Butterflies, Africa, and Recycling
If you read my column with any regularity, I’m sure you already think I’m a tree-hugger. If you think of me as the annoying person at a dinner party that’s always talking about recycling, composting, reusing, Eco-this, and sustainable-that, you may want to stop reading now.
I admit I love nature; I appreciate fresh air, pristine rivers, and the peacefulness of a forest. So, when I was reading over the stories in this issue, I was quite pleased with our editors’ accidental environmental issue – OK it’s just two stories.
We are reminded of the importance of the insect world, especially Monarch butterflies, to our future.
“The greatest threat to butterflies continues to be habitat loss and degradation,” said John Watts, entomologist at the Texas Discovery Gardens. The Texas Discovery Gardens received a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to establish 80 acres of Monarch habitat in Dallas. Additionally, there are things we as individuals can do too, to reduce the decline of this vital species – check out the tips in How to Help.
Filmmaker Neil Gelinas takes us on a journey to the Okavango region in Botswana Africa. The story looks at a conservation project with his documentary of the threats facing this ecosystem.
Into the Okavango will air Dec. 14 on the Nat Geo TV. “This is one of the few places left on the planet where you feel like you’re stepping back in time,” Gelinas said.
Even though I have too many apps on my phone, I’m going to download the Nat Geo TV app to watch this.
One more thing, unrelated to these two stories but on-topic-ish and has been top of mind for me for some time now; what are we going to do with our recycling, now that China doesn’t want to accept it anymore? I hope this doesn’t make us take a step backward in our communities recycling efforts. We need to figure out what to do with our consumer waste since it can no longer be – out of sight out of mind.
Climbing down from my soapbox now.
