Plastics: They find a way into these birds

Young Laysan albatross birds, Kauai, Hawaii. (Photo by Pauline Sato)

Regurgitated bolus from Laysan albatross chicks on Kauai. (Photo by Pauline Sato)

For more information, check out this article in Albatross Biology and Conservation. More soon.

Edit: A new partnership that allows people on Oahu to recycle their bottle caps will help to keep plastics out of the ocean.

I got to thinking ...

I got to thinking and sometimes that's not a good thing but I think it is this time.

Ever notice how accustomed we've become to having one carefully labelled, sealed package of basil leaves grown on the mainland that's available at your grocery store at all times? I got to thinking about that. So this is what I figure ... it took someone to farm the land it grew on; someone had to make the fertilizer they put on it; maybe even someone to make the herbicide they used, which probably took chemists and engineers to create; then the machinery to till the soil; apply the fertilizers; and harvest the crop. Someone had to make the plastic bags, right? And that took chemical plants, petroleum from underground and the wells to dredge it up, and places to make the bags and not to mention the resources and people it took to make the plastic bag sealers. Then, the labels: Ink (I'm sure that took a lot of people) ... paper, which meant trees were cut down, sticky stuff on the backs of stickers. Not to mention what it took to truck the produce around and fly or ship the produce to Hawaii (more fuel, cargo staff, jets, truck builders, etc.) and the people who sell it to us and all the accountants, packers, delivery persons, lawyers, and the list goes on. Dang, that must be, like, over 2000 people and not to mention the fuel and resources!

I never thought about that before. It got me kinda sick, to tell you the truth. So the question is, did I create this machine? I guess I have, because I support it.

So, I figured the least I could do is grow my own locally started basil ... and my own oregano, green onions, mint, kaffir lime, dill, etc. And yeah, this is Brown Thumb Joan talking so it's no easy task but if I'm successful, I'll save the seed for the next crop or to share with others. Don't get me wrong. I'm not a saint and you'll prolly catch me at the grocery store buying ingredients I could have grown myself but this gets you thinking, huh? I mean, it's not to put anyone out of business or anything. This just represents my vote that produce ought to be grown locally, if possible. So that's my thought.

Creating change one tomato at a time

I am so excited! My yard guy just dropped off this tomato at my house. He had grown it from seed that he had gotten from my tomatoes and fertilized his plants with worm castings! He was so excited about his huge tomatoes and brought this one over just for me! He even asked if I might share my vermicomposting worms with him cuz he wants to start a bin as well! It's so exciting to make a change in this world, one person at a time.