In Colorado, 70 percent of the lodgepole pines have been lost, with pines in other states also in trouble. Pine beetles feed on the pines. Histori- cally, winter brings death to both the beetles and weakened trees, which fall to feed a renewed forest. Due to warmer temperatures, the beetles are living longer and migrating to higher altitudes to kill more trees. Forest fires follow the dry timber line.


Forward Good Change Today


4 Reuse more, buy less. Less trash equals less pollution.


4 Bike or walk, instead of driving. Don’t use the car at least one day a week. Less use of fossil fuels equals less drilling, fracking and oil spills.


4 Substitute a planet-healing activ- ity for the usual after school program. Replace lawns with native plants, which need less water and no mow- ing. Email manufacturers to urge them to use less packaging and plastic, auto makers to produce more fuel-efficient cars, grocery stores to carry more locally sourced foods and ban plastic bags, and government agencies to improve pollution control measures.


4 When eating meat, make sure the animals were humanely and locally raised, not factory farmed.


4 For fish, factory farmed is preferred when farmers are vetted by watchdog agencies for being devoid of disease, pollution and heavy metals; clean fish are especially rare among international providers. Learn more at Tinyurl.com/ SustainableFishFarming.


4 Support wildlife. Help hatchling sea turtles make their way to the sea. Predators and man are the biggest threats—only one in 1,000 hatchlings reach adulthood. Plant milkweed to feed monarch butterflies. Use natural insect repellants like basil or marigolds instead of killer sprays.


4 Speak out and speak up. Search c2es.org/science-impacts/basics/kids for event ideas and resources.


natural awakenings April 2015 27


All Are Needed


“I don’t have time to grow up before becoming an activist.” ~Ta’Kaiya, age 12


“Get your parents involved.” ~Teakahla, age 11


Children are more informed now than ever before. Schools offer classes on ecology, the environment, global warming and climate change. Disasters are instant news, constantly stream-


ing through digital media. Kids are aware that they need adults to work with them to keep Earth habitable.


HBO will air all four parts of Saving My Tomorrow starting Apr. 22. Check local listings—and watch as a family. See Tinyurl.com/Saving- MyTomorrow.


Connect with freelance writer Avery Mack at AveryMack@mind spring.com.


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