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A TOUCH OF NATURE
Novemer 1, 2002 Issue
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DONNA'S COMMENTS

Home Depot and National Wildlife Federation are teaming up! Starting this fall, Home Depot stores are helping people transform their yards into Backyard Wildlife Habitat sites by offering National Wildlife Federation habitat-friendly products and hosting Backyard Wildlife Habitat clinics.

How interested are you in the natural world? Have you considered an environmental degree? Environmental majors have all the fun. Sure, there's the inevitable library and laboratory research found in most subjects, but you can also scuba dive in glacial lakes, take kids on hiking trips, and make a difference protecting our world. You can learn more about this for yourself or maybe someone in your family that you see smitten with the awe of nature! Vist "The Environmental University" online.

Have you heard about Destiny USA? It's scheduled to open in Syracuse, NY in 2004. Destiny USA will not only be the largest resort/hospitality center in the world, but it will also be powered with alternative types of energy including solar panels, fuel cells, windmills and other alternative energy systems. Robert Congel, the developer, says that DestiNY USA will be the largest green building in the world by using no fossil fuel energy! This is great news for those who have dreamed about the possibilities of making their own electricity, but have not been financially able to get started. With more folks wanting alternative energy, the prices will become much more competitive for us as consumers! Take a peek at the project yourself!

Till next time....think about the energy you use - it's a great place to conserve not only for the planet, but for the pocketbook.

Thinking green....
Donna

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CRITTER FACTS
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WHITE-TAILED DEER

Winter is a time when we can spot more deer than in summer when the foilage in the forests provide great concealment. White-tailed deer are tan or brown in the summer and grayish brown in winter. When white-tailed deer are alarmed, they may stomp their hooves and snort to warn other deer. They may also "flag" or raise their tails and show its white underside. When deer are running, this white underside can help fawns follow their mothers. Read more about deer.

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CHARACTER QUALITIES IN NATURE
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STRUGGLES ARE ESSENTIAL FOR ACHIEVEMENT: Cecropia Moth

A North American species of the silkworm is the cecropia moth. Their cocoons may be seen in trees and bushes during the winter months. They are often carried into homes for observation and study where the fascinating events of the emerging moth are attentively watched.

On one such occasion a young viewer watched with awe as the top of the cocoon broke open and the mother struggled to release itself. As he watched the moth struggle to exert its newly-formed muscles, he observed that its progress was very slow. In an effort to help, he reached down and widened the opening of the cocoon to make it easier for the moth to get out. Within a few minutes it was free from its prison. Its shriveled wings were wrapped close to its body. Soon the wings would fill out, and it would be able to fly. But as the boy watched, the wings remained shriveled.. Something was wrong.

What he didn't realize was that the struggle to get out of the cocoon was an essential means of developing the muscle system of the moth's body. The pressure of these muscles working together was necessary to push the blood into the wings and fill them out to their full dimension.

In an effort to relieve a struggle, the boy had crippled the future of this creature. He realized at the expense of the cecropia moth that present struggles are essential for future achievement.

Another good lesson to be learned is not to be so quick to give "mother nature" a hand.

Source: Character Sketches, Vol. I, Institute in Basic Life Principles

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GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE- Restoring the Balance
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MAKE YOUR GARDEN A WINTER HOME FOR WILDLIFE

Winter is a good time to assess our backyard and gardens to see how wildlife-friendly they are-or could be- with a little human help. During the colder months, most critters are gearing up for spring by searching for high-energy food. The best and easiest way to offer winter food for wildlife is by planting vegetation that produces berries, nuts or seeds. - DEAD LINK REMOVED - Read the rest of the article.

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"GREEN" INFO- Making It a Way of Life!
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CELL OUTS

Within three years, Americans alone will discard about 130 million cellular telephones annually, generating 65,000 tons of toxic trash, according to a recent report. On average, cell-phone-owning Americans (135 million of them and counting) hang on to their hi-tech toys for 18 months before tossing them in the garbage, according to Inform, the environmental organization that released the report. Into the garbage with them (and from there into the landfill) goes an entire alphabet soup of toxins, from arsenic to zinc, that have been associated with cancer and neurological problems, especially in children. The report urges the cell phone industry to expand "take-back" programs so phones and batteries can be recycled, as well as to standardize technical and design features so users don't have to throw their phones away when they switch services. [CNN.com, Associated Press, 08 May 2002]

DONATE YOUR CELL PHONE - DON'T TRASH IT!

Donate your used wireless phone to support Donate a Phone CALL to PROTECT, which aids in the fight against domestic violence. Wireless phones are reprogrammed with emergency phone numbers and redistributed free of charge to victims in need.

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MUSINGS: THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
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"In pushing other species to extinction,
humanity is busily sawing off the limb
on which it is perched."

--Paul Ehrlich, 1973

"Extinction proves our arrogance,
but actions prove our love."

--Scott Boven, 2002

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GOOD NEWS ABOUT OUR PLANET
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HOT SPOT: CHINA'S YUNNAN PROVINCE

The unique combination of rivers and mountains, climates and elevations in the northwest corner of China's Yunnan Province has created one of the Earth's richest biodiversity hot spots. In 1998 the Yunnan provincial government invited The Nature Conservancy to help create a conservationa and economic development plan for northwest Yunnan. Learn about the Conservancy's strategies to protect this ecologically critical place.

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DISCLAIMER:

The content, suggestions, and web links in this newsletter are for informational purposes only and not necessarily endorsed our sponsor "The Herbs Place.com" This is a personal publication by Donna Watkins. The ideas and information expressed in it have not been approved or authorized by anyone either explicitly or impliedly. In no event shall Donna Watkins or "The Herbs Place.com" be liable for any damages whatsoever resulting from any action arising in connection with the use of this information or its publication, including any action for infringement of copyright or defamation

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