Global Warming, Personal Health, & Finances

[lph]

Yeah, I read somewhere that hedgehogs like messy gardens with a pile of brush or something they can tootle around and unearth insects in.

A month or two later we had a hedgehog couple mating right next to our front door. Doesn't say much for our "front garden", but they sure were cute

As for the global warming thing: I'm convinced, but I'm also enough of a scientist to not rule out other explanations. My view is: global warming MAY turn out to be natural variation, but as long as most of the facts point towards mankind's influence, we can't afford to ignore it. We don't have the time to experiment.

[Tuckervill]

I've heard about the bee numbers being down, but as for other insects...not around here! We have lots and lots of bugs of every kind here. We have plenty of wildlife. A flock of goldfinches landed in the yard yesterday. We have so many birds that our 50 yards of grapevines on our south fence never get to finish a grape--the birds eat them while they're still green. Our seven pecan trees get pillaged by the squirrels before we can get enough to make a pie. The grass beneath the old giant oak is paved with acorns, but only the tops. The squirrels get those nuts, too. A nutria pair live in the neighbor's lot, and I frequently see a fox and an opossum late at night. I live in the middle of a town of 20,000 people, not in the country.

I just got back from a 5300 mile trip to the west coast and back. As far as I can tell, the Earth has a long way to go to before it's paved over. We went through thousands of miles of desert and forest and living, breathing wilderness. Still, I don't think developers should cut down all the trees and replace them with saplings when they build a neighborhood. I wouldn't buy one of those houses, either.

I believe the planet is warming up. I suspect it's part of a natural cycle, but that we should do what we can not to contribute. And sometimes I think the danger is overstated. Some of the posters who have posted need a wider perspective, too.

Karen

[Python]

Thought you'd like to see this wonderful little fellow. He's a Slow Worm and is a protected species in the UK. Athough he looks like a snake, he's actually a legless lizard. At the back of our house is a nature reserve which is home to many animals like squirrels, badgers, Slow Worms and foxes. There are also Owls, Woodpeckers and many other species of wildlife. There are also wildflowers that only grow in this area and are therefore protected. That is why building is not allowed on that land and I'm lucky to be able to open my back gate and walk straight into this beautiful place which is on the outskirts of the town.

The Slow Worm turned up under the compost heap last summer. We took pics of him then put him back into the woodland. Last week we had another one which my cat was about to pounce on. It was much younger so he was promptly put back into the woodland too. Last seen slithering off under a pile of twigs.



I hope we never lose these lovely animals. Like hedgehogs they are gardeners friends as they will come into your garden and eat many of the garden pests like slugs

[Trek420]

Where's Nanci? She needs to see this. He's beeyooteeful.

[missymaya]

That's one purdy lizard!! We have similar lizards, we call 'em glass snakes because they break so easy. It's neat to see a similar species in another part of the world. Thanks for the pic Python!

[LBTC]

My apologies for skipping over a few posts....

CFLs scare me with their mercury content. I'm waiting for LEDs to be affordable, and turning off the lights where they don't need to be on.

No kids in our house. Best we can do to reduce the over population crisis.

Shower together. Conserve water.

Buy used clothes. Consume less.

Keep the mtb trails skinny - smaller footprint.

I don't comprehend the idea of global warming well, as others have posted. The earth has been here a long time, and we can't possibly understand her natural cycles, or how our actions actually fit into her destiny. Many of my choices just naturally reduce the same things that they say cause global warming. I'm good with my choices, are you?

Last I heard, rice paddies are a major producer of methane. There just aren't any simple answers.

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

[Laterider21958]

Is anybody out there concerned about how much is being produced for a throw away society mindset? It just amazes and worries me. I hate waste, and our society is becoming very wasteful. I know there are recycling efforts, but is it truly, totally recycling that is happening, or re-use and then toss? It's a hard question, and I don't know if there is a solution as we have travelled so far down the consumerism path. The major countries economies revolve around us buying something they produce to make a profit. Is it too late? Somewhere there is a huge electrical appliance/car etc cemetery. Why aren't industries required to produce items that can be repaired or returned for component replacement or reuse?

On another note......I do feel that I'm trying to do my bit for the world. I try to ride and not use the car. I don't toss out perfectly good stuff just because I would like a change and I take as much as I can to the recyclers to do what they do with it, instead of chucking it in the bin without a thought.

This stuff is probably in the wrong forum - Sorry...