nature lovers Archives - Page 4 of 5

We Are Biodiversity: Quotes and Photos.

“Like the air you breathe, abundance in all things is available to you. Your life will simply be as good as you allow it to be.”
Abraham-Hicks @abrahamhickspublications

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”
Marie Curie

“Biodiversity concerns us first and foremost because we are biodiversity, us and everything that lives on earth.”
Hubert Reeves
_{Unofficially translated by Natacha Neveu @thesortinghouse from ‘Grain’ the book from @la_releve_et_la_peste : “La biodiversité nous concerne au premier chef, car la biodiversité c’est nous, nous et tout ce qui vit sur terre.”}

“We call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words.”
Anna Sewell

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”
Vicki Corona

“The enormous potential of youth can be unleashed for the wellbeing of the world, and it would have a tremendous impact, only if we make our youth inspired, inclusive and insightful.”
Sadhguru

“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumoured by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations.”
Origin unknown – falsely attributed to Buddha apparently.

One Piece of Rubbish – a poem

Cigarette butts are one of the leading causes of ocean (and planet) pollution – they are made from plastic fibres that do not decompose but rather draw further pollutants to it over time. They are easily mistaken for food by animals who have been found with heaps of our synthetic materials in their stomachs on autopsy and if that wasn’t bad enough, they look hideous littered everywhere, they won’t ever disappear and just one butt can pollute 500 litres of our clean water.

Every time I go out, I pick up at least #1pieceofrubbish , sometimes more, but never less. It feels quite good, I confess.

I don’t even have to go out of my way, because there is rubbish there every day. Whenever, all the time. Wherever I go, I find.

Today, wherever you are; whether you’re going from house to car, bus to work, or work to bar – whoever you are, just pick one piece of rubbish up this time and humanity might end up being just fine.

Without actually even going out of your way, it’s possible to claim this rubbish today, make it your piece to dispose of in a much better, a much nicer way.

Small Actions Build Big

Everything I do, I do for you.

Water, source of life on Earth.
Provider of incredible abundance and bearer of devastating decimation.

I am forever in awe of what water has allowed us to accomplish, and completely terrified of what we are allowing ourselves to do to it. Knowing that our brothers and sisters in some parts of our world are more likely to see this post on their smartphone than be granted easy access to clean water is harrowing.

Our Duty

Isn’t it weird that we know more about the surface of Mars than we do about our planet’s oceans?

The secrets are many, and our foolishness just as vast. For we are likely to destroy many of these underwater treasures without even having an inkling of their existence, secrets that could have held the key to so many enigmas and solved so many of our manmade problems.

Like a Wave From the Ocean

“You didn’t come into this world. You came out of it, like a wave from the ocean. You are not a stranger here”
Alan Watts

You are no stranger on this planet.

Look after yourself and your home, our lives depend on it.

Nobody has it all figured out. Yet. Let that not be a reason to stop you.

Everything changes all the time. You can too. How exciting!

Why not try it? Won’t you come and join us too?

If you are reading this, know that

Vital Link

As functioning humans in society, many of us have lost our vital link to nature. We have forgotten the pivotal role that nature plays in our growth and wellbeing.

We have reduced nature to nothing more than annoying weather and pesky wildlife. Reduced it to something that stands in our way of a self-proclaimed good time or dirty profit. In doing so, we are robbing nature of its majestic, pure, effortless beauty, and we are sabotaging our rightful place here, as well as that of our children.

1818 Above Sea Level

_{Updated 17 August 2022 – Original Post 21 December 2019}

At 1818 meters above sea level on a stunning mountain top where people come to watch the sunrise creeping out above the clouds, cigarette butts in insane amounts are left polluting this breathtaking site. This means that the ground and rainwater which then runs down the valleys, to our gardens, to crops, to nature, the sea, rivers, lakes and into our drinking water is also polluted by this careless action.

I went to admire the sunrise on this early morning and admire it I did. It was magical to see the burning light of the sun emerge above the clouds, to witness the incredible power of golden energy piercing the darkness and humidity of the early morning as the night crept away into day. Yet there was definitely a saddening shadow cast on the moment, total disappointment ushering away the natural love and awe, for it was impossible to ignore the sheer thoughtlessness of my fellows.

Trashgram

_{Updated 15 July 2022 – Original post 18 December 2019}

Behind all the glossy, curated, fancy images we see on social media, there is often a deeper story. For every beautiful vista, the reality is that there are bag-loads of loose garbage scattered around just out of shot.

Anywhere and everywhere in the world, in even the cleanest of places, if nothing else, I bet that there is at least one sweet wrapper or at least one cigarette butt to be found on the ground, somewhere around.

What a Catch!

What a catch!

The oceans form vast and diverse ecosystems that all play a vital role in making the planet we live on hospitable.

Since man has developed and evolved, we have treated the oceans like our personal pantry, battlefield and garbage bin without any reverence for its importance in our lives outside of our summer holidays and highly processed dinners.

Although once believed to be a limitless source of sustenance and money-making possibility, our reality shows us that all seafaring wildlife (and farmed seafood) currently surveyed has been infested by mankind’s pollution in some way or another. Yet we are still willingly ruining a damn good source of protection for ourselves

Birds, turtles and other sea creatures are being found either dead due to ingested plastic and chemicals, or their species are directly on rapid decline due to other human-induced environmental stressors.

The smaller fish, and even some bigger ones, who are yet to meet their demise through manmade environmental pollution, have to battle against aggressive industrial fishing techniques that are obliterating the equilibrium of our valuable marine ecosystem even further.

Active fishing gear is obviously a death trap, and the entire fishing industry is inherently wasteful in their exploitation of this vital resource – which actually doesn’t belong to them in the first place. These are issues in themselves, but did you know that one of the most ridiculous parts of it all is the #ghostfishing .

Ghost fishing is what happens when fishing gear is lost, forgotten or carelessly discarded by individuals or industry. They are the tools once used by mankind to keep us fed, that continue killing endlessly to feed nobody.

No being is safe, all types of marine life from fish, turtles to dolphins, and even humans can get stuck in #ghostgear . Sadly, many of our animal friends don’t get away and they die needlessly.

Most fishing gear is made of some type of plastic, it is obviously made to last and withstand incredible force. After having served the fishing market and killing millions more out of service, it will likely break up into #microplastics. Whatever happens, it will find its way into our food chain eventually.

You can take a stand by learning more about the industries you support, ask more questions about their practices, become curious about how that food got on your plate and figure out whether the impact on our future generations is worth your participation after all.

Ici Sete

^{Updated and translated from French 17 July 2022 – Original post 11 November 2019}

Named the ‘Singular almost-Island’ because of the vast swathes of water surrounding it, Sete has incubated great artists such as Paul Valery, George Brassens, Jean Vilar or Manitas de Plata.

Without forgetting the latest insult of the new generation of “stars” from Demain Nous Appartient – ironically titled ‘Tomorrow is Ours’ – a French soap opera that is increasingly popular with the youth and lobotomised masses still ignorantly hypnotised by their distraction devices and actively destroying their own tomorrow – *sips tisane*.

Aside from the context in which I was spending it, I was lucky to have passed many a sunny school holiday here. Learning to sail on the saltwater etang, appreciating la belle vie in harmony with nature, frolicking in the waves of the Mediterranean sea. Basically making fond childhood memories amongst a stunning backdrop, as kids did before all the screens took over.

Sète has always been a special place, I’m not aware of a single person that knows it and hasn’t fostered a deep love for it. Attractive for the year-round sunshine with a unique and colourful mish-mash of cultures coming together in a quirky symphony under the Mont Saint-Clair.

Understandably then that it’s an increasingly sought-after destination, nicknamed ‘The Venice of Languedoc’ because of the canals that run through the town and its particularly privileged situation on the Cap of the Golfe du Lion. Surrounded by vast stretches of fine, sandy beaches and with many renowned cultural events taking place throughout the year that draw even more great artists and their devoted followers.

Today I’m not here to sell you a desire to visit but to show you another side to the quaint picture-perfect postcard images. A reality that is actually present in most places for those willing to look.