tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42129770551606706702024-03-05T06:41:14.180-05:00imagine1communityLast night I had the strangest dream I've ever had before:
I dreamed the world had all agreed to put an end to war.Heide Esteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022964463219865228noreply@blogger.comBlogger734125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212977055160670670.post-60467817876784339552023-11-06T14:45:00.004-05:002023-11-06T14:45:55.227-05:00Inconvenience FeeI started the day today with a telemedicine appointment with a pulmonologist with the Post Covid Recovery Program at Rutgers. He prescribed a new inhaler that might improve my asthma symptoms. On the neurological stuff, he had no suggestions beyond what I am already taking.<div><br /></div><div>Current research, he said, suggests it’s a mitochondrial disease: the body can take in oxygen, but doesn’t use it the way it’s supposed to. I’ve been following covid news, natch, and had seen a report about this, but he explained it helpfully.</div><div><br /></div><div>He was a nice guy. He understood what I am experiencing, and what my job entails and why I can’t do it. He was kind. I wanted to cry, just from being seen. He couldn’t access a bunch of my medical record, because it’s in various different systems used by different doctors in different practices. “American exceptionalism,” he said, completely dead-pan.</div><div><br /></div><div>He said most people with long covid get better after two and a half or three years.</div><div><br /></div><div>TWO AND A HALF OR THREE YEARS.</div><div><br /></div><div>It’s been eight months.<br /><div><br /></div><div>I went off to CVS and picked up the new inhaler.</div><div><br /></div><div>I went to my GP’s office and dropped off a form for her to explain why I am unfit for jury duty. I had to print it out from the county website and fill out parts of it. Once she’s had time to fill it out, I have to go back to the office and pick it up. Then I have to mail it to the jury duty administrator. I am supposed to return it within five business days.</div><div><br /></div><div>I went to the police station. Climbed down a double set of stairs, rang the bell, told them what I need, waited (standing) while they decided if they were going to let me in, pulled open a heavy door, wrote a check for four (4, FOUR!) dollars, and stood at the little window while the person on the other side processed the form, filed my check, filled out the temporary handicap parking tag, and punched out the month and year.</div><div><br /></div><div>And climbed back up the double set of stairs and drove home, exhausted. </div><div><br /></div><div>Renewable online: driver’s license and car registration. But not the handicap hang tag. For today, I am done for.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVU7DsdDh9u5PzUIjhpkPBDJuBh1earu0WUNlIql-U9WfOse_1NfKEP_Y2A8rxhBXGTm0xsuRdNzoAQOUjzq1TSHPaHXCDtkeCUnA5HJYvnvLah1krcH3lT1xx-TTnsjMBavtUNDB75JjpbtatGWKAubW62j9YfpP7nT3us9l6v4I3G6zEjpNChqfp9zc/s2076/IMG_9777.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1441" data-original-width="2076" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVU7DsdDh9u5PzUIjhpkPBDJuBh1earu0WUNlIql-U9WfOse_1NfKEP_Y2A8rxhBXGTm0xsuRdNzoAQOUjzq1TSHPaHXCDtkeCUnA5HJYvnvLah1krcH3lT1xx-TTnsjMBavtUNDB75JjpbtatGWKAubW62j9YfpP7nT3us9l6v4I3G6zEjpNChqfp9zc/s320/IMG_9777.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div>I am on the couch with Stella, listening to music. Maybe I’ll read a little more of my current mystery novel. I’ve been binge reading <a href="https://www.amazon.com/stores/Joyce-Lionarons/author/B07BMPK615" target="_blank">Joyce Lionarons</a>’s <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XXDB1S8" target="_blank">Matthew Cordwainer</a> series, and having finished, I started over at the beginning. </div><div><br /></div><div>I don’t usually nap, but it’s not impossible. Unlikely though, given the combination of rage, frustration, and fear that I live with all the time these days.</div><div><br /></div><div>Oh, and on the “memo” line on the check, I wrote “inconvenience fee.”</div></div>Heide Esteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022964463219865228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212977055160670670.post-78568464780495569602023-09-29T11:22:00.004-04:002023-09-29T11:22:25.632-04:00Nope, Can’t Do It All<p>I can’t do it all. I can’t even do most of it. I am trying so hard to figure out how to make that work. </p><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/search/?q=Long+covid" target="_blank">The Atlantic</a>’s long covid coverage is really good; a <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/archive/2023/08/fatigue-can-wreck-you/675030/" target="_blank">key observation</a> for me was that people who are depressed don’t want to do anything, but people with chronic fatigue have a whole long list. It’s not that I’m too depressed to do things. I am sad because I can’t.</p><p>My brain doesn’t want to hold on to anything, so I’ve outsourced short-term memory and scheduling to my phone. I keep rearranging the lists to make more of the things happen, but it’s not working. Naaatch.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij-7-NrCvoE_sb3JE9Ku-wbv4Hic85l1cYIXau3XyoG6CnNd1eJr-3wd3DwwA1jV26zZc5pqz2oveqOTXpdLv5FGa5CojRZ66oOrddwppaL-1HkNsXLHP0aaU4OFcumWadDdCguhlbzVNvsnboPrioPOrHBBAkvlYKHmc0NM3kf1VRwr8EgNEgcf2vdUs/s1314/IMG_0707.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="List of to-do lists: on waking, morning, today, day, evening, bedtime, weekly, tasks" border="0" data-original-height="1314" data-original-width="1125" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij-7-NrCvoE_sb3JE9Ku-wbv4Hic85l1cYIXau3XyoG6CnNd1eJr-3wd3DwwA1jV26zZc5pqz2oveqOTXpdLv5FGa5CojRZ66oOrddwppaL-1HkNsXLHP0aaU4OFcumWadDdCguhlbzVNvsnboPrioPOrHBBAkvlYKHmc0NM3kf1VRwr8EgNEgcf2vdUs/w171-h200/IMG_0707.jpeg" width="171" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn1nLE5SerN-ttUuYoVUF_Vf-JaLxX0h_hjw1ydcIGs9ro_t_tCJ4jYWmInm3KP5zEyN5TyHRNr__5rVlpPLweDHgUDriVZVVxPj20DftnZIczLgxfqjIH9B3dk6YbIvK1yFGtPKdqs_6hIlSxVCOLx7X7RQUL5MoTfIWEDTSAq4ngzJZrazB2q76SB9c/s1302/IMG_0708.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Some of the things I’m supposed to get done in the morning" border="0" data-original-height="1302" data-original-width="1125" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn1nLE5SerN-ttUuYoVUF_Vf-JaLxX0h_hjw1ydcIGs9ro_t_tCJ4jYWmInm3KP5zEyN5TyHRNr__5rVlpPLweDHgUDriVZVVxPj20DftnZIczLgxfqjIH9B3dk6YbIvK1yFGtPKdqs_6hIlSxVCOLx7X7RQUL5MoTfIWEDTSAq4ngzJZrazB2q76SB9c/w173-h200/IMG_0708.jpeg" width="173" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">“No social media before breakfast” keeps me from doomscrolling. But writing is the easiest way for me to communicate, and the socials keep me connected with friends and family. Not to mention the news.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Actually seeing friends, on the other hand, is … really hard. I have trouble coming up with words and shaping sentences. Listening is even harder. I’m working so hard to remember what someone is saying that I miss the next thing, or I’ve forgotten some crucial part and I can’t understand what comes next. Group conversations? Forget it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When I write, I can go back and edit. I can google* to try to find a word. And man, I have been giving google a workout.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Exercise makes me feel better, as long as I do it carefully, with plenty of rest after every set. This means that a weight workout takes an hour and a half. Before Covid Me alternated arms and legs and finished in 20 minutes. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yoga also make me feel better, because that bike crash (the bad one, in 2017) left me with a damaged spine and hip, and pain that makes it hard to get out of bed in the morning. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Walking Stella is good for me physically, though it tires me, and having her in the house keeps the deep dark black pit a lot farther away.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All the balance exercises, eye exercises, smell training, music, meds, and supplements are supposed to heal my brain. But if I did them all every day, I would have no time left to rest. If I don’t rest, I crash. If I crash, it takes anywhere from days to weeks before I recover. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Plus, you know, I just got married, and I’d REALLY like to be a half-decent wife and at least clean the kitchen after Catherine makes us fabulous meals, maybe do some laundry, keep the place a little tidy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So I’m at a loss. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My newest strategy: A little is better than none. Just one eye and balance exercise every day, instead of all ten or so, mornings and evenings. A set of squats, a couple stretches. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That might leave me time for half an hour of email triage and 45 minutes of academic writing, which is all I have the energy for anyway. Somehow, I have to find a way to be okay with that, and try to avoid asking the universe if this is going to be the rest of my life.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Any ideas? Do let me know.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">__________</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">* Actually I have switched to <a href="https://www.ecosia.org/" target="_blank">Ecosia</a>, which promises not to sell my data and to plant trees every time I use their browser. Because yeah, I AM still a tree-hugger.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Heide Esteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022964463219865228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212977055160670670.post-71841803096661675172023-09-13T14:40:00.001-04:002023-09-13T14:40:10.958-04:00Everything is Harder, the Tuesday Edition<p>Is it Tuesday? No, I think it’s Wednesday. But I haven’t gotten to the one thing I wanted to do yesterday, and I’m all out of energy again.</p><p>I think this scene in the saga starts on Sunday, when we got three inches of water in 20 minutes and spent then next hour running around trying to keep our garage from flooding. </p><p>Is it Wednesday? Yes, it’s Wednesday. And I’m still tired.</p><p>This morning I sent a couple of emails to members of a couple of committees I’m on saying I’m probably going to have to resign, and do they want me to resign now or wait until the end of the cycle. Writing is easier than talking, but I’m still worn out by the time I find all the email addresses and send both messages. In addition to the cognitive issues, it’s emotionally hard to send these messages, because the committees do important work, and I want to be able to contribute.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://16woodsequ.tumblr.com/post/703736286169694208" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="751" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKQPMPQeB8Hq8DDBwOl16BeLAthyZNh96GreZrdi8PZDrMDFjiua1BGagEO6OcvUNdq42XG25gt8TBUZ2B24L4fKjDPki-bMl7zWjYenn18KYyoWC-V96-n9XQxgjWl-XW_0Ha3ifdKq7rf8r-wT4ICXRbQ04C8ShT32sdwZQbrlxXe-zzQiORkGbJ1I/s320/IMG_9734.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Then I talk through the portal to the provider for one of my medications. Talking is hard to begin with, but talking with dropouts because the wifi signal is weak (my end or hers? I’ll never know) is even harder.</p><p>I look at social media. Why does that always turn out to be a mistake? Someone has posted an FYI: CVS has the new covid vax! I want it as soon as possible, because there is anecdotal evidence that getting revaccinated can help with long covid, and I don’t want to get covid again.</p><p>I call the local CVS. The recorded message says they have the vaccine in stock. I try to get through to a human, to see if this is really true, but fail, because that’s the way the world is designed right now, because why let a human do a job you can farm out to AI? Shitty AI, if you want my opinion.</p><p>I run off to CVS. They don’t have the vaccine. I tell them the recorded message says they do. They know. I try to explain that I don’t have energy to run around like this, because I have very little energy, and misinformation is actually harmful to me. Do they get it? I don’t know if they get it. Talking is hard. Talking when I am already tired.</p><p>Then I have to drive to the doctor’s office to pick up the papers for the disability application. At school, Catherine comes out to meet me at the car to take them to HR.</p><p>Home. Lunch. Crash.</p>Heide Esteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022964463219865228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212977055160670670.post-89724670611889981372023-08-31T11:30:00.006-04:002023-08-31T11:30:59.583-04:00Meds, Cognition, and Time<p>I think I have finally found a way to manage all the meds that doesn’t take a ton of cognitive energy, which I have so little of, all day.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4k1FlcTuqFj7WwPhNm98CZBWHdBpCF-9qY9wff4Cwei_y3YXpJ-pDn5fwu3rmxTkOur_J-KeKDkYiRjM7DJGbZeT8JWyeJoaQnlSdBCoEU-5u1nHshkhW2OsU0_STP-izwwdUDUcK5ze94azpI_u29CoCCR-I-COsfsrw81nDWpkt0izh7S97gBtCeqw/s1104/IMG_0624.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1076" data-original-width="1104" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4k1FlcTuqFj7WwPhNm98CZBWHdBpCF-9qY9wff4Cwei_y3YXpJ-pDn5fwu3rmxTkOur_J-KeKDkYiRjM7DJGbZeT8JWyeJoaQnlSdBCoEU-5u1nHshkhW2OsU0_STP-izwwdUDUcK5ze94azpI_u29CoCCR-I-COsfsrw81nDWpkt0izh7S97gBtCeqw/s320/IMG_0624.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Between all the medications and supplements, there are sixteen pills. Then there are the two inhalers, one I snort up my nose, one that gets added to food, and one that has to be dissolved in liquid. It usually goes in my morning coffee and—thankfully—has no taste or texture.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have to remember to take two as soon as I wake up. There’s a hefty handful each with breakfast and lunch, and few more at dinner and at bedtime. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I’ve had reflux for years, and meds have never helped it, so for a long time I’ve had to be careful what I eat, and when. Adding all these pills to the mix was a process of trial and error to make sure anything that might bother my stomach goes in relatively early in the day and with food. Rolaids and occasionally Pepcid come in if I screw up.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sometimes I dread eating breakfast because I know it means I have to choke down six more pills.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Before Covid (BC?), I had a hard time keeping track when I all I had to take antibiotics four times a day. Organizing and remembering all of the stuff I’m on now, mostly for brain and lung damage, for which it provides some welcome relief but not nearly enough, has been pretty overwhelming, and it has taken me many weeks to find a system. And remembering if I took a pill or used an inhaler? Yeah, right.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After much searching, I found a pill organizer that is actually big enough for the breakfast and lunch doses. Bonus: the daily inserts come out of the organizer, which makes them so much easier to fill and empty than the kind where everything is connected.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And I’ve finally figured out how to use the iPhone “tasks” app effectively. I’ve divided up the day into two-hour intervals and I can check everything off when I do it, and then uncheck at the end of the day to be ready for the next day.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But, you know, I’m supposed to be finished with breakfast and all the morning meds (plus three full glasses of water) by 10 am. I just took the morning meds and I’m still working on the third glass of water and I’m an hour and a half late. I am trying to give myself the grace not to stress about that.</div>Heide Esteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022964463219865228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212977055160670670.post-62188483336570716992023-08-16T11:20:00.005-04:002023-08-18T13:45:46.515-04:00Covid Brain Damage<p>Covid damaged my brain. “Brain fog” is too vague a term. It also implies something on par with jet lag. I have lost some kinds of cognitive ability, but not others. Writing this post is documentation as well as part of the process of figuring it out.</p><p>My short-term memory is shot and my medium-term memory isn’t so great either. I’ve always been the classic absent-minded professor, and I’ve developed mechanisms to cope: writing things down, creating alarms for myself, leaving notes around. I have a list of my lists, to make sure I won’t forget they exist. All of this memory management, plus more impaired memory, slows me down a lot more than it used to. </p><p>But words. Words are hard. I have trouble remembering their meanings and I have trouble finding them.</p><p>I can’t keep up when people are talking, I guess because my brain is so slow. I get confused, and then I get lost in the conversation. Weirdly, I come up with the first letter of a word, and then stutter while I try to get the rest. Or I find the word, but in the wrong language. So social interactions are exhausting. </p><p>Reading is harder than it used to be. Reading! My mother taught me to read when she was pregnant with my brother so I could occupy myself. I was so young I can’t remember not being able to read. I was the classic bookworm, always with my head in a book. More than that. My mom called me the “reading monster.” </p><p>Word recall makes writing harder. Google is great for finding synonyms and even helpful if I can only describe the concept I am trying to name. But it’s also hard for me to organize ideas, at sentence level as well as in paragraphs and longer texts. All of this is tiring: I’m good for maybe an hour. Writing this post is wearing me out.</p><p>(On the other hand, my ability to do <a href="https://www.kenkenpuzzle.com/" target="_blank">KenKen</a> hasn’t changed. I had a lot of fun with the now defunct Digits puzzle, and I’ve gone back to <a href="https://nerdlegame.com/" target="_blank">Nerdle</a>, which I’m actually finding easier than before. Arithmetic, logic, strategy. Wherever those things are stored in my brain, it’s unaffected.)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpRDIZVy81OghymKR5krYThCUpxaGb4YhGEgTB92KP5Cwn6MC1fwq2X8nTOVLbAWT3q33wEpSHtGuL1eP97wDUfG4dCuCQFImooVik0HObdoTYOq7lOiBVSmhE50Cw6lXcRuTfKJ8xbpQ1eSFnIPV6lrRYXOtsN0KauLw51hAqYx_opWFegEZm-MRIryA/s1125/IMG_0595.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="621" data-original-width="1125" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpRDIZVy81OghymKR5krYThCUpxaGb4YhGEgTB92KP5Cwn6MC1fwq2X8nTOVLbAWT3q33wEpSHtGuL1eP97wDUfG4dCuCQFImooVik0HObdoTYOq7lOiBVSmhE50Cw6lXcRuTfKJ8xbpQ1eSFnIPV6lrRYXOtsN0KauLw51hAqYx_opWFegEZm-MRIryA/s320/IMG_0595.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p>This all matters because I can’t do my job. Any of my jobs. </p><p>There is no way I could teach a class, and manage the interplay of lecture segments, student activities, discussion, and questions, while keeping track of all the students to make sure no one is lost, distracted, or tuned out. </p><p>And then there’s grading. Why grading is hard when teaching literature, where there are a lot of different “right” answers yet also some wrong answers, is a whole other blog post.</p><p>I was on sabbatical when I got Covid, and I had a lot of editing and writing balls in the air, and I almost immediately dropped them all. Some of them have been picked up by other people. I have some very, very patient editors. Even staying on top of email is … well, impossible.</p><p>I am doing better than I was during the immediate post-covid weeks. Physical therapy and occupational therapy helped some, medications are helping some, fancy new glasses made a difference (and I am getting fine-tuned ones next week). I have a new list of medical professionals to set up meetings with, based on recommendations from my cousin the psychiatrist and the fancy eye doctor.</p><p>But progress has stalled. And I don’t know if or when it might get unstalled. Stay tuned, I guess?</p>Heide Esteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022964463219865228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212977055160670670.post-54376445906820021452023-08-04T11:00:00.000-04:002023-08-04T11:00:05.554-04:00We Need To Find A Way To Ban Plane Advertising<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #073763; white-space: pre-wrap;">Advertising planes fly over the beach seven days a week in my neighborhood. I am three-quarters of a mile away from the beach. I have been spending a lot of time outdoors resting, when not treed indoors by global boiling or poor air quality.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #073763; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Even at my distance from the beach, I usually see two or three advertising planes a day, even on weekdays, and more on weekends.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #073763; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The most common small plane, according to the Intertubes, is the Cessna 172, which seems to require around 8 gallons of gas an hour.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #073763; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My Honda Fit gets 33 mpg driving around on suburban streets, 40+ on highways. Let’s call it an average of 35 mpg. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #073763; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let’s say they’re out there flying for six hours a day: that’s 48 gallons per flight. If that’s a good guess, then one of those planes burns as much gas in under a week as my car does in a year.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #073763; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">One part of me reacts to this by thinking there’s no point in worrying about my own carbon footprint when this is going on. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #073763; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Another part of me wants to figure out what businesses are flying the planes (the signs face the beach, not my backyard) and write to them all to tell them how I feel about this.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #073763; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Another part wants to write to Governor Murray and Vin Gopal and suggest that they make this kind of advertising illegal.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #073763; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And then there’s the part of me that’s feels like all of this is too much, because Long COVID. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #073763; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But I will, I hope, revise this post into a letter to write to some of my elected officials, and I hope you’ll feel free steal whatever is useful and do the same.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #073763; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you do, please let me know. Thank you!</span></span></p>Heide Esteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022964463219865228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212977055160670670.post-24763278846328069532023-07-28T17:57:00.001-04:002023-08-04T11:00:39.795-04:00Pacing and Recovery<p>You have to pace yourself, the doctors tell me, the occupational therapist tells me, the physical therapist tells me.</p><p>Learning to pace myself, it turns out, is a constantly evolving challenge.</p><p>I’ve started recovering physical strength, with the help of PT, and I’m able to handle daily life stuff withouth getting out of breath. Taking a shower, unloading the dishwasher, running a couple of loads of laundry. I can even manage some of the medical scheduling on my own — Catherine was doing all of this for me for a couple of months. </p><p>I walk Stella. Or does Stella walk me? A month ago, we left the house and walked to the end of the block and back. Now we go around the neighborhood park, a little more than half a mile. We stop a lot so she can sniff things: she paces me.</p><p>Last week, I went for my first two bike rides since before COVID, and started lifting again, with the encouragement of the physical therapist. And with a long list of limits and precautions. I saw several deer and a couple of turtles in the park, and I worked up a couple sweats, and it felt great.</p><p>I also went to the Apple Store last week because my phone battery was draining itself, and two hours later, I was exhausted, and I’m still not exactly sure why. A combination, I think, of social interaction, overstimulation from all that was going on, and just not being able to rest when I started to flag.</p><p>It took me four days to recover.</p><p>I have so much trouble with words, mostly finding them, occasionally understanding them. Writing emails is a cognitive challenge. Working on revisions to that overdue book chapter that is is a much bigger challenge. I read a novel a few days ago for the first time since before Covid. I picked it because it was short. I took a lot of breaks.</p><p>After I hit “publish” on this post, I’ll go lie back down on the couch.</p><p>Yesterday, I went to the beach for the first time this summer. It, too, was exhausting, physically rather than cognitively. I swam only where there were almost no waves, and even that was challenging. Being in the water made it hard to breathe, something that’s never happened before. There was a lot of walking.</p><p>I am flattened today. Today, I struggle to go up and down the stairs to the basement. I napped this afternoon, something I haven’t needed to do for a few weeks. </p><p>How long will it take to recover?</p>Heide Esteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022964463219865228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212977055160670670.post-56487313083228675632023-06-14T11:40:00.001-04:002023-06-14T11:40:09.818-04:00Portals, Websites, and AppsWe really need a single nationwide system of storing health care data. Every doctor I’ve been to in the past three months has a different way of entering and storing data. I have to enter my whole medical history, including medications and allergies, on another form or in another portal. <br /><div><br /></div><div>It’s a mistake waiting to happen. Especially with brain fog.</div><div><br /></div><div>And then there’s a different way for each doctor that I have to remember in order to reach the doctor to make or change appointments or to access the results of tests. They still have phone numbers, but many of them are unreachable in practice: I tried for two hours to get through to an office the other day before I gave up.</div><div><br /></div><div>I mean yeah, what we REALLY need is single payer insurance, where the medical system is organized around health care, and not around profit.</div><div><br /></div><div>And I’m not going to say that I’m “lucky” I have health insurance, because in the rest of the developed world, that’s a given, the costs are significantly lower, and the list of things that aren’t covered is a lot shorter.</div>Heide Esteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022964463219865228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212977055160670670.post-63715666909070068192023-06-14T09:30:00.002-04:002023-06-14T09:30:17.385-04:00Brain fog<div><div>I was already frazzled when I was trying to drive to the occupational therapy appointment the other day, and I did not know that Kessler Rehab has something like a dozen locations in Monmouth County, and I plugged the address into the phone and started driving. </div><div><br /></div><div>I drove right past the cardiology office I’d been to the day before, so the route was familiar. It didn’t seem quite right, but covid brain fog, so I figured I was remembering wrong. But I arrived at the address and realized I was in the wrong place: it did not look at all familiar.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>I called them, and then told me I was in the wrong location. I was already running late, so I entered Kessler in google maps again and started driving again and then realized the map was taking me to a different wrong Kessler location.</div><div><br /></div><div>I pulled into a gas station, slowed down, tried to breathe like the occupational therapist is always telling me, found the RIGHT location, pulled a uey, and drove some more. I was half an hour late when I finally arrived.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Give yourself some grace,” Allizey said, ever so gently. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Heide Esteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022964463219865228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212977055160670670.post-42362416761391306222023-05-29T11:37:00.006-04:002023-05-30T10:55:48.565-04:00COVID Brain Fog<p> I have a helluva time with words. I used to get to “amazing” or “genius” in The NY Times Spelling Bee first thing in the morning. Now I look at it and I can’t see words and I just string plausible sequences of letters together. </p><p>I worked my way through several hours of Pimsleur’s Greek lessons some years ago. I am repeating them, because it’s not reading, but I routinely fall asleep. Is the effort or the boredom? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioteFxive0q7rDrQry7Mq-ixQsT1b6DjGBjokvTjCr2ZDsYcpcIrF2uQgIPQXVmz39Tdv39URPv74r6sGr40jcwC5qFVqW4j-MfSKCYMOfngakkUT5b__IyszjJpFlyTMTuY9TWmYybE0hzcfp07_bqmNejZ21x8nmCYPAqkhGL_RlTdnPQ8ehvhzM/s594/IMG_0135.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="323" data-original-width="594" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioteFxive0q7rDrQry7Mq-ixQsT1b6DjGBjokvTjCr2ZDsYcpcIrF2uQgIPQXVmz39Tdv39URPv74r6sGr40jcwC5qFVqW4j-MfSKCYMOfngakkUT5b__IyszjJpFlyTMTuY9TWmYybE0hzcfp07_bqmNejZ21x8nmCYPAqkhGL_RlTdnPQ8ehvhzM/s320/IMG_0135.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p>But I am fine with numbers. I can remember a two-factor authentication code with no problem. I fly through the Times “digits” game and I can do a 9x9 expert Kenken without hints about half the time. </p><p>Writing? Even just a email, or a blog post like this: Very, very hard. Reading with sustained attention, impossible. I am hoping the fancy new glasses change that.</p><p><br /></p>Heide Esteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022964463219865228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212977055160670670.post-48090441888405904542023-05-28T13:32:00.001-04:002023-05-28T13:32:10.374-04:00Covid Diary<p>I have been wanting to write about what it’s like with long COVID, but I don’t have much energy to be on the computer. I don’t really know where to start so I guess I’ll start at the beginning.</p><p>In January, I was in great shape. I was living in Germany without a car, so grocery shopping, weekend sightseeing, and all my day-to-day activities were done by bike, by train, and/or on foot. </p><p>In February, after returning from Germany, I went to an academic conference that I traveled to by bike, train, and bike, with luggage. I was one of few people at the conference who masked, and the day after I got home, the symptoms began. I was sicker than I’ve ever been, despite numerous bouts of walking pneumonia and bronchitis that exacerbated my underlying asthma.</p><p>I recovered from the acute infection after about three weeks, and the weird symptoms began. My vision is wonky, I get short of breath on climbing a flight of stairs or unloading the dishwasher, my feet often feel like they are on fire. My brain is deeply foggy. Working at the computer wears me out, whether it’s writing email, watching videos, or trying to have a zoom call. Reading? Sewing? My vision goes even wonkier.</p><p>The GP said take this new medication. The insurance company said “no.” </p><p>The pulmonologist said “rest.” For six months to a year. </p><p>The occupational therapist sent me to a fancy eye doctor who prescribed fancy expensive glasses that I am hoping to pick up soon. Maybe they will help with the fatigue, with writing and reading.</p><p>The physical therapist sent me to a cardiologist who prescribed a bunch of tests and said, get some exercise. The insurance company said, in a recorded message, “no” to I think one of the tests. Maybe more. Like I said, brain fog. I didn’t know the message was going to be recorded and I didn’t write anything down and it was not repeated and I hung up and wondered what just hit me.</p><p>I am still waiting to see the neurologist. I was “lucky” to get an appointment in the middle of June, after my GP referred me in March.</p><p>And that’s it for today. I am worn out. Maybe more another day.</p>Heide Esteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022964463219865228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212977055160670670.post-56764251559622615462023-04-21T16:43:00.068-04:002023-04-21T18:05:27.334-04:00Climate Action Resources: A List<p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Environmental action and Jews</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>The <a href="https://www.jewishclimatefest.org/">Big Bold Jewish Climate Fest</a> <br /><a href="https://rac.org/">Religious Action Center</a> of Reform Judaism<br />The <a href="https://www.haggadot.com/clip/worst-could-happen-ten-plagues-coming-soon-if-we-fail-curb-global-climate-change" target="_blank">Ten Plagues</a> of Climate Change <br />Zavit, <a href="https://www.zavit.org.il/intl/en/" target="_blank">Science and Environment in Israel</a> <br />Adamah: <a href="https://adamah.org/" target="_blank">People, Planet, Purpose</a> <br /></span>Dayenu: <a href="https://dayenu.org/" target="_blank">A Jewish Call to Climate Action</a><br />Yale Climate Connections: <a href="https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2012/02/judaism-and-climate-change/" target="_blank">Judaism and Climate Change</a></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Carbon footprint </span></b></p><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-77ce5b55-7fff-7c33-d1dc-cd2175afa735" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Quick and easy <a href="https://www.footprintnetwork.org/" target="_blank">carbon footprint calculator</a></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More complicated <a href="https://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx" target="_blank">carbon footprint calculator</a> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Center for Sustainable Systems <a href="http://css.umich.edu/factsheets/carbon-footprint-factsheet" target="_blank">Carbon footprint factsheet</a>, University of Michigan </span><span style="color: #1155cc;"><u><br /></u></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://climatefeedback.org/" target="_blank">Climate Feedback</a></span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">General Environmental News</span></b></p><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-736d0c6c-7fff-43e2-d773-1b7bf440b259" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://greenamerica.org/" target="_blank">Green America </a></span></p><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-736d0c6c-7fff-43e2-d773-1b7bf440b259" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.motherearthnews.com/" target="_blank">Mother Earth News </a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://earthtalk.org/" target="_blank">Earth Talk</a> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Treehugger: <a href="https://www.treehugger.com/" target="_blank">Sustainability for All </a></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.ehn.org/" target="_blank">Environmental Health News </a></span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Political Action</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.actonclimate.com/" target="_blank">Climate Action Center <br /></a><a href="https://www.ucsusa.org/" target="_blank">Union of Concerned Scientists </a><br /><a href="https://citizensclimatelobby.org/" target="_blank">Citizens Climate Lobby </a><br /><a href="https://rebellion.global/" target="_blank">Extinction Rebellion </a><br /><a href="https://climatenetwork.org/" target="_blank">Climate Action Network</a><span> </span><br /><a href="https://www.edf.org/" target="_blank">Environmental Defense Fund</a><br /><a href="https://www.climateaction.org/" target="_blank">Climate Action</a><br /><a href="https://payupclimatepolluters.org/" target="_blank">Pay Up Climate Polluters</a><br /><a href="https://climateactiontracker.org/" target="_blank">Climate Action Tracker</a> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">Environmental Justice</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-3c77e647-7fff-6b59-ab13-72e72a3ca010" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://climatejusticealliance.org/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Climate Justice Alliance</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://earthjustice.org/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">EarthJustice</span></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Environmental </span><a href="https://www.ehn.org/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Health News</span></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Science and Solutions</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Project </span><a href="https://drawdown.org/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Drawdown</span></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Project </span><a href="https://regeneration.org/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Regeneration</span></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://open.oregonstate.education/climatechange/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Introduction to Climate Science</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">, University of Oregon </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Science Daily </span><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/news/top/environment/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Environment News</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://ourworldindata.org/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Our World in Data </span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Global </span><a href="http://www.globalcarbonatlas.org/en/content/welcome-carbon-atlas" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Carbon Atlas</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://sealevel.climatecentral.org" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Surging Seas</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Productive Conversations</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Katharine Hayhoe, </span><a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/katharine_hayhoe_the_most_important_thing_you_can_do_to_fight_climate_change_talk_about_it?language=en" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">TED Talk</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">, “The Most Important Thing We Can Do About Climate Change” </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Katharine Hayhoe, </span><a href="https://www.katharinehayhoe.com/faqs/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Frequently Asked Questions</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Yale </span><a href="https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualizations-data/ycom-us/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Climate Communication project</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">United Nations </span><a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/communicating-climate-change" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Climate Action</span></a><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">United Nations <a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/communicating-climate-change" target="_blank">Communicating on Climate Change</a><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">George Mason University <a href="https://www.climatechangecommunication.org/" target="_blank">Center for Climate Change Communication</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Christianity Today: <a href="https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2023/january-web-only/climate-change-conversation-10-years-yeca.html" target="_blank">Changing the Conversation on Climate Change</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Native plants</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">National Wildlife Foundation </span><a href="https://www.nwf.org/nativeplantfinder/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Native Plant Finder</span></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">New Jersey Fish & Wildlife, </span><a href="https://dep.nj.gov/njfw/conservation/backyard-habitats/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Backyard Habitats</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">New Jersey </span><a href="https://www.nj.gov/dep/aqes/docs/61919tk.pdf" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Native Plants and Pollinators</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Sickles Market, Little Silver</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Brock Farms, Freehold</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Rare Find Nursery, Jackson</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Izel </span><a href="https://www.izelplants.com/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Native Plants</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.gonativetrees.com/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Go Native</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> Trees </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">New Jersey Yards: <a href="https://www.jerseyyards.org/" target="_blank">Landscaping for a Healthy Environment</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Better Banking</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Banking on Chaos: </span><a href="https://www.bankingonclimatechaos.org/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">banks that fund fossil fuels </span></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">And </span><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/best-environmentally-friendly-banks" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">some that don't</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></span></p><div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.climateaction100.org/" target="_blank">Climate Action 100+</a> </span></div></div><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></p>Heide Esteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022964463219865228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212977055160670670.post-5640948889045331992022-03-11T07:54:00.025-05:002022-03-11T08:11:01.036-05:00War Wounds the GrandchildrenI read the headline and scrolled past the photo in the news this morning, of a Ukrainian family killed by a Russian mortar, because I knew it would hit me too hard, but then I started reading the article and started sobbing anyway.<div><br /></div><div>The traumas of war last for generations. The Syrians, the Palestinians, the Iraqis, the Ukrainians, and the Russian soldiers will live with this for the rest of their lives, and pass it on to children and grandchildren. <div><br /></div><div>I know this because my mother was born in East Prussia in 1939. Her father was a soldier who served throughout World War II (yes, on the German side) and was killed in March 1945.
She and her family fled East Prussian for what became West Germany in late 1944, spending time in a refugee camp, traveling by horse-drawn carriage (because the army had appropriated all the motor vehicles), at night, when they were less likely to be bombed or shot. <div><br /></div><div>The stories have been spilling out of the various siblings and cousins recently. One lives in Australia now, two in the US, others in Frankfurt and Munich, but in their minds they are back in early childhood, recalling the bombings and gunfire and fear. </div><div><div><br /></div><div>Children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors know this story well. <div><br /></div><div>So much fear. <div><br /></div><div>Fear passed to me as a child by my mother's stories. Fear passed another generation to my son, who as a first-year college student is worried for his friends doing ROTC, and even that he might get called to fight. Fear passed through my mother's stories, and also undoubtedly from me directly, though I couldn't tell you exactly how. <div><br /></div><div>And the wounds of the war going on in Ukraine right now will be carried into the future by the children. <div><br /></div><div>A million children are among those who have fled the country. They may return, they may have to make lives elsewhere. <div><br /></div><div>Either way, they will be scarred, and so will their children, and their children's children.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Heide Esteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022964463219865228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212977055160670670.post-78288725961735791712021-11-07T08:06:00.003-05:002021-11-07T08:07:22.579-05:00Improve NJ Transit, Practically for Free<p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px;">I sent a letter to NJ Governor Phil Murphy. Go <a href="https://www.nj.gov/governor/contact/all/" target="_blank">here</a> if you want to send one too.</span></p><span></span><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px;">Dear Governor Murphy,</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px;">Congratulations on winning re-election. I only wish it hadn’t been so close.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px;"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1">I’m writing about New Jersey Transit. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1">I know you are committed to infrastructure improvements that reduce CO2 emissions and environmental degradation, and making public transit better, faster, and more accessible is one way to do that.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1">There are all kinds of ways that the New Jersey train system could be improved, many of them costing a lot of money. But one of the things I keep noticing is connection times.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1">I took a trip from Elberon to Philadelphia this weekend. (My son is a first-year college student, and I went for parents’ weekend. It was so great to see him, and his haunts.)</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1">If I took the train to Rahway and then switched to the southbound train, the northbound train misses the southbound train by eight minutes, so there would be a 52 minute wait or the next train. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirp9kOZoyMhOXXBGDXhc3QrdEWXJrMpg9CJ-Z_W90_vmsXUeAyaCmRIBDxdXDrK4UE-BO2m52YGepsaTDNhswo9wqTc4sXHFQhyEFA3imIIl5S1MFB519TgpB1A3uvqTY-Tmkc9hClO-g/s367/94618804-97A1-4CEF-9AC1-E717885E24D5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/nj-transit-ceo-discusses-agencys-turnaround-corrected/" border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="367" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirp9kOZoyMhOXXBGDXhc3QrdEWXJrMpg9CJ-Z_W90_vmsXUeAyaCmRIBDxdXDrK4UE-BO2m52YGepsaTDNhswo9wqTc4sXHFQhyEFA3imIIl5S1MFB519TgpB1A3uvqTY-Tmkc9hClO-g/w320-h305/94618804-97A1-4CEF-9AC1-E717885E24D5.jpeg" title="Photo from trains.com" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">Photo: <a href="https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/nj-transit-ceo-discusses-agencys-turnaround-corrected/">trains.com</a></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1">It gets worse. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1">The NJ Transit train arriving in Trenton arrives at the exact same time that the SEPTA train leaves for Philadelphia. So you wait in Trenton for an hour before getting on SEPTA for the 47-minute trip to Philadelphia. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1">The entire trip: four hours and 41 minutes.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1">This includes nearly two hours of time waiting around in Rahway and Trenton.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1">Oh, and the NJ Transit app can’t even give you the information. If you enter Elberon as a starting point and 30th Street Station, Philadelphia as the end point, the app gives you a “Rail Schedule Error”: you can’t transfer via the Atlantic City rail line.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1">I’m writing to make a simple request: get the folks who plan the NJ transit schedules to take a closer look at the whole system, including transfers to SEPTA, and make it so that trains don’t just miss each other.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1">Sincerely, </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1">Heide Estes</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1">Elberon, NJ</span></p>Heide Esteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022964463219865228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212977055160670670.post-59149595868608316842021-11-03T23:29:00.000-04:002021-11-03T23:29:42.619-04:00Chocolate, Coffee, and Sustainability<p>Chocolate and coffee are harmful to humans and to the environment in several ways.</p><p>Industrial-scale farmers clear forests to plant the trees and shrubs that are the source of coffee and cacao beans. The resulting habitat loss contributes to species extinction, and the loss of trees means more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Roasting the beans, manufacturing chocolate bars, and shipping the end products also releases a lot of CO2.</p><p>There's a good run-down of the evils of chocolate <a href="https://www.wellandgood.com/chocolate-sustainability/" target="_blank">here</a>, and of coffee, <a href="https://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/coffee-and-its-impact-on-people-animals-and-the-planet/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>According to <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/food-choice-vs-eating-local" target="_blank">Our World in Data</a>, carbon dioxide emissions per kilogram of chocolate and coffee are comparable to those of cheese and shrimp: not as bad as beef and lamb, but many times higher than the carbon footprints of lentils and soy beans.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zPRwgpWzs-SdseZkfvjXp98-_Gs1g3DWCPrkOioayl-SS5TA2Unx_HuhNDfdnRjxvKSX7misz7Pjv_MGk8kb00j4fbL0PW2ogs7vtOYsIp_ez-UKeYFFzj3Rh6mplOVGRbVms_XEzzo/s1536/Environmental-impact-of-food-by-life-cycle-stage-1536x1380.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1380" data-original-width="1536" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zPRwgpWzs-SdseZkfvjXp98-_Gs1g3DWCPrkOioayl-SS5TA2Unx_HuhNDfdnRjxvKSX7misz7Pjv_MGk8kb00j4fbL0PW2ogs7vtOYsIp_ez-UKeYFFzj3Rh6mplOVGRbVms_XEzzo/w400-h360/Environmental-impact-of-food-by-life-cycle-stage-1536x1380.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">Go <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/food-choice-vs-eating-local" target="_blank">here</a> for a larger version of the chart.</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;">So if you're paying attention to the ecological impacts of your diet, coffee and chocolate are up there, pound for pound. </p><p style="text-align: left;">As you can see from the chart above, net emissions of tree nuts are about three-tenths of a kilogram of CO2 per kilo of nuts, because the trees themselves take up CO2 as they grow. (On the other hand, they need a lot of water, and farmers in drought-prone places like California probably shouldn't be growing them.) Apples net 0.4 kg of CO2 per kilo, peas 0.9, tomatoes 1.4, and cane sugar 3 kg of CO2 per kilogram consumed. </p><p>But there's a big difference in the quantities consumed. On average, Americans consume nearly 10 pounds of <a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/coffee-consumption-by-country" target="_blank">coffee</a> per year and more than 11 pounds of <a href="https://www.thechocolatestore.com/candy-facts" target="_blank">chocolate</a>. </p><p>That compares to a total of well over 200 pounds per person of <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/189222/average-meat-consumption-in-the-us-by-sort/" target="_blank">meat</a>: in 2020, we averaged almost 100 pounds of chicken, almost 60 pounds of beef, and just over 50 pounds of pork. On top of that, we ate around 16 pounds of <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/183668/per-capita-consumption-of-fish-and-shellfish-in-the-us-since-2000/" target="_blank">fish</a>.</p><p>If you're wondering, we ate, on average, 145 pounds of <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/537688/per-capita-consumption-of-fresh-vegetables-in-the-us/" target="_blank">vegetables</a> in 2020. And we consume, on average, just over 150 pounds of <a href="https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/nhp/documents/sugar.pdf" target="_blank">sugar</a> every year. </p><p>So the carbon footprint of our sugar turns out to be higher, in the aggregate, than the impact of our coffee and chocolate, which in turn is far lower than the total average carbon footprint of the meat we collectively eat.</p><p>In terms of individual choices, it's is environmentally sound to limit consumption of coffee and chocolate, and certainly to seek out shade-grown and fair trade varieties. </p><p>But you'll have a bigger impact if you trade in your gas guzzler for an electric car, put solar panels on the roof of your house, fly as little as possible, and vote for lawmakers who will fund public transportation and renewable energy.</p>Heide Esteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022964463219865228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212977055160670670.post-372842145555960432021-10-26T12:27:00.005-04:002021-11-07T08:08:01.484-05:00Yet Another Reason to Lay off Shopping<p>Americans have been shopping to an unprecendented extent, and that's backing up ports and supply chains over and above anything else going on. </p><p>But hang on, which Americans? The wealthiest 20 percent, of course. People whose income barely covered the basics before the Covid disruptions are also the hardest hit by losing income as a result of illness, job loss, and let's face it, deaths in their families.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRolpQ5KfHX39_CmsAeD2TAA93-wX9ZNvNtV4eWp6HBdOKLjhnqhbIs1xjrFmIiHNM_EKAIbCbndwFmGbW5XfKYnsEEfzOaUOvnHi5rz__Xt6hkvW1o93el9u4CCUYoVb5mDiySNKivPc/s800/big+cargo+ship.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="800" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRolpQ5KfHX39_CmsAeD2TAA93-wX9ZNvNtV4eWp6HBdOKLjhnqhbIs1xjrFmIiHNM_EKAIbCbndwFmGbW5XfKYnsEEfzOaUOvnHi5rz__Xt6hkvW1o93el9u4CCUYoVb5mDiySNKivPc/w320-h203/big+cargo+ship.jpg" title="A cargo ship bigger than the Empire State Building (" width="320" /></a></div><p>A ship bigger than the Empire State Building docked in New York City a <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-container-ship-marco-polo-seaport-newark-20210511-rkftuoqkvnczlpoaojv3xvkm5e-story.html" target="_blank">few months ago</a>. </p><p>For my part, I've been buying more books than usual, and they're arriving more slowly than they used to. I can live with that. </p><p>I made the commitment in September of 2019 to stop buying new clothing, and with exceptions like socks, shoes and underwear, I've been doing a fairly decent job of sticking with it. I really should start counting non-thrifted purchases to keep myself honest. I buy most of my clothing from thrift stores, including the online giant <a href="https://www.thredup.com/" target="_blank">ThredUP</a>.</p><p>Recently, I mail-ordered a few items, and they took weeks longer to arrive than I expected based on pre-Covid norms. </p><p>But the <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2021/10/stop-shopping-global-supply-chain-shipping-delays/620465/" target="_blank">Atlantic</a> points out that all these back-ups are also putting pressure on the hardest-hit Americans, maybe a quarter or half of us scraping by on not much more than minimum wage, lacking in health insurance, often food insecure.</p><p>It's those families, and their kids, that are missing out on school lunches and having trouble getting their hands on needed medications. </p><p>And whose stuff gets shipped faster depends on who can pay more for shipping. It becomes a self-fulfilling loop. Amanda Mull writes:</p><p></p><blockquote><p>Over time, it's [shopping has] become an expression of personal identity, a form of entertainment, and a way in which some believe they can effectively participate in politics—people rush to buy from or boycott companies on the basis of their public stances on social issues, and brands have begun to run extensive get-out-the-vote campaigns among their customers.</p><p></p></blockquote><p>Reading that article this morning made me think about how many things I buy, and how many of them I don't, in fact, need. Need in the sense of basics: food, shelter, enough clothing to keep warm and comfortable (but not necessarily look extra sharp at work).</p><p>Meanwhile, we are learning that recycling isn't the solution. Water bottles can be pretty readily recycled, but there are dozens of different kinds of plastic, and 90 percent of it ends up in the trash. Plastic can't actually be recycled; it can only be "<a href="https://www.greenmatters.com/p/what-percent-recycling-actually-gets-recycled" target="_blank">downcycled</a>" into increasingly less reusable materials.</p><p>Fast fashion -- cheap clothing that's only worn a few times, is "destroying the planet," according to the not very environmentally forward-thinking <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/03/books/review/how-fast-fashion-is-destroying-the-planet.html" target="_blank">New York Times</a>. </p><p>Amanda Mull's article in the Atlantic made me stop and think again, and re-commit myself to buying less stuff. Just ... everywhere. All the time. Probably even books.</p><p>How about you?</p>Heide Esteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022964463219865228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212977055160670670.post-70969612171636317942021-05-06T15:18:00.006-04:002021-05-06T15:28:24.831-04:00Climate Change: What Can We Do? Political Action<blockquote><p>"It is not your responsibility to finish the work of perfecting the world, but you are not free to desist from it either.” -- Rabbi Tarfon, Pirke Avot (Ethics of the Fathers)</p></blockquote><p>Do something. Start with a place that’s comfortable for you, and then challenge yourself to do more over time. Don’t do nothing. Climate change can feel so big that it’s impossible for individuals to have any impact. But as the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190513-it-only-takes-35-of-people-to-change-the-world" target="_blank">BBC reports</a>, Erica Chenoweth, a political scientist at Harvard University, has studied non-violent protest movements and discovered that it takes only 3.5% of the population to change the world. More from the BBC: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190513-it-only-takes-35-of-people-to-change-the-world.</p><p>Climate scientist <a href="http://www.katharinehayhoe.com/wp2016/faqs/" target="_blank">Katharine Hayhoe</a> emphasizes the importance of talking to people: friends, family members, co-workers. Conversations about climate change and possible solutions are crucial to changing culture.</p><p>Join your local Environmental Commission, or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_environmental_and_conservation_organizations_in_the_United_States" target="_blank">another organization</a> devoted to action and education around climate issues, and volunteer for local events and activities. If your town doesn’t have an Environmental Commission, start going to Town Council meetings and speaking up. If you have the organizational skills, start an environmental commission. If you don’t, persuade someone else to do it. </p><p>Call and write letters to local and state politicians. You’ll be able to make more of an impact at the local level than nationwide. A lot of important environmental initiatives, like plastic bag bans and improved bike lanes, start local.</p><p>If you have a retirement fund, disinvest from fossil fuels. Switch to a green portfolio. </p><p>The Rainforest Action Network publishes a list of <a href="https://www.ran.org/bankingonclimatechaos2021/" target="_blank">banks that fund fossil fuels</a>. If your bank is on the list, consider moving your savings and checking accounts to a different bank. Or start a petition to get your bank to divest from fossil fuels.</p><p>On a personal level, here's a <a href="http://imagine1community.blogspot.com/2020/01/green-your-life-radical-and-non-radical.html" target="_blank">list</a> of actions individuals can undertake to reduce their own carbon footprint, as well as a catalogue of <a href="http://imagine1community.blogspot.com/2021/05/what-can-we-do-about-climate-change.html" target="_blank">resources</a> to help you stay educated as the climate scientists learn more and the engineers come up with better solutions.</p>Heide Esteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022964463219865228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212977055160670670.post-79926246390205366962021-05-06T15:16:00.001-04:002021-05-06T15:27:21.848-04:00What Can We Do about Climate Change? Resources<p>I recently taught a continuing education course on "Understanding Climate Change." The big thing that the students wanted to know was, "what can we do?" </p><p><a href="https://imagine1community.blogspot.com/2021/05/climate-change-what-can-we-do-take.html" target="_blank">Do something</a> political even though the problem seems vast. Climate anxiety and depression are real. You'll feel better if you're taking some kind of action, and if you're in contact with like-minded people.</p><p>If you want a deep dive into the science of climate change, Oregon State University publishes an <a href="https://open.oregonstate.education/climatechange/" target="_blank">open-access textbook</a>, from which this graphic illustrating climate processes and human influences is drawn.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAKDJ0YhR9RfZQmfc-SqQrStDbPbKIGnmV-JL4dMrJK8PfphcrgyngFTHvJGVu4K1TduoTXlXkSBj0mQYbYdp7LaU-PKa2guCnJDXJ6Ebp2V-xkGbCyZ_VhioYab2dptPccsQeoTM7pUA/s1802/climate+system.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1154" data-original-width="1802" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAKDJ0YhR9RfZQmfc-SqQrStDbPbKIGnmV-JL4dMrJK8PfphcrgyngFTHvJGVu4K1TduoTXlXkSBj0mQYbYdp7LaU-PKa2guCnJDXJ6Ebp2V-xkGbCyZ_VhioYab2dptPccsQeoTM7pUA/w400-h256/climate+system.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>If you are curious about your individual or household carbon footprint, and what elements of your life are some of the biggest contributors, the <a href="https://www.footprintcalculator.org/" target="_blank">Global Footprint Network</a> calculator will give you a quick estimate. If you want more detail and have the patience to enter details about your monthly energy bills, you can get a more accurate picture from the <a href="https://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx" target="_blank">Carbon Footprint</a> calculator.</p><p>Everything about climate change, and solutions to it, is in rapid flux, between the impacts of increasing global warming to the technologies available to use less energy. Stay informed by reading websites and subscribing to newsletters.</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.greenamerica.org/" target="_blank">Green America</a> provides resources on climate, food, finance, labor, social justice, and green living.</li><li><a href="https://www.treehugger.com/" target="_blank">Tree Hugger</a> has sections on news, environment business and policy, home and garden, science, animals, culture, design, and “clean beauty.”</li><li><a href="https://earthtalk.org/" target="_blank">Earth Talk</a> gives resources for individuals and educators</li></ul><p></p><p>You can also curate your social media to get the latest information about climate science and solutions: subscribe to relevant Facebook groups, follow climate scientists on Twitter, Instagram, and/or YouTube.</p><p>If you're interested in gardening to support the ecosystem, you might start by reading <i>Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard</i> just published in 2020 by Douglas Tallamy. Buy a copy from <a href="https://bookshop.org/" target="_blank">Bookshop</a> to support independent bookstores. </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>National Wildlife Federation’s <a href="https://www.nwf.org/nativeplantfinder/" target="_blank">Native Plant Finder</a> will help you find plants that are native to your area and will support the widest range of bees, butterflies, and insects to help the entire ecosystem recover</li><li>New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection <a href="https://www.nj.gov/dep/njisc/Factsheets/" target="_blank">Invasive Species Fact Sheets</a> has information about plant species and insects that are not native to New Jersey and should be eradicated</li><li><a href="http://imagine1community.blogspot.com/2019/09/identifying-and-removing-aggressive.html" target="_blank">Identifying and Removing Aggressive Invasive Species</a> contains photos and descriptions of additional invasive species not listed by the NJDEP.</li><li>See where people have switched to species that support biodiversity, possibly right in your neighborhood. After you’ve switched your yard over from grass and ornamentals to pollinator-friendly native species, upload your information to <a href="https://homegrownnationalpark.org/" target="_blank">Homegrown National Park</a>.</li></ul><p>To learn more about solutions, go back to the <a href="https://www.footprintcalculator.org/result2" target="_blank">Footprint Calculator</a>, where you can find a quick overview of solutions in the areas of urban planning, renewable energy, population issues, food (impacts of individual foods, food waste), and the planet (conservation and restoration).</p><p><a href="https://drawdown.org/" target="_blank">Project Drawdown</a> is a collective of scientists, engineers and mathematicians who have ranked the top 100 solutions for individuals, corporations, and government, in the sectors of electricity; food, agriculture, and land use; industry; transportation; buildings; health and education; land sinks; coastal and ocean sinks; and engineered sinks. To limit increased temperature to 2º C, the single most impactful solution is to reduce food waste.</p><p>Finally, here's a <a href="http://imagine1community.blogspot.com/2020/01/green-your-life-radical-and-non-radical.html" target="_blank">quick list</a> of a lot of the things we can do as individuals to lower our carbon footprint. </p>Heide Esteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022964463219865228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212977055160670670.post-32339151589993466802021-05-06T11:29:00.004-04:002021-05-06T15:24:06.546-04:00Green Your Life (Radical and Non-Radical Versions)We all need to make fundamental changes to the ways we live, shop, and vote. Many state and local governments are on board, as well as the new presidential administration, but we need to push politicians to do more. We can influence corporate behavior through our shopping habits. And there are a lot of things we can do as individuals that, if many people did, would make big differences.<br />
<br /><b>
The Short List</b><br />
<ol>
<li>Go vegan</li>
<li>Don't fly</li>
<li>Don't waste food, and don't buy any food with packaging</li>
<li>Kill your car, and use feet, bike, and ground-based public transit instead</li>
<li>Kill your lawn, and replace it with native shrubs and trees that support the ecosystem</li>
<li>Don’t buy new things</li>
<li>Install solar panels on your roof</li>
<li>Refuse consumer culture</li>
<li>Have fewer kids</li>
<li>Get involved with your local environmental group</li>
<li>Talk to friends and family members about what you're doing</li></ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS30yv96LOOusW8Oe1xq7OWmnrPP0_QsvlJ8o7WKuVo7gQ7qeJwbZCz5So45D2XtNb-8XzASQG_LQzF394BCSHS6AAcn96yd7MaNdkc19OYqfmO7qJcKg_BVnISZjT0yeMMaMvtcUzp8Q/s720/runs+on+fat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="381" data-original-width="720" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS30yv96LOOusW8Oe1xq7OWmnrPP0_QsvlJ8o7WKuVo7gQ7qeJwbZCz5So45D2XtNb-8XzASQG_LQzF394BCSHS6AAcn96yd7MaNdkc19OYqfmO7qJcKg_BVnISZjT0yeMMaMvtcUzp8Q/w320-h169/runs+on+fat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>
I know, I know. That's a pretty extremist list. I'm not there yet, myself.<br />
<br />
I still own a car. I have put 50,000 miles on it in the past five years. I moved to a suburban community where it's a lot harder to buy groceries without driving. But I'm working on it.<br />
<br />
I have not figured out how to buy food without packaging. But I am making efforts toward less packaging -- dry beans instead of canned, vegetables that aren't wrapped in plastic, and come home in my own reusable bags, home made cashew yogurt and hummus instead of buying them in plastic tubs. I'm committed to buying my clothing used, and my last two electronics purchases were refurbished, but I'm still working on shoes. The list goes on.<br />
<br />
The above list is aspirational. I'm working toward it. The ways our communities and infrastructures are organized makes some of these things very difficult.<br />
<br />
So here's a list of smaller ideas. <a href="https://imagine1community.blogspot.com/2021/05/climate-change-what-can-we-do-take.html" target="_blank">Pick something</a> that will be relatively easy for you, so you can get started with success. Find a way to make it a habit. Then pick another. In five years, you'll have changed your life.<br />
<br />
Along the way, talk to people about what you're doing, and why. Become an activist, even if it's on a small scale.<div><br /></div><div><b>The Non-Radical Version</b><br />
<ol>
<li>Drive less</li>
<li>Eat less lamb, beef, and cheese, and more plant protein</li>
<li>Say no to fast fashion</li>
<li>Take ground transportation instead of a short haul flight</li>
<li>Move to a smaller home</li>
<li>Downsize to a smaller car</li>
<li>Go for a hybrid, or a plug-in electric car</li>
<li>Take the train instead of driving, and definitely instead of flying</li>
<li>Combine errands instead of making individual trips by car</li>
<li>Call your elected representatives and tell them you support a carbon tax</li>
<li>Postpone a purchase, and think about if you really need it</li>
<li>Repair something instead of buying new</li>
<li>Compost</li>
<li>Recycle</li>
<li>Eschew excess packaging</li>
<li>Bar soap instead of liquid (see above)</li>
<li>Turn off the tap</li>
<li>And extra lights</li>
<li>Add insulation</li>
<li>Call your town administrator and advocate for laws favoring native, non-invasive plants</li>
<li>In the winter: put on a sweater and turn down the heat</li>
<li>Summer: drink ice water, use a fan instead of, or in addition to, air conditioning</li>
<li>Haunt thrift shops: buy used instead of new (clothing, household items, and more)</li>
<li>Vote for mass transit</li>
<li>Be obsessive about food waste</li>
<li>Make sure your car and your a/c units aren't leaking refrigerant</li>
<li>Get off junk mail lists (both snail and email)</li>
<li>Don't buy anything packed in styrofoam</li>
<li>Get a reusable coffee cup</li>
<li>Drink shade grown, bird friendly coffee (and tea and chocolate)</li>
<li>And other organic foods -- they might be healthier for you, and they're definitely healthier for farms workers as well as for bugs, birds, and other critters all up and down the food chain</li>
<li>Stop drinking bottled water</li>
<li>While you're at it, give up soda -- it's not doing you or the environment any good</li>
<li>When you need to replace an appliance, get an energy efficient one</li>
<li>Get your community to invest in good sidewalks and bike lanes</li>
<li>Vote for renewable energy</li>
<li>Eat local food as much as possible</li>
<li>Persuade your school, workplace, religious institution, and other places you spend time to adopt environment friendly policies</li>
<li>Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth or washing dishes</li>
<li>Take shorter showers</li>
<li>FINALLY: Keep educating yourself about environmental issues, and keep finding ways to make change. Here's a list of <a href="https://imagine1community.blogspot.com/2021/05/what-can-we-do-about-climate-change.html" target="_blank">resources</a>.</li>
</ol>
</div>Heide Esteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022964463219865228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212977055160670670.post-69758904416799806702020-11-11T10:27:00.002-05:002020-11-11T10:27:19.798-05:00Open Letter to President Bush: Save Democracy<p>I have written the letter below to former President Bush at info@georgewbushlibrary.com.</p><p>Please feel free to copy or adapt to send to President Bush or any other former Republican with any power who you think might be willing to act.</p><p>=========================</p><p>Dear President Bush,</p><p>I am writing to you to ask you to take action to preserve democracy in the United States.</p><p>As a Republican former president, you are uniquely positioned to reach out to current Republican leadership, including President Trump and Senators McConnell and Graham, and urge them to pay heed to the results of the election, concede the loss to President-Elect Biden, and allow the transition of power to proceed smoothly.</p><p>I also urge you to talk with more moderate Republicans in the Senate with the goal of persuading them to vote out Senate Majority Leader McConnell and replace him with someone whose only goal is not to obstruct any actions of government coming from the House or the President.</p><p>Thank you for considering this request.</p><p>Heide Estes</p><div><br /></div>Heide Esteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022964463219865228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212977055160670670.post-42134217781002846422020-09-03T19:31:00.004-04:002020-09-03T19:31:39.534-04:00Hey New Jersey, Prioritize Bike and Pedestrian Street Access<p>This week, I'm taking part in a <a href="https://www.climaterealityglobaltraining.com/profile/web/index.cfm?PKwebID=0x3516abcd">virtual course</a> led by Al Gore for the Climate Reality Project to become a more effective climate activist. One of the tasks in the course was to do some research on climate impacts and solutions, and write about it. I took a look at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection <a href="https://www.nj.gov/dep/">web page</a>, and I had some thoughts.</p><p>Governor Phil Murphy is committed to addressing climate change, and the state’s Department of Environmental Protection has a page called <a href="https://www.nj.gov/dep/climatechange/action.html">Take Action</a> with sections addressed to business owners, households, local governments, and schools, plus a summary of “New Jersey’s Key Initiatives.”</p><p>The homeowner section includes a <a href="https://www3.epa.gov/carbon-footprint-calculator/">carbon footprint calculator</a> that allows people to see how much carbon they are using, and where. This is a great resource to start your own journey with awareness of your own impact.</p><p>To help the environment, the page recommends several actions, including using energy efficient light bulbs, appliances, and heating and cooling systems; driving “green”; installing home solar panels; saving water; recycling; and planting trees. </p><p>According to the page, “the majority (42%) of New Jersey’s Greenhouse Gas emissions come from transportation.” To mitigate this, the state is encouraging residents to buy plug-in electrical cars while also planning to buy electric vehicles for use by state offices and as part of the public transit fleet. New Jersey is committed to transitioning from fossil fuels to clean energy sources, so the electricity powering all those electric cars would ideally come from wind and water, not from coal and gas.</p><p>The NJDEP site also contains the 148-page 2019 <a href="http://d31hzlhk6di2h5.cloudfront.net/20200127/84/84/03/b2/2293766d081ff4a3cd8e60aa/NJBPU_EMP.pdf">New Jersey Energy Master Plan</a>: Pathway to 2050, and this more comprehensive document includes several references to improving public transit and rethinking streets to make pedestrian and bicycle access more widespread and safer. But the “Take Action” page does not make any reference to these goals. </p><p>A third of all car trips in the United States are <a href="https://slate.com/business/2018/05/rich-young-americans-drive-less-than-their-low-income-peers.html">less than two miles long</a>. If there are safe options for walking and bicycling, many of those trips can be made without using a car at all, which is good for emissions, and also good for people’s health.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMft9tVsd93tA4ae2Od3ez-GKA0cLycv6qtylGPZMu-2YcCSjFbUsEN4qM_YJ6BejeoxseD5d9uc02yV5zHZsaOiEMdiVneoTeQ_bPL5XrxOY1jSsGSof2HrPTSCJKKlEHYjPkF33BW2I/s1890/bikes+in+snow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1299" data-original-width="1890" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMft9tVsd93tA4ae2Od3ez-GKA0cLycv6qtylGPZMu-2YcCSjFbUsEN4qM_YJ6BejeoxseD5d9uc02yV5zHZsaOiEMdiVneoTeQ_bPL5XrxOY1jSsGSof2HrPTSCJKKlEHYjPkF33BW2I/s320/bikes+in+snow.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>It is unfortunate, therefore, that the state’s public-facing recommendations don’t do more to encourage people to take short trips on foot or on a bicycle, and provide information and resources to make it easier for individuals to do so. </p><p>The state could create an ad campaign on radio, television, and the web about how drivers can behave to make bicycling safer, as well as reminding cyclists to ride with traffic, be visible, and signal intentions. Municipalities could give out helmets and demonstrate the use of baskets and panniers to carry groceries or schoolbooks. Increasing the number of bicyclists on the roads also makes them <a href=" https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/04/17/actually-cyclists-make-city-streets-safer/">safer for pedestrians</a>. </p><p>Instead of just encouraging drivers to buy electric cars, the state of New Jersey should build infrastructure, disseminate safety information, and give away gear to bike riders, in order to make the streets safer for everyone, reduce emissions, and improve the health of the population.</p>Heide Esteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022964463219865228noreply@blogger.com0New Jersey, USA40.0583238 -74.405661211.748089963821151 -109.5619112 68.368557636178849 -39.2494112tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212977055160670670.post-2628179163921221492020-03-01T16:15:00.000-05:002020-03-01T16:15:05.746-05:00Reduce your Carbon Footprint for LentThe suggestion comes around every year that instead of giving something up for Lent, folks should use the season to declutter their homes, finding one item per day to give away.<br />
<br />
The problem is, we're drowning in excess stuff. Decluttering, whether to spark joy or find God, doesn't address the problem of how we got all that stuff.<br />
<br />
I'm going to suggest, instead, taking action to reduce your carbon footprint for the days of Lent.<br />
<br />
Instead of giving things away for Lent, we could give up buying things. Give up a category, like clothing, and make the things you have in your home work for a few weeks longer.<br />
<br />
Or give up food waste. Or plastic supermarket bags. Or single-use plastic packaging.<br />
<br />
Or give up beef, as the meat that's highest in emissions, and for the 40 days of the holiday eat only fish and fowl. Or reduce the quantity of meat you eat rather than the kinds.<br />
<br />
In the solar year, Lent crosses the last few weeks of winter and the first few weeks of spring, a time when many of us are waiting eagerly for light and warmth, the change of season that will bring more light and enable more outdoor time and allow us to manufacture more vitamin D as we shed winter layers and take a big breath of relief that the dark cold of winter is over<br />
<br />
For our ancestors, it was the hungry time, when stores of late summer and fall crops like potatoes and apples were running out and the spring lettuces and early berries had yet to grow.<br />
<br />
Giving up a category of food as a religious exercise was a way to give meaning to the season's privations.Today, though, while poverty is an entrenched and serious problem, it doesn't follow the solar seasons the way it used to.<br />
<br />
Today, referigeration and global shipping allow us access to wide varieties of foods year-round -- so much so that if you didn't grow up in a rural community, you might not actually know what foods are seasonally available in your local area.<br />
<br />
Lent is a short time frame during which you can try out an action that will reduce your carbon footprint, and see if it will work for you in the longer term.<br />
<br />
What do you think?Heide Esteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022964463219865228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212977055160670670.post-38546013048229219022020-02-09T13:20:00.003-05:002020-02-09T13:20:16.318-05:00Circular EconomiesTo slow the release of carbon into the atmosphere, we can turn to renewable energy and biodegradable packaging, but to stop it, we need to return to a circular economy, with localized nodes all over the world.<br />
<br />
Our current global and local economies depend on "natural resources" and "human resources" with the assumption that these are limitless, that the earth possesses or will continue to generate enough raw materials for the endless production and transport of new goods. In fact, many of our global industries depend not just on stable markets, but continuously growing ones, for financial stability. We have now reached the point where this will no longer allow for environmental sustainability.<br />
<br />
In order to reach a point of truly circular economy, we need to reuse, recycle, compost, or burn (as fuel) everything we produce. And we're doing a terrible job at that.<br />
<br />
While glass and metals can readily be recycled and similar products created, with less energy output than refining new materials, recycling plastic is much more difficult. Plastic, once produced, can't be melted down and re-used in the same form.<br />
<br />
Water bottles (#1 plastic), for instance, can be made into fleece sweaters, but not into new plastic water bottles. There's a problem, though: every time you launder that fleece, you release microplastics into your town sewer system, and they end up in the ocean where they're killing wildlife.<br />
<br />
Here's a table from Oxford University that summarizes how plastics are generally recycled by communities:<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiez9UnI7Ybyi0rfZ03MtFPsPjnxIWbEYP2jFcSHkkbkvcQ6eywBH3gRmHkoSuU06mw2URaXIB9zROC8dK9DOAgmGa5VR89qNTmg0SuOTNkr5ODwVkk1zBPEc1NUZRsFY3RpFCcEF1xzA/s1600/plastic+types+by+recyclability.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1417" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiez9UnI7Ybyi0rfZ03MtFPsPjnxIWbEYP2jFcSHkkbkvcQ6eywBH3gRmHkoSuU06mw2URaXIB9zROC8dK9DOAgmGa5VR89qNTmg0SuOTNkr5ODwVkk1zBPEc1NUZRsFY3RpFCcEF1xzA/s320/plastic+types+by+recyclability.png" width="283" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">Go <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/faq-on-plastics#are-all-types-of-plastic-equally-easy-to-recycle" target="_blank">here</a> for the full-size image</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
It turns out, though, that the situation isn't quite as dire, in theory: Plastics labeled #2, #3, #4, and #5 can be turned into plastic wood. The town of Long Branch started a program last year to recycle <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LongBranchCity/posts/recycle-your-plastic-bags-and-wrappers-and-help-the-city-get-a-free-park-benchdr/2234642839889245/" target="_blank">plastic bags and wrappers</a> (#4). They promised a park bench after 500 pounds of packaging was collected, and this January, the first bench was installed near Lake Takanassee.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg0gZlHJg1zlJ0vtfP2jc5QfWa-ZCaoL5zFxhwA-BDGzZorqBgiJ1osTyOhnzxTFwmyo791LZduT8HwQQlF6fIuSXzZtnDJtxCIVyak_Xj-b462s98oXRwK2kZFI1cJ7rBx8Zf12rmnqI/s1600/bench.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1327" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg0gZlHJg1zlJ0vtfP2jc5QfWa-ZCaoL5zFxhwA-BDGzZorqBgiJ1osTyOhnzxTFwmyo791LZduT8HwQQlF6fIuSXzZtnDJtxCIVyak_Xj-b462s98oXRwK2kZFI1cJ7rBx8Zf12rmnqI/s320/bench.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Meanwhile, the town of Middletown, NJ recently opened a <a href="https://www.middletownnj.org/561/Styrofoam-Recycling" target="_blank">styrofoam recycling center</a>, open to residents of the entire county. It only collects styrofoam used in packaging and shipping, not food-grade products, so you still need to get a reusable mug for your Dunkin Donuts coffee, and avoid take-out that's packaged in styrofoam.<br />
<br />
There's a breakdown, however, been theory and practice. Between 1950 and 2015, the amount of plastic products produced annually rose almost 200-fold, from 2 million metric tons per year to 381 million metric tons, and only <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/faq-on-plastics" target="_blank">9 percent of that</a> was recycled.<br />
<br />
We need to do better, and when it comes to plastics we need to address this in several different ways.<br />
<br />
Governments need to enact carbon taxes to encourage corporate and individual consumers to use less carbon, by making it more expensive.<br />
<br />
Producers of plastic products need to do a better job of making containers out of more easily recyclable products when possible, researching and developing biodegradable containers, and avoiding excess packaging.<br />
<br />
Consumers need to send a message through individual purchases and buying habits that we don't want plastic. We need to:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>stop buying bottled water and other products packaged in single-use plastics</li>
<li>refuse excess packaging, for instance when we buy loose produce</li>
<li>advocate with local and state governments to enact plastic bag bans, and meanwhile make the choice to use reusable bags for our shopping</li>
<li>boycott Dunkin Donuts and other corporations that still use styrofoam instead of paper hot drink cups, and tell them why</li>
</ul>
<div>
... and more. Those are starting points, not end points. We need to move to an economy where everything we produce can be repurposed in some way. It's going to take imagination and persistence. If we don't do it voluntarily, the effects of climate crisis will force the issue.</div>
Heide Esteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022964463219865228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212977055160670670.post-61000666974603967602020-01-05T10:44:00.002-05:002020-01-05T10:44:53.674-05:00Biking in New YorkAfter a bad crash almost three years ago, I've been biking in New York again. Some things have changed, some things have not.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHGtYSFquHhOfPLtyD1bDxrxZnytc8bb3Ld9-VXZrGHg8pTTlgBEyTBcqZmUGybAEIhCr9_yZ5xUEmEdEb4RkAEe_QGbD8LmSctSvb1Ap7pCQV5FQYecYObVuyKOQWAcruHGREJmgDlrQ/s1600/8CEB7924-A511-4AC4-8455-DE07D7BA91EE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHGtYSFquHhOfPLtyD1bDxrxZnytc8bb3Ld9-VXZrGHg8pTTlgBEyTBcqZmUGybAEIhCr9_yZ5xUEmEdEb4RkAEe_QGbD8LmSctSvb1Ap7pCQV5FQYecYObVuyKOQWAcruHGREJmgDlrQ/s320/8CEB7924-A511-4AC4-8455-DE07D7BA91EE.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Unchanged: pedestrians. They step into the street without paying attention, they walk in the bike lane, they text and walk, they behave with complete unpredictability. I appreciate the anarchy on a philosophical level, but on a practical level I’d like them to acquire some level of self-preservation.<br />
<br />
Changed: a flashy new protected two-way bike lane on 20th Street, between 1st Avenue and the East River. That used to be the scariest part of my ride, with unprotected bike lanes going both directions on a two-way street, constantly blocked by parked and stopped cars, an access road on the other side of a sidewalk, and parked cars that made it really hard to know where the next 2000-pound barrel of death might come from.<br />
<br />
Changed: protected on-way lanes on some of the cross streets, with plastic bollards to keep the cars out AND no line of parked cars, so you can actually see the traffic.<br />
<br />
Unchanged: construction projects that block the bike lane, forcing cyclists out into the stream of motorized traffic streaming down the avenues.<br />
<br />
Unchanged: drivers that use the bike lane as a stopping zone, loading zone, unloading zone, delivery zone, temporary parking. Whatever. Sometimes, every block has an obstruction in the bike lane.<br />
<br />
Unchanged: the “protected” bike lanes on the avenues with a line of parked cars that make it so you can’t see the traffic, you don’t know if a driver is going to open a door into your path, and if a pedestrian steps in front of you, your options are to slam on the brakes or hit a parked car. Sometiems both.<br />
<br />
Changed: the sheer numbers of cyclists. There are more of them than ever. This provides a certain amount of protection by sheer numbers, because drivers know to look for us. But New Yorkers being New Yorkers, it also means a net increase in chaos, with more people riding against traffic in one-way bike lanes.<br />
<br />
Unchanged: the city still doesn't have an infrastructure or a culture that prioritizes anything other than motor vehicles. <a href="https://www1.nyc.gov/content/visionzero/pages/" target="_blank">Vision Zero</a> is still a dream.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Heide Esteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022964463219865228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212977055160670670.post-55578324156798179982020-01-02T09:12:00.000-05:002020-01-02T09:12:05.832-05:00More Biking in the New YearI teach a couple of classes in which I ask students to undertake a semester-long personal project where they commit to some small change that will benefit the environment. I generally make my own commitment as well, and write about it in the same on-line discussion board where the students write about theirs.<br />
<br />
My point: we can’t stop climate change, but we can make it less bad. It’s going to take efforts on the parts of individuals, corporations, AND governments. It’s our problem, not somebody else’s.<br />
<br />
In the Fall, I told my Humans and the Environment students that I was going to do my grocery shopping by bike.<br />
<br />
I failed spectacularly. I made it to the supermarket twice all semester.<br />
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When I’ve lived in Cambridge, I’ve done all of my shopping by bike, regardless of weather conditions. I didn’t have a car, so I had no choice. I shopped once or twice a month at the big supermarket on the other side of town, on weekends at the farm stand, and at the small shop in the center of town when I needed something quick.<br />
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And when living in NYC, I’ve always done all of my shopping on foot or by bike. Parking, at both ends, is just too much of a hassle.<br />
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But having a car in New Jersey, and the presence of ample free parking everywhere, made it too easy to drive.<br />
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I’ll pat myself on the back for this: even though it wasn’t an articulated goal, I always managed to bike to the gym when I wasn’t already on campus for teaching and meetings. I also either walked or biked to work almost every single day, except for the weeks when I had walking pneumonia.<br />
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This spring, I’ll try again to add grocery shopping into the biking mix.<br />
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Problem in the fall: I didn’t make my goal concrete enough, and I didn’t give myself time to get up to speed. Plan for spring: In January, I’ll aim for at least one trip to the supermarket by bike, in February, at least two, in March, at least three, and thereafter, four per month (or once a week).<br />
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Problem in the fall: I didn’t commit to times or days when I was going to shop by bike. Solution: I’ll pick the days and plan ahead to make sure I have the time and equipment.<br />
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Problem in the fall: I didn’t plan ahead. I’d be at the end of the work day and realize I was missing a key ingredient for dinner. Plan: always bike to work with an empty pannier, locks, and lights so I can ride by the supermarket on the way home.<br />
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Also, I’ll be more careful about planning menus at the beginning of the week and buying groceries that will support them, rather than buying a bunch of random stuff that looks good and assuming it will come together.<br />
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Problem in the fall: I didn’t pick specific stores that I was going to bike to. Proposed solution: plan one trip to the health food store, one trip to each of the two closest supermarkets, and one trip to the farmer’s market. Figure out what I can do comfortably, and then do it.<br />
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Wish me luck. Hold me accountable. And tell me what you’re doing this year to make a difference.<br />
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<br />Heide Esteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08022964463219865228noreply@blogger.com0