Dog Days of Summer
Until this year I have never given the Dog
Days of Summer much thought. That is because although I grew up in a
sunny hot climate, I never experienced a true Dog Day. I was a
child when air conditioning was rare and certainly not used in our family.
My mother provided cooling by
opening all curtains and windows after the sun slipped below the western
horizon. In those days, no one locked their houses at night or any time. We
would have laughed at the thought of locking the door. We lived in a quiet
village of friendly people. Though we were an hour or more from the ocean, we
were blessed by breezes coming off the Pacific, which cooled our homes every
night. At times we had thick fog that watered redwoods that
grew nearby. The fog dissipated as the sun warmed the earth and brilliant blue
skies reigned through spring, summer and fall. Our seasonal creek dried up as
summer progressed, but not before we had watched pollywogs become frogs and
played in the creek to our heart’s content.
Global warming was unheard of in those days.
My whole world seemed safe and friendly. It seems that a lot has dried up since
that time, the forest, woods, lush fields, unlocked doors. I don’t know about
you, but I don’t feel as safe or content as I did back then. What I DO feel is
a sense of urgency to turn this Global Warming around. What can we do
individually to make a difference for us all? There are many things we can
do to reduce our carbon footprint. Here are three to start.
1. 1. Consider reducing red meat and dairy in your
diet. Red meat has the largest environmental impact. A plant based diet has
positive health benefits.
2. 2. Eat locally produced seasonal fruits and
veggies. This saves on transportation cost and fuel.
3. 3. Fly less Zoom meetings are the smart way to
save money and still get important work done, with less cost, fatigue and
travel frustration. It’s a win/win!
There are many simple things we can do. If you
have ideas, please share them. Together we can
make a difference.
