bajabeachbabe
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Earth Day - Good News from Baja
The following article from the Laguna Beach Coastline Pilot talks about the arroyo clean-up done last week by about 200 volunteers in Loreto. Good
stuff.
Chasing Down The Muse:
Showing the Earth some love
By Catharine Cooper
“There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground…”
— Rumi
Forty years ago, 20 million Americans pooled their energies and created the first Earth Day. As envisioned by U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson, the day was to
be filled with educational teach-ins.
Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Isolated groups that had been struggling
against issues such as oil spills, polluting factories, raw sewage, pesticides, loss of wilderness and extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they
shared common values.
The most impressive thing about the beginnings of the movement was its grassroots organization. “Earth Day” had no central governing body, and simply
grew on its own. The event is now celebrated in more than 175 countries.
Earth Day in Loreto, BCS, Mexico — Loreto Pride in Action — was celebrated April 18. Fueled by the relentless dream of the local environmental
awareness group and sponsor Eco-Alianza, this year’s event had more than 200 participants from all walks of the community, with the greatest number
being youths from Loreto.
A location was selected that had become a dumping ground of local trash and garbage. Arroyo Candeleria is the second largest arroyo in Loreto and
during the summer storm season becomes a raging torrent, sweeping anything within its banks into the Sea of Cortez. To clean this dry river bed not
only benefits the current environment by ridding it of trash and toxic chemicals carelessly left behind, but protects the waters and its inhabitants
in the upcoming months.
The event began with sign-ins at 7:30 in the morning. Participants were given name tags, T-shirts displaying the Pride Campaign logo of the Chocolate
Clam, the Bay of Loreto National Park, Eco-Alianza and the Waterkeeper Alliance — and a handful of heavy-duty black trash bags. A short walk to the
arroyo was the last easy task of the morning hours.
While not quite a dump, the arroyo had more than its share of disposed diapers, fish heads, empty plastic bottles, tires, paint cans, spent or broken
building supplies, broken roof tiles, clothing, discarded shoes, beer and wine bottles, along with molded reeking garbage. At times a gagging reflex
interfered with collecting the waste.
There are several reasons for the refuse. The primary is lack of education and an understanding of the relationship of the arroyo to the health of the
sea. This year’s Pride Campaign logo — “Por un mar lleno do vida” (“For a sea full of life!”) — was designed to increase awareness.
The second and third reasons have to do with garbage collection. While there is a service, not everyone has garbage cans, and the pickup is once a
week. With fisherman, the catch — and resultant fish heads and remains — are often a daily occurrence. Most of them have no automobiles or trucks with
which to transport the fish refuse to the city dump, and to put them in cans next to their house is to invite a fly fest and stench of unimaginable
proportions.
The fourth reason is based on habit, with a hint of laziness. It’s always been dumped that way. There hasn’t been demonstrated sufficient reason to
change.
Which takes the arguments full cycle back to the involvement of the youth in the clean-up process. Always, it is through the youth that real change is
born and instituted. They may not be able to alter the behaviors of their parents, but they are learning for themselves the interrelationship of land
to sea.
For myself, I was fascinated that as I cleaned one area, there was layer upon layer of trash to be removed. Lifting up a bag of garbage revealed
another layer of bottles. Picking up the bottles revealed another layer of tattered clothing. Lifting up the clothing revealed another layer of
garbage and plastic.
Bags of trash and broken furniture were loaded into pickup trucks and trailers headed to the dump. At last, the dusty, tired cadre of clean-up crew
reached the end of the arroyo at the highway. Behind us — a pristine environment — the efforts of our labor clearly visible to all.
A barbecue luncheon on the beach at Rancho El Jaral was hosted by Eco-Alianza for all the participants. A quick dip in the turquoise blue waters
provided the perfect antidote for the dusty cleanup.
Loreto Pride Campaign pooled the energies of several local groups, including Rare Conservation’s director of the Fisheries Fellow Program, Cynthia
Mayoral, the Bay of Loreto National Park, “Pride” Campaign Manager Perla Lozano Angulo and her colleagues, and Edna Peralta, program coordinator for
children’s education and outreach programs of Eco-Alianza.
The ultimate goal of Earth Day is that every day becomes a celebration of the planet we call home. Again, it’s our job to protect her, to nurture her
and increasingly commit ourselves to living within a sustainable envelope. We all win — the Earth and us — when we make conscious choices about our
food, water, consumables and waste. Be thoughtful.
Be careful.
Envelop the planet with the same love with which you shower your children and friends.
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MrBillM
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The BEST News about Earth Day
Was that it was Little-Noticed.
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tehag
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Earth Day
Huh??
Certainty is the child of ignorance, knowledge is the mother of doubt. Question everything!
http://bcsbirds.com |
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DENNIS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by tehag
Huh?? |
I think Thursday was Earth Day.
http://www.earthday.org/earthday2010
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tehag
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Earth Day
I was just wondering what Mr Bill meant.
Certainty is the child of ignorance, knowledge is the mother of doubt. Question everything!
http://bcsbirds.com |
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mtgoat666
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| Quote: | Originally posted by tehag
I was just wondering what Mr Bill meant. |
I think he was just being Mr Bile.
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wilderone
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Great event in Loreto - Eco-Alianza is really making a difference there. Should be a model for other Baja towns. Congrautlations and thank you to
all participants on your clean-up success.
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MrBillM
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Earth-Day Downturn
I was simply making note of the fact that the latest Earth-Day attendance and news coverage was pale in comparison with previous celebrations.
And, I found the lesser degree of sophistry and silliness was an encouraging indicator.
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monoloco
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Encouraging? Encouraged that people are less concerned with the health of the planet? I'm a bit confused.
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MrBillM
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Mono Logical
While it's been clear for a long time that Loco is a "Bit" confused, in this case his conclusion only makes sense IF one makes the leap in logic that
the Single-Day "Earth" party is an accurate measure of appropriate ecological interest or action. In the somewhat Bizarre world of the Eco-Freaks,
events such as "Earth Day" are the definition of Good versus Evil. You're either on one side or the other. Which is, of course, nonsense.
As far as Balboa Park goes, it's packed with Homeless Deranged Derelicts on any given day. Given the nature of the Ecos, it's easy to mistake one for
the other.
In any case, worldwide participation was WAY DOWN according to all of the news sources I saw. I'm sure that, in areas noted for Left-Wing Advocates,
the kooks came out.
Needless to say, they missed a great opportunity to organize a mass Haranguing in Iceland to demonstrate Man's misuse of the Planet. I'm sure they
could have come up with "some" illogical connection that would energize the Lemmings.
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tehag
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Kooks
I was one of the left-wing kooks in that arroyo. The vast majority were early and pre-teens. Whichever wing they are influenced by, they were at least
doing something besides sitting at a computer belittling those who actually care enough to do something. Ineffectual, perhaps, but something.
Certainty is the child of ignorance, knowledge is the mother of doubt. Question everything!
http://bcsbirds.com |
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MrBillM
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The VAST Majority ?
Were EARLY and PRE-Teens ?
Now, THERE's an informed bunch possessed of the experience necessary for critical analysis.
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mtgoat666
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| Quote: | Originally posted by MrBillM
Were EARLY and PRE-Teens ?
Now, THERE's an informed bunch possessed of the experience necessary for critical analysis. |
i am sure that even children could size up mr bile in under 10 minutes and determine that the damage from mr biles's respiratory CO2 emissions far
exceeds any good he has ever or will ever contribute to the world, and arrive at conclusion that cessation of mr bile's respiration would be a win-win
result for this world 
[Edited on 4-25-2010 by mtgoat666]
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bajabeachbabe
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| Quote: | Originally posted by MrBillM
Were EARLY and PRE-Teens ?
Now, THERE's an informed bunch possessed of the experience necessary for critical analysis. |
You obviously missed the whole point. The young people are the future and it is only through changing their attitudes and actions that any
meaningful improvement will occur.
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DENNIS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajabeachbabe
You obviously missed the whole point. The young people are the future and it is only through changing their attitudes and actions that any
meaningful improvement will occur. |
MrBill misses few points and agrees with fewer. That's just the way it is. 
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bajabass
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajabeachbabe
| Quote: | Originally posted by MrBillM
Were EARLY and PRE-Teens ?
Now, THERE's an informed bunch possessed of the experience necessary for critical analysis. |
You obviously missed the whole point. The young people are the future and it is only through changing their attitudes and actions that any
meaningful improvement will occur. |
Exactly BBB! Just teaching people to clean up after themselves is hard
enough, let alone getting teens these days to do anything. To have them working to clean the area in which they live is remarkable and deserves
recognition, Bravo!
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Bajahowodd
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Just wonder why Mr. bile finds such great gratification in the idea that people may seemingly be less enthusiastic about saving the earth. It can only
be a reflection of his dark soul.
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MrBillM
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I'm SO Hurt.
Just Kidding. I really don't give a Crap about adverse opinions.
But, you knew that, didn't you ?
AND, that's MISTER Bowel Movement SIR to you and the rest of the
Lefty Eco-Freak Retards.
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David K
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The Left doesn't have an exclussive on wanting a clean planet... they just have used those events to promote thier politics as being more noble
because 'they care'... not because they actually do any good.
In fact, the mess left by those attending earth day events in past years have been incredible and took great amounts of time, energy and money to
clean up after!
In the case of past earth day events, the earth would have been a lot better off if everyone stayed at home or work, if they had jobs!
What happened in Baja sounds nice... Cleaning up after yourself should happen every day, not just on earth day... right? 
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