National Eat Your Beans Day is a “live healthy” holiday observed every year on July 3.  This day celebrates the bean vegetable in all sizes, shapes and colors.  Beans (legumes) are one of the longest-cultivated plants dating back to the early seventh millennium BCE.

National Eat Your Beans Day is a “live healthy” holiday observed every year on July 3.  This day celebrates the bean vegetable in all sizes, shapes and colors.  Beans (legumes) are one of the longest-cultivated plants dating back to the early seventh millennium BCE.

Were you aware that beans are virtually free of fat, high in protein, and contain more fiber than whole grain foods? According to the American Heart Association eating beans as part of a heart healthy diet and lifestyle may help improve your blood cholesterol, a leading cause of heart disease. Adding beans to your diet may also help keep you feeling full longer which can help you with weight management.  It is recommended by the USDA that adults eat at least three cups of beans every week to obtain their maximum health benefits. That is three times more than Americans current average consumption.

In honor of the extremely healthy and beneficial bean vegetables on their special day, have a look at these fascinating bean facts.

• Beans are a major source of protein.  A very healthy choice for any meal or snack, they are also an excellent source of fiber, low in fat and high in calcium, iron, folic acid and potassium.
• There are approximately 40,000 bean varieties in the world.
• Only a fraction of these varieties are mass-produced for regular consumption.
• Ancient Egyptians grew beans. According to “Food in the Ancient World” by Joan Pilsbury Alcock, fava beans, chickpeas, and lentils were found in Egyptian tombs dating back at least 4,000 years.
• Bean genetics have remained stable over the years. Beans from thousands of years ago are genetically very close to the beans we eat today.
• Some of the more popular beans are lima, kidney, pinto, garbanzo (chickpeas), black, lentil, and great-northern.
• The beans (legumes) that cause the least amount of flatulence are adzuki beans, black-eyed peas, lentils, mung beans, and split peas.
• Dry beans are better for you than canned because they contain less sodium. If you eat canned, rinse them well to drop the sodium levels.
• You can freeze cooked beans for up to six months. Before reheating thaw them in the refrigerator overnight.
• Nearly six to 11 percent of a cooked beans weight is protein.

Need some inspiration? 
Chicken and white bean soup
Good Foods Coop newsletter (it has recipes!)
Splendid Table

Happy Eat Beans Day!

National Meteor Day is June 30th.  On a cloudless night, people turn their eyes to the heavens in hopes of spotting the glow of a falling star. There are millions of meteors that occur daily in the Earth’s atmosphere.

When space debris, such as pieces of rock, enter the earth’s atmosphere the friction causes the surrounding air to become scorching hot. This “shooting star” streaking through the sky surrounded by flaming hot air is a meteor.

The majority of the meteoroids that cause meteors are only the size of a pebble.

Meteors sometimes occur in showers. National Meteor Day is an excellent time to plan for a meteor watching party. Whether you are catching a few stray falling stars or watching an entire meteor shower, head outside with family, friends or solo to map the constellations. You might even get to make a wish or two.  

In the Northern Hemisphere, one of the most active meteor showers is the Perseids. Named after the constellation Perseus where the majority of the activity takes place, the meteors are caused by particles released by the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. Active from mid-July to late August, the Perseids are known to put on a dazzling display at its peak, especially when the skies are clear and the moon is new. 

Meteors are usually observed at night and are visible when they are about 34 to 70 miles above the Earth, and they often disintegrated at about 31 to 51 miles above.  Their glow time is usually about a second.

A small percent of meteoroids hit the Earth’s atmosphere and then skip back into space. 
The chemical composition and the speed of the meteoroid will cause different hues to the light.  Possible colors and elements producing them include:

• Orange/yellow (sodium)
• Yellow (iron)
• Blue/green (copper)
• Purple (potassium)
• Red (silicate)

A list of meteor shower dates as well as a guide to successful watching can be found on the EarthSky website.

So, plan a "night out."  Gather some friends together, get a blanket and find a place far from the city lights on a cloudless night.  

Carefully notched together and sealed in-between with a caulking agent like mud or clay, Log Cabins were sturdy and reliable, and could stand the test of time. Admittedly, you’d have to change the roof out every so often, but ultimately there was nothing like them. They were especially popular in the frontier days of the American migration west, and seven of the American Presidents were born in them. Log Cabin Day celebrates the history of the Log Cabin and commemorates this most humble of homes.

Traditional log cabins bring to mind the typical stacked log construction. Log construction was the most common building technique in large regions of Sweden, Finland, Norway, the Baltic states and Russia, where straight and tall coniferous trees, such as pine and spruce, are readily available. It was also widely used for vernacular buildings in Eastern Central Europe, the Alps, the Balkans and parts of Asia, where similar climatic conditions prevail. In warmer and more westerly regions of Europe, where deciduous trees predominate, timber framing was favored instead.

Builders use sawn logs, logs sawn to a standard width, but with their original heights, or milled (also called machine-profiled), made with a log house molder: constructed of logs that have run through a manufacturing process which convert them into timbers which are consistent in size and appearance.

Handcrafted log houses have been built for centuries in Scandinavia, Russia and Eastern Europe, and were typically built using only an axe and knife. The Scandinavian settlers of New Sweden brought the craft to North America in the early 17th century, where it was quickly adopted by other colonists and Native Americans. Possibly the oldest surviving log house in the United States is the C. A. Nothnagle Log House (circa 1640) in New Jersey.
 Log Cabins inevitably remind me of the Rockcastle River Demonstration Site and our need to utilize the resources we have. My dream is to have several tiny log cabin homes on the property for volunteers to use. There are a ton of examples of budget saving sustainable building tiny homes:

$300 tiny home
Portable cabin with rainwater collection system
Solar Off Grid Cabin
Off Grid Retreat
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We built a prototype in our backyard, so I know it’s possible. What do you think? Have you built a log cabin off grid? 

The Solstice! I always get a little sad on the summer solstice because it means the days will start to grow shorter. But focusing on the positive, June 21 is also Humanist, Yoga, and First Nations Day.

“Humanism is a democratic and ethical life stance that affirms that human beings have the right and responsibility to give meaning and shape to their own lives. Humanism stands for the building of a more humane society through an ethics based on human and other natural values in a spirit of reason and free inquiry through human capabilities. Humanism is not theistic, and it does not accept supernatural views of reality.”
-The IHEU Minimum Statement on Humanism
 
While I personally take issue with the last line, the general theory is important. In this reality of unending assaults on basic morality, we all need to consider our fellow humans. There is so much hate! But, how do we communicate with or block out the people who cannot see long-term consequences of this administration? Maybe meditation will help? Yoga?

June 21 is also International Day of Yoga, or commonly and unofficially referred to as Yoga Day, is celebrated annually on 21 June since its inception in 2015 (it was declared so by the UN!) Yoga is a physical, mental and spiritual practice. As someone who regularly tried to manage anger (mostly because having kids demands you address issues of control), I have been convinced by the concentration yoga demands. Letting go and concentrating on inner strength are not important endeavors in our society. Simple Living is contrary to our societal ideals.  
Take some time today to slow down, concentrate, and think about our fellow humans.

June 21 is First Nations Day, too. First Nation came into common usage in the 1980s to replace the term Indian band in referring to groups of Indians with common government and language mainly in Canada. Within Canada, First Nations has come into general use for the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Individuals using the term outside Canada include U.S. tribes within the Pacific Northwest. Thinking about First Nations brings to mind indigenous people of all of the Americas; they have truly been the most oppressed ethnicity since colonization. 
  
The most gut wrenching attention seeking policy of the current administration has been the immigration policies. It’s a deplorable side show to the dismantling of our democracy. But keep in mind, the southern border is mostly approached by people of indigenous decent.

Mestizos are the result of the admixture between Spaniards and Amerindians: Native Americans (or Amerindians). Mestizos are majority in El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, occupying the majority of the Central American population. All the 7 countries have significant Mestizo populations.

June 18 is International Picnic Day. The word picnic first appeared in English in a letter of the Gallicized Lord Chesterfield in 1748, who associates it with card-playing, drinking and conversation, and may have entered the English language from this French word: pique-nique.  The term was used to describe a group of people dining in a restaurant who brought their own wine. The actual usage began as "pique un niche" meaning to "pick a place," an isolated spot where family or friends could enjoy a meal together away from the distractions, demands, and public nature of a communal life. The concept of a picnic long retained the connotation of a meal to which everyone contributed something.

​For some menu ideas, try Splendid Table or Kentucky Proud Recipes.

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If you don't want to cook, consider stopping into a market or restaurant to get fresh local foods to go.

You can find some good leads here: Visit Appalachia
                                                            Appalachian Grown
                                                            Local Harvest

Today is also Go Fishing Day. Go Fishing Day is dedicated to sport fishing, as well as those who fish as part of survival (known as subsistence fishing). Fishing is a great way to help add food to your table while having the satisfaction of knowing that you caught it yourself, as well as a wonderful bonding opportunity for friends and family. Find a good fishing hole in Kentucky: Fishing in Neighborhoods
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If you’re still looking for a reason to get outside with family and friends, the National Park Service had (before the administration was focusing on pillaging) a Park Rx program that emphasized reasons why being outside is a prescription for good health:

• Being in nature can improve your mood, increase physical activity, and combat obesity.
• Being outside and the health benefits can be enjoyed by anyone regardless of who you are and where you come from.
• Parks foster social connections, which are vital to community cohesion and contribute to social well-being.
• For little kids, nature fosters active play, which is associated with physical, cognitive, and social benefits.
• For bigger kids (and all of us, really), nature improves mental and social health during what is often a challenging time of life.

So get outside, picnic, and fish. Sure, you might panic when your child actually catches a fish and you realize you have to be the one that gets it off the line and throw it back without displaying your panic so they don’t have the same anxieties that you have, but it’s worth it!!

June 9th is Knit in Public Day. World Wide Knit in Public Day was started in 2005 by Danielle Landes. It began as a way for knitters to come together and enjoy each other’s company: 

"Knitting is such a solitary act that it’s easy to knit alone somewhere and sink into your work without thinking about all the other knitters out there. Neighbors could spend all their lives never knowing that the other knits.  This a specific day to get out of your house and go to a local event (with your knitting in tow) just for you and people like you.  Who knows you might even bump into your neighbor! Consider this a spark, to ignite a fire; getting all of the closeted knitters out into fresh air. "

Using knitting as a knowledge sharing community event is intriguing to me; not just because I am an avid knitter who loves to knit in public to encourage conversations about knitting, but also because I love knowledge sharing community events. Growing up in rural northeastern Ohio, my parents would take us to festivals and events of all sizes as a free activity to get out of the house. I remember running around playing tag, begging for the sugary treats from vendor booths and the heaven of finding free samples, and (most importantly as a parent) having a hard time keeping my eyes open on the way home. But I also remember walking through craft booths and farm stands, marveling at the demonstrations, studying the artisan works, and seeing new ways to DIY.

I often say that my learned sustainable living behavior was really frugality; my parents chose to raise four kids on one salary. We shopped at thrift stores, recycled and reused, and consumed the basics because we didn't have much money. But I was never really aware that we didn't have money. I was instead taught that money can't buy what matters: people, family, and being intelligent. In that way, knowledge sharing community events are intriguing. 

So, for Knit in Public Day, think about the importance of these types of events. If you look at any literature for improving the economic, environmental or social components of any community, advocates emphasize starting with education: outreach and awareness. Meetings. Knowledge fairs. 

"A knowledge share fair is a buzzing, interactive and collaborative workspace, with lively discussions and practical demonstrations. There are facilitated sessions to learn how others have improved the effectiveness and quality of their work, and opportunities for networking, allowing people to connect and link ideas as well as exchanging opinions in a natural way and relaxed setting. A share fair is not a goal in itself, but the beginning of a process. It will create new partnerships; new exchanges between people that would like to work together, in a different way." - FAO UN

If you want to affect change, and advocate sustainable and simple living, I encourage you to knit in public or start with sharing information in an interactive, kid exhausting, treat tasting, informative way!

Wednesday, June 4, is Clean Air Day, a timely reminder that the quality of the air we breathe affects our lungs, especially during the heat and humidity of summer when air pollution can reach unsafe levels.

Use your feet and leave the car at home
Walk, cycle, bus, train ... However you like to travel, leave your car at home and take to the streets. Amazingly, car drivers can be exposed to twice as much air pollution as pedestrians and nine times more than a cyclist. So as well as cutting down the amount of pollution you make, you're reducing you exposure to air pollution and getting some exercise too. 

Discover the side streets
Using quieter streets when you’re on a bike or on foot can lower your exposure to air pollution by 20%.

Avoid strenuous activity when pollution is high
There are about 10 to 20 high pollution days a year when it’s better to avoid working out too hard if you have a heart or lung condition. But on balance, for most people, most of the time, it is healthier to exercise than sit it out.

Turn your engine off when stationary
I feel you. It’s too hot or too cold to turn off the car. But, by turning off your car engine whenever you’re not moving – and it’s safe to do so – you’ll help to make the air cleaner for you, other drivers and pedestrians. 

Consume less energy = produce less pollution
Gas and electricity are big contributors to air pollution. Gas creates fumes when we burn it to heat our homes, and electricity produced by power stations burning fossil fuels has the same result. There are lots of things you can do to conserve energy (and lower your bills), such as switching off the lights, filling the kettle with just what you need, and only running the washing machine and dishwasher when you have a full load.

Keep your car tires inflated
Yep, having properly-inflated tires really means your car will be more efficient and use less fuel. Great for the environment and great for your pocket too.

Think about how you do your cleaning!
Keep dust levels low, use fragrance-free or naturally-scented products, switch to mild cleaning products and avoid aerosols.

Burn smokeless fuels or dry, well-seasoned wood on your barbecue or stove
This is particularly important as pollution from burning fuels damages the air for those who live nearby as well as within your own home.

Switch energy suppliers
Choose renewable energy tariffs for your home supply to reduce the pollution produced by power stations.

Recycle your compostables
Rather than burning your garden waste, compost it and turn it into food for your vegetable patch.

Save the wood-burning stove for the bleak winter
​Wood-burning stoves look great and they’re so cozy. But burning wood produces a lot of air pollutants. To minimize your contribution to air pollution, only light it when you really have to. 

May 31 is Walt Whitman’s Birthday. You may remember him, as I do, from high school and college courses; his writings and poems dissected to discover meaning, metaphors, diction, syntax, form, rhyme scheme, and other literary techniques. But have you recalled his works when you’re alone in nature? Maybe, say, 25 years after college?

“The asphalt wraps itself round the mountain,
a black river ascending into the mist.
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Wet, moss-covered stone, flushed orange and yellow oaks,
shivering, stoic firs, and smoldering red maples cling
to the bosom of the Blue ridge as fall fades to winter.”

It’s time to recall voices from the past. Walt Whitman shares the Romantic poet's relationship with nature. To him, as to Emerson, nature is divine and an emblem of God. The universe is not dead matter, but full of life and meaning. He loves the earth, the flora and fauna of the earth, the moon and stars, the sea, and all other elements of nature. He believes that man is nature's child and that man and nature must never be separated.

“As a light rain glazes the skin of my outstretched arm
I can feel the chill of the Appalachian air electrifying
the hair on my neck, chilling my bones.

Soaring into another cloud, my beloved asleep on my shoulder,
I breathe in the cold air deeper, and then deeper still.

Ascending higher and delving deeper into the mountains I’m reminded
what it is that propels me ever onward, ever upward –
the Appalachian air instills something in me…something light.”

This summer, walk with confidence and knowledge in the natural world. Have you ever picked up a stunning rock and wonder what made it sparkle? Ever hear a beautiful bird call and wonder what little creature had just serenaded you? Take time to ask many questions and to discover the answers. Along the way, seek guidance from poets and storytellers. Recognize the vital connection between stories and places. Words and nature.  Learn the names and uses of local trees, plants, and animals. Learn skills of observation so you can continue to cultivate your wilderness knowledge. Take time to just be. 

Get out your gardening gloves, May 29 is National Learn About Composting Day! We all want to do our part to conserve natural resources and reduce our carbon footprint. Composting is not only an environmentally safe fertilizer but it can help you save water, energy, fuel and money! It also keeps noxious toxins from getting in our run-off and ground water through the use of chemical based commercial fertilizers. The use of a natural fertilizer made from compost will make your garden hospitable to wild life helpers like honey bees, hummingbirds and of course, worms!

So, what is compost? Compost is organic matter that has decomposed. In a garden, decomposition is a good thing! Compost can be made from kitchen scraps, lawn clippings, newspapers, leaves wood chips, coffee grinds…almost any food products. Composting saves resources, and because of its high nutrient content, it adds to soil stability and reduces soil disease. It will help your garden grow lush and promote healthy growth in seedlings and plants. It’s for all these reasons gardeners call compost “black gold”. Composting allows you to accomplish the big environmental three: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

This year the focus of compost day is awareness. Knowing what it is, why and how to do it. However, I have found there are reasons NOT too compost. I’ve asked lots of friends and relatives why not: their collective rationale being it’s gross, it’s annoying, it’s inconvenient, I don’t even see what difference it will make. The difference, annoyingly enough, is that the impact of diverting the entirety of food waste in the United States from landfills is equivalent to removing 7.8 million passenger cars from the nation’s streets, according to the U.S. Composting Council. The only benefit of not composting, particularly in a city with infrastructure in place, is that it is less bothersome to you.

Wow! Now you feel kind of bad. A little selfish. It’s OK! The entirety of human action toward environmental sustainability, justice, or anything else can be boiled down to quietly eroding your own selfishness.

I have been included in this group. Sometimes you’re going through it and don’t want to deal with the little chore. And fruit flies. And kids spilling it all over before it even gets to the compost tumbler. I’m in a rush and I don’t want to want mess around with it, etc.  But, I have always had a lot of motivation begin with financial savings. Have you ever paid for soil to build a good sized raised bed? Have you ever been frustrated that your plants look terrible despite the fertilizer you paid for and applied diligently? Have you ever had kids dig in your bought soil and throw it all over the yard? Have you ever paid way too much for cucumbers or tomatoes or peppers because yours aren’t thriving? Those are my motivations.

It’s free
To start your own compost pile will cost you nothing but a little effort, space, and time. Sure, you may want to invest in a tumbler (I did and it’s great!) or build a compost bin or system. Figure out the method you’d like to use to compost, and take items you may have thrown out or recycled and use them to create your compost pile! Once you’ve got the right mix of items, you only need to keep it slightly damp and turn it every once in a while and the process of decomposition will do all the work for you! Be patient and in few short weeks you can have your own black gold made from your household garbage. This is definitely a case of turning trash into treasure.

My other motivation is to show my kids the value of reusing our waste. I struggle with wanting the best for my babies and boiling with rage when they complain about wanting more stuff or saying “ew” to small steps we take to reduce our footprint. I want them to understand that we are part of a much bigger system that depends on us to do our part.

It’s environmentally friendly
By utilizing your household organic and paper trash, you reduce the amount of garbage going to our landfill. When organic waste is put in the trashcan, the trash is driven to a disposal site where it can take years to decompose because it’s been encased in a plastic bag. Using compost in your garden or on a farm also reduces the amount of dangerous commercial fertilizers used to encourage growth in crops, and conserves water by improving the stability of the soil in which you’ve planted your fruits, vegetables, flowers, and shrubbery.

Don’t get weighted down by the “rules.” Be open to learning about the process. Be open to learning what works for you. Don’t make it a chore; have fun learning about composting and your contribution to the planet!
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It’s fun
There is a feeling of total satisfaction when you take something that could have been put in the garbage and transform it into a usable substance. It’s almost like magic! Also the use of compost will increase the worm population and if you have children, you know worms are, in fact, fun to watch and have wiggle in your palm! You know the worms are doing the work of aerating the soil and increasing nutrients in the dirt, but your kids just think worms are cool.

It's Endangered Species Day. You may be jump to the conclusion that saving a species is a big job that demands a complex myriad of policies, partners, and funding. Sometimes it does. But there are little things you can do everyday.

Species loss threatens to reduce biodiversity, the presence of a variety of species in a given area, which is key to sustaining both local ecosystems and the global ecosystem more broadly. Biodiversity helps ensure that certain specific and necessary functions are carried out within an ecosystem — think about how pollination allows plants to flower and predators eliminate pests.

​Biodiversity ensures that if one species goes extinct or leaves a particular region, another is there to take its place. Ultimately, the collapse of ecosystems can lead to even bigger problems like the worsening of climate change, because of the increased release of carbon dioxide.

Many species also play key cultural and economic roles that if lost would threaten local communities. Endangered bees play a key role in pollination for agriculture. Coral reefs play a key role maintaining coastal fisheries. African elephants attract tourists to sub-saharan Africa.

1. Help Native Pollinators. Pollinators, are the key to reproduction for most flowering plants which are foundation to the survival of many species on our planet. This is why the criteria of Biodiversity Hotspots gives so much weight to the number of plants in an area. Give pollinators an extra boost in your backyard by: reducing or eliminating the use of pesticides, providing nectar sources by planting a variety of wildflowers and native plants that will bloom throughout the season, leaving logs and rocks in your yard or build bee boxes for native bees to make their home, encouraging your City to stop weed-whacking median strips and sidewalk edges and let native wildflowers grow to create pollinator corridors. Visit the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation to learn more.

2. Reduce or eliminate pesticides and fertilizer. Consider getting rid of your lawn, especially if you live in an arid region. Instead, plant native plants that are well adapted to your area. This will reduce the need to use pesticides and fertilizers. Don’t buy plants from nurseries that use systemic pesticides such as neonictinoids. When applied, they persist in all parts of the plant from the seed to the stem to the blossom and reek havoc on already stressed pollinators. Use organic compost and soil additives instead. Soil health is the best prevention for pest infestations, but if you do get visited by unwanted guests, learn how to care for your plants with organic pest control.

3. Restore habitat in your yard. If you have a yard, consider turning it into a mini-wildlife sanctuary. National Wildlife Federation has a program to help you attract wildlife whether you have a balcony or a 20-acre farm. In a world where habitat loss is the number one cause of biodiversity loss, providing wildlife with water, food, cover, and a place to raise their young can go a long way.

4. Restore habitat in your community. If you don’t have a yard, consider volunteering on an ecological restoration project in your area (ASPI has 200 acres, just saying). You’ll spend time outdoors and learn about the native plants and animals.

5. Reduce your consumption. This is arguably the action that will have the biggest positive impact on the environment. The more we reduce our demand for new resources, the less habitat will be destroyed to get those resources or the energy to make those products, and the less waste goes into the landfill. Become a minimalist. Most “minimalists” choose to live a simple life to free up their time to do the things they love rather than spending time shopping and repairing stuff. The idea is “Own Less, Live More.” But it’s undeniable that the minimalist lifestyle also greatly benefits the environment.

6. Reuse and recycle. Composting is key here. It reduces the amount of waste going into landfills and the space needed to hold that waste. Look into ways you can use those purchases intended for single-use. Keep up with what is recyclable in your area. As new markets for recycled products open up, even small towns like mine can increase the numbers of items that they are able to collect.

7. Reduce your energy demand. Burning fossil fuels is the number one driver of climate change which is exponentially quickening biodiversity loss by presenting unparalleled challenges to the world’s plants and animals. Start by conserving energy in your home. A Home Energy Audit can help raise your awareness about where you can reduce energy use in your home. Then incorporate renewable energy. Solar!

8. Buy local foods. Buying from your local farmer at a farmer’s market or through a farm stand gives you the ability to find out how your food was grown and make requests for different practices such as no pesticides, or a greater diversity of produce. It’s easier to ask someone you have a relationship with to change their practices than a big corporation.

9. Buy organic foods. While organic certification doesn’t guarantee that your food is 100% free of pesticides, organic growers are held to criteria of minimal pesticide use.

10. Donate to conservation efforts. Species extinction is happening at an unprecedented rate and there never seems to be enough money to save everything. Prioritize your charitable giving to support conservation efforts in the world’s biodiversity hotspots.
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11. Advocate for Biodiversity.

• Educate yourself about the importance of biodiversity and be able to answer the questions, “Why does it matter so much?” and “Why should we make sacrifices to protect it?”
• Genetically modified crops pose multiple serious threats to biodiversity. Support the International Union of Concerned Scientists recommendations on GM crops.
• Make connections. Get to know wildlife and conservation biologists as well as political activists and community leaders in your area. Use social media to connect with experts and campaigns.
• Lobby your government. Sign or create petitions. Support politicians who support measures to protect biodiversity.
• Share your message. Talk to your friends in person. Use social media. Start a blog. Speak at local events.