). This is when a solid material releases gasses over a period of time. Paint, for example, will off-gas toxic chemical vapors for approximately 10 to 20 years after the paint has already set. Yes, the painted walls in your home have been slowly poisoning you every time you inhale. To dilute the toxic concentration in your home, it’s best to occasionally open some windows or doors, get some air-purifying house plants, and/or buy an air purification unit. The next time you paint, only purchase non-toxic, zero VOC paint. VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compound. There is a variation of regulated VOC limits from state to state in the US. Non-toxic, zero VOC paint is usually sold in home improvement and paint stores.
Almost every fossil fuel-derived material and consumer product will off-gas some amount of toxic vapors. Examples are lacquered kitchen cabinets, polyester curtains, Ikea particleboard desks, fake leather couches, children’s toys, etc.
When choosing carpet, it’s very important to know that both polyester and nylon carpets off-gas large amounts of toxic vapors. The carpet fibers will eventually become brittle, breaking down into small particulates that become airborne throughout your home. These micro-fibers can irritate your lungs, potentially cause acute respiratory problems, and increase breathing difficulties for people with asthma. I personally would choose cotton carpeting (preferably organic cotton), hardwood flooring, tile, or even concrete before I would ever choose polyester or nylon carpets.
Leaf blowers also cause long term lung damage when someone is aimlessly blowing around leaves and at the same time blowing around dirt, dusk, mold, fecal matter, allergens, glass shards, and micro-plastic particles. The 2-cycle engine exhaust fumes even further exacerbate unnecessary environmental pollution. Toxic rearrangement of nature for cosmetic purposes is harmful and pointless. After being blown around by polluting leaf blowers, leaves will always just fall again or be blown back by the wind. After being sprayed by toxic, herbicidal chemicals, unwanted plant life will always grow back and have even been growing back stronger due to the plants’ evolving chemical resistance.
Please Help Resolve Our Pollution Crisis
Our global pollution is the consequential results of buying and supporting non-sustainable, cheap, low-quality products that are sold in excessive plastic packaging. Unfortunately, consumer products are carelessly sold and distributed in areas that lack the basic infrastructure to even deal with the waste.
Why is it so difficult for people to differentiate between a trash can vs recycling can.... located right next to each other, completely different colors and labeled accordingly? How much worse does our "Global Pollution Crisis" have to get before we all decide to take action and do something about it?
We ALL have the responsibility to keep the outside areas where we live, work, and play free of trash. This includes business owners, property owners, and those who are renting. If we value and respect the space we are responsible for by keeping it clean and maintained, then there would be much less global pollution, more people would be appreciative, and self-esteem would improve. Our governments have the responsibility to deal with litter on city and county properties. If they are not complying, please bring it to their attention.
You can make an impact on your own by directly questioning people who
litter. Sometimes I tell people “you dropped something” when I see them littering. It embarrasses them and makes them consider their actions and fear the repercussions of embarrassment if they litter again. I take this very seriously because the choices others make will later affect the people I care about. In some societies, it’s acceptable to litter. We need to educate people and help them understand the damage littering is causing.
You can pick up trash on your own, even once in a while. This will set a great example and collectively make our world a better place. The environment around us can have a profound impact on the health of all individuals. The availability of healthy options provides increased possibilities for healthy living. Immediate waste removal priorities should be in areas that have high moisture because this accelerates the decomposition process of waste. This includes marshes, streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, beaches, etc.
Every year before winter, we have an opportunity to remove any Styrofoam and plastic trash that may have been littered in our yards, parks, roadways, street gutters, creeks, streams, and riverbanks. A recent Washington Post report stated that there are now over 5 trillion pieces of floating trash in our oceans. If we do not collect the trash and debris that is littered inland, then eventually it will flow into our rivers and waterways. This trash will then enter our environment, contribute to our global pollution crisis, harm wildlife, and disrupt the ecosystem.
Once the consistent series of storms begin, it will be too late. Trash may even flow downstream into our ocean. Regardless of where it ends up, it will eventually biodegrade and further pollute our environment. It is through this process that (fossil fuel-derived) plastic enters our globally interconnected food web. Eventually, we will consume the carcinogenic and mutagenic micro-particles that have contaminated our food. We can all choose to prioritize 1-2 hours of collecting and removing any trash in our areas of responsibility. We can individually set a positive example and collectively make our world a better place.
You can organize a trash clean-up project with your friends and recruit volunteers. Remember the necessary supplies like: gloves, trash bags, buckets to pick up the trash, etc. Check to see if there is already an environmental organization in your area and inquire how you can become involved.
Let someone of governmental or authoritative status know your concerns and try to work with them in establishing some sort of trash collection or recycling program. You could start an online petition or even visit a local council meeting to express your concern. If you are working directly with community members to create a local dump in a third-world country that lacks basic governmental infrastructure, first make sure that the prospective dump is at least 1000 feet (305 Meters) from any creeks, streams or water sources. Make sure that the location has road access and can eventually expand. Always try to separate chemicals, batteries, and electronics from any dump if possible. Use the internet as a resource to find solutions that may be more specific to your individual situation.
Throughout all of the California wildfires I've covered [as a journalist and disaster relief specialist] you would be absolutely disgusted if you knew how many homeowners honestly tell me they wouldn't care if their house burns down because they would just turn around to collect the insurance money. Some people have actually stated that they "want" their house burn down.
This is what is wrong with our culture, when people care more about a quick payout over the damage and pollution they cause the environment. The insurance system as well as the destructive mentality in people has to change.
The global pollution crisis would drastically improve if governments imposed stricter laws, fines, and higher penalties for both littering and illegal dumping. Many communities are overwhelmed by the waste they create and burn it to either save money, be lazy, or because there is no functional waste collection program in place. This trash includes batteries, electronics, Styrofoam, chemicals, plastics and synthetic materials, etc. The burning of plastic and rubber causes direct health problems for the surrounding communities, animals, and insects. It pollutes the local ground water in the immediate area. The toxic smoke contributes to the global air pollution crisis.
If you currently live in a country where there is no waste collection program, you can share this information to help raise awareness of the issue. It’s important for people to acknowledge the problem and come up with solutions. Do not be afraid to bring up this topic. The more people become aware of this global crisis and solutions to it, the greater likelihood that it may be resolved. You could encourage your family, friends, and community leaders to get involved, brainstorm ideas, and eventually
establish efficient waste collection systems. As things progress, they may eventually incorporate the separation of recyclable from organic compostable materials.
Anti-Excessive Packaging
We need a new law! Packaging can't weigh more than 10% of the weight of what we buy!
Please avoid purchasing from the companies that package their product in excessive packaging, sometimes selling more air (empty space), excess plastic, rubber, Styrofoam, or paper packaging than the actual product that we are buying. Companies significantly increase their profit margin when their products are packaged the cheapest, most wasteful way possible. Consequentially, we are left to deal with the waste and pollution it causes.
WE NEED TO STOP BUYING FROM THESE COMPANIES AND DEMAND THEY FIX THE ISSUE. Most corporate companies sell us their packaging as if we are stupid. It is their choice in packaging methods and materials that greatly adds to our global pollution crisis. They prioritize a high profit margin over ethics and they exhibit no regard or remorse to the pollution that their product packaging choice will cause. Yes, there may be the occasional exception when comparing need vs. want vs. convenience, although most of the stuff we buy can easily be moderated with balance.
Some additional suggestions:
• Try to buy local, organic food from Farmer’s Markets as often as possible
• Bring in your reusable cloth bags for fruits and vegetables.
• Purchase food from the bulk section at your local supermarket whenever possible. Buying food in bulk helps reduce packaging waste and saves money.
• Shop at a bulk food store such as Costco.
• Try to avoid individually wrapped items in a larger package.
• Try to purchase items packaged from recycled paper.
• Do not support the companies that package their products in raw plastic or non-biodegradable wrappers.
• Try to purchase dense food products and avoid products such as chips, popcorn, wafer cookies, Cup of Noodles, Hershey's Air chocolate candy bars, etc. Avoid lightweight items that contain more air than the nutritional food that you're buying.
You can become an activist on your own. Take pictures of the consumer products sold by companies that you feel are taking advantage of (and misleading) us and then blast the images throughout social media.
Really Kirkland, 54% plastic trash?! So, people buy more trash than the product they intend to buy? I will be listing hundreds of new products in the future and updating the Resource Guide website page.
There are many alternatives to plastic, such as products made from
sustainably-sourced glass, stainless steel, cast iron, recycled paper, wood, hemp, Non-GMO plant-derived material, etc. The companies using these materials are the companies that you should support. Buying used items and merchandise instead of brand new ones will lower the amount of carbon entering the atmosphere.
We could start an international database connected to printing serial numbers on food packaging and consumer products. This would allow us to trace the origins of litter and illegal dumps to hold those who litter accountable for their actions. If your trash was repeatedly found in the natural environment, you would get a few warning notices in the mail that would eventually result in a fine if the dumping persists.
Minimal Packaging Options
This is a new concept that should be internationally adapted and recognized. The project would save money for businesses, drastically reduce landfill waste, and reduce global pollution. For this project to work successfully and take hold, we need everyone to get involved. From this point on, when you are out ordering food at a drive through or take out restaurant, request minimal packaging by asking, “can you please tell me the minimal packaging options?”
This concept was inspired by all the excessive packaging that comes along with food orders, even small orders for a single food item. It is NOT sustainable to give people a whole paper bag to hold a single taco or entire plastic bag for just a 6-inch pre-wrapped Subway sandwich. Items of excessive waste can include, but are not limited to: plastic utensils, straws, chopsticks, fortune cookies, candy mints, extra napkins, plastic or paper bags, and single-serving sauce packets like salsa and ketchup. I, like most people, do not want any of this extra stuff and constantly give it right back or feel guilty when it gets thrown away. I always carry my titanium spork and pocket knife; therefore, I do not need a plastic fork and knife every single time I buy food.
If you are questioned after you request the minimal packaging options, please explain to the employee what the term means. “Can I have minimal packaging please” means that you do not want to receive any extra packaging or items other than the food you ordered and the single, most crucial packaging item necessary. For instance, at Panda Express, you can live without the plastic bag with your single to-go box of food. You only need the box. You can even ask the employee to list the extra stuff they plan on trying to push on you. Yes, this might annoy a person here and there, but just remember, our global pollution crisis is not just annoying, but poisoning all of us, and this project is a huge step in the right direction.
Can someone please help implement a $0.50 surcharge per straw as they do paper bags!?
Restoring Nature by Planting Trees
In a world with 7.4 billion people, we all must learn how to lower our individual carbon footprint and encourage those around us to do the same. There are many options listed throughout this document. One of the best ways to help capture carbon is by planting trees and supporting National Parks, natural sanctuaries, protected reserves, and rainforests.
We must take urgent steps to restore the environment, and the most important thing that we can all do to offset climate change is actually as simple as planting trees. Currently there are only 3.04 trillion trees around the world. It’s devastating that we can even count the number of trees that are left and that there are less trees in the world than the United States’ dollars of debt. Right now, the United States is in an alarming 19.3 trillion dollars in debt, most of it just from the high cost of war.
Iraq used to be covered in forests. It is almost unfathomable that the place where human history is believed to have originated from, along the ancient Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which provided for some of the first human lives, is now devastated from deforestation and desertification.
Most forests have absolutely no old growth (trees that were hundreds or even thousands of years old) because they were logged during the industrial revolution. This is continued today and is destroying natural habitats, thus driving wildlife species to extinction. In the last 40 years, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Earth has lost half of all wildlife. Is this really what our world has come to? We must stop using fossil fuel-powered chainsaws, equipment, and manual labor just to remove some trees and stop building straight fences just to have a better view or increase sunlight on property.
To restore our climate balance and lower the carbon dioxide levels that are currently at 404 parts per million (ppm) back down to 350ppm, we’ll have to plant lots and lots of trees. We need more engineers and contractors retrofitting their construction projects to make buildings and homes with living roofs (those that are habitats for plants, shrubs, and small trees). The majority of the fossil fuels we have extracted from the Earth are now polluting our air, soil, and water. Trees and the organic soil they help produce and regulate are some of the largest carbon sinks on earth. They retain water and help prevent erosion. They create a stable environment for animals and insects. They provide a sustainable food source, shade, and block wind. They even absorb CO2 from our atmosphere and convert it back into oxygen that living creatures’ breath. Wow! Trees are such amazing bio-organisms!
Invasive Pine Beetles
An alarming threat to North American forests is the mountain pine beetle. They are an invasive species rapidly spreading throughout the continent. Drought conditions and pine beetles have killed over 100 million trees in California in just about 5 years, which will continue if we do not consistently plant more trees and protect the ones left. Pine beetles thrive on a variety of pine trees, eventually killing the entire tree before flying to the next tree. Changes in historic winter freezes and warmer temperatures allow them to proliferate in new regions. This creates a dangerous feedback loop; beetles spread, trees die, carbon is released, global warming accelerates, annual winters become warmer, and beetles spread. As a desperate last resort, local governments are already planning massive controlled burns, which the general public has no awareness of. Those working in forest services are already anticipating environmental activist outrage. A few of the best trees to plant in California are cedars and redwoods. Cedars are very resistant to harsh weather and insects and redwoods are fire-resistant.
Purchase Live Potted Trees and Transplant
According to the National Christmas Tree Association, there were 24.5 million real trees and 10.9 million fake trees purchased in the United States in 2012. This equates to a total of 35.4 million Christmas trees! There are close to 350 million live Christmas Trees currently growing on Christmas Tree farms in the U.S. alone, all planted by farmers. Growing trees for the holidays consumes a lot of time and energy. This is not even including everything involved to remove and dispose of the trees several weeks later. They use a large amount of resources such as land, water, fertilizers, and pesticides. Please adapt to our environmental and pollution challenges by making the decision to purchase potted trees and transplant them every year!
Key points:
• Dead trees pose a fire hazard and whether they are mulched or burned, they will release billions of metric tons of carbon into the atmosphere.
• Fake trees are made of toxic plastic compounds derived from fossil fuels.
• Real trees retain water and help prevent erosion.
• Real trees create a stable environment for animals and insects.
• Real trees continue to produce oxygen as well as absorb CO2 from our atmosphere in both the trees and the organic matter they create.
If we used these trees for revitalization projects, they could be replanted on public land or in national forests that are either deforested or affected by forest fires. We could establish a network system arranging for the pickup of these live potted trees after the holiday season. This would be a great venture capital investment project for private companies or government organizations. It would allow the trees to become more useful, meaningful, and beneficial to our society after their single use. The trees would continue to provide oxygen, clean our atmosphere, and create a healthier ecosystem.
Overpopulation and Growth Rate
In the year 1900, there were 1.6 billion people living on this planet. In 1950, there were 2.5 billion. The global population is currently at 7.4 billion and expected to increase to 11 billion by 2100.
It's sad that people continue to bring children into this world with no concern of the uninhabitable future they are creating for them. Lack of self-control, unprotected sex, unplanned pregnancies, and having multiple children (with multiple people) are common modern practices that result in several needy lives that require far beyond the parents’ capabilities to be responsibly cared for. This contributes to the uncontrolled human population growth and degradation to the planet. If people really care about their children, like they always claim they do, by investing in their children's food, new clothes, schooling, and an expensive college education, then why do they participate in leaving behind a ravaged, dying planet that their children must rebuild to survive?
Overpopulation is not some conspiracy theory or myth like many skeptics claim that it is. The explosion of our species since the beginning of the industrial revolution is widely apparent in many aspects, proven in countless, documented footage from around the globe. The places most affected by this phenomenon are afflicted by lack of female reproductive rights and education. Many developing countries are carrying on old cultural or religious traditions of having big families, which were healthy for simple ways of living before modern consumption ideals took over. We are seeing today how most developing countries are trying to live up to first world lifestyles and trying to attain expensive things like phones, TVs, and cars while living in tiny shacks with many other people. Some places don’t even have proper sewage management or garbage collection for residents, yet have mega malls where they can buy useless, idealized junk. Most first worlders have no idea how many ways their lifestyle is affecting people across the world. If the world’s population continues to rise at the rate it has been, with the modern values of convenience and consumerism implanted in every human, then we will run out of resources even quicker.
I was born in 1980 and will not have children because of this overpopulation crisis. I am aware of the unsustainable future we are creating and it does not feel morally right for me to have children. We leave our trash everywhere, pollute the air, have nuclear waste buried in (unstable) known and unknown locations all over the world, and thus we are leaving our children with this broken, dysfunctional system. Overpopulation is ruining not just my future quality of life; it will affect the quality of life that my child would have if I ever choose to have a child.
Activism, Protests, Riots, Violence, and Voting
Protesting injustices and inequalities is important, although it must always be done correctly. There are many safe and effective ways that you can do this. Your ultimate goal is to reach mass amounts of people with your message. The more people you reach, the more change you will create.
One of the easiest and cheapest ways to reach a global audience with activist related projects or information is to search for groups on Facebook in the specifically related category and add yourself to several groups. Don’t add groups with less than 2000 people; some have 100,000+ members. Once you’re added into the groups, post your project proposal and respond to the feedback. If Facebook warns that you’re posting too fast, just take an hour break.
Unfortunately, Facebook has suppressed my potential reach and even censored and blocked my activism related projects. They have silenced my voice as an activist. Does this mean we are all losing our freedom of speech? I was blocked when trying to raise money to fly to West Africa and help stop the Ebola outbreak. I was finally able to fly to Ghana a month later. I was blocked while trying to start an Ebola virus awareness group to educate the people in West Africa. I have been blocked for messaging too many people about ISIS during the beginning stages of their terrorism, far before they got so out of control. I was also blocked while trying to raise money to fly to Nepal to help earthquake victims; Facebook deleted my “Go Fund Me” link from my page, then started their own Nepal fundraiser the next day, put my link back up 3 days later for 1 day, then took it down permanently. I have been banned from posting comments on specific governmental pages and most people do not even receive my messages unless they are my Facebook friend. I have even had my Facebook account completely shut down several times in the past.
Some of the other forms of activism:
• You could make fliers to post through social media as well as print and hand them out. Please design printed fliers with as little black ink as possible.
• You could organize a protest and stand outside of places with high traffic with large picket signs and a megaphone. To gain adequate community support, make a media advisory to send into local news outlets at least a few weeks in advance. There are some places that require a permit for a large protest.
• You could write a statement and post it through email, social media, and even send it in to the local newspapers and TV news stations.
• If you have the resources, you could create TV commercials or radio ads. They are usually more expensive to produce than to air. You would simply call up the radio and TV stations and inquire about commercial package costs.
• If you have created a TV ad, it may be within the guidelines to air on your local government TV station and you would be able to air it at no cost.
• Take pictures of environmental or social injustices you witness and report them to the appropriate authorities. You can also write stories about what you saw to share with local news and governments and post the information on social media, especially if there is a public hazard.
• If you are unable to directly participate in protests or activist work, please support those around you who do.
There have been numerous peaceful protests around the world that quickly ended in violence and destruction. There will always be unjust causes such as fracking, nuclear, animal cruelty, and social, political, racial, or religious injustice. Sadly, people even riot for a sports team’s victory or loss. It is not until peaceful protests transition into riots of violence and looting that all progress is lost. The anger and reactions of animalistic behavior is absolutely unacceptable. Destroying your own community does not bring peace or justice; it just creates more issues and those protesting lose their credibility. The damage caused by this destructive protesting usually outweighs any possible positive outcome. The environmental impact of setting trash, cars, and buildings on fire hurts those already living in poverty. It creates more pollution and causes more CO2 to enter our atmosphere. This further damages our fragile ecosystem and consumes more finite resources to repair.
It's also upsetting to imagine how scary it must be for the parents living in areas of riots, worried about their children, their family, their pets, and their privately-owned property or business; they become trapped victims in their own community. Violence and destructive civil unrest threatens the security of innocent people, business owners, and the working-class citizens who often have nothing to do with the protests or riots.
It’s the laws and regulations of our governments that have the ability to help with the enforcement and structure of a healthier, more efficient, and sustainable society. In a democratic country, citizens can change and alter existing laws or even create new initiatives. To do this, you would first attempt to contact your county or state district representative by leaving a voice mail, sending them an email, or possibly setting up a meeting. Your goal is to convince your representative of the importance of an issue so they will put it on the ballot. If your representative is unhelpful or cannot see the value in your concern, you could initiate the process on your own. You would complete some paperwork and begin collecting signatures. Your goal is to get your concern on the ballot where it could be voted into law.
You could also gather a few other members in your community to speak about a pre-arranged topic during the public opinion time at a local city council or board meeting of specific relevancy. Each person would have about 2 minutes to address their concerns to the council of decision makers. If there is enough relevant research, support, and solutions presented, the council is more likely to put the topic on their next meeting’s agenda. Once it is on the agenda, you can gather even more community support to help the council make their final decision about the topic of concern. This is the process that was taken when Roundup was banned from schools in Pajaro Valley School District (mentioned earlier). Many countries are riddled with corruption and this process would not be applicable or effective. In this case, you would have to get into a political career and stop corruption from the inside.
For those who are concerned or paranoid about a governmental takeover, national guard deployment, curfews, martial law, or New World Order (NWO), please realize that widespread riots and civil unrest would ultimately activate these protocols. Some people believe a revolution is the only answer to this broken system, although it is the laws and regulations that stabilize everything. These rules help enforce smog regulations, fishing limits, littering, building permits, designated logging areas, etc. Without laws and regulations, we would have immediate and complete environmental degradation. If we had a massive societal breakdown it would not be like the kind you see in post-apocalyptic movies. There would be nuclear reactor meltdowns (on an incomprehensible scale) everywhere mass disruptions were taking place. It takes years to decommission nuclear reactors, so if the employees couldn’t show up to work, a catastrophic nuclear meltdown would take place. In the meantime, the global elites would retreat to their multi-billion-dollar underground bunkers as previously planned and live out the remainder of their lives.
The way to avoid this is to become educated in the fields of study that apply to a healthy economy and sustainability. Invest in renewable energy and adapt to a sustainable lifestyle. We must become a caring society where people help each other through obstacles, uplifting projects and goals. It is so important for those with money who are living in first-world countries to donate a portion their monthly income towards the organizations that are making a difference. These organizations are making a much larger impact than most people may realize.
The future prosperity of the entire world depended on the 2016 US election. Many of us knew if Trump was elected president (just like when Bush Jr. was), it would be more dangerous for Americans to travel outside of the US to other countries. As an American, I knew I would have even more challenges with trying to run my international disaster relief company as it would negatively affect my entire career.
We needed to vote someone into presidency who prioritizes environmental issues, equality concerns, clean energy solutions and against nuclear power, GMOs, the pharmaceutical industry…. Also, against the unethical corporate structure. They must acknowledge the threat global warming poses to our entire global society because nothing else even matters if we don't gain control of this crisis. We are passing a dangerous pivotal moment in time, quickly passing the global warming tipping point, and will most likely NOT recover if we elected Trump as President. Many of us knew we would lose much of the environmental progress that was recently gained. It is terrifing that most people in the US are too ignorant to grasp the consequences.
Donald Trump will forever be remembered as the President who prioritized profit and greed before the safety and prosperity of billions of people living around the world. He will be remembered as the President who withdrew from the Paris Agreement and failed to address global warming that jeopardized the future survival of the entire human species. This ignorant, egotistical and self-centered mindset is exactly what got us in this catastrophic climate emergency in the first place.
Did Someone Give You This Book and Recommended This Chapter?
You may have been given this book and were recommended to read over this chapter. I wrote this section to help give hope to those who may be struggling with homelessness, post-traumatic stress, disabilities, inequalities, or unable to get ahead in this unjust world. There are many forms of escape people will indulge in to distract them from the atrocities of today's society, most commonly addictions, self-destruction and lack of self-control, drugs, sex, violence, and vandalism.
I want you to realize that the situation you may live in is not necessarily your fault or based on your life’s decisions, but instead due to the current equality gap, which is the product of a failed global system. This is how the system was structured and designed by the selfish people who control it. Our global society must transition toward a sympathetic, compassionate, and understanding way of life with morals, ethics, and kindness, where people care more about others than their own selfish desires, money, or comfort. If there were more equality around the world, the global economy would actually improve, our global systems would become more efficient, environmental degradation would be lessened, and everyone would live a much safer, happier life with a secured future.
Please remember to stay strong, positive, and love yourself for who you are, while continuing to strive to be the person you want to become. Do your best every day and don’t ever give up or lose hope. No one ever said this life was going to be easy. If you're feeling depressed or possibly suicidal, please reach out to the encouraging people in your life for positive reinforcement, accept their supportive advice, and work towards finding solutions. If you have no one to turn to, know that some communities provide at least some level of resources to address these issues. You may also have access to the worldwide internet and can invest time in researching additional solutions.
Importance of Your Identification Card
Through my observations, I’ve noticed that most of the people who are
struggling with the ability to get their life on track don’t have their identification card (ID) or driver’s license. They are already burdened with an overwhelming amount of challenges and not having an ID adds to their disadvantages. I feel like this is one of the single, most important obstacles to resolve so one can legally apply for a job.
Many homeless people don’t know or understand the appropriate steps to get a new ID and have no one to turn to for help. This is a difficult dilemma in a Catch-22 rigged system; after you’ve lost everything, the system expects you to have an ID. You need an ID to get a job and a job to have a place to live, although you need an address to receive the documents necessary to apply for an ID. You also cannot use the postal service's “general delivery” without providing ID to collect mail.
The first steps would be to visit your local library, get on the internet, write down the closest DMV address, go to the DMV, and ascertain the appropriate steps you must take. There are variations of steps from state to state. If you have already had an ID in the state you’re in, then this process will be very easy. Ask the DMV if they still have your ID on file. You may have to provide your social security number.
While touching on this topic, I would like to mention another aspect that increases the inequality gap further, separating the divide between the rich and the poor. We all know it usually takes money to make money. Sadly, even if someone has money saved up, is intelligent and self-motivated, and has a really great business plan or idea, they cannot even acquire a small business license if they are homeless and do not have an address.
Additional Environmental Suggestions
• We must build and transition to an intelligent, progressive and resilient culture hence the need for less people [following the herd] getting degrees in art, music, theatre, dance, fashion design, sports management, history, religion and chemistry. This isn't sustainable!!!
We need more people studying environmental science, meteorology, horticultural, geology, oceanography, philosophy, public health, education, natural medicine, food and nutrition. These are the people who will help direct us in creating a sustainable global society. Please consider this before choosing a degree and life path.
• If we all ate organic and a 90% vegan diet [bought locally] while composting our food scraps into rich organic matter reintroduced into the soil as a form of carbon sequestration, we could drastically reduce the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere responsible for global warming. We will not be able to protect our family from the Catastrophic Climate Change disasters of the future if we do not take the appropriate steps NOW.
• If you're in the process of purchasing a new vehicle, please choose a light-colored paint exterior, especially if you live in a hot climate. This will help lower the overall internal temperature in the cab on hot days when drivers and passengers will essentially use less air conditioning. Minimizing AC use will put less strain on the engine and consume less fuel throughout the lifetime of the vehicle.
• You can also apply color options when buying clothes. Please choose darker colored clothes rather than lighter colors because it will minimize the use of chemical stain-removal products such as bleach and toxic detergents.
• Having a solar panel system installed where you live is an incredible environmental accomplishment. It lessens dependence on the electrical grid, provides power during an emergency, and lowers monthly power bills. Not everyone can simply install a residential solar panel system where they live due to certain challenges and limitations. The current residents may be renting the home and/or don't have the initial investment capital or access to the necessary resources and grants. The roof may not be able to support the full weight of the panels, may be slanted in the wrong direction, or shaded by buildings and trees. Governmental restrictions and regulations could also be interfering with the project.
• Did you know you can use the camera on your smartphone to help raise environmental awareness of something concerning and not just capture repetitive selfies for social media?
• You can invest in a good, rechargeable AA battery system. I bought my Goal Zero charger and 30 Energizer rechargeable AA batteries approximately 5 years ago. The charger still works as well as most of the batteries. I will NEVER again purchase (expensive) single-use, non-rechargeable batteries. It is important to compare milliampere hour (mAh) when deciding between options. 2000-3000 mAh is an optimal range for AA rechargeable batteries, which will maximize energy capacity and the number of recharging cycles before they no longer hold a sufficient charge.
If you ever see batteries on the ground, please make it a priority to pick them up and dispose of them properly. Due to their internal toxicity, this is more important above any other trash you may come across. Always use a napkin or piece of paper to pick them up as to avoid coming in contact with battery acid residue. Electronic and home improvement stores usually provide battery recycling services.
• When eating out, I haven't asked ice in any of my drinks or beverages over the last 5-7 years. I usually ask for water without ice, a straw or lemon slice. Freezing water to ice consumes a large amount of [unnecessary] electrical energy to crystallize. This overall process creates heat energy that enters the atmosphere and contributes to global warming.
Ice is actually a luxury that many people around the world can't afford or simply don't have access. When I am out, I usually ask the waiter/waitress not to put ice, a straw or a lemon in my water as often as I remember. We need more people to stop being so selfish and just drink regular water [preferably filtered] unless it's absolutely necessary.
Note: This statement excludes a few Blended Margaritas that I made several Summers back.
• We desperately need to bring more attention to this urgent pediatric health crisis: individually, plastic-wrapped, chemical laundry detergent packets are endangering children. Imagine you’re a 2-year-old child; knowing the difference between these bright objects is the difference between being poisoned, suffocating to death, or eating yummy candy. Pediatricians and activists have been exposing this safety concern and boycotting these packets, which appear to be replicas of candy to small children. In 2014, 22,000 children, mostly under age 3, were exposed to laundry packets. Many children choked on them and suffocated. These statistics were sourced from CNN.
Several years have gone by since these statistics were released and young children are still choking and dying from these products. Even if you do not have children, it is a moral responsibility to avoid buying these and stop supporting these products. We are not keeping our vulnerable children safe when selfish people are still voting with their money to keep these deadly products in stores. The chemical detergent in these packets are also much more concentrated than liquid detergents. It is horrifically unjust that our civilized society even allows this and that they are still legal. You must know that this is a scam for companies to make more money from people's stupidity, selfishness, laziness, and desire for convenience. When liquids are individually packaged in a single container, there is less overall liquid volume in the container. The companies sell you their product at a higher price, selling you more empty space/air in the container than the detergent you are trying to buy. We must unconditionally prioritize our children’s safety before convenience and corporate profits!!! The National Poison Help Line number is 1-800-222-1222.
• Reusable stainless-steel straws minimize single-use (fossil-fuel derived) plastic straws from being thrown away in landfills or littered on the ground. I carry one with me right next to my reusable titanium spork. These straws are usually sold in multi-packs, so you can give the others away as gifts like I did. Please check your local kitchen supply store or buy them on Amazon.
• I love how “One Percent for the Planet” has established a portal where businesses can give back 1% of their profit. Once registered, 1% is collected and redistributed to a series of trusted nonprofits. The business can display the 1% logo on their website, marketing advertisements, and product promotions. http://onepercentfortheplanet.org
• You can politely ask your local coffee shops, donut shops or restaurants to discontinue all use of Styrofoam cups and to-go containers.
• You can set out a box of non-perishable food along your sidewalk will help feed the hungry and poor? This includes but is not limited to the elderly and disabled living throughout your community as well as women and children. This will also help our transition towards a caring society that is more sustainable than the way our society is currently structured and functioning.
• There are billions of people living around the world who don't even own a clothes dryer. They dry their clothes by simply hanging them outside to dry. Dryers usually run on electrical power and the majority of global electricity is generated from either coal, natural gas, or nuclear power. There are also dryers that run straight from propane and natural gas. They each encourage the conversion of chemical or atomic energy into heat and kinetic energy. The hot air created is then (inefficiency) pushed past the clothes before being pumped into the atmosphere. These machines create heat, so they are obviously (collectively) a contributing factor in warming our planet’s atmosphere and therefore directly contributing to global warming. Some of the people who use dryers don't have adequate space to hang-dry their wet laundry on a clothesline. Most people choose to (carelessly) dry their clothes the fastest and most convenient way possible. One clever solution for those with enthusiasm and limited space is to buy, attain, or build a household clothes drying rack. The wet clothes could even be hung to dry for some time and then ran through the drier for the remaining time. This method would truly help conserve energy and finite resources. For those who use a dryer, please buy or attain clothes dryer balls. They spin around with your clothes and create air pockets between your clothes, which allows them to dry faster. You can also use tennis balls, which will employ the same effect.
• Anytime you see recyclables on top or next to a trash can is [most likely] because people feel guilty about not recycling or they hope a homeless person will come along, take the cans to recycle them correctly and collect the money. This is a great example of how people want to transition towards a sustainable and caring society although we do not yet have the complete infrastructure built and in place to support it.
I constantly witnessed this in the Cabrillo College cafeteria. I told the cafeteria manager about my concerns and he addressed this issue the next day by putting out a recycle can. It is up to us to be observant, speak up, take action and create the change we need throughout our society.
• The Backyard Homestead book series are the best books in regards to sustainability, homesteading, horticulture, and permaculture. These books are great for anyone studying sustainable community development, emergency preparedness, and personal survival. The books are easy to read and understand in correlation with the incredible illustrative graphics. Please buy these wonderful books and support the author. I encourage you to donate them to a public library after reading them!! =)
• You don’t have to use coffee grounds once; you can make two pots of coffee out of the same grounds. It may not taste as good, but it’s still coffee. To prevent more unnecessary waste, we must boycott Keurig coffee machines; they use single plastic cups that are constantly being used once and thrown out. This is purely for convenience. Drip coffee machines use a lot of energy, plastic, and filters. French presses and percolators are the most efficient ways to make coffee; they do not require electricity or coffee filters and make much tastier, stronger coffee. Please compost used coffee grounds or research other beneficial uses.
• You can hang drying your clothes uses less energy and resources than using an electric or gas-powered dryer? This is simple task will reduce your carbon footprint and help us curve global warming before more catastrophic climate change disasters in the future begin!!!
• Save the Earth, the People’s Co-Operative are creating sustainable, self-contained communities where members will both prosper and coexist in symbiotic relationships. The objective of the community is to minimize environmental degradation, lessen dependence on fossil fuels, and reduce food and material waste. This community will build a resilient, resource-based economy (barter system commerce) rather than implementing a monetary system. Their focuses are education, preserving the natural environment, providing safe housing, growing organic food in a permaculture-style system, and emphasizing naturopathic health practices. Save the Earth, the People’s Co-Operative are presently seeking future donors, investors, as well as new members to help design and construct this sustainable community. https://savetheearth.coop If you have questions regarding Save the Earth People’s Co-Operative please contact Emlyn Mousley via email at emlyn@savetheearth.coop
• Brian Sefton from Oakbio in Sunnyvale, California is working on carbon capture and utilization technologies/applications to reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and slow global warming effects. Please check out his work. http://www.oakbio.com
• There is an inspirational and innovative company based in western Montana called Bioroot Energy, Inc. They are setting the stage for modern technology and sustainable fuel. This Delaware-based corporation is dedicated to the rapid development of Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) fuel projects designed to convert municipal solid and liquid wastes, biomass, petroleum coke, coal, methane, and CO2 into clean, powerful, higher mixed alcohol fuel and specialty chemical alcohols. Their goal is to help cities and industries reduce landfill waste and incinerate of carbon wastes through production of clean, biodegradable alcohols. Their mission is to balance local and regional business interests, diversify engineered technologies, and project financial and environmental factors, with responsible, clean, and profitable liquid fuel generation. Bioroot Energy plans to build, own, and operate higher mixed alcohol production facilities located at the intersection of major transportation and distribution networks. Continuous production of a superior, biodegradable alcohol fuel, profitably produced from solid, liquid, and gaseous wastes and fossil carbon resources, is a powerful energy and waste industry solution. The adaptable and scalable structure will be a significant global economic development opportunity for many people around the world. http://www.biorootenergy.com Investors must realize that their money will be worthless if it is not directed in the technologies that will prevent everyone from suffering on a dying planet. We have this once chance and the opportunity are quickly passing us all. If you would like to invest in this era of technology and sustainable fuel, please email Jay Toups at jay@biorootenergy.com
• When discarding water or ice, please dump it on dry soil so it can be absorbed into the ground. Let the nearby trees and vegetation flourish rather than putting it directly down the storm drain and into the waterways.
• Throughout my travels, I have seen hundreds of empty butane canisters illegally dumped in the redwood forest. People carelessly buy individual butane canisters to use the butane as a solvent to extract THC from cannabis flowers. It is refined into a pure oil concentrate and smoked in vape-pens, mixed in edibles, etc. When people dump empty canisters like this it's usually because they are illegally producing oil extracts and fear being caught. Fossil fuel-derived butane and CO2 are the two main mediums of extracting the THC from cannabis. Both of these mediums directly contribute to the greenhouse effect of global warming and the trash further adds to environmental degradation. These dumps negatively reflect on legal grow operations and the medical marijuana industry. They also discredit the people fighting for the legalization of marijuana. When concentrates are made legally (within regulations) at an industrial facility, the butane vapors are captured, condensed, and re-used. This eliminates constant disposal of individual canisters, plastic caps, and cardboard packaging. Everyone must realize that our forest is more valuable than cannabis concentrates and this cannot continue! Some waste management entities will not accept butane canisters or anything aerosol. For your convenience, I called Green Waste in Santa Cruz County, who advised me that people frequently drop off large volumes of canisters (with no questions asked) at their facilities to be recycled correctly. There is no requirement to puncture holes in the canisters, you don't have to sign any paper work, and there is no fee. You can accomplish this during their normal hours of operation by just backing up to the metal recycling dumpster and emptying the canisters all at once.
Staying Optimistic and Personal Health
The world is slowly accepting the reality of global warming, global inequalities, and our severe environmental impact. They are learning of this through conversations, news media sources, and interaction on the worldwide web. Yes, this is overwhelming; the instability and uncertainty of our future is very scary. The ecosystem is off balance and the unpredictable weather holds us in suspense. We are seeing ancient glaciers melting and atmospheric jet streams off their paths with chemtrails crisscrossing our skies. The global, exponential human population growth has caused conflicts within our diverse, intracultural society. People experience ignorance, greed, and hate while lacking genuine cultural relativism (the ability to accept other cultures on their own terms). My generation is not solely responsible for all of the pollution, atrocities, inequalities, and catastrophic carbon dioxide and methane levels in our atmosphere; this is an accumulation from the generations before. However, it is my generation that is now knowledgeable and we are the last generation that can correct these issues. We must collectively change the direction of this deadly trajectory; our thoughts and decisions dictate the actions of our society.
Even though I am often disappointed, I have NOT lost faith in humanity, simply because we have too much to lose if we gave up. There are too many consequences to even consider failure. We will prevail, although we must each take immediate action and become involved individually and collectively. The small steps we all take will change the system that controls us and our lifestyle; for is it set up to keep us dependent on it. I see the positive things people, communities, and governments are doing all over the world. Thankfully, we are now seeing widespread changes in the renewable energy sector, a proliferation of the organic food industries, and expansion in sustainable development. Being optimistic and confident has helped me complete several large projects. I try to set a positive example while also trying to live a rewarding life. I enjoy undertaking community outreach projects such as handing out food, supplies, and ISKs to homeless people and volunteering at events.
Some past accomplishments:
• I have given speech presentations to groups, clubs, middle school, and college classes in efforts of further inspiring people.
• I have co-organized a March Against Monsanto protest and beach cleanup projects.
• I am the founder of the controversial event “Santa Cruz Chalked-Up,” which distributed thousands of sticks of side-walk chalk downtown for activist, artistic, and community interaction.
• I am the designer of two legendary bike parks in Capitola, California: Oz and Brommer Street Bike Jump Park.
• I released a documentary in 2000 that had taken me seven years to film, edit, direct, and produce. It is called PSYCHOSiiS Version 2.4.
• I summited Mount Whitney in 2007. The summit elevation is 14,505 feet above sea level.
• I organized a holiday toy drive at a popular music venue in 2008. I had contracted ten major sponsors that each made large contributions.
• I established my company, Advanced Disaster Relief, in 2013.
• I independently organized a “Mass Tire Removal Project” in 2013 after discovering hundreds of illegally dumped (deteriorating) tires. They were located in a creek ravine in the Santa Cruz Redwood Forest. I acquired permission from the county and recruited 30 amazing volunteers through Facebook. Together we removed over 1000 tires (within only 5 days) to be disposed of correctly. We later found out they had been there for 35 years.
• I was involved with the production of an inspiring humanitarian music video in 2015. It was produced to thank the world for their help during the aftermath of Super Typhoon Haiyan. It was written, sung, and produced by Jim Paredes. The images used in the video were all of what I had captured while volunteering in the Philippines. It has 105k Facebook shares with millions of views!!
• I filmed, edited, directed, and produced a 9-minute environmental public service announcement in 2016. It covers consumerism, pollution, fire prevention, and global warming. It is uploaded to my Facebook page, my YouTube page, and often airs on community TV.
• I published this document “Resource Guide to Solve Urgent Global Issues” in 2016.
• I organized a trash cleanup at Natural Bridges State Beach in late 2016. I recruited the volunteers 4 days before the cleanup and an astounding 41 volunteers showed up!!
When more people realize that helping other people, animals, and our environment is more important than power, image, drama, and materialistic merchandise, we will start seeing change. We must all choose to take action, stay strong and optimistic, and have dignity and compassion for others. We need more activists to individually research these crucial issues and get involved. Caution: be prepared when you become aware of the severe degradation caused by our civilization and come to understand the global crisis we are facing. You will likely experience a sense of overwhelming negative emotions such as guilt, anger, fear, strife, pain, depression, despair, and vulnerability. Climatologists, meteorologists, researchers, scientists, activists, and journalists are constantly struggling with the same emotions. They often feel like no one is listening and that we are not making enough progress. The psychological impact of climate change is expected to become a global crisis. It will inflict several emotional and mental health disorders, post-traumatic stress, debilitating anxieties, and increasingly destructive behavior, aggression, violence, substance abuse, and suicide. Please seek professional help if/when necessary.
People often ask how I am able to stay positive and optimistic. I am very fortunate to have a mother, Darcie Little, who loves me unconditionally. She patiently listens to me and often provides helpful advice and support throughout my endeavors. I also have a solid network of close friends and family who are supportive of my work. I receive reassuring emails, phone calls, and postal letters from caring people around the world. I eat healthy, high pH/alkaline (mostly vegetarian) organic food and only drink fluoride-free, distilled water from stainless steel. I limit my alcohol consumption, don’t use drugs, don’t take pharmaceuticals, and don’t smoke cigarettes, or marijuana. I limit my exposure to environmental toxins and pollutants. I try to get adequate sleep when my projects allow. I consider myself a minimalist and extreme conservationist. I don’t own a car and haven’t driven for three years. I feel that owning a lot of “stuff” lowers ones’ quality of life and stops them from being truly happy. I put a lot of research and thought into every product I purchase to assure it is of quality and will not carelessly end up in a landfill.
The legacy my generation is leaving our children is a one of mass pollution, plastic trash, and toxic waste. This is why I prioritize my purchases towards stainless steel, glass, wood, hemp, organic, and fair trade to the best of my ability. I’m proud to say that my website server is powered from 100% wind energy. I am not religious, don’t watch TV, don’t watch sports, and don’t play video games. I have lived on solar energy for the last 4 years. I reside in a beautiful beach town in California and avoid staying confined indoors. I often walk, bike, work-out, hike, or go camping. I usually listen to music that will improve my thoughts, mood, and well-being. I hope these suggestive lifestyle choices may also help you throughout your life.
Finalization
This document is intended to provide awareness, create change, and generate more volunteer help, money, and resources towards the nonprofit organizations, companies, and people trying to make a difference. I will continue to do my part and I know that I will not die with any guilt. I will die knowing that I did what I could (within my lifetime) to make a difference and help create a sustainable future. I will continue to make additional corrections and regular updates to this document with relevant data and information. I personally thank you for your incredible, selfless sacrifices and participation, as will your children and unborn grandchildren. They will also know that you did everything you could with the information and knowledge you had during this crucial time in history.
I am Alekz Londos, the C.E.O. of Advanced Disaster Relief. I have 16 years of experience as a photojournalist. After being a witness to so much destruction, death, mass suffering, and failed humanitarian responses, I was driven to make a difference and became involved in emergency services. I have independently provided international disaster relief support and immediate medical care to critical areas before the military and multinational organizations arrived. I have done search and rescue, body recovery, psychological debriefing, debris removal, risk mitigation, and rebuilt infrastructures. I focus my mission objectives on benefiting humanity and our environment. I then write inspiring stories and utilize mass media to help raise awareness and compassion towards tragic events.
I began my career working for major TV news stations in Reno, Nevada before becoming an independent, freelance photojournalist in 2002. My images have been featured on CNN, NBC, CBS, FOX, ABC, KSBW, Associated Press (AP), World News (WN), Philippine National News, and many other news outlets. I have been published in newspapers 34 times: The Huffington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, LA Times, Aptos Times, Santa Cruz Sentinel, Mercury News, Reno Gazette Journal, Santa Cruz Good Times, and Reno News & Review. I have been interviewed by Anonymous (the international cyber hacking group) as well as KSCO, KTOK, and KRXA radio stations.
I took a variety of courses at Cabrillo College in 2008 and years later had accumulated 81 units. I mostly studied emergency medical training, environmental science, horticulture, sustainability, and renewable energy and resources, all of which I could apply to my career. I completed the Red Cross course in Santa Cruz and become a disaster relief volunteer in 2009. I also completed the Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) course at the Felton Fire Station in 2010. I now consider myself a hybrid photojournalist, environmentalist, humanitarian, and activist.
I self-deployed to hazmat cleanups, lightning storms, wildfires, floods, sinkholes, landslides, snowstorms, car accidents, and a commuter train crash. I was in New Orleans during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the Philippines during the aftermath of Super Typhoon Haiyan. I have been through three other hurricanes as well: Gustav in 2008, as well as Isaac and Sandy in 2013. I also went tornado chasing in Oklahoma in 2013. I was in Ghana during the peak of the Ebola Outbreak in 2014. I volunteered in Nepal during the earthquake aftermath of 2015. I lived in the epicenter for a month on my own while treating medical patients and helping the community recover. I went to Erbil, Iraq in 2016, where I brought supplies to the Peshmerga military, distributed medical aid to the clinics, and volunteered in Syrian refugee camps. In 2017, I flew to Houston, Texas right after Hurricane Harvey and volunteered, a week later I flew to the Florida Keys to help residents evacuate [just two days] before Hurricane Irma made landfall. I also evacuated and made it to Fort Lauderdale. I was out on the streets helping people during the actual hurricane. As soon as the storm had passed, I traveled back to the Florida Keys and conducted a variety of disaster relief projects. A few weeks after that, I traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico. I arrived 12 days after hurricane Maria had made landfall. I traveled to Fajardo, took a ferry to the remote island of Vieques and volunteered independently for over two months.
Throughout my missions, I have been a witness to the unimaginable, widespread destruction of catastrophic man-made and natural disasters. I have discovered and exposed horrific environmental cover-ups and several illegal dumps. I am extremely saddened by the egotism, greed, and lack of compassion by both people and corrupt corporations that are contributing to the destructive impact of industrialized nations. In this moment, we are all witnessing the rapid disruption and alteration of our planet’s biosphere and we are still carelessly wasting resources and destroying the Earth's fragile ecosystems. The exponential rate of man-made climate change is the collective result of our selfish, repetitive actions, our over-consuming society, and profit-based, consumerist world economy wasting resources and destroying our Earth's fragile ecosystems. Inherently, we have the responsibility to take initiative in being accepting and supportive of our transition towards an ecologically-sustainable global society.
I have been contacted by scientists, geologists, environmentalists, activists even CEO’s of major corporations regarding the future challenges we face. I was overwhelmed by the large volume of Facebook messages, comments, and emails to where I couldn’t respond back to everyone. I realized unified global action was necessary. I began writing this comprehensive "Resource Guide to Solve Urgent Global Issues" document as an educational text of my knowledge, experience and yet another desperate attempt to present society with compelling solutions. It details a wide range of subjects that will not only benefit those working in emergency services and government-appointed positions, but also the general public.
This document is decipherable in 91 written languages on the website with a built-in English audiobook reader. The English MP3 and English PDF are also downloadable for free.
http://www.advanceddisasterrelief.com/resource-guide.html
The 6X9 inch paperback book and PDF is 200 pages with 167 charts, graphs and extraordinary color pictures. The book is available at Santa Cruz Book Shop and on Amazon. Even if you don't purchase the book from Amazon, you’re still able to download the free PDF, read the content, and leave an Amazon rating or review. Every 5-star rating and positive review will help this book reach a larger audience.
The kindle-compatible download is sold exclusively on Amazon. With each new book purchase, my humanitarian missions and creative environmental project ideas are supported. If you already own the printed book, please extend its life-cycle and give it to someone new once you’re finished reading. https://amzn.com/1539602729
Our Combined Impact
We are passing a pivotal moment in human history where we still have the ability to gain control of the rapidly accelerating biosphere of the planet. Humankind has drastically altered the planet, atmosphere, and has even polluted space with over 670,000 pieces of space debris, exploration equipment, and human spacecraft. Our careless human activity is having a devastating effect on our climate system, resulting in: hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, droughts, floods, landslides, forest fires, record temperatures, melting glaciers, melting polar icecaps, and deteriorating eco systems and agriculture. Since the 1970's, our world’s accredited scientific community has been continuously warning us of the impending dangers we would face. They knew that if we do not reduce our consumption of fossil fuels and precious resources, we would see these types of devastating effects. They not only warned our present generation; they had also warned our parents and grandparents. These scientists were denounced and disregarded by the masses that purposely and apathetically ignored the scientific communities for greed, power, money, stature, or for selfish political or religious agendas. Now we are witnessing the super-storms and deadly heatwaves that our top scientists predicted decades ago.
We have access to more information now than ever before. People are increasingly disconnected from each other in regards to authentic social interaction because of mobile technologies such as computers, tablets, smartphones, and personal music devices. Children are growing up disconnected from nature, raised on sugar and GMO-sourced junk food, fast food (especially pizza), TV shows, violent video games, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tinder, and Facebook.
We are cutting down the rainforest that we rely on to replenish the oxygen we breathe. Right now, rainforests around the world are being cut down or burned for suburban neighborhoods, farmland for livestock feed, or to grow palm oil. Palm oil is in about half of all packaged products sold in our supermarkets. Palm oil is used in potato chips, cooking oils, candy, fast foods, coffee creamers, butter substitutes, cosmetics, shampoo, soaps & detergents, ice cream, biodiesel, etc.
We consume seafood, meat, and dairy products far beyond a sustainable level. Raising a mass concentrated number of livestock causes extensive damage to land and pollutes water sources downstream. Livestock use more labor-intensive resources as well as water than does fruit and vegetables of equal weight. Eating non-organic meat pollutes our bodies with antibiotics that are not safe for human consumption and are fed to livestock to keep them alive long enough for slaughter. They are also fed hormones to grow faster than normal. Livestock operations are a major contributor to the release of methane as well as the use of tons of antibiotics.
We carelessly waste fossil fuels and are dependent on them. We use them in our plastics, for energy, transportation, construction, shipping, trade goods, computers, and electronics. Nearly everything we consume is manufactured with fossil fuels.
The poor regulation of manufacturing, agriculture, and industry disperses billions of tons of pollutants and poisons into our atmosphere, our fresh water aquifers, our oceans, lakes, rivers, and streams.
We are hunting the wildlife that balance our ecosystem and we are killing off endangered species for their furs, hides, or tusks, just for souvenirs and trinkets. This is an unconscious destruction of millions of animal species, who are all crucial for the future of our ecosystems.
Nitrogen has been synthesized from fossil fuels. Nitrogen is a main component that plants and trees uptake and assimilate to grow. The introduction of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) added with the mass amounts of synthesized nitrogen produced has allowed us to grow food in places previously impossible. This is the main contribution to the drastically accelerated human population growth.
Global Warming Explained
The Earth’s biosphere took billions of years to form and self-regulate global temperatures. Carbon and other elements were removed from the atmosphere in a process called sequestration. It was stored in either solid, liquid, or gaseous mediums. Some carbon-based medium examples are dirt, rocks, biomass, plants, trees, insects, animals, people, seaweed, phytoplankton, coal, natural gas, and other fossil fuels.
The Earth’s biosphere is a balanced molecular mixture of gasses and is mostly separated in layers surrounding the planet. The mixture and water vapor clouds are like a global thermostat. It allows light and radiant heat to enter the biosphere and some to escape. There have been several long, hot periods and ice ages, although these climate transitions took millions of years to complete, which is a drastic comparison to the global temperature changes that we are seeing in the 20th century.
Greenhouse gases are a combination of water vapor, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, nitrous oxide, helium, ozone, and other molecular gases. Greenhouse gases are the most significant contributor to the acceleration of global warming and are destroying the regulating atmospheric thermostat. Greenhouse gases are generally caused from human activities and habits of life-style choices. The current global atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases are 404 parts per million (ppm). Ppm is the unit that describes the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The levels haven’t been at 404 ppm concentration for millions of years. When we burn trees, coal, natural gasses, and other fossil fuels, this carbon is released back into the atmosphere. When plants on land or phytoplankton and seaweed in the oceans die, carbon is released back into the atmosphere as well.
The overpopulation of mankind, consumerism, and fossil-fuel powered machinery, combined with the destroyed carbon-based rainforest during the industrial revolution, has drastically accelerated greenhouse gases and changes within the biosphere. Forestry, agriculture, waste, wastewater, industry, energy supply, transportation, and residential and commercial buildings are the main greenhouse gas emitters. Each of these categories contribute to global warming. Everything single thing we do, every simple choice, every mundane task, every product produced, and everything we buy has a greenhouse gas footprint. For instance, using Roundup to kill plants deemed as “weeds” not only poisons the Earth; it kills the carbon- capturing plants that help regulate the atmosphere. The more people drive vehicles, waste food, waste water and waste electricity, the more unnecessary greenhouse gases are emitted.
The 404-ppm concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere further traps heat radiating from Earth and prevents it from escaping back out into space. This is what is driving global warming and causing the severe climate change anomalies we have been witnessing.
Climate Change and Severe Weather Events
Scientists had warned us of warming events we must avoid in order to prevent reaching the tipping point that would cause irreversible and irreparable damage to our biosphere and throw the climate into a cataclysmic nightmare. We are now witnessing the types of weather phenomena scientists had predicted: severe and extreme global weather patterns, more concentrated rain storms, more weather-related floods on a massive scale, colder winters, stronger blizzards, hotter summers, mega droughts, desertification, etc. Global lightening activity also increased due to higher atmospheric moisture concentration. This causes a feedback loop sparking more forest fires in drought-affected areas and more carbon is thus released.
It is infuriating as it is depressing, that so many ignorant Americans demanded they see proof climate change was happening before they would do anything to help us stop it while every accredited [trusted] scientist knowledgeable in the field had been warning us for decades, once we started witnessing the climate changing, we would have passed the climate’s tipping point and then too late to stop it.
The accumulative heat in the atmosphere has altered the regularity and consistency of the tropospheric jet stream in the upper levels. This has caused alarming anomalies in historic weather averages. Higher global average temperatures make weather predictions and reliable forecasting more difficult. There is now an increase of attention and money directed towards climate-related research. There are more comprehensive studies being conducted, calculated, and analyzed in regards to the relation between climate change and severe weather patterns. This effort will prepare us for any catastrophic weather scenarios of the future.
One of the most severe events that could ever take place is already underway. The warmer atmosphere is melting the Greenland ice sheet and Siberian permafrost. The Siberian permafrost is releasing billions of metric tons of methane into our atmosphere. Methane is the most destructive of all greenhouse gases. If there was no ice in the Arctic Ocean, the frozen, sea-floor methane (just a few hundred feet below sea level) would melt and massively release megatons of methane. This would throw off our entire atmosphere instantly and within 1-2 years most of all life on Earth would soon die. This is why scientists, meteorologists, and environmentalists have desperately tried to prevent this event from taking place.
Even though heat has been trapped in the atmosphere, much of the heat has been directly absorbed into the oceans. This has allowed toxic blue-green algae to proliferate while initiating mass coral reef die-offs and mass sea life die-offs. The warmer ocean temperatures are disrupting ocean currents, slowing global ocean circulations, and at times has caused them to change course. This is disrupting global fish and bird migration patterns.
Warmer surface and deep ocean temperatures will lessen the frequency of super storms, although they will increase the Accumulated Cyclonic Energy (ACE) intensity around the world and therefore increase the severity of storms. Storms like Hurricane Katrina, Super Storm Sandy, Super Typhoon Haiyan, Vongfong, Patricia, Matthew, and many others within the last few years each set new records. Haiyan was the most powerful typhoon in recorded history. It had 895 mbar (hPa) 26.43 Hg, 195mph wind speed sustained for 1 minute, 145mph wind speed sustained for 10 minutes, 235mph wind gust, and forward speed of 34mph. Hurricane force winds were over 370 miles wide and 1,120 miles wide to the outer cloud bands. This storm broke all scientific intensity scale records at 8.1 on the UW-CIMSS ADT Tropical Cyclone Intensity Estimate scale that previously capped out at 8.0. An estimated 1.1 million houses were damaged in the Philippines. 52% of those were partially damaged, and 48% totally damaged. In 2015, 3 simultaneous category 4 hurricanes had formed in the Pacific Ocean (hurricane Kilo, Ignacio, and Jimena) broke several new records. Cyclone Winston made landfall in Fiji as a category 5 in early 2016. With winds of 185mph, it was the strongest tropical cyclone on record in the Southern Hemisphere and had broken yet another record.
Every day we are not progressing towards sustainability and working to slow global warming is one day closer to a catastrophic [global] climate change meltdown scenario.
Melting Glaciers and Rise in Ocean Sea Level
The increase in atmospheric and ocean temperatures is accelerating the melting of the Greenland ice sheet and polar ice caps, thus causing the ocean sea level to rise at an accelerated rate. Some skeptics mention that the Antarctica ice sheet is expanding, although the layer of ice is only several feet thick, not like the glaciers melting that are hundreds of meters high.
Since the late 1970s, the Arctic has lost an average of 20,800 square miles (53,900 square kilometers) of ice per year. The Antarctic has gained an average of 7,300 square miles (18,900 sq. km). If we combine the average annual ice loss of the Arctic and the ice that Antarctica gained per year, for the last 40 years, the difference is 13,500 square miles (35,000 sq. km) of ice. In conclusion, on average, 13,500 square miles (35,000 sq. km) has been melting away every year, for 40 years. We must rapidly invent more low- energy methods to extract methane, carbon, and greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, and convert them into a safe byproduct or durable carbon storage medium that can be safely stored.
I have foreseen many catastrophic scenarios and warned others through various outlets. I predicted the catastrophic destruction of Super Typhoon Hayian and even predicted that the subway tunnels in New York would flood long before Superstorm Sandy made landfall. Beach front homes and low elevation properties will not be protected. They will begin to depreciate and lose their value in the following years. The rise in ocean levels will continue to erode, destroy, and inundate coastal regions, rendering them uninhabitable and pushing populations further inland to higher elevations. The UN recently evacuated many inhabited islands before they sunk or washed away. The UN is evacuating indigenous communities still living on the remaining islands that are threatened. It’s apparent that we must take drastic steps to stabilize the ocean levels while relocating the cities in low elevation coastal areas.
If we can build massive pipelines to transport oil all over the world, if we can run internet lines across the Atlantic Ocean floor, if we can move mountains, build mega cities, and fly spacecraft to other planets, then why are we not safely pumping ocean water into large reservoir valleys around the world? This would prevent the ocean levels from rising higher and save thousands of coastal cities. The benefits of saving thousands of coastal cities from flooding, stopping more pollution entering the ocean, and preventing billions of people from migrating to higher ground would far outweigh any environmental damage this project would cause. The ocean- water reservoirs would be in remote canyons that were studied and chosen for the necessary characteristics.
The majority of the people who own or rent will NOT remove their property or entire house before the ocean destroys it. We can look at the mining and oil industries as consistent examples of this when they liquidated their assets, claimed bankruptcy, and abandoned their unwanted equipment, machinery, buildings, and infrastructure. We must plan for this lack of responsibility and establish new laws, regulations, and insurances to address these concerns.
It’s a waste of our time and resources to grant building permits on any construction project in low elevation coastal areas. In some regions, it is already too late and there is already alteration of the current infrastructure to mitigate ocean impact. This is accomplished by elevating roadways, houses, and buildings, similar to communities in Florida.
Many governments are already considering or are in the process of constructing sea walls with built-in water pumps. This is not a sustainable option; we cannot afford or logistically build sea walls around every coastal city or small community. They will cost billions of dollars, always be dependent on electrical power to run the water pumps, continually need maintenance, are always at risk of failure, and eventually need to be built taller. The communities with less funding would eventually have to retrofit homes and buildings similar to those in Italy.
There are many areas even here in the US that are of immediate concern. The City of New York City in New York, Miami in Florida, New Orleans in Louisiana, and San Mateo in California are some that are at immediate risk. The planning involved when building hospitals and government buildings usually takes these long-term predictions into account. The Facebook facility was not built with this in mind. It will be the first to flood due to the rising ocean sea level. This is based from my personal map research analyzing high valued properties in low coastal areas in California.
We must stop being so ignorant and completely discontinue approving any new "building project" permits in low-elevation coastal areas. We must begin the complex process of relocating rural communities to higher [safer] elevations further inland and prepare the world's coastal megacities for the imminent ocean level rise of the future.
The City of New Orleans and surrounding parishes must begin evacuations immediately. They will then have to demolish, scrap, remove, and recycle the entire (historical) region as it will soon be submerged and converted into a massive salt water lake.
The City of New Orleans has already spent billions of tax payer’s dollars in building storm walls and pumps; much of them have already proven to be ineffective in every scenario. It is too expensive and unrealistic to build a concrete and rebar sea wall high enough surrounding New Orleans to prevent every storm surge from breaching the city. Imagine if each of the major cities around the world at risk contributed a billion dollars towards the overall development of this project. There could even be a portal where anyone could donate through. This wouldn’t solve the severe weather events or permafrost methane release, but it might buy us some time until new advancements in science and technology prove successful or more people begin transitioning towards sustainability lifestyles.
Governments could build massive ocean water pumping facilities around the world. The water would be pumped from the ocean into large designated reservoir valleys. These selected (geologically designated) areas would be chosen to avoid salt water from penetrating the bedrock and entering freshwater aquafers. This will be the cheapest and most effective method to stop the global ocean from rising and wiping out thousands of coastal cities. I thought of this concept several years ago, and just last year scientists desperately started pumping ocean water onto glaciers so it would freeze and this method didn’t even work. My option would help create jobs and save the smaller, impoverished communities with limited options and lack of funds to build sea walls.
Even if some of these areas had sea walls, a “storm surge” would render
them ineffective. A “storm surge” is caused from large, low pressure oceanic storm activity. It occurs when the height of the ocean level rises above the 19-year averaged mean sea level in a specific area. A “storm tide” is the height of the storm surge added with high tide. This will be much more severe during spring tide (which happens twice a year), when the sun and moon’s pull on the ocean is at its greatest. “Tsunami” is a term many people around the world use in replace of “storm surge.”
When a major low-pressure storm system makes landfall during the peak of high tide, it causes a major storm surge that floods into a coastal community. There are usually heavily damaged or destroyed homes and buildings. After these events, I’ve seen entire neighborhoods loaded up and removed. The debris is first moved into a massive pile via trucks and backhoes before it is loaded up into dump trucks and taken to a dump or landfill. THIS IS NOT SUSTAINABLE! The current system is NOT working because it contributes exponentially to the problem. We will have more floods, more storm surges leveling communities, and we cannot continue to just take it to the nearest dump. We need organization of volunteers, crews, or hazmat teams to sort through this debris and separate chemicals, metals, and recyclable elements (including wood, roofing, and sheetrock) that do not belong in the dump.
The ultimate solution is investing into sustainable solutions that would stop or reverse global warming. We must realize that once we are out of oil and further exceeded the greenhouse gas threshold the atmosphere can handle, we will not be able to build an Ocean Water Relocation System (OWRS). If we don’t take preventative steps before the ocean level rises any higher, then entire cities will soon be violently washed away in a destructive feedback loop. Each lost city will further contribute to our global ocean pollution crisis. This includes military bases that would become inoperable and threaten U.S. National Security or flooded nuclear reactors built at sea level that take decades to properly decommission.
All of this should make people at least think, what is more important, building a wall to keep out illegal immigrants and future climate change refugees or building walls to protect low elevation coastal cities from the rising ocean sea level?
Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW) is Clear
I regretfully underestimated people's stupidity. I spent many years of my life doing everything I could to further educate others about Anthropogenic Global Warming while also helping people prepare for the climate change emergencies now happening.... yes, I'm upset because I feel that I have failed. Even though all of this was predicted decades ago, I continue to meet people who are living in their happy bubble, don't keep up on world news and STILL doubt anything climate related is of concern. HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE BEFORE MORE PEOPLE HELP US SLOW GLOBAL WARMING!!
The majority of our society has completely failed to accept our impact on this planet. Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW), global warming, or climate change, it does not matter what we want to call it or if we believe in it or not; it is happening and it will drastically affect every man, woman, child, and living organism on Earth. We are currently dealing with a worldwide emergency that has and will continue to cause unimaginable suffering and devastation. If people fail to do the appropriate research and still don't believe in Anthropogenic Global Warming AGW or Man-made Climate Change then they are only making everything much more difficult for yourself, you will not be educated enough to help us, to prepared, to adapt or survive the future we are creating. Sadly, you will put all of your own family, friends and everybody you love at risk,.... all because you chose to be ignorant in this crucial and pivotal moment in time.
I am not only saddened and disappointed; I am furious with the world leaders and basic people that held us back. In the near future, climate change will lower the quality of life for most people and places all of us at risk.
There are many social and behavioral aspects that got us here. Our society has been purposely preoccupied and dumbed down through religion, politics, and agenda-based media programming. Presently, we have an entire generation distracted by sports, video games, TV shows, pornography, easily accessible illicit drugs, psychologically harmful pharmaceuticals, or are simply so focused on their own careers (caring more about “success”) that they have actually lost grasp on the realities happening around them. Ignorantly, through this mass societal brainwashing, they cannot or choose not to acknowledge the fact that mankind is responsible for altering and destroying our planet's natural environment and biosphere. Millions of people cannot grasp the fact that we have significantly contributed to the rapid acceleration of global temperatures with greenhouse gasses and have polluted almost every portion of the planet.
Global warming deniers threaten humanity and reduce the probability that mankind will eventually visit or inhabit distant galaxies to carry on the human race’s genetic genome throughout eternity. The denial mindset creates an inability for them to responsibly take action. They don’t make the effort to individually lower their carbon footprint and minimize their environmental impact. This slows down our combined progress towards sustainability. I feel that interfering with global warming awareness should be considered a crime against humanity and it would be wise to impose laws against allowing politicians into office if they doubt the basic science of a warming planet. Our society cannot afford to continue wasting valuable time interacting or engaging in these pathetic conversations and debates that clearly enable these deniers. Global warming debates simply fulfill a denier’s need for attention and desire to get others upset and see a reaction. These people are manipulating and misleading our society, including their own family and friends, towards an irreversible path. They are slowing down our potential progress that we as individuals and as a society could be making with our transition towards an ecologically sustainable global society.
It was our world governments who had the ultimate responsibility and failed to take action. They should have prioritized environmental and climate change issues before everything else. They should have contacted the major news outlets and informed the general public of impending danger we would eventually face. The news networks’ primary responsibility is to inform the public of important issues and developments through a variety of mass media. Sadly, what airs on the news comes down to the individual viewer. It is people’s stupid hobbies, self-interests, and life choices that dictate the news broadcast agenda.
I appreciate NASA and NOAA for the work they have accomplished. They have been trying to warn people about global warming for decades and no one listened. They do scientific research and they provide the general public with their findings through their website and other outlets. Of course, like any company, entity, complex organization, or federal government-funded program, we may see secrecy and some corruption. I feel that the employees working for each organization do their individual tasks and complete the objectives they must focus on. NASA has even created an amazing section of their website dedicated for adults as well as children to better understand climate change.
Time Magazine published some of the first mainstream media stories confronting global warming. I still have the magazine titled “Is Global Warming Fueling Katrina?” by Jeffrey Kluger, Monday, Aug. 29, 2005. It was Time magazines that inspired me to study environmental sciences and the more I learned, the more I reached out to warn my family and friends.
The Realization of Our Reality
Environmental awareness is crucial to the survival of the human race.
Accelerated global warming is underway and happening much faster than many people realize. This is exactly what was predicted and consequently, we are now out of time because we waited until now to even begin our transition towards a sustainable society. We have no choice; we must work fast, effective, and adapt extremely quickly. Please know that we cannot give up; this is our responsibility to accept and resolve for future generations!
One must realize that they are part of the problem before they can take the correct steps to fix that problem. The work ahead to curb global warming and avoid the catastrophic events that await will be very difficult and more inconvenient than had we transitioned sooner.
There are many of us who want to make a positive difference, although do not always know where to start or how to get involved. We should first broaden our knowledge of environmental solutions, then realize what steps we can take. This is knowledge that will essentially help our transition towards a sustainable and eco-friendlier society.
Unfortunately, there are obsessive distractions that are slowing global progress. When some famous actor/actress, sports athlete, artist, or musician dies, it is just another temporary (societal) distraction from the widespread environmental and humanitarian issues that actually matter.
Imagine if the number of people who talk about, admire, and post stuff about every famous person for months after they die was instead focused on urgent issues; for instance, discussing the billions of people that will soon die if we do not immediately address urgent environmental issues and climate change.
Imagine if scientists, meteorologists, and journalists had the masses following them, supporting them and cheering them on as does a basketball player who is good at throwing a ball into a hoop or baseball player that can hit a ball with a stick.
Imagine what we could accomplished if we directed an equal amount of our attention towards the issues currently affecting billions of people around the world, that if left unresolved, will cause more climate refugees, mass suffering, and more death.
We must all reassess our goals, rethink our priorities, and carefully consider what is being accomplished every day. We should network with those of similar interests as well as inspire and encourage each other to get involved. Together, we can collectively change the direction of the degradation of the environment for the billions of people who will inherent this earth throughout future generations and the rest of all humanity.
We all have a moral and ethical responsibility, as individuals, to take initiative in becoming involved in any way that we can. We all have the human obligation to be accepting as well as supportive of our transition towards a sustainable society. We must hold constructive conversations and become involved in projects that will help humanity and benefit our environment. We must make responsible, conscious choices concerning the way we live our lives, the companies we support, the things we buy, and even how we choose to spend our time. This will impact our planet.
All governments, local municipalities, as well as major news networks have a moral responsibility to accurately inform the general public of the impending dangers we face from climate change. They have a moral responsibility to do so in the strongest of terms and language so that the listener understands the dire situation we face as a species. We must speak out loudly and set our demands against the oil industries, the corporate logos, the brand names that we trusted, the large corporations, the greed on Wall Street, and the pharmaceutical industry that mislead us. And most importantly, we must speak against the typical consumer, for we are ultimately the ones most responsible because we buy into convincing marketing strategies and advertisements.
The Largest Population Migrations in Human History
During the aftermath of disasters, I’ve seen mass homelessness and people struggling without food, water, medicine, or immediate medical help. They desperately dig through debris, destroyed homes, and polluted waters. I have seen psychologically devastated and malnourished people eating contaminated and spoiled food as a means of survival. Due to global climate change, we are near the largest population migrations in human history. After most major disasters, the victims are completely dependent on the supplies and resources that the international response teams provide. Many people are incapable of migration because of either money, disabilities, sickness, or injuries. The sick, injured, disabled, elderly, and children are often the most vulnerable victims of global warming. They are left homeless, without food, water, medicine, or immediate medical help. Resources become scarce. There is no running or clean water without toxic chemical pollutants, rust, metal contaminants, or pathogenic microbes. In the susceptible developing world, people die if we do not take immediate action. Hunger, thirst, and desperation is imminent; a mother should never have to choose which child to feed and which one to die. These devastating realities will proliferate in the vulnerable and impoverished third-world countries. After major disasters, establishing child-safe zones and arranging for stress debriefing (through counseling) should be prioritized.
International Humanitarian Aid
International response is crucial when the scope of a disaster overwhelms local and regional resources. This does not happen as often in the United States, Japan, and several other first-world countries that have vast resources, money, and stability, although most people living around the world cannot truly depend on their own governments or regional aid organizations for help. Some examples are the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, the earthquake aftermath in Haiti, the present war in Syria and food shortages in Venezuela.
We need those working in international emergency services or high level military positions to adapt with the changing environment around us by developing better personnel and resource mobilization systems from the inception of a storm or disaster. The international community must re-evaluate existing procedures, improve response management protocols, and be more vigilant while continually training for disasters of the future.
In 2016, I traveled to Erbil in the Kurdish region of Northern Iraq to help Syrian, Kurdish, and Iraqi refugees. I went by myself as a humanitarian to raise awareness of the crisis and encourage outside help. I collaborated with the Kurdish Government, Peshmerga Military, refugee camps, and Habib Al Malih Medical Center. I brought International Survival Kits [ISK]’s, food, medicine, medical, and military equipment. Most of the supplies were donated to the (under-equipped) Peshmerga Soldiers fighting ISIS on the front lines and courageously protecting humanity.
The Habib Al Malih Medical Center opened in August of 2014 to assist families fleeing ISIS from the Ninaveh plains and Mosul, located 40 miles West of Erbil. They treat an average of 150 patients each day and were out of most medical equipment and medications. They did not have facemasks, diabetes test strips, or a single blood pressure cuff in the clinic.
While in Erbil, I acquired access to Qushtapa Syrian Refugee Camp from the Ministry of Defense. The high security surrounding the camps protects refugees from terrorism. I was authorized to deliver supplies, interview the lead social worker, and take pictures for my projects. This camp was 10 miles South of Erbil and housed 6100 people. Most of them continue to struggle for consistent income and to prosper like they had before ISIS. Some residents constructed stores in the camp to generate income and independence. There were 400 families that UNHCR could not provide meals for because of limited funding.
In met a young man named Mustafa, a 19-year-old Kurdish Peshmerga soldier and refugee from Mosul. The day ISIS entered Mosul in June of 2014, his father told him to leave the city. He fled to Erbil while his family stayed behind. Mosul was taken over by ISIS that day and has been under their control ever since. Mustafa lost contact with them two months ago, when ISIS removed everyone’s ability to communicate. ISIS shut down the internet, confiscated cell phones, radios, and satellite boxes to avoid informing people of the impending liberation of Mosul. Mustafa has grown up surrounded by war and now separated from his family. He tells me there is no future in Iraq and asks how to obtain US asylum to create a new life.
Over 251,000 people have died since the 2003 invasion, according to the "Iraq Body Count Project." The loss and deep pain of war is horrific. It's upsetting that because of the US invasion of this region, it now lays in ruin and most Americans will never have the opportunity to visit the Middle East within their lifetime. We must become caring, generous, and accepting of native people and foreigners of different ethnicities. This sets an international example, improves foreign relations, stabilizes the global economy, and help reinforces universal values in unstable countries that may become dangerously hostile and unpredictable.
We not only have to prepare the world for natural disasters such as earthquakes; we will also have to prepare our infrastructures for more severe super storms, heat waves, and extreme weather patterns. Remember, we are just beginning to see the consequences of our biosphere’s imbalance. In the future, the global scale of disasters will further strain the demand of international aid and many people will be left to survive on their own. We all need to do our part individually and have work, school, and family meetings to set emergency preparation plans. There was an alarming amount of seismic activity along the San Andreas fault line in California during 2016. If you live near an active fault line, please always be prepared for the likelihood of an imminent earthquake. If you can afford a Bug Out Bag (BOB) then you should have one in your home, office, or car. It is smart to prepare the basics such as prescription medication, food, and water to last at least 3 days. Please remember to check on the disabled and elderly people in your community before major storms, during heat waves, and after major disasters. This will put less strain on the emergency service personnel responding to disasters. The first responders will then be able to help those who need it the most and better allocate resources.
You can quickly enter the field of emergency services and begin training in disaster relief or medical response. If a disaster strikes, the training would allow you to help those around you and also those you love. I would first recommend taking all of the Red Cross courses if they are offered in your country. Next, you could take the Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) course and eventually the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) course. You could also check into wilderness survival courses, lifeguard training, or visit the FEMA.gov website. FEMA offers many online tutorials, training simulation modules, and tests related to disaster relief. Many of these skill sets would help you get hired at an entry level position working for a nonprofit or business. If you would like to continue this as a career path, you could take the paramedics course or begin volunteer firefighting training.
Billions of Starving People and We Are Wasting Food
There are billions of starving people all over the world, mostly children. We cannot continue wasting food. One source is fresh, ripe, organic fruit left on fruit trees throughout residential neighborhoods. Please observe the fruit trees on your property and throughout your community. Let's stop wasting fruit every year, year after year, and become less dependent on a global food network that only supports heartless corporations.
Why can’t people seem to make the connection that the oranges and apples growing on a tree are the same, if not better than the oranges and apples sold in the super market?
Is it because our society is too lazy to even pick the fruit from their own trees when we actually need to be growing food in every single public/private planter bed, front and back yard worldwide!!
Why do people choose to purchase non-organic (poisoned, mutated, nutrient-lacking) food that is processed rather than eat healthy organic food from the trees growing in their own yard?
Please pick some of the fruit from your property and place them in either bags, boxes, buckets, or crates and set them in your front yard or along the sidewalk. Placing a “free" sign might encourage more hesitant people to take some of the fruit. If you have an excessive amount, you could drop them off at a local church or homeless shelter. People could even network on social media and organize in teams, then go door-to-door offering the free service of picking the fruit for the resident and placing it on the sidewalk out front.
On a larger, more sustainable scale, governments should be incorporating fruit trees when planning or revitalizing landscaping projects throughout our communities. Please bring this up at your next city council meeting and help establish the change we desperately need.
While AI, robots, machines and new computer software continues to replace human employees in the workforce it will further divide the gap between the rich and poor. It will also increase the percentage of people living in poverty and drastically increase the homeless population ......so instead of focusing on creating more jobs in unsustainable sectors such as the fossil fuel industry [that compromises the environment as well as lowers our future quality of life] we must structure, promote and implement universal income!
Food Security
Please choose organic the next time you go out shopping. From a sustainable perspective, it’s crucial that we transition to an organic food production system that has minimal impact on the environment and improves our personal health. Organic food is usually less processed and certainly grown with less or no volatile chemicals. Eating organic supports companies with higher standards, stronger ethical beliefs, and improved health practices in general. Their facilities undergo more inspections than those of non-organic food production.
Corrupted scientists, big pharmaceutical corporations, and other chemical companies collaborate with Monsanto in the non-organic food industry. GMOs, created by Monsanto, allow people to grow mass amounts of low quality, low nutrient food, although they become dependent on chemical fertilizers and pesticides. They are poisoning our society and polluting the entire ecosystem. Congress is also paid off by corporations that fund their campaigns and do not listen to the people.
GMOs are not the solution to world hunger or sustainable food production. Part of what caused exponential global population growth was the creation of GMOs. This has allowed plants to grow in regions around the world where they are not naturally meant to grow and enabled people to flourish and live in previously uninhabitable regions. We have outgrown nature by changing the genetic makeup of nature. We have billions of poor, hungry, or uneducated people unknowingly feeding their family toxic, store-bought food. We are so detached and disconnected from the origin of our food, which is now unrecognizable due to extensive processing and clever packaging.
Non-organic food is grown with commercial chemical, synthetic, nitrogen fertilizers that are processed from fossil fuels and we are already past peak oil!! When our global oil supply is depleted, our synthetic fertilizers will become unavailable and international commodities transportation system will decelerate. This is one of the many reasons why our transition to the organic food industry is so important.
Organic companies practice sustainable methods such as: companion planting, crop rotation, encouragement of plant-derived extract pesticides, and the incorporation of beneficial and predatory insects to avoid the use of toxic, chemical-based pesticides. An important way to help solve our world’s food crisis is to buy organic whenever possible, preferably at farmer’s markets and health food stores. Stores will expand their organic selection and lower prices of organic food to accommodate the demand. Please vote with your money to help this transition take place.
Gardening Projects and Organic Food Production
Individual food production and small farms supplement the world’s food supply. They really need everyone to get involved. I have many years of gardening experience and have taken college courses in hydroponics, organic edible landscapes, and gardening. I have spent hundreds of hours studying horticulture since it is a solution to the sustainability of our future. I have always bought 100% organic and mostly heirloom seeds or starts for my gardening projects. I ran a very successful organic hydroponics and aquaponics system in the past. I have raised rabbits, had earthworm bins, and large compost piles of rich, organic matter used to brew compost tea.
We must become reconnected with our food. We can buy heirloom organic seeds to grow our own food or start a community garden project. We must barter with the food we each grow for goods and services. Small scale gardens, homesteads, and communal living whenever possible is what will help heal the earth and the soil and lessen the strain on the global food supply. Remember, this is how we vote with our money and how we choose to spend our time. It is very important to support the organic food industry with every purchase by choosing organic produce and products. Even once in a while will help make a difference. The corporate stores here in Santa Cruz such as Costco, Safeway, and Grocery Outlet have drastically expanded their organic selection to accommodate the growing demand. We need more people to start demanding that their supermarkets sell only organic products and carry brands that use the NON-GMO Project label.
Choosing an organic lifestyle also protects the farmers who dedicate their lives to produce the food we so conveniently get at grocery stores. This is because farmers that do not use organic methods are using pesticides on their crops that, especially after repetitive use, poison them and their families! These pesticides are sprayed in massive amounts and are then blown in the wind, contaminating people and places even miles away. Sadly, many school children are still victims to this pesticide over-spray, primarily those in low-income schools situated near farms. In the Santa Cruz County of California, the most used and deadliest pesticide, Roundup, has been used at schools like Calabasas Elementary School, located in a residential neighbor full of children and only a few houses away from Lakeside Organic Farm lands. To add to this travesty, these pesticides are used purely for cosmetic purposes, without regard to the health of the kids, who could care less if their school had a few “unwanted” plants growing around! After attempting to contact the number provided on the warning sign posted, no calls or emails were returned. Someone needs to be accountable for these careless, harmful actions!
The large volumes of chemical fertilizers and loosely regulated methods of livestock production has added to ocean acidification and has created dead zones near the river mouths along the coast. We need to invest more attention and money into large-scale greenhouse aquaponics and hydroponic systems.
Soil in many parts of the world is now drastically depleted from non-organic, mono-cropping agriculture using synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, which cause surrounding vegetation to become weak and vulnerable. This plant life is also more susceptible to new varieties of insect infestation or systemic disease. We have been depleting the top soil layer of the Earth’s crust for centuries. We are also killing off the beneficial microorganisms living in the soil with non-organic agriculture practices. Soil microorganisms consist of a balanced combination of actinomycetes, fungi, protozoa, and algae. Each of these groups of microbes have critical functions and characteristics that create healthy, fertile soil. We must compost our organic waste materials to recharge and fertilize the soil in our fields in order to avoid more chemical fertilizers from entering our ecosystem. Every time you rake up leaves from around your yard or dispose lawn cuttings, you are removing vital micro minerals and nutrients that would compost into the top layer of soil. Heathy, organic topsoil functions as a large carbon sink, retains more water, and grows nutrient-rich food. The plants and trees that are nourished by it also store carbon and potential organic material.
Boycott Roundup Products
We must collectively and urgently BOYCOTT every Roundup product and ban its distribution around the world. It has recently (finally) been labeled by the state of California as a type 1 cancer-causing substance. It is not only invoking chronic diseases, killing living beings, and polluting our entire environment; it is killing off the smaller plants that produce oxygen and naturally decay into nutrient rich (carbon-holding) soil. Using synthetic chemicals like glyphosate (which is Roundup’s main ingredient) over time can cause unwanted weeds to become more resilient towards pesticides. I hate seeing people, parents especially, who use Roundup in public areas near the ocean where their children and neighbors play and work. This is surprising legal and not talked about enough.
I learned from my hazardous materiel course at Cabrillo college that the FDA only requires companies to list active ingredients on chemical product labels and they do not have to list any inactive ingredients. From what I have seen, the inactive ingredients in most chemical products range from 50-99% of the total volume. This is the same for Roundup, which contains 41% glyphosate (the active ingredient) and 59% inactive ingredients of an unknown chemical substance. You can personally observe this on any Roundup product.
Proposition 65 of the state of California has announced that glyphosate is a cancer-causing ingredient, although there are no cancer warning labels listed on Roundup products. It is discouraging that cancer warning labels, however, are listed on some organic and even chocolate products. Is our society really this mislead and brainwashed?
It is unhelpful when people take their unwanted Roundup products to hazmat waste management facility in hopes it will be disposed of correctly. Many of these facilities take the Roundup and resell it back to the public at a lower price. They do this here in Santa Cruz County. This shows us that we need to work with local waste facilities so this does not continue to happen.
The city of Irvine has banned Roundup use in public parks and schools due to the high incidence of childhood cancers near areas sprayed. Banning Roundup on a larger scale is imperative to lower chronic diseases and cancer in our communities. We need to take initiative in our towns to start boycotting campaigns, set up information tables and share relevant research on social media regarding the dangers. We need to be talking about Monsanto’s horrific actions. We need to create widespread petitions in order to increase public awareness and political changes. Please research March-Against-Monsanto to see if there is an active group addressing these issues near you.
A great example of a local victory for environmental change occurred on November 16th 2016, when the Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) board members unanimously voted to ban the use of Monsanto’s Roundup at their 34 schools! These schools are all located in the Monterey Bay area where many coastline sections are protected National Marine Sanctuaries.
Prior to the meeting, I networked with other activists who were also in support of the ban. We posted relevant facts, data, and information through social media and even constructed colorful posters, fliers, and small handouts to help raise more awareness. There were twelve of us that spoke at the podium: parents, teachers, and other valued members in the community. We respectfully presented the board of trustees with research, safety concerns, supportive information, and emphasized alternative, non-toxic options for weed and pest control. This ban further protects Monterey Bay natural habitats and children from the long-term risk of cancer. This was a monumental victory for all environmental activists and sets a moral example for schools and colleges throughout the United States.
Non-Toxic Irvine provides a variety of pesticide facts and organic landscaping information. They can also email you a downloadable “playbook” document detailing the necessary steps to ban Roundup in your community. http://www.nontoxicirvine.org
You can successfully implement this crucial directive locally by directly contacting your district representatives or school board trustees (most effectively by speaking at one of their meetings during designated public opinion times) to request a Roundup ban to be put on their agenda.
Please boycott Roundup and all Monsanto products.
Mapping Global Fishing
The Mapping Global Fishing platform works by analyzing data points from the Automatic Identification System (AIS) network. AIS tracks GPS broadcasts of a ship’s location. It was primarily designed as a safety mechanism to avoid collisions at sea, but information about the vessel’s behavior can be derived by analyzing the identity, speed, and direction of broadcasting vessels. Global Fishing Watch removes all the cargo ships and other non-fishing vessel activity, providing an unprecedented view of human interaction with the ocean. This allows us to track illegal fishing activity or even receive alerts when a vessel has entered a protected area. http://globalfishingwatch.org
It's important for those who eat seafood to be responsible when purchasing it. Seafood Watch has created an extensive list that allows people to make informed choices with sustainably-sourced seafood. http://www.seafoodwatch.org
Mega Droughts and Water Conservation
Most of the Northern hemisphere and several regions in the Southern hemisphere are rapidly entering mega droughts. The interconnecting stream networks are affected and massive lakes and reservoirs are at alarming low levels.
Vast regions are increasingly breaking historic heatwave records to where numerous people are dying and governments are frequently activating State of Emergency protocols. The current drought has caused us to extract (siphon) water from natural underground aquifers far beyond their recharge rate. This increases the frequencies of small earthquakes and has even lowered the elevation of the central valley in California and other affected areas.
When coastal fresh water aquifers are discharged beyond their recharge rate, salt water then enters the aquifer to where the water becomes non-potable, unless it is strenuously filtered. Clean, potable water consumes a large amount of energy, electricity, and resources to capture, filter, and then transport to its final destination.
I recommend that you research these topics in depth to learn about what you can do to help and make immediate arrangements on your own accord to better prepare for this imminent crisis. It is critical for us to individually implement drastic water conservation methods throughout our lifestyle routine. Some people can simply acquire storage containers (for their own use) to redirect a portion of the annual rainwater through the process of rainwater catchment, if laws allow and the county is not corrupt. We could even divert rainwater runoff back into natural ponds and lakes rather than letting it flow down into storm drains.
Some communities dig huge holes (in the appropriate areas) where there is an abundance of rainwater runoff to help capture the water before it flows into nearby creeks. This is done to allow damaged forests the ability to regrow. This method unfortunately attracts and aids the proliferation of mosquitoes. Since malaria, dengue fever, Zika, and other deadly diseases are associated with mosquitoes, this method is now a concern. I would like to point out that some cities provide “mosquito fish” through government funded programs. They are free (and crucial to attain) for those who have standing water on their property, slow moving creeks, or stagnant ponds. The small fish eat insects and mosquito larvae before they hatch. The fish are very adaptive in diverse water sources and can withstand a variation of pH levels. Another semi-pure water sourcing method is fog collection in arid regions. This enables moisture to be harvested from a system of nets before it is diverted into catchment tanks.
If you’re thinking about repaving a sidewalk, patio, or driveway, please research “permeable concrete.” This medium allows water to penetrate the concrete into the ground below. This will even lessen neighborhood and city flooding from an accumulation of rainwater runoff.
If you want to invest (profit) from a successful company, as well as secure our future, then I recommend American Water Works (Stock Ticker AWK). They are one of the largest US companies who build and maintain the existing water supply network for millions of customers.
Water Purification Information
When trying to purify water for drinking, you can boil it for 30 minutes, use water purification tablets, or reverse osmosis. This will kill or filter out microorganism pathogens. Most ceramic water filters and products such as the LifeStraw will filter out 99.9999% of bacteria and 99.9% of parasites, although will NOT filter out microorganism pathogens smaller than 0.2 microns. This is very important to know because there are many deadly viruses much smaller than 0.2 microns in size. These are the most effective ways to prepare clean drinking water. You can exclusively use a reverse osmosis system (which takes energy) or you can follow these three steps.
First, use a cloth and filter out the large particulates such as dirt and grit. Then use a hand pump and filter the water into a clean container. The last step would be one of the two options: 1. Boil the water for 30-45 minutes, or 2. Use water purification tablets that are FDA approved to break down the outer membrane of cryptosporidium and kill all pathogens. Please research “bio sand water filter” to see how water can be filtered in remote third world countries.
Bottled Water Crisis
There are too many people who spend thousands of dollars a year
supporting the bottled water industry. These people are brainwashed through marketing advertisements or are just lazy and repetitively succumb to this convenience. It makes me sick; here we are in 2016, with non-bias studies and research conducted by nonprofits, educational documentaries, unlimited information through the internet and social media, and many modern advancements in personal water filtration systems, yet people continue to buy bottled water, live without any regard to the carcinogenic toxins they’re drinking, and have no concern for the pollution the plastic bottles cause.
Companies like Coca Cola and Nestle source water from our natural springs, creeks, water reservoirs, and sometimes it is just plain tap water. This disturbs the balance of our ecosystem and depletes the water needed to fight against regional wildfires.
Bottled water is marked up 4000%-200,000% above the company’s overhead and production cost.
The water has been scientifically tested and found to contain several carcinogenic chemical pollutants. The water is contaminated from the processing facility as well as toxins that are leached from the plastic bottle itself. Please take 10 minutes and research some of these studies.
Seeing someone holding a plastic water bottle makes me question their intelligence and compassion for our environment. After the water is drank, the single-use bottle contributes to an uncontrollable amount of plastic waste. Bottled water is simply NOT sustainable and solutions to this global issue are very simple!! We must adapt and make responsible and conscious decisions after knowing the massive global impact.
Step 1. Buy or acquire a water container, preferably stainless steel or glass.
Step 2. Fill it up with water when you are near a safe water source.
Step 3. Distilled water sold at water stores is the purest you can buy. This water has <1 ppm, which means virtually no contamination. All of the minerals we need come from a healthy diet and we do not need any in our water (amounts are negligible in most other clean water sources anyways).
You can install a kitchen sink water filter or purchase a water filter pitcher. You can also purchase BPA free or glass water storage containers and refill them at a filtered water store or machine. You could incorporate this basic task with your weekly or monthly routines.
In addition to the bottled water scam, did you know that fountain drink soda machines in every Mc Donald’s, Burger King, Taco Bell, 7 eleven, Wendy's, KFC, and most gas stations contain just tap water, carbonation, concentrated flavorings, and synthetic sugar?
There are isolated situational circumstances and exceptions when utilizing the convenience of bottled water is an acceptable source of hydration, such as in emergency preparedness for a natural disaster, distribution during the aftermath of natural disasters, or when people do not have access to safe, clean water of public drinking quality standards. The situation in Flint, Michigan is an example of an emergency where bottled water is a need rather than a want or convenience.
Marketing and Advertisements
In the future, we will see even more marketing and advertisements. The ads will become widespread, more appealing, and invasive. The marketing industries will grow and company marketing budgets will increase to compete against one another and sell us their products. We are already seeing the environmental impacts of the mass mailings we receive. Over 100 million trees are destroyed for junk mail annually. This creates 51 million metric tons of greenhouse gases. I will not be a part of this overconsumption or give into advertising ads and the sickness of greed.
Living Outside of Our Means
We live in a sickening, consumeristic society of excessive greed, stupidity, and waste, spending our printed money on everything we want and possessing things we do not even need. We buy our plastic electronics, chemical cleaners, and cheap merchandise for a lifestyle of laziness and modern convenience. In return, we are locked into never-ending corporate slavery. The majority of these products will soon be obsolete, upgraded, replaced, broken, expired, and worthless. Consequentially, most people will carelessly discard them in the most convenient and illogical way possible.
We live fake lifestyles and fake our happiness. We are a depressed, consumeristic society, that promotes unsustainable, consumerist choices, such as running on a tread mill rather than exercising outdoors, using weight machines rather than utilizing bars at public parks, or using a leaf blower rather than simply raking leaves. We also see this with household snow shoveling (snow machines), chopping wood (log splitters), etc.
Our fake-oriented society uses cellphone towers disguised to resemble
trees, plastic Christmas trees and holiday wreaths, fake snow at ski resorts,
decorative plastic flowers, fake honey with no traces of pollen (imported from China), linoleum floors with wood print patterns, counterfeit imports from China, fake leather and polyester fur derived from fossil fuels, fake silicone implants in our bodies, and fake digital money.
We see fake personalities in politicians and celebrities with their fake smiles, fake societal relationships, fake role-playing video games, fake pharmaceuticals with synthetic fillers, and even chemically-created serotonin and endorphins to replace one’s happiness.
In order to provide this (unnecessary) junk to the consumer, we irresponsibly extract, harvest, or remove finite resources far beyond their ability to recharge or replenish. This is done either illegally or with limited regulations, inspections, or governmental oversight. This drastically accelerates environmental degradation and usually increases the volume of toxins entering the natural eco-systems, further contaminating our water supply and global food chain.
Pollution is one of the fundamental factors of chronic diseases; 1 in every 2 people (in our children's generation) will get cancer throughout every industrialized nation around the world.
This is why we need people like you to make informed decisions with every purchase; vote with your money and support the right companies. You can do this when choosing products known to be sustainable, toxic-free, organic, or that have the ability to function as designed for an extended amount of time. It's a good investment to first research products or you can (less reliably) base your decisions from packaging information labels such as Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Post-Consumer Recycled Goods, Fair Trade, Organic, Non-GMO, sustainably sourced, etc.
Preppers Are Selfish and Unrealistic
Preppers are those who hoard large, irrational amounts of supplies and resources just for emergency preparedness. Preppers have a very short-sighted and unrealistic concept, which is to just give up on everyone and save themselves. These people are also a threat to all of us because they are more likely to not contribute to our society’s transition towards sustainability because they are in the process of selfishly investing into and planning for their own personal and family’s survival. These people hoard thousands of pounds of food and water or have underground bunkers. The money that they are using to accumulate products could be invested into renewable resources, international aid organizations, and directed in ways that would make our world a better place for everyone. What good is all this stuff they are hoarding when the environment is unlivable for their future generations? How long would you want to survive in an underground bunker, 1 year, 5 years, or the rest of your life? I feel that there are several different stages people go through in regards to the state of the world, the first being that people are simply unaware.
Hoarders and the Wealthy are Holding Back Resources
PEOPLE NEED TO STOP HOARDING RESOURCES!! THIS SICKNESS IS DRASTICALLY CONTRIBUTING TO THE DEGRADATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND FURTHER ACCELERATING GLOBAL TEMPERATURES. THERE ARE ENOUGH RESOURCES FOR EVERYONE IF MORE PEOPLE WEREN'T SO SELFISH AND GREEDY.
Hoarders are adding more of an environmental impact than the average person. When they hoard goods, supplies, and resources, more will be made to fill the consumer supply and demand. When people hoard cars, metals or recyclable materials, consequently more mining of raw metals will take place rather than if the current unused supply had been recycled correctly.
The wealthy are also holding back supplies and resources from the rest of the world. The wealthy hold back vacant vacation homes and residential properties from the market. In turn, more homes will be built to house those who are financially able to buy or rent. It takes a massive amount of resources, creating a large carbon footprint for every house built. One of the far worse problems with wealthy people is that they are more likely to throw away leftovers or waste good food to just buy more. The wealthy are also less likely to replace damaged or broken items and more likely to just throw stuff away rather than someone who is poor that would continue to use an item, fix it if it broke, sell it, or give it away when they are done with it. I have seen self-entitled, rich college kids’ year after year, who move to a new city to attend college. They have the money to buy everything they need for their temporary housing or dorm room and then throw most of everything away once they graduate and move out. This is a larger issue than most people realize because it is a topic that is rarely covered.
Question: What causes more damage to the environment per capita? The homeless population living throughout forested areas, with minimal possessions and carelessly scattering their trash or the people living in modern homes that completely destroy and level forested areas as they own more things they don't need, consume more resources and have their trash removed to an off-site/out of sight location?
Tiny Homes Can Be Moved and Relocated
Tiny homes are the next means of survival and sustainability in our modern time. There are many advantages with a mobile tiny home, especially when it comes down to several key factors and benefits. Tiny homes go along with a minimalist mindset that is far more sustainable than furnishing and living in a standard-size home. They can be made easily and cheaply while even incorporating recycled materials.
Tiny homes provide the option to migrate and relocate with regional climate changes such as floods, droughts, heat waves, resource shortages, civil unrest, and the rise in ocean sea levels. Scientists have predicted that parts of the Middle East may be completely uninhabitable in the coming decades due to unlivable heat waves. I wrote about this in my book years ago and we are already seeing this today. If these communities had built tiny homes, or begin this transition immediately, their migration and relocation may be achievable.
Another advantage to tiny homes is that off-grid homestead laws are constantly changing. For an example, both Florida and Colorado camping regulations have recently changed. If you created a sustainable homestead in Florida and have been living free from an electrical grid and powering your retreat from solar, the new laws now ban this. Nevada recently increased the solar tax as high as 40%. In Colorado, regulations are enforced that state a well has to be drilled and a septic system installed on personally-owned property. This is to discourage or remove off-grid homes such as Earthships. Earthships are innovative, solar-powered houses that originated from Taos, New Mexico and are made of natural and recycled materials. However, a mobile tiny home can be relocated when an Earthship cannot.
When people own less stuff, and invest more towards buying and owning quality items, their belongings will usually last longer. This is because most people take better care of possessions they value, cherish, worked harder to obtain, or spent more money on.
Fire Prevention, Defensible Space, and Drought-Tolerant Plants
After every major wildfire, there is a tragic loss of homes and personal possessions. We have to acknowledge the long-term environmental damage and consequences from individual house fires, where toxic household items are consumed. Chemicals such as Raid, Roundup, hairspray, laundry detergent, air freshener, disinfectant cleaners, and motor oil all enter and pollute our atmosphere and will also affect the first responders battling the blaze (firefighters, police, volunteers, PG&E, etc.). This pollution will also hurt the communities downwind and contribute to our global air pollution problem. Imagine all of your furniture, every piece of the plastic products you own, your lacquered cabinets, your nylon carpets, linoleum floors, fossil-fuel oil-based roof, rubber products, cheap PVC plumbing, plastic gutters, and painted walls. Now visualize that it was vaporized in a massive toxic cloud that will pollute everything below it when it rains. The toxic ash left on the ground will continue to pollute and contaminate our groundwater once it rains. It will flow into nearby creeks and rivers where plants grow, insects breed, and native wildlife drink. A portion of this toxic water will also seep into the ground, polluting our fresh water aquifers. These are very real concerns that I strongly feel need to be considered when living in high-risk fire zones. People must dispose of unnecessary household chemicals correctly and stop buying consumer items they do not need!
Additional safety steps would be to clean the gutters of leaves, abide by the state mandated laws of defensible space perimeters surrounding homes, and plant drought-tolerant/fire resistant vegetation on properties. These simple steps would have mitigated the severity of the damage caused by past fires, lessened the amount of homes lost, and saved communities thousands of gallons of water to protect them.
Put this in perspective: if someone had hundreds of guns and ammunition stolen from their house, would you be more sympathetic towards that person and their tragic loss or more disappointed in their irresponsibility and lack of concern for you, your family, friends, and children's safety?
Pharmaceutically-Invoked Epidemics and Dependence
The multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical industry has a tight control over the public and governments around the world. Companies like Bayer and Merck own patents on extremely processed medications which contain toxic chemicals, fillers, hormone disrupters, and many unknown substances. One of the most common causes of death in America is pharmaceutically-induced by wrongly prescribed deadly drug combinations. In addition to this travesty, over-use of pharmaceutical drugs has caused chronic diseases. Many disorders that could have been resolved with natural medicine, organic food, dietary, or lifestyle changes have instead been suppressed by drugs and will always return.
The toxins from medications are excreted through the users’ bodies or even directly dumped down the toilet or sink drain. No recirculation water treatment systems have the ability to filter out pharmaceuticals from sewer water. Now the drinking water in major cities inevitably contain trace amounts of pharmaceuticals. This also pollutes our eco-systems, creeks, rivers and water supply. Due to hormone-disrupting properties, fish and frogs are commonly found with genital malformations, which cause them to be unable to reproduce. The evidence is widely available, yet little is done to change any of this other than simply informing the general public of the dangers and advising the disposal of medications through local pharmacies to be disposed of correctly.
Pharmaceutical companies manipulate doctors in medical schools to convince their patients that their drugs are the best way to treat diseases, despite the high risks and costs. Pharmaceutical representatives often take medical staff (who have the authority to write prescriptions) out to dinner and will spend thousands of dollars on food and alcohol. In return, the staff will prescribe that reps’ medication.
When communities are affected by major natural disasters, the people with pharmaceutical dependencies have no access to their medications and often go through withdrawals from a lifetime of dependency.
Natural medicine is safe, effective, and has been used for thousands of years before pharmaceuticals. Traditional and holistic medicine will ultimately save us from the destruction of modern medicine. For instance, there are many natural cancer cures and preventative measures, such as the use of medicinal herbs and mushrooms (specifically reishi, cordyceps, chaga, and turkey tail), organic cannabis oil, and turmeric extract, which has a high percentage of curcuminoids. We must allow our bodies to heal and be prepared for any situation, especially now more than ever. Building immunities naturally is a key to our own survival.
There are now laws in some states making an overwhelming number of injectable pharmaceuticals, also known as “immunizations” or “vaccinations,” mandatory for kids to attend public schools. There is an abundance of research that proves the dangers of injecting these substances, which contain heavy metals like aluminum and chemicals like formaldehyde, directly into the blood stream. We can find all of this information just by reading the vaccination inserts. There is a consistent increase of vaccine related injuries and chronic diseases associated with them.
When people fall for simple-minded, corporate medical scams such as buying “pink” items (as seen with Coca-Cola, Pringles, KFC chicken, KitKat chocolate, Mike's Pink Lemonade, etc.) to seemingly represent or support a cause such as the pink breast cancer awareness movement, it makes me realize how much help (due to lack of independent thinking) people need. These pink-washed companies convince people that they are making a difference in “finding a cure,” when in fact, cancer is getting more rampant; one major reason is because of the overindulgence in these massively-produced, sugary, GMO Foods. We need to focus on cancer prevention rather than donating to wealthy corporations who irresponsibly use the money to make more products that pollute our bodies and the environment.
Emergence of New Diseases and The West Africa Ebola Outbreak
When our climate changes, it offers a wider geographical area of known vectors (disease-causing organisms). The prevalence of many infectious diseases, especially in third world and tropical areas, is caused particularly by biting insects. The recruitment of new strains or sub-strains to the vector pool could result in infections spreading to more or potentially new species. We witnessed this with the avian flu, swine flu, Lyme disease, rabies, distemper virus, Ebola virus, as well as the Zika virus.
I went to Accra, Ghana in West Africa to help stop Ebola during the peak of the outbreak. I get extremely upset when people mention how Ebola just disappeared. IT DIDN’T JUST DISAPPEAR!!!! As of August, 23rd, 2015, 28,041 cases and 11,302 deaths have been reported worldwide. This deadly virus infected an unprecedented number of innocent people; 838 medical staff were affected and it killed over 500 of them. There were 1.1 billion people living throughout the 55 nations on the African continent who were dependent on a collaborative international response.
I can’t believe that people would post ignorant comments that just mock and insult the heroic healthcare workers who went into West Africa and risked or sacrificed their lives to stop the virus before it spread around the world. I had done pandemic training and extensive research years prior to this outbreak and better understood the overall situation than most people. I was also in contact with doctors, scientists, the World Health Organization (WHO), and many other international aid organizations and volunteers. Through my journalistic investigations, conversations, and intelligence collected in West Africa, I learned of the challenges; there was no easy solution with this crisis. The ONLY way to stop this disease is at the source: focusing on isolating and treating the sick, monitoring those who have been in direct contact with them, and burying the dead. The people that said we should close the borders surrounding the infected areas make me disgusted. The people that said we shouldn’t get involved to help the people in West Africa showed me how selfish some people really are. These people interfered with the correct aid process and put the entire world population at risk. The necessary airline flights to transport medical supplies and equipment were irrationally suspended. The medics then didn't have proper supplies and resources to contain the outbreak in the very beginning.
The CDC, MSF, and World Health Organization warned everyone that this virus was getting out of control for months and no one listened. Ebola started getting more news coverage when it started spreading exponentially, killing more people, and jumping borders into cities around the world. Of course, it got even more coverage, just like a forest fire spreading or a dangerous hurricane approaching. An example of how stupid and simple-minded these posts are reflected in a small fire starting in a field, which may get some news attention (like Ebola when the rates were low). When the fire turns into one of the largest forest fires in history, is completely out of control, and is killing everything in its path, then yes, it gets more attention. It’s the media attention that helps with the awareness of a crisis and stimulates the urgency of an international response. When people work together, they gain control of the fire. It’s hurts me when I see people post memes and ignorant comments that discredit all the heroes who sacrificed their lives for the safety and survival of the human race.
Power Outages and the Vulnerable Electrical Grid
Much of our electrical grid and digital infrastructure is constantly at risk from either a severe super storm, natural disaster, or even solar storms from the sun. Solar storms, also known as coronal mass ejections, can shut down regional electrical grids. Solar storms can send out large solar flares, which cause an electromagnetic pulse (EMP). There is also the threat of nuclear EMP devices that cause the same effects when the device is set off above a city or region. When a large EMP is emitted towards earth from the sun, it threatens orbiting satellites, the electrical grid (above ground), most modern cars, and personal electronic devices. When there is a power outage or disruption in our electrical grid, gas stations can no longer pump gas, important medical devices such as kidney dialysis machines no longer work, and we do not have access to our banks or digital money. This also causes ATMs and debit card machines to stop working. I have seen the problems power outages cause first hand after covering so many disasters. This is why we need more communities, hospitals, and government facilities to invest into (stand-alone) alternative, renewable energy sources, not just for the investment or even the environmental benefits, but also the reassurance and ability to maintain electricity during the event of a power outage.
We need more of these solar parking lots!! They not only provide renewable electrical energy for governmental buildings, office buildings, schools, hospitals and stores they also provide shade and protection for the vehicles parked below.
There are parking lots all over the world. We just need more community members to help implement this sustainable design in their community.
Peak Oil and Coal
We are now past peak oil and peak coal. “Peak” is the point in time when the maximum rate of extraction of a resource is reached, after which it is expected to enter terminal decline. Global production is forecasted to drastically decline by the mid-21st century. Even the US military recognized this impending threat and have been retrofitting their facilities and combat equipment with alternative forms of energy. It is very misleading to most people as why gas prices are so low; they do not realize that we are quickly running out because there are more companies, now than in any other point in history, who are researching, hunting, drilling, and fracking for oil. This also contributes to competitive prices, giving us a false sense of security. Within the next two decades, we will be witnessing global fuel shortages. Added with higher temperatures on a warmer planet, it will cause more tension, aggravation, desperation, and will inevitably cause a rapid increase in conflicts and wars. Clean water, food, and struggle for survival will be the new platforms upon which war and conflict will be based. For decades, the wars and conflicts over oil extraction have killed millions of innocent people and will continue until we are no longer dependent on fossil fuels. Innocent populations are being deprived of healthy and safe lives because of this widespread greed. We must take the appropriate steps to transition away from fossil fuels, in the correct order, while we still can, by designing and constructing everything we need to live sustainably. We can use the fuel we have already extracted, refined, and stored to retrieve as much trash as possible from around the world. We must recover, contain, and store all existing nuclear waste dumps with modern containment and storage methods. These are some of many reasons why completing the global transition from fossil fuels to sustainable energy is so important.
When people complain and protest fracking, tar sand extraction, new pipeline routes, and deep-water oil exploration, it is not effective because they are not resolving the root of the issue. These same people often continue to drive poor-mileage vehicles and buy products and resources that use a high consumption of fossil fuels (such as non-organic, non-local food and commodities).
In 2015, there was a major, environmentally hazardous incident at Porter Ranch in Los Angeles, California. This was the largest disaster of its type ever seen. Massive amounts of harmful methane gas erupted from an energy facility in Aliso Canyon, California. Methane is the main component of natural gas. It is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide in regards to climate change impact. The fuel was released and entered our atmosphere at an estimated rate of 70,000 pounds per hour; that's roughly a quarter of the methane emissions in all of California! Over 150 million pounds of methane were released just one week. It took three months to stop the leaks.
If the single methane leak did in fact release 70,000 pounds of methane per hour in Porter Ranch, that is equivalent to 1,680,000 pounds per day. When converted, it is 762 metric tons per day. Yellowstone only produces 0.6 metric tons per day, which is equivalent to 0.0007% of the Porter Ranch leak. This leak released 1,270 times more methane than Yellowstone per day.
To view international fracking locations in real time, visit SkyTruth: http://skytruth.org/viirs
Nuclear Power
The bullet points listed were sourced from the Nuclear Energy Institute:
• Nuclear power plants provided 10.9 percent of the world’s electricity production in 2012.
• As of May 2016, 30 countries worldwide were operating 444 nuclear reactors for electricity generation and 63 new nuclear plants are under construction in 15 countries.
• It cost millions of dollars and takes 10-50 years to decommission a nuclear reactor.
Electricity generated from nuclear reactors creates lower atmospheric emissions per kilowatt per hour (kW/h) when compared to fossil fuels. This process creates radioactive nuclear waste isotopes that take millions of years for complete radioactive decay. People want cheap electricity and disregard the long-term consequences.
Whose fault was the catastrophic meltdown in Japan? The Japanese government? The Fukushima Daiichi owners and employees? The Nuclear Regulatory Commission? The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear meltdown was a consequence of societal choices. It's our fault; our societies have failed and this must stop. We over-consume resources and waste electricity in our digital world. Look at your electricity bill, electronics, and useless material goods; these all take a large amount of energy to produce. The amount of electricity we each consume is mostly based on individual choices; as a global society, we choose to build nuclear power plants to match the current energy demand. The nuclear meltdown was caused by a natural event, an earthquake that caused a tsunami. Any sane geologist would have advised against building a nuclear power plant in this location. Most of the world’s nuclear reactors were built on active earthquake faults. Many of these reactors are located just above sea level and will soon flood as the glacial ice caps continue to melt and ocean levels rise. There are other events that could trigger a nuclear meltdown at any time.
Nuclear waste causes irreversible environmental damage to our ecosystems, which is constantly becoming more apparent and documented. We are witnessing more massive die-offs of animals and birth deformities among animals and humans in our communities. Our entire planet is interconnected, and we are seeing many microcosmic ecosystems collapsing. This is why activists have protested against the development and construction of nuclear power plants for decades.
Using thorium for nuclear reactions is a more sustainable replacement of uranium. Thorium bypasses the conversion and enrichment steps that are necessary for uranium to be refined from plutonium. It causes a similar nuclear reaction that creates the heat used to boil water and spin alternators to produce electricity. The thorium fuel cycle is much shorter than that of uranium and will defuse quickly when not activated. If it is used instead of uranium, we will not have nuclear reactor meltdowns or the task of long-term nuclear waste storage. Our governments chose to enrich uranium from plutonium because they wanted to explore, research, and build nuclear weapons.
We must start investing more into solar, wind, tidal, and geothermal energies, which are sustainable, renewable sources and much safer alternatives. We must stop building new reactors and start the decommissioning process of the old reactors.
Nuclear waste has been improperly stored, managed, and buried in unknown locations all over the world. We have already designed large nuclear waste containers that are tested to be safe and more stable for long term storage, but we are not even using them. We must invest towards researching ways to expedite radioactive decay to prevent more nuclear waste spills from happening.
In some US states, you can contact your electrical utility provider and ask about your options to switch over from being sold coal or nuclear energy to energy that is only derived from renewable sources. You may pay slightly more per kilowatt hour of energy, but you would be supporting a more sustainable infrastructure. You could also invest in solar panels and attain independence from electrical companies and electric bills all together. There are many community colleges that offer courses in solar technology and renewable energies.
We must now begin the decommissioning process for the hundreds of nuclear power plants located in low elevation coastal areas. We must invest the appropriate resources towards storing all radioactive material at higher elevations further inland. In the future, we may then have the technologies to safely deal with the waste. Right now, we have to stay optimistic and get past this scary moment for all of us.
We Hold the Solutions
We hold the solutions and we must work together and stay strong to implement them. Do not wait on other people; you can do your part. We must to talk to our friends, family, and world leaders, completely restructure the way we live, and create a world free of the corruption within our inner-governmental systems. Anonymous will play a key role in keeping our politicians and corporate entities accountable and honest. We must continue to invest in and explore the possibilities of modern technologies to improve renewable energy and resources. There are many countries making progress and other countries that are still falling behind. It will cost our global economy trillions of dollars to deal with global warming, much more than if we had responded sooner, but if we do not take action now, it will cost us everything. We must redesign our entire energy grid to be more efficient and resilient against EMP shock waves. If we act now, it will cost less, create more jobs in the renewable energy sectors, and recruit volunteers and government-contracted companies to work together in an organized, systematic approach to rebuild our failed energy and transportation systems. We must reallocate money we have been investing in our war machine towards saving our planet rather than funding weapons of mass destruction and nuclear arsenal stockpiles that will eventually destroy us.
Projects and Education
In a sustainable society, we can support and promote meaningful causes, volunteer, and donate to both the small and large organizations making a difference. They are taking on important issues such as child abuse, human rights, animal neglect, equality, reforestation, trash clean-ups, cancer prevention, natural resource conservation, etc. If this is something you are passionate about, I urge you to spend your spare time studying and researching this field. Some educational sources are public libraries, book stores, Netflix documentaries, YouTube videos, online volunteer databases, etc.
Throughout civilization, we have never been more globally interconnected than we are now. We can access high-speed digital internet, which connects us to a variety of social media sites. We must utilize this to our advantage to resolve both the humanitarian and environmental challenges we are facing. We can accomplish more if we network with each other about creative environmental project ideas, workshops, and community events. By doing this, we will also inspire and encourage outside involvement.
Additionally, we can follow non-profit organizations’ Facebook and Twitter pages to become even further involved. They send out useful, positive, educational, and meaningful posts to help influence stronger morals, better health practices, and encourage eco-friendlier product choices. In our spare time, we can invite our entire Facebook friends list to like their pages. These organizations will then have a broader spectrum of impact (every time our friends are on their news feed), which will essentially inspire more participation. These connections will create a healthy balance, broaden one's knowledge of environmental solutions, and will thus help establish a sustainable, eco-friendly societal mindset.
We need teachers and professors implementing environmental and philosophical curriculum throughout the standardized public and private schooling system in order for our society to thoroughly understand the importance of ethics and global awareness. When choosing a career, environmental science is not only a rewarding and honorable career path, but also an expanding and incredibly useful career field. Check your local colleges for environmental degrees and scholarships. After you have a degree you could inquire about volunteer opportunities and apprenticeships with your local agencies and organizations. After you get some training, you may be offered a job!
Lead Our Children in the Right Direction
We need to stop supporting and encouraging our children’s involvement with the typical competitive sports such as baseball, basketball, football, hockey, etc. These past-times will not benefit the majority of people or the health of our planet. Even if they become successful sports athletes, they will not benefit the environment this way; this only buys into a negative ideology of entertainment and self-centered worth. We need more parents regulating their children's time spent on electronics such as video games, television, the internet, etc. I feel that families should spend time interacting with each other through outdoor activities and being outdoors in general. These areas of activity may include hiking, mountain biking, physical training, gardening, camping, joining outdoor recreational clubs, enrolling in environmentally educational programs, and visiting nature museums.
Numerous studies show that brain development in children is stunted by the over-use of electronic devices, yet is enhanced by interaction with natural environments. Using electronics such as a tablet as an everyday learning device, or worse, as a babysitter, will inhibit the vital neural connections that especially young children must develop to successfully interact in the real world. Parents should help their children build upon a skill set that will enforce a strong mentality, eco-conscious mindset, universal morality, industrious talents, and awareness of their surroundings and global inequalities. Their skill contribution will be valued by society and necessary for their own survival and prosperity in a world much different than that of their parents.
We Must Modify Our Existing Transportation System
We must divest from fossil fuels with a common sense of urgency and build a new, self-supporting infrastructure. We must transition to electric and physically active forms of transportation within our local communities. Oil company think-tanks manipulate our society with supply and demand. Wall Street speculation controls not only the price of oil but all of our precious and finite resources. Yes, it is ultimately our choice. Some people choose luxury flights or the most convenient and least-efficient way to travel. This, in turn, supports the world’s richest CEOs and the wealthiest 1%. We must vote with our money by purchasing smaller, energy-efficient cars. Congress should allocate more federal funding toward the electric, hydrogen, and air-powered auto industry. We must encourage the online network of carpooling and ride-shares. We need to accept and adapt to alternative forms of transportation, such as bikes, scooters, skateboards, rollerblades, walking, jogging, etc. Let’s invest more towards electric bike technologies and Segways to increase their use.
Without maliciously trying to offend anyone, expressing my opinion from the knowledge and information I have, I feel that it is time for our society to regulate the use of unnecessarily large, lifted trucks, SUVs, and antique classic cars. Classic cars are usually exempt from smog regulations and many do not even have a catalytic converter. We need to adapt to our modern times and help transition towards sustainability. Owning these vehicles is not sustainable and we are already past peak oil.
A catalytic converter is a component that is attached to the exhaust of a combustion engine. It is a type of filter that breaks down the volatile chemical compounds after the (complete and incomplete) combustion of fossil fuels. Most classic cars get very low miles per gallon and pollute more than newer-model cars and trucks do.
It's time to stop egotistically gloating over classic cars. We should drive them as little as possible, repair them if they need a simple repair, and scrap them with no hesitation if they acquire moderate damage. The raw material would be retrieved and recycled to minimize further mining for resources. It would be honorable to purchase something more fuel-efficient or to purchase a smart car, clean air, electric, or hybrid vehicle.
Please be fully supportive of roadway roundabouts. They are more energy efficient than stoplights since vehicles are able to maintain a larger percentage of their traveling velocity on them. This design helps conserve fossil fuels and decreases the amount of energy consumed to accelerate the stationary mass of automobiles to the speed posted in particular areas.
Solar Thermal Energy (STE) Concept
Solar Tower System technology captures solar energy from the sun to be generated into thermal energy and then converted to electrical energy. This implementation of technology is part of our global transition away from non-sustainable forms of energy such as nuclear power, natural gas, and coal power plants. Even hydroelectric power plants are not sustainable because of water shortages and droughts around the globe. The Solar Tower System is based on the Solar Thermal Energy (STE) concept. This system is more energy-efficient than standard solar power fields because each heliostat is more cost-effective than the installation of thousands of individual solar panels. In addition, each heliostat is mounted to reflect sunlight to the top of the tower (the focus). The reflection of the sun’s energy is directed from cumulative heliostats to the focus that captures the energy and heats up like a furnace, generating heat at up to 1,400 Celsius to produce thermal energy. The heat is transferred to fluid (salt and water) and the fluid then carries the heat energy into a turbine to generate electricity. There are several new, technologically-sophisticated power plants developed, engineered, and under construction. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is a particle accelerator that may replace nuclear and coal- generated power, if we do not create a black hole or blow up the universe in the trials. This project has been 30 years in the making and has cost an estimated $6.4 billion USD.
I'm completely disgusted, we live in such an advanced and modern age [with so much potential] to even mention the use of nuclear weapons.
This is absolutely insane..... we are knowledgeable of the long-term impacts nuclear fallout creates and environment has clearly been pushed to its threshold.
Here we are, fighting against each other when we should be fighting to stop the Catastrophic Climate Change anomalies and consequential feedback loops currently underway.
Wildlife, Endangered Species Protection, and Animal Neglect
Endangered species protection, animal trafficking, neglect, abuse, and rescue shelters are important areas to become involved in and to focus your attention on. It is sad, vast areas of natural habitats where animals once lived and foraged for food are where they must now resort to scavenging through our toxic garbage and build their homes from our leftover trash.
Approximately 6.5 million companion animals enter U.S. shelters. 1.5 million shelter animals are euthanized. 670,000 dogs and 860,000 cats. Source: ASPCA
About 2.4 million healthy, adoptable cats and dogs are put down in U.S. shelters each year. That is approximately one every 13 seconds. Source: Humane Society This isn't ethical or sustainable.
Thankfully, we are collectively becoming more aware of the animal abuse happening around the world, mainly through socia; meaadia and online videos exposing these trageties. We have made great progress in the last decade, still, we can do more. We need to stop visiting circuses and amusement parks with animals trained to perform tricks and stop patronizing pet stores just to stare at or buy the newest and cutest pet. Animals are sentient beings; they not here to amuse, comfort, and entertain us while being locked up in cages. Animals deserve to live in their natural (native) environments. Pet shops further support international animal trading and help facilitate illegal animal trading on the black market. We need less caged animals in our homes and more house plants! In many cases, caged animals, in the beginning, are just a temporary satisfaction for one’s self-interest and comfort and soon become forgotten and neglected. We also need to transition from the mindset of being proud to own a full-bred animal with the paper work, to being proud of having a rescued animal from a shelter, thus saving them from being euthanized.
These statements exclude homestead and small farm animals for sustainability and permaculture projects, such as: rabbits, chickens, ducks, goats, sheep, tilapia, catfish, etc. In this subject field, I feel that the main reason companies first test their products on animals is because people buy from the companies and then sue them for every little incident. Natural, organic products, on the other hand, do not need to be tested on animals for safety! These are the products that should be in high demand right now.
One more note, many people constantly criticize animal testing although never address the cause. If everyone mostly bought natural or organic products when buying cosmetics, hair products, soaps, shampoos etc. and stopped suing each other for everything, then many companies would stop testing on animals.
Natural Environmental Protection and Restoration
I need you to really pay attention and realize that 100% of everything you buy, including every man-made product manufactured and every toxic chemical produced, will eventually end up in our environment; YES, EVERYTHING. Please take a moment to think about that.
We have different directions we can take when downsizing. It is important to know the correct ways to separate the stuff that is being throw-out because certain things do not belong in the dump. This is very important to know because some options we can choose will have less of an environmental impact than others. Every one of these options will have a variation of reducing negative environmental impact. Some choices could be to sell unwanted items, donate them, give them away, set them out on a street curb for others (but ensure they get picked up), or recycle them. Consumer items that are broken and made out of raw, natural, and whole materials, belong back in their natural environment and not in a landfill; sea shells are made from calcium carbonate and belong back in the ocean; rocks belong in the ground; organic matter belongs back in the soil. This process of selective sorting will help restore our natural environment and areas of degradation. When a business or individual excessively removes a natural resource from our environment just for self-benefit and profit, it hurts our ecosystem.
We need to be buying and selling products that are sustainable and must stop manufacturing or owning things that don’t serve a purpose. Wood doesn’t need to be painted or lacquered just to look pretty; this process supports the chemical industry and just extends the wood a few extra years with every layer. We must buy or make items made out of whole materials such as sustainably-sourced wood, metal, hemp, glass, plant-based biodegradable mediums, etc. It’s time to transition from profiting from and purchasing non-sustainable consumer products to the production of organic food and clean water before anything else. More people need to be focused on providing cleaner, higher quality food and water sources rather than indulging in products that have no vital purpose. This provides everyone the security of survival in all places and situations. We must stop buying useless souvenirs and trinkets just to place on a shelf. Those that purchase rare stones, rocks, crystals, and especially diamonds contribute to excavation, environmental destruction, human slavery, and soil erosion of the mining industry. Purchasing products made with palm oil, even certified “sustainable, organic, fair trade” palm oil, contributes to global deforestation and the massive burning of our rainforests. Rainforests have been universally known as “the lungs of the earth.” When these great forests are rapidly burning, they release even more gases into our thinning atmosphere, thus making the entire planet vulnerable. These forest fires are so massive that they can be seen from space satellites.
We have the solutions; we know the advantages of growing sustainable materials such as hemp, which grows like a weed. Our society is in dire need of more farmers who use organic and permaculture methods. Children need more opportunities to become educated and excited about a career in growing food and sustaining water. I do understand that some people around the world have limited resources available and significantly less options for stable income. It is the consumer that ultimately makes the choices that businesses will adapt to as our modern society transitions. For example, the Christmas tree industry will have to adapt to selling live, potted trees that can be replanted rather than the trees that are cut down every year if enough people abstain from purchasing dead trees. Another example is how the automotive industry is adapting to consumer choices by manufacturing more electric cars. The oil industry is also adapting to consumer demands by investing their capital into renewable energy.
Vehicle Tires and Railroad Ties are Extremely Toxic
Our environment has a profound impact on our health; where we live, work, learn, and play all affect our behavior. The availability of healthy recreational areas provides increased possibilities for a healthy life throughout current and future generations. In the past, old tires have had a variety of uses such as for Earthship foundations, erosion control mediums, and as playground toys, until serious health risks became apparent. The US has not used tires for erosion control for over 25 years. There are modern construction methods of sustainable design that are safe and reliable forms of erosion control. Licensed erosion control inspectors must survey areas with old tires and incorporate these new erosion control systems (that are up to code) into our existing infrastructure.
Illegal tire dumps occur for a variety of reasons, such as increasing disposal costs, lack of convenient legal alternatives, and lack of awareness and judicial understanding of environmental laws. They also encourage others who see them to also use them to discard their old tires. Illegal, unregulated tire dumps pose a threat to public health, the environment and native wildlife. They can pollute groundwater, local waterways, and decrease property value and quality of life. When anyone has an illegal, unregulated tire dump on their property, it potentially affects the city’s water supply, public health, and environment, which then becomes a concern for everyone.
Most tires are made of synthetic rubber derived from fossil fuel-based petroleum. They slowly breakdown and leach petroleum compounds into the ground, such as lead, zinc, sulfur, carbon black, and carcinogenic PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). This is accelerated if the ground surrounding the tires is wet or moist. Tires off-gas toxins into our atmosphere and can contaminate local water supplies.
Tire piles also become breeding grounds for insects, rats, and snakes. Severe illnesses, including encephalitis, dengue fever, and malaria from disease-carrying mosquitos, all have been attributed to tires containing standing water from rain. Many of the tires we removed during my tire removal project were still filled with this old rain water. Tires also retain heat for a long time, which can extend the breeding seasons of insects.
Scrap tire piles alone are not treated as hazardous waste, though if they are on fire, they are very difficult to extinguish, can burn for weeks or even months, and pose many serious threats to human health and the environment. Tires that are on fire burn very hot. They break down into acidic, hazardous compounds, releasing thick black smoke into our atmosphere. This smoke contains toxic chemicals from the incomplete combustion of synthetic rubber, including carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and byproducts of butadiene and styrene. After a tire is incinerated, heavy metals, black powder, steel belts, and approximately two gallons of liquid oil are what remain. Tire fires are estimated to be 16 times more mutagenic than wood combustion. Mutagens damage DNA and causes cell mutation, which is the first step in a sequence that ultimately leads to the development of cancer. Tire fires are always followed by an extensive hazmat cleanup that is very expensive.
The US Legislature recognized a problem with the management of used tires and passed the California Recycling Tire Act in 1989 (Assembly Bill 1843). The 101st congress implemented this law and regulations were enforced to address these serious issues. Later, the legislature passed the Senate Bill (SB) 876 in 2000 to augment the existing act. Under current law, you must acquire a manifest when transporting more than 10 tires to any location. You must also have a registration permit to have over 500 tires. If you do have over 500 tires, they have to be stacked, organized by size, and have a detailed inventory list. The importance of compliance with the state regulation is to reduce the accumulation of scrap tires in any one place. It is basically a national tire surveillance program. There are many government programs and incentives designed to remove tires in diverse situations.
The railroad industry is replacing old railroad ties with a new design. They are made from concrete with a reinforced rebar interior. This new design is a huge step towards toxic-free railroad tie alternatives with less of an environmental impact. The previous wood ties the railroad industry has used for decades were large sections of unsustainably logged lumber. They would first be treated with an impervious oil mix of toxic chemicals, preservatives, insecticides, and fungicides. This has caused a public health hazard. The chemicals would include coal tar creosote, sporicide, miticide, benzene, naphthalene, phenols, aniline, and arsenic, which penetrate the pressure-treated wood. This practice made the wood fire-retardant, insect resistant, and able to withstand harsh weather conditions, although the chemicals leach into the ground and contaminate the surrounding area. Old or discarded railroad ties are not safe for home gardens, should not be handled without professional oversite, and gloves should at least be used. NEVER burn treated railroad ties!! The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that creosote-treated wood is possibly carcinogenic and is not approved for residential use. If you see railroad ties for sale, please report it to the EPA.
Why Are Businesses Not Required to Provide Recycling?
We all know that we have a pollution problem. Our city dumps are full to capacity and millions of pieces of trash (mostly plastic) are polluting our streets, rivers, streams, oceans, and along public beaches. Most of us make an effort to recycle at home, though we are frustrated when we can't find places to recycle out in public. Why are businesses not required to provide recycling access for their customers and employees?!
We have current laws in place that require businesses who sell compact fluorescent light bulbs and batteries to provide recycling for them when brought in by customers. However, gas stations that we allow to sell us plastic, glass, and aluminum beverages do not provide us a method to recycle the empty container, especially when many people clean the trash out of their car while filling up their gas tank. Of course, the ultimate solution is to just carry our own personal, refillable stainless steel or glass container, avoid high fructose drinks, drink more sustainably-sourced water, and do not purchase the (drastically marked-up) water, soda, and other mass-produced bottled beverages.
I feel that every business owner, apartment complex manager, event coordinator, and school janitor, at any facility, public park, church, or building is responsible for providing a recycling can for employees and the general public. This is a worldwide issue that needs worldwide attention. I have made countless phone calls to business owners regarding this. We need to tell our community members and city council that we want change and expect businesses to provide their employees and customers with recycling access. This is a realistic and very feasible movement that the public can help take place anywhere, just like the one to ban plastic bags in many California stores.
Thousands of people throughout California fought for years to implement the plastic grocery bag ban into law, which included bags that were distributed at retail and grocery stores. This was because the bags had been polluting our environment and harming wildlife on such a wide scale. It is very upsetting when I hear someone standing in line ahead of me complaining to the store checker about the ban. These people must adapt quickly or will be in utter shock in the near future. Volunteers working with the Santa Cruz nonprofit Save Our Shores have removed 44,123 plastic grocery bags since the nonprofit was established in 2007.
Environmental Pollution
Every day people are exposed to a variety of environmental pollutants that cause both short-term and long-term health issues. In addition to the fluoride, choline, chloramine, lead, and trace pharmaceuticals contaminating our cities’ drinking water, there are many common airborne pollutants.
Please become familiar with the term “out-gassing” (also called “off-gassing”). This is when a solid material releases gasses over a period of time. Paint, for example, will off-gas toxic chemical vapors for approximately 10 to 20 years after the paint has already set. Yes, the painted walls in your home have been slowly poisoning you every time you inhale. To dilute the toxic concentration in your home, it’s best to occasionally open some windows or doors, get some air-purifying house plants, and/or buy an air purification unit. The next time you paint, only purchase non-toxic, zero VOC paint. VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compound. There is a variation of regulated VOC limits from state to state in the US. Non-toxic, zero VOC paint is usually sold in home improvement and paint stores.
Almost every fossil fuel-derived material and consumer product will off-gas some amount of toxic vapors. Examples are lacquered kitchen cabinets, polyester curtains, Ikea particleboard desks, fake leather couches, children’s toys, etc.
When choosing carpet, it’s very important to know that both polyester and nylon carpets off-gas large amounts of toxic vapors. The carpet fibers will eventually become brittle, breaking down into small particulates that become airborne throughout your home. These micro-fibers can irritate your lungs, potentially cause acute respiratory problems, and increase breathing difficulties for people with asthma. I personally would choose cotton carpeting (preferably organic cotton), hardwood flooring, tile, or even concrete before I would ever choose polyester or nylon carpets.
Leaf blowers also cause long term lung damage when someone is aimlessly blowing around leaves and at the same time blowing around dirt, dusk, mold, fecal matter, allergens, glass shards, and micro-plastic particles. The 2-cycle engine exhaust fumes even further exacerbate unnecessary environmental pollution. Toxic rearrangement of nature for cosmetic purposes is harmful and pointless. After being blown around by polluting leaf blowers, leaves will always just fall again or be blown back by the wind. After being sprayed by toxic, herbicidal chemicals, unwanted plant life will always grow back and have even been growing back stronger due to the plants’ evolving chemical resistance.
Please Help Resolve Our Pollution Crisis
Our global pollution is the consequential results of buying and supporting non-sustainable, cheap, low-quality products that are sold in excessive plastic packaging. Unfortunately, consumer products are carelessly sold and distributed in areas that lack the basic infrastructure to even deal with the waste.
Why is it so difficult for people to differentiate between a trash can vs recycling can.... located right next to each other, completely different colors and labeled accordingly? How much worse does our "Global Pollution Crisis" have to get before we all decide to take action and do something about it?
We ALL have the responsibility to keep the outside areas where we live, work, and play free of trash. This includes business owners, property owners, and those who are renting. If we value and respect the space we are responsible for by keeping it clean and maintained, then there would be much less global pollution, more people would be appreciative, and self-esteem would improve. Our governments have the responsibility to deal with litter on city and county properties. If they are not complying, please bring it to their attention.
You can make an impact on your own by directly questioning people who
litter. Sometimes I tell people “you dropped something” when I see them littering. It embarrasses them and makes them consider their actions and fear the repercussions of embarrassment if they litter again. I take this very seriously because the choices others make will later affect the people I care about. In some societies, it’s acceptable to litter. We need to educate people and help them understand the damage littering is causing.
You can pick up trash on your own, even once in a while. This will set a great example and collectively make our world a better place. The environment around us can have a profound impact on the health of all individuals. The availability of healthy options provides increased possibilities for healthy living. Immediate waste removal priorities should be in areas that have high moisture because this accelerates the decomposition process of waste. This includes marshes, streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, beaches, etc.
Every year before winter, we have an opportunity to remove any Styrofoam and plastic trash that may have been littered in our yards, parks, roadways, street gutters, creeks, streams, and riverbanks. A recent Washington Post report stated that there are now over 5 trillion pieces of floating trash in our oceans. If we do not collect the trash and debris that is littered inland, then eventually it will flow into our rivers and waterways. This trash will then enter our environment, contribute to our global pollution crisis, harm wildlife, and disrupt the ecosystem.
Once the consistent series of storms begin, it will be too late. Trash may even flow downstream into our ocean. Regardless of where it ends up, it will eventually biodegrade and further pollute our environment. It is through this process that (fossil fuel-derived) plastic enters our globally interconnected food web. Eventually, we will consume the carcinogenic and mutagenic micro-particles that have contaminated our food. We can all choose to prioritize 1-2 hours of collecting and removing any trash in our areas of responsibility. We can individually set a positive example and collectively make our world a better place.
You can organize a trash clean-up project with your friends and recruit volunteers. Remember the necessary supplies like: gloves, trash bags, buckets to pick up the trash, etc. Check to see if there is already an environmental organization in your area and inquire how you can become involved.
Let someone of governmental or authoritative status know your concerns and try to work with them in establishing some sort of trash collection or recycling program. You could start an online petition or even visit a local council meeting to express your concern. If you are working directly with community members to create a local dump in a third-world country that lacks basic governmental infrastructure, first make sure that the prospective dump is at least 1000 feet (305 Meters) from any creeks, streams or water sources. Make sure that the location has road access and can eventually expand. Always try to separate chemicals, batteries, and electronics from any dump if possible. Use the internet as a resource to find solutions that may be more specific to your individual situation.
Throughout all of the California wildfires I've covered [as a journalist and disaster relief specialist] you would be absolutely disgusted if you knew how many homeowners honestly tell me they wouldn't care if their house burns down because they would just turn around to collect the insurance money. Some people have actually stated that they "want" their house burn down.
This is what is wrong with our culture, when people care more about a quick payout over the damage and pollution they cause the environment. The insurance system as well as the destructive mentality in people has to change.
The global pollution crisis would drastically improve if governments imposed stricter laws, fines, and higher penalties for both littering and illegal dumping. Many communities are overwhelmed by the waste they create and burn it to either save money, be lazy, or because there is no functional waste collection program in place. This trash includes batteries, electronics, Styrofoam, chemicals, plastics and synthetic materials, etc. The burning of plastic and rubber causes direct health problems for the surrounding communities, animals, and insects. It pollutes the local ground water in the immediate area. The toxic smoke contributes to the global air pollution crisis.
If you currently live in a country where there is no waste collection program, you can share this information to help raise awareness of the issue. It’s important for people to acknowledge the problem and come up with solutions. Do not be afraid to bring up this topic. The more people become aware of this global crisis and solutions to it, the greater likelihood that it may be resolved. You could encourage your family, friends, and community leaders to get involved, brainstorm ideas, and eventually
establish efficient waste collection systems. As things progress, they may eventually incorporate the separation of recyclable from organic compostable materials.
Anti-Excessive Packaging
We need a new law! Packaging can't weigh more than 10% of the weight of what we buy!
Please avoid purchasing from the companies that package their product in excessive packaging, sometimes selling more air (empty space), excess plastic, rubber, Styrofoam, or paper packaging than the actual product that we are buying. Companies significantly increase their profit margin when their products are packaged the cheapest, most wasteful way possible. Consequentially, we are left to deal with the waste and pollution it causes.
WE NEED TO STOP BUYING FROM THESE COMPANIES AND DEMAND THEY FIX THE ISSUE. Most corporate companies sell us their packaging as if we are stupid. It is their choice in packaging methods and materials that greatly adds to our global pollution crisis. They prioritize a high profit margin over ethics and they exhibit no regard or remorse to the pollution that their product packaging choice will cause. Yes, there may be the occasional exception when comparing need vs. want vs. convenience, although most of the stuff we buy can easily be moderated with balance.
Some additional suggestions:
• Try to buy local, organic food from Farmer’s Markets as often as possible
• Bring in your reusable cloth bags for fruits and vegetables.
• Purchase food from the bulk section at your local supermarket whenever possible. Buying food in bulk helps reduce packaging waste and saves money.
• Shop at a bulk food store such as Costco.
• Try to avoid individually wrapped items in a larger package.
• Try to purchase items packaged from recycled paper.
• Do not support the companies that package their products in raw plastic or non-biodegradable wrappers.
• Try to purchase dense food products and avoid products such as chips, popcorn, wafer cookies, Cup of Noodles, Hershey's Air chocolate candy bars, etc. Avoid lightweight items that contain more air than the nutritional food that you're buying.
You can become an activist on your own. Take pictures of the consumer products sold by companies that you feel are taking advantage of (and misleading) us and then blast the images throughout social media.
Really Kirkland, 54% plastic trash?! So, people buy more trash than the product they intend to buy? I will be listing hundreds of new products in the future and updating the Resource Guide website page.
There are many alternatives to plastic, such as products made from
sustainably-sourced glass, stainless steel, cast iron, recycled paper, wood, hemp, Non-GMO plant-derived material, etc. The companies using these materials are the companies that you should support. Buying used items and merchandise instead of brand new ones will lower the amount of carbon entering the atmosphere.
We could start an international database connected to printing serial numbers on food packaging and consumer products. This would allow us to trace the origins of litter and illegal dumps to hold those who litter accountable for their actions. If your trash was repeatedly found in the natural environment, you would get a few warning notices in the mail that would eventually result in a fine if the dumping persists.
Minimal Packaging Options
This is a new concept that should be internationally adapted and recognized. The project would save money for businesses, drastically reduce landfill waste, and reduce global pollution. For this project to work successfully and take hold, we need everyone to get involved. From this point on, when you are out ordering food at a drive through or take out restaurant, request minimal packaging by asking, “can you please tell me the minimal packaging options?”
This concept was inspired by all the excessive packaging that comes along with food orders, even small orders for a single food item. It is NOT sustainable to give people a whole paper bag to hold a single taco or entire plastic bag for just a 6-inch pre-wrapped Subway sandwich. Items of excessive waste can include, but are not limited to: plastic utensils, straws, chopsticks, fortune cookies, candy mints, extra napkins, plastic or paper bags, and single-serving sauce packets like salsa and ketchup. I, like most people, do not want any of this extra stuff and constantly give it right back or feel guilty when it gets thrown away. I always carry my titanium spork and pocket knife; therefore, I do not need a plastic fork and knife every single time I buy food.
If you are questioned after you request the minimal packaging options, please explain to the employee what the term means. “Can I have minimal packaging please” means that you do not want to receive any extra packaging or items other than the food you ordered and the single, most crucial packaging item necessary. For instance, at Panda Express, you can live without the plastic bag with your single to-go box of food. You only need the box. You can even ask the employee to list the extra stuff they plan on trying to push on you. Yes, this might annoy a person here and there, but just remember, our global pollution crisis is not just annoying, but poisoning all of us, and this project is a huge step in the right direction.
Can someone please help implement a $0.50 surcharge per straw as they do paper bags!?
Restoring Nature by Planting Trees
In a world with 7.4 billion people, we all must learn how to lower our individual carbon footprint and encourage those around us to do the same. There are many options listed throughout this document. One of the best ways to help capture carbon is by planting trees and supporting National Parks, natural sanctuaries, protected reserves, and rainforests.
We must take urgent steps to restore the environment, and the most important thing that we can all do to offset climate change is actually as simple as planting trees. Currently there are only 3.04 trillion trees around the world. It’s devastating that we can even count the number of trees that are left and that there are less trees in the world than the United States’ dollars of debt. Right now, the United States is in an alarming 19.3 trillion dollars in debt, most of it just from the high cost of war.
Iraq used to be covered in forests. It is almost unfathomable that the place where human history is believed to have originated from, along the ancient Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which provided for some of the first human lives, is now devastated from deforestation and desertification.
Most forests have absolutely no old growth (trees that were hundreds or even thousands of years old) because they were logged during the industrial revolution. This is continued today and is destroying natural habitats, thus driving wildlife species to extinction. In the last 40 years, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Earth has lost half of all wildlife. Is this really what our world has come to? We must stop using fossil fuel-powered chainsaws, equipment, and manual labor just to remove some trees and stop building straight fences just to have a better view or increase sunlight on property.
To restore our climate balance and lower the carbon dioxide levels that are currently at 404 parts per million (ppm) back down to 350ppm, we’ll have to plant lots and lots of trees. We need more engineers and contractors retrofitting their construction projects to make buildings and homes with living roofs (those that are habitats for plants, shrubs, and small trees). The majority of the fossil fuels we have extracted from the Earth are now polluting our air, soil, and water. Trees and the organic soil they help produce and regulate are some of the largest carbon sinks on earth. They retain water and help prevent erosion. They create a stable environment for animals and insects. They provide a sustainable food source, shade, and block wind. They even absorb CO2 from our atmosphere and convert it back into oxygen that living creatures’ breath. Wow! Trees are such amazing bio-organisms!
Invasive Pine Beetles
An alarming threat to North American forests is the mountain pine beetle. They are an invasive species rapidly spreading throughout the continent. Drought conditions and pine beetles have killed over 100 million trees in California in just about 5 years, which will continue if we do not consistently plant more trees and protect the ones left. Pine beetles thrive on a variety of pine trees, eventually killing the entire tree before flying to the next tree. Changes in historic winter freezes and warmer temperatures allow them to proliferate in new regions. This creates a dangerous feedback loop; beetles spread, trees die, carbon is released, global warming accelerates, annual winters become warmer, and beetles spread. As a desperate last resort, local governments are already planning massive controlled burns, which the general public has no awareness of. Those working in forest services are already anticipating environmental activist outrage. A few of the best trees to plant in California are cedars and redwoods. Cedars are very resistant to harsh weather and insects and redwoods are fire-resistant.
Purchase Live Potted Trees and Transplant
According to the National Christmas Tree Association, there were 24.5 million real trees and 10.9 million fake trees purchased in the United States in 2012. This equates to a total of 35.4 million Christmas trees! There are close to 350 million live Christmas Trees currently growing on Christmas Tree farms in the U.S. alone, all planted by farmers. Growing trees for the holidays consumes a lot of time and energy. This is not even including everything involved to remove and dispose of the trees several weeks later. They use a large amount of resources such as land, water, fertilizers, and pesticides. Please adapt to our environmental and pollution challenges by making the decision to purchase potted trees and transplant them every year!
Key points:
• Dead trees pose a fire hazard and whether they are mulched or burned, they will release billions of metric tons of carbon into the atmosphere.
• Fake trees are made of toxic plastic compounds derived from fossil fuels.
• Real trees retain water and help prevent erosion.
• Real trees create a stable environment for animals and insects.
• Real trees continue to produce oxygen as well as absorb CO2 from our atmosphere in both the trees and the organic matter they create.
If we used these trees for revitalization projects, they could be replanted on public land or in national forests that are either deforested or affected by forest fires. We could establish a network system arranging for the pickup of these live potted trees after the holiday season. This would be a great venture capital investment project for private companies or government organizations. It would allow the trees to become more useful, meaningful, and beneficial to our society after their single use. The trees would continue to provide oxygen, clean our atmosphere, and create a healthier ecosystem.
Overpopulation and Growth Rate
In the year 1900, there were 1.6 billion people living on this planet. In 1950, there were 2.5 billion. The global population is currently at 7.4 billion and expected to increase to 11 billion by 2100.
It's sad that people continue to bring children into this world with no concern of the uninhabitable future they are creating for them. Lack of self-control, unprotected sex, unplanned pregnancies, and having multiple children (with multiple people) are common modern practices that result in several needy lives that require far beyond the parents’ capabilities to be responsibly cared for. This contributes to the uncontrolled human population growth and degradation to the planet. If people really care about their children, like they always claim they do, by investing in their children's food, new clothes, schooling, and an expensive college education, then why do they participate in leaving behind a ravaged, dying planet that their children must rebuild to survive?
Overpopulation is not some conspiracy theory or myth like many skeptics claim that it is. The explosion of our species since the beginning of the industrial revolution is widely apparent in many aspects, proven in countless, documented footage from around the globe. The places most affected by this phenomenon are afflicted by lack of female reproductive rights and education. Many developing countries are carrying on old cultural or religious traditions of having big families, which were healthy for simple ways of living before modern consumption ideals took over. We are seeing today how most developing countries are trying to live up to first world lifestyles and trying to attain expensive things like phones, TVs, and cars while living in tiny shacks with many other people. Some places don’t even have proper sewage management or garbage collection for residents, yet have mega malls where they can buy useless, idealized junk. Most first worlders have no idea how many ways their lifestyle is affecting people across the world. If the world’s population continues to rise at the rate it has been, with the modern values of convenience and consumerism implanted in every human, then we will run out of resources even quicker.
I was born in 1980 and will not have children because of this overpopulation crisis. I am aware of the unsustainable future we are creating and it does not feel morally right for me to have children. We leave our trash everywhere, pollute the air, have nuclear waste buried in (unstable) known and unknown locations all over the world, and thus we are leaving our children with this broken, dysfunctional system. Overpopulation is ruining not just my future quality of life; it will affect the quality of life that my child would have if I ever choose to have a child.
Activism, Protests, Riots, Violence, and Voting
Protesting injustices and inequalities is important, although it must always be done correctly. There are many safe and effective ways that you can do this. Your ultimate goal is to reach mass amounts of people with your message. The more people you reach, the more change you will create.
One of the easiest and cheapest ways to reach a global audience with activist related projects or information is to search for groups on Facebook in the specifically related category and add yourself to several groups. Don’t add groups with less than 2000 people; some have 100,000+ members. Once you’re added into the groups, post your project proposal and respond to the feedback. If Facebook warns that you’re posting too fast, just take an hour break.
Unfortunately, Facebook has suppressed my potential reach and even censored and blocked my activism related projects. They have silenced my voice as an activist. Does this mean we are all losing our freedom of speech? I was blocked when trying to raise money to fly to West Africa and help stop the Ebola outbreak. I was finally able to fly to Ghana a month later. I was blocked while trying to start an Ebola virus awareness group to educate the people in West Africa. I have been blocked for messaging too many people about ISIS during the beginning stages of their terrorism, far before they got so out of control. I was also blocked while trying to raise money to fly to Nepal to help earthquake victims; Facebook deleted my “Go Fund Me” link from my page, then started their own Nepal fundraiser the next day, put my link back up 3 days later for 1 day, then took it down permanently. I have been banned from posting comments on specific governmental pages and most people do not even receive my messages unless they are my Facebook friend. I have even had my Facebook account completely shut down several times in the past.
Some of the other forms of activism:
• You could make fliers to post through social media as well as print and hand them out. Please design printed fliers with as little black ink as possible.
• You could organize a protest and stand outside of places with high traffic with large picket signs and a megaphone. To gain adequate community support, make a media advisory to send into local news outlets at least a few weeks in advance. There are some places that require a permit for a large protest.
• You could write a statement and post it through email, social media, and even send it in to the local newspapers and TV news stations.
• If you have the resources, you could create TV commercials or radio ads. They are usually more expensive to produce than to air. You would simply call up the radio and TV stations and inquire about commercial package costs.
• If you have created a TV ad, it may be within the guidelines to air on your local government TV station and you would be able to air it at no cost.
• Take pictures of environmental or social injustices you witness and report them to the appropriate authorities. You can also write stories about what you saw to share with local news and governments and post the information on social media, especially if there is a public hazard.
• If you are unable to directly participate in protests or activist work, please support those around you who do.
There have been numerous peaceful protests around the world that quickly ended in violence and destruction. There will always be unjust causes such as fracking, nuclear, animal cruelty, and social, political, racial, or religious injustice. Sadly, people even riot for a sports team’s victory or loss. It is not until peaceful protests transition into riots of violence and looting that all progress is lost. The anger and reactions of animalistic behavior is absolutely unacceptable. Destroying your own community does not bring peace or justice; it just creates more issues and those protesting lose their credibility. The damage caused by this destructive protesting usually outweighs any possible positive outcome. The environmental impact of setting trash, cars, and buildings on fire hurts those already living in poverty. It creates more pollution and causes more CO2 to enter our atmosphere. This further damages our fragile ecosystem and consumes more finite resources to repair.
It's also upsetting to imagine how scary it must be for the parents living in areas of riots, worried about their children, their family, their pets, and their privately-owned property or business; they become trapped victims in their own community. Violence and destructive civil unrest threatens the security of innocent people, business owners, and the working-class citizens who often have nothing to do with the protests or riots.
It’s the laws and regulations of our governments that have the ability to help with the enforcement and structure of a healthier, more efficient, and sustainable society. In a democratic country, citizens can change and alter existing laws or even create new initiatives. To do this, you would first attempt to contact your county or state district representative by leaving a voice mail, sending them an email, or possibly setting up a meeting. Your goal is to convince your representative of the importance of an issue so they will put it on the ballot. If your representative is unhelpful or cannot see the value in your concern, you could initiate the process on your own. You would complete some paperwork and begin collecting signatures. Your goal is to get your concern on the ballot where it could be voted into law.
You could also gather a few other members in your community to speak about a pre-arranged topic during the public opinion time at a local city council or board meeting of specific relevancy. Each person would have about 2 minutes to address their concerns to the council of decision makers. If there is enough relevant research, support, and solutions presented, the council is more likely to put the topic on their next meeting’s agenda. Once it is on the agenda, you can gather even more community support to help the council make their final decision about the topic of concern. This is the process that was taken when Roundup was banned from schools in Pajaro Valley School District (mentioned earlier). Many countries are riddled with corruption and this process would not be applicable or effective. In this case, you would have to get into a political career and stop corruption from the inside.
For those who are concerned or paranoid about a governmental takeover, national guard deployment, curfews, martial law, or New World Order (NWO), please realize that widespread riots and civil unrest would ultimately activate these protocols. Some people believe a revolution is the only answer to this broken system, although it is the laws and regulations that stabilize everything. These rules help enforce smog regulations, fishing limits, littering, building permits, designated logging areas, etc. Without laws and regulations, we would have immediate and complete environmental degradation. If we had a massive societal breakdown it would not be like the kind you see in post-apocalyptic movies. There would be nuclear reactor meltdowns (on an incomprehensible scale) everywhere mass disruptions were taking place. It takes years to decommission nuclear reactors, so if the employees couldn’t show up to work, a catastrophic nuclear meltdown would take place. In the meantime, the global elites would retreat to their multi-billion-dollar underground bunkers as previously planned and live out the remainder of their lives.
The way to avoid this is to become educated in the fields of study that apply to a healthy economy and sustainability. Invest in renewable energy and adapt to a sustainable lifestyle. We must become a caring society where people help each other through obstacles, uplifting projects and goals. It is so important for those with money who are living in first-world countries to donate a portion their monthly income towards the organizations that are making a difference. These organizations are making a much larger impact than most people may realize.
The future prosperity of the entire world depended on the 2016 US election. Many of us knew if Trump was elected president (just like when Bush Jr. was), it would be more dangerous for Americans to travel outside of the US to other countries. As an American, I knew I would have even more challenges with trying to run my international disaster relief company as it would negatively affect my entire career.
We needed to vote someone into presidency who prioritizes environmental issues, equality concerns, clean energy solutions and against nuclear power, GMOs, the pharmaceutical industry…. Also, against the unethical corporate structure. They must acknowledge the threat global warming poses to our entire global society because nothing else even matters if we don't gain control of this crisis. We are passing a dangerous pivotal moment in time, quickly passing the global warming tipping point, and will most likely NOT recover if we elected Trump as President. Many of us knew we would lose much of the environmental progress that was recently gained. It is terrifing that most people in the US are too ignorant to grasp the consequences.
Donald Trump will forever be remembered as the President who prioritized profit and greed before the safety and prosperity of billions of people living around the world. He will be remembered as the President who withdrew from the Paris Agreement and failed to address global warming that jeopardized the future survival of the entire human species. This ignorant, egotistical and self-centered mindset is exactly what got us in this catastrophic climate emergency in the first place.
Did Someone Give You This Book and Recommended This Chapter?
You may have been given this book and were recommended to read over this chapter. I wrote this section to help give hope to those who may be struggling with homelessness, post-traumatic stress, disabilities, inequalities, or unable to get ahead in this unjust world. There are many forms of escape people will indulge in to distract them from the atrocities of today's society, most commonly addictions, self-destruction and lack of self-control, drugs, sex, violence, and vandalism.
I want you to realize that the situation you may live in is not necessarily your fault or based on your life’s decisions, but instead due to the current equality gap, which is the product of a failed global system. This is how the system was structured and designed by the selfish people who control it. Our global society must transition toward a sympathetic, compassionate, and understanding way of life with morals, ethics, and kindness, where people care more about others than their own selfish desires, money, or comfort. If there were more equality around the world, the global economy would actually improve, our global systems would become more efficient, environmental degradation would be lessened, and everyone would live a much safer, happier life with a secured future.
Please remember to stay strong, positive, and love yourself for who you are, while continuing to strive to be the person you want to become. Do your best every day and don’t ever give up or lose hope. No one ever said this life was going to be easy. If you're feeling depressed or possibly suicidal, please reach out to the encouraging people in your life for positive reinforcement, accept their supportive advice, and work towards finding solutions. If you have no one to turn to, know that some communities provide at least some level of resources to address these issues. You may also have access to the worldwide internet and can invest time in researching additional solutions.
Importance of Your Identification Card
Through my observations, I’ve noticed that most of the people who are
struggling with the ability to get their life on track don’t have their identification card (ID) or driver’s license. They are already burdened with an overwhelming amount of challenges and not having an ID adds to their disadvantages. I feel like this is one of the single, most important obstacles to resolve so one can legally apply for a job.
Many homeless people don’t know or understand the appropriate steps to get a new ID and have no one to turn to for help. This is a difficult dilemma in a Catch-22 rigged system; after you’ve lost everything, the system expects you to have an ID. You need an ID to get a job and a job to have a place to live, although you need an address to receive the documents necessary to apply for an ID. You also cannot use the postal service's “general delivery” without providing ID to collect mail.
The first steps would be to visit your local library, get on the internet, write down the closest DMV address, go to the DMV, and ascertain the appropriate steps you must take. There are variations of steps from state to state. If you have already had an ID in the state you’re in, then this process will be very easy. Ask the DMV if they still have your ID on file. You may have to provide your social security number.
While touching on this topic, I would like to mention another aspect that increases the inequality gap further, separating the divide between the rich and the poor. We all know it usually takes money to make money. Sadly, even if someone has money saved up, is intelligent and self-motivated, and has a really great business plan or idea, they cannot even acquire a small business license if they are homeless and do not have an address.
Additional Environmental Suggestions
• We must build and transition to an intelligent, progressive and resilient culture hence the need for less people [following the herd] getting degrees in art, music, theatre, dance, fashion design, sports management, history, religion and chemistry. This isn't sustainable!!!
We need more people studying environmental science, meteorology, horticultural, geology, oceanography, philosophy, public health, education, natural medicine, food and nutrition. These are the people who will help direct us in creating a sustainable global society. Please consider this before choosing a degree and life path.
• If we all ate organic and a 90% vegan diet [bought locally] while composting our food scraps into rich organic matter reintroduced into the soil as a form of carbon sequestration, we could drastically reduce the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere responsible for global warming. We will not be able to protect our family from the Catastrophic Climate Change disasters of the future if we do not take the appropriate steps NOW.
• If you're in the process of purchasing a new vehicle, please choose a light-colored paint exterior, especially if you live in a hot climate. This will help lower the overall internal temperature in the cab on hot days when drivers and passengers will essentially use less air conditioning. Minimizing AC use will put less strain on the engine and consume less fuel throughout the lifetime of the vehicle.
• You can also apply color options when buying clothes. Please choose darker colored clothes rather than lighter colors because it will minimize the use of chemical stain-removal products such as bleach and toxic detergents.
• Having a solar panel system installed where you live is an incredible environmental accomplishment. It lessens dependence on the electrical grid, provides power during an emergency, and lowers monthly power bills. Not everyone can simply install a residential solar panel system where they live due to certain challenges and limitations. The current residents may be renting the home and/or don't have the initial investment capital or access to the necessary resources and grants. The roof may not be able to support the full weight of the panels, may be slanted in the wrong direction, or shaded by buildings and trees. Governmental restrictions and regulations could also be interfering with the project.
• Did you know you can use the camera on your smartphone to help raise environmental awareness of something concerning and not just capture repetitive selfies for social media?
• You can invest in a good, rechargeable AA battery system. I bought my Goal Zero charger and 30 Energizer rechargeable AA batteries approximately 5 years ago. The charger still works as well as most of the batteries. I will NEVER again purchase (expensive) single-use, non-rechargeable batteries. It is important to compare milliampere hour (mAh) when deciding between options. 2000-3000 mAh is an optimal range for AA rechargeable batteries, which will maximize energy capacity and the number of recharging cycles before they no longer hold a sufficient charge.
If you ever see batteries on the ground, please make it a priority to pick them up and dispose of them properly. Due to their internal toxicity, this is more important above any other trash you may come across. Always use a napkin or piece of paper to pick them up as to avoid coming in contact with battery acid residue. Electronic and home improvement stores usually provide battery recycling services.
• When eating out, I haven't asked ice in any of my drinks or beverages over the last 5-7 years. I usually ask for water without ice, a straw or lemon slice. Freezing water to ice consumes a large amount of [unnecessary] electrical energy to crystallize. This overall process creates heat energy that enters the atmosphere and contributes to global warming.
Ice is actually a luxury that many people around the world can't afford or simply don't have access. When I am out, I usually ask the waiter/waitress not to put ice, a straw or a lemon in my water as often as I remember. We need more people to stop being so selfish and just drink regular water [preferably filtered] unless it's absolutely necessary.
Note: This statement excludes a few Blended Margaritas that I made several Summers back.
• We desperately need to bring more attention to this urgent pediatric health crisis: individually, plastic-wrapped, chemical laundry detergent packets are endangering children. Imagine you’re a 2-year-old child; knowing the difference between these bright objects is the difference between being poisoned, suffocating to death, or eating yummy candy. Pediatricians and activists have been exposing this safety concern and boycotting these packets, which appear to be replicas of candy to small children. In 2014, 22,000 children, mostly under age 3, were exposed to laundry packets. Many children choked on them and suffocated. These statistics were sourced from CNN.
Several years have gone by since these statistics were released and young children are still choking and dying from these products. Even if you do not have children, it is a moral responsibility to avoid buying these and stop supporting these products. We are not keeping our vulnerable children safe when selfish people are still voting with their money to keep these deadly products in stores. The chemical detergent in these packets are also much more concentrated than liquid detergents. It is horrifically unjust that our civilized society even allows this and that they are still legal. You must know that this is a scam for companies to make more money from people's stupidity, selfishness, laziness, and desire for convenience. When liquids are individually packaged in a single container, there is less overall liquid volume in the container. The companies sell you their product at a higher price, selling you more empty space/air in the container than the detergent you are trying to buy. We must unconditionally prioritize our children’s safety before convenience and corporate profits!!! The National Poison Help Line number is 1-800-222-1222.
• Reusable stainless-steel straws minimize single-use (fossil-fuel derived) plastic straws from being thrown away in landfills or littered on the ground. I carry one with me right next to my reusable titanium spork. These straws are usually sold in multi-packs, so you can give the others away as gifts like I did. Please check your local kitchen supply store or buy them on Amazon.
• I love how “One Percent for the Planet” has established a portal where businesses can give back 1% of their profit. Once registered, 1% is collected and redistributed to a series of trusted nonprofits. The business can display the 1% logo on their website, marketing advertisements, and product promotions. http://onepercentfortheplanet.org
• You can politely ask your local coffee shops, donut shops or restaurants to discontinue all use of Styrofoam cups and to-go containers.
• You can set out a box of non-perishable food along your sidewalk will help feed the hungry and poor? This includes but is not limited to the elderly and disabled living throughout your community as well as women and children. This will also help our transition towards a caring society that is more sustainable than the way our society is currently structured and functioning.
• There are billions of people living around the world who don't even own a clothes dryer. They dry their clothes by simply hanging them outside to dry. Dryers usually run on electrical power and the majority of global electricity is generated from either coal, natural gas, or nuclear power. There are also dryers that run straight from propane and natural gas. They each encourage the conversion of chemical or atomic energy into heat and kinetic energy. The hot air created is then (inefficiency) pushed past the clothes before being pumped into the atmosphere. These machines create heat, so they are obviously (collectively) a contributing factor in warming our planet’s atmosphere and therefore directly contributing to global warming. Some of the people who use dryers don't have adequate space to hang-dry their wet laundry on a clothesline. Most people choose to (carelessly) dry their clothes the fastest and most convenient way possible. One clever solution for those with enthusiasm and limited space is to buy, attain, or build a household clothes drying rack. The wet clothes could even be hung to dry for some time and then ran through the drier for the remaining time. This method would truly help conserve energy and finite resources. For those who use a dryer, please buy or attain clothes dryer balls. They spin around with your clothes and create air pockets between your clothes, which allows them to dry faster. You can also use tennis balls, which will employ the same effect.
• Anytime you see recyclables on top or next to a trash can is [most likely] because people feel guilty about not recycling or they hope a homeless person will come along, take the cans to recycle them correctly and collect the money. This is a great example of how people want to transition towards a sustainable and caring society although we do not yet have the complete infrastructure built and in place to support it.
I constantly witnessed this in the Cabrillo College cafeteria. I told the cafeteria manager about my concerns and he addressed this issue the next day by putting out a recycle can. It is up to us to be observant, speak up, take action and create the change we need throughout our society.
• The Backyard Homestead book series are the best books in regards to sustainability, homesteading, horticulture, and permaculture. These books are great for anyone studying sustainable community development, emergency preparedness, and personal survival. The books are easy to read and understand in correlation with the incredible illustrative graphics. Please buy these wonderful books and support the author. I encourage you to donate them to a public library after reading them!! =)
• You don’t have to use coffee grounds once; you can make two pots of coffee out of the same grounds. It may not taste as good, but it’s still coffee. To prevent more unnecessary waste, we must boycott Keurig coffee machines; they use single plastic cups that are constantly being used once and thrown out. This is purely for convenience. Drip coffee machines use a lot of energy, plastic, and filters. French presses and percolators are the most efficient ways to make coffee; they do not require electricity or coffee filters and make much tastier, stronger coffee. Please compost used coffee grounds or research other beneficial uses.
• You can hang drying your clothes uses less energy and resources than using an electric or gas-powered dryer? This is simple task will reduce your carbon footprint and help us curve global warming before more catastrophic climate change disasters in the future begin!!!
• Save the Earth, the People’s Co-Operative are creating sustainable, self-contained communities where members will both prosper and coexist in symbiotic relationships. The objective of the community is to minimize environmental degradation, lessen dependence on fossil fuels, and reduce food and material waste. This community will build a resilient, resource-based economy (barter system commerce) rather than implementing a monetary system. Their focuses are education, preserving the natural environment, providing safe housing, growing organic food in a permaculture-style system, and emphasizing naturopathic health practices. Save the Earth, the People’s Co-Operative are presently seeking future donors, investors, as well as new members to help design and construct this sustainable community. https://savetheearth.coop If you have questions regarding Save the Earth People’s Co-Operative please contact Emlyn Mousley via email at emlyn@savetheearth.coop
• Brian Sefton from Oakbio in Sunnyvale, California is working on carbon capture and utilization technologies/applications to reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and slow global warming effects. Please check out his work. http://www.oakbio.com
• There is an inspirational and innovative company based in western Montana called Bioroot Energy, Inc. They are setting the stage for modern technology and sustainable fuel. This Delaware-based corporation is dedicated to the rapid development of Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) fuel projects designed to convert municipal solid and liquid wastes, biomass, petroleum coke, coal, methane, and CO2 into clean, powerful, higher mixed alcohol fuel and specialty chemical alcohols. Their goal is to help cities and industries reduce landfill waste and incinerate of carbon wastes through production of clean, biodegradable alcohols. Their mission is to balance local and regional business interests, diversify engineered technologies, and project financial and environmental factors, with responsible, clean, and profitable liquid fuel generation. Bioroot Energy plans to build, own, and operate higher mixed alcohol production facilities located at the intersection of major transportation and distribution networks. Continuous production of a superior, biodegradable alcohol fuel, profitably produced from solid, liquid, and gaseous wastes and fossil carbon resources, is a powerful energy and waste industry solution. The adaptable and scalable structure will be a significant global economic development opportunity for many people around the world. http://www.biorootenergy.com Investors must realize that their money will be worthless if it is not directed in the technologies that will prevent everyone from suffering on a dying planet. We have this once chance and the opportunity are quickly passing us all. If you would like to invest in this era of technology and sustainable fuel, please email Jay Toups at jay@biorootenergy.com
• When discarding water or ice, please dump it on dry soil so it can be absorbed into the ground. Let the nearby trees and vegetation flourish rather than putting it directly down the storm drain and into the waterways.
• Throughout my travels, I have seen hundreds of empty butane canisters illegally dumped in the redwood forest. People carelessly buy individual butane canisters to use the butane as a solvent to extract THC from cannabis flowers. It is refined into a pure oil concentrate and smoked in vape-pens, mixed in edibles, etc. When people dump empty canisters like this it's usually because they are illegally producing oil extracts and fear being caught. Fossil fuel-derived butane and CO2 are the two main mediums of extracting the THC from cannabis. Both of these mediums directly contribute to the greenhouse effect of global warming and the trash further adds to environmental degradation. These dumps negatively reflect on legal grow operations and the medical marijuana industry. They also discredit the people fighting for the legalization of marijuana. When concentrates are made legally (within regulations) at an industrial facility, the butane vapors are captured, condensed, and re-used. This eliminates constant disposal of individual canisters, plastic caps, and cardboard packaging. Everyone must realize that our forest is more valuable than cannabis concentrates and this cannot continue! Some waste management entities will not accept butane canisters or anything aerosol. For your convenience, I called Green Waste in Santa Cruz County, who advised me that people frequently drop off large volumes of canisters (with no questions asked) at their facilities to be recycled correctly. There is no requirement to puncture holes in the canisters, you don't have to sign any paper work, and there is no fee. You can accomplish this during their normal hours of operation by just backing up to the metal recycling dumpster and emptying the canisters all at once.
Staying Optimistic and Personal Health
The world is slowly accepting the reality of global warming, global inequalities, and our severe environmental impact. They are learning of this through conversations, news media sources, and interaction on the worldwide web. Yes, this is overwhelming; the instability and uncertainty of our future is very scary. The ecosystem is off balance and the unpredictable weather holds us in suspense. We are seeing ancient glaciers melting and atmospheric jet streams off their paths with chemtrails crisscrossing our skies. The global, exponential human population growth has caused conflicts within our diverse, intracultural society. People experience ignorance, greed, and hate while lacking genuine cultural relativism (the ability to accept other cultures on their own terms). My generation is not solely responsible for all of the pollution, atrocities, inequalities, and catastrophic carbon dioxide and methane levels in our atmosphere; this is an accumulation from the generations before. However, it is my generation that is now knowledgeable and we are the last generation that can correct these issues. We must collectively change the direction of this deadly trajectory; our thoughts and decisions dictate the actions of our society.
Even though I am often disappointed, I have NOT lost faith in humanity, simply because we have too much to lose if we gave up. There are too many consequences to even consider failure. We will prevail, although we must each take immediate action and become involved individually and collectively. The small steps we all take will change the system that controls us and our lifestyle; for is it set up to keep us dependent on it. I see the positive things people, communities, and governments are doing all over the world. Thankfully, we are now seeing widespread changes in the renewable energy sector, a proliferation of the organic food industries, and expansion in sustainable development. Being optimistic and confident has helped me complete several large projects. I try to set a positive example while also trying to live a rewarding life. I enjoy undertaking community outreach projects such as handing out food, supplies, and ISKs to homeless people and volunteering at events.
Some past accomplishments:
• I have given speech presentations to groups, clubs, middle school, and college classes in efforts of further inspiring people.
• I have co-organized a March Against Monsanto protest and beach cleanup projects.
• I am the founder of the controversial event “Santa Cruz Chalked-Up,” which distributed thousands of sticks of side-walk chalk downtown for activist, artistic, and community interaction.
• I am the designer of two legendary bike parks in Capitola, California: Oz and Brommer Street Bike Jump Park.
• I released a documentary in 2000 that had taken me seven years to film, edit, direct, and produce. It is called PSYCHOSiiS Version 2.4.
• I summited Mount Whitney in 2007. The summit elevation is 14,505 feet above sea level.
• I organized a holiday toy drive at a popular music venue in 2008. I had contracted ten major sponsors that each made large contributions.
• I established my company, Advanced Disaster Relief, in 2013.
• I independently organized a “Mass Tire Removal Project” in 2013 after discovering hundreds of illegally dumped (deteriorating) tires. They were located in a creek ravine in the Santa Cruz Redwood Forest. I acquired permission from the county and recruited 30 amazing volunteers through Facebook. Together we removed over 1000 tires (within only 5 days) to be disposed of correctly. We later found out they had been there for 35 years.
• I was involved with the production of an inspiring humanitarian music video in 2015. It was produced to thank the world for their help during the aftermath of Super Typhoon Haiyan. It was written, sung, and produced by Jim Paredes. The images used in the video were all of what I had captured while volunteering in the Philippines. It has 105k Facebook shares with millions of views!!
• I filmed, edited, directed, and produced a 9-minute environmental public service announcement in 2016. It covers consumerism, pollution, fire prevention, and global warming. It is uploaded to my Facebook page, my YouTube page, and often airs on community TV.
• I published this document “Resource Guide to Solve Urgent Global Issues” in 2016.
• I organized a trash cleanup at Natural Bridges State Beach in late 2016. I recruited the volunteers 4 days before the cleanup and an astounding 41 volunteers showed up!!
When more people realize that helping other people, animals, and our environment is more important than power, image, drama, and materialistic merchandise, we will start seeing change. We must all choose to take action, stay strong and optimistic, and have dignity and compassion for others. We need more activists to individually research these crucial issues and get involved. Caution: be prepared when you become aware of the severe degradation caused by our civilization and come to understand the global crisis we are facing. You will likely experience a sense of overwhelming negative emotions such as guilt, anger, fear, strife, pain, depression, despair, and vulnerability. Climatologists, meteorologists, researchers, scientists, activists, and journalists are constantly struggling with the same emotions. They often feel like no one is listening and that we are not making enough progress. The psychological impact of climate change is expected to become a global crisis. It will inflict several emotional and mental health disorders, post-traumatic stress, debilitating anxieties, and increasingly destructive behavior, aggression, violence, substance abuse, and suicide. Please seek professional help if/when necessary.
People often ask how I am able to stay positive and optimistic. I am very fortunate to have a mother, Darcie Little, who loves me unconditionally. She patiently listens to me and often provides helpful advice and support throughout my endeavors. I also have a solid network of close friends and family who are supportive of my work. I receive reassuring emails, phone calls, and postal letters from caring people around the world. I eat healthy, high pH/alkaline (mostly vegetarian) organic food and only drink fluoride-free, distilled water from stainless steel. I limit my alcohol consumption, don’t use drugs, don’t take pharmaceuticals, and don’t smoke cigarettes, or marijuana. I limit my exposure to environmental toxins and pollutants. I try to get adequate sleep when my projects allow. I consider myself a minimalist and extreme conservationist. I don’t own a car and haven’t driven for three years. I feel that owning a lot of “stuff” lowers ones’ quality of life and stops them from being truly happy. I put a lot of research and thought into every product I purchase to assure it is of quality and will not carelessly end up in a landfill.
The legacy my generation is leaving our children is a one of mass pollution, plastic trash, and toxic waste. This is why I prioritize my purchases towards stainless steel, glass, wood, hemp, organic, and fair trade to the best of my ability. I’m proud to say that my website server is powered from 100% wind energy. I am not religious, don’t watch TV, don’t watch sports, and don’t play video games. I have lived on solar energy for the last 4 years. I reside in a beautiful beach town in California and avoid staying confined indoors. I often walk, bike, work-out, hike, or go camping. I usually listen to music that will improve my thoughts, mood, and well-being. I hope these suggestive lifestyle choices may also help you throughout your life.
Finalization
This document is intended to provide awareness, create change, and generate more volunteer help, money, and resources towards the nonprofit organizations, companies, and people trying to make a difference. I will continue to do my part and I know that I will not die with any guilt. I will die knowing that I did what I could (within my lifetime) to make a difference and help create a sustainable future. I will continue to make additional corrections and regular updates to this document with relevant data and information. I personally thank you for your incredible, selfless sacrifices and participation, as will your children and unborn grandchildren. They will also know that you did everything you could with the information and knowledge you had during this crucial time in history.
Statements and opinions expressed are those of my own, Alekz Londos from Advanced Disaster Relief. Special thanks to the editors of this extensive document: Eleyah Knight, Rushka Johnson and Tony Graham.
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I apologize, I have been overwhelmed by the large volume of Facebook messages, comments, and emails. I simply cannot respond back to everyone. I love the worldwide support and participation of my projects although feel horrible that I can't individually respond back to everyone. I appreciate and respect those who have spent a large amount of their own time in writing me. I am a very small company and do not even have any employees. I will continue to respond when I can and respectfully apologize to those who may feel ignored.
I embedded an interactive Facebook commenting section on the Resource Guide website page. I strongly encourage utilizing it to networking with others of similar interest, post topics on related issues, resourceful links, personal projects, ideas, and solutions.
I embedded an interactive Facebook commenting section on the Resource Guide website page. I strongly encourage utilizing it to networking with others of similar interest, post topics on related issues, resourceful links, personal projects, ideas, and solutions.
SITE LINKS AND RESOURCE RECOMMENDATIONS
All image on this site are open source. If you value my projects, please consider becoming a Patreon! =) https://www.patreon.com/Envirolize