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Every day in America, each man, woman and child generates nearly four pounds of trash. That's over one trillion pounds of solid waste or 365 trillion pounds each year. It's a staggering statistic when you consider the environmental effect that much garbage has on our fragile ecosystem.

As adults, it's easy to forget the importance of the 3 R's our world depends on-reducing, reusing and recycling-for the health and safety of future generations. It's those future generations--our children--that will bear the consequences of today's environmental mismanagement, unless an effort is made to improve upon current behaviors.

For the third year, one hotel company is stepping up to the task, helping kids to think globally and act locally by educating them on how to properly care for the environment. With help from The National Arbor Day Foundation, Doubletree Hotels is distributing an environmentally focused lesson plan that provides the framework for taking would-be waste and recycling it into artistic treasures to thousands of elementary school students in the U.S. and Canada.

The education initiative is an extension of the hotel's Teaching Kids to CARE program, a community outreach initiative that pairs hotel properties with elementary schools and youth groups to educate children about making conscious decisions about environmental care. This spring, Teaching Kids to CARE volunteers and children will create "litter critters," a reduced, reused and recycled representation of animals in the world hurt by litter, and will plant more than 10,000 seedling trees across the U.S. and Canada.

For those parents (and mentors) wanting to engage their kids (or nieces, nephews and grandkids) in environmentally conscious activities, here are a few tips:

1. Recycling is Fun-Pass it On--Recycling isn't all about aluminum cans and old newspapers. Encourage your kids to start their own recycling program in which they share old toys, books and games with their friends and classmates. One child's trash is another child's treasure and by "passing it on," kids will learn that they can reduce waste by recycling their old things so that others can reuse them.

2. Become a Habitat Hero--Challenge your children to gather up all their friends and classmates to help clean up a park or schoolyard (with parental supervision). Whoever collects the most trash wins the "Habitat Hero" award and prize (as decided upon by you).

3. Plant a "Family Tree"--Take your kids to a garden or home store and allow them to help pick out a young tree. (Make sure to check that it can survive in your climate region.) Plant the tree in a special location as a family, assigning a different task (digging, planting, watering) to each family member. Make sure to document the activity with a photo, so kids can remember how small the tree was when they planted it.

4. You CAN Make a Difference--Encourage your children to save empty aluminum cans, then take a weekly trip to a nearby "Cash for Cans" drop-off location. Decide with your kids how best to use the money they've collected from their recycling efforts to better the environment. Options to consider include volunteering for tree planting projects, adopting a local stretch of highway to be beautified and maintained or donating the money to a local environmental organization.

5. Pulp to Paper--This fun, hands-on project shows kids how old newspapers are recycled back into fresh newspapers. Have your child tear a half page of newspaper into small, one-inch pieces. Fill buckets or bowls with one-part newspaper and two-parts water and let soak for several hours. Using a hand mixer, "pulp" the fibers in the paper until the mixture looks like mush. Take a handful of pulp and place it on a piece of felt, molding it to the size of the piece of paper you want to make, and press it firmly to squeeze out excess water. Let the paper dry for one or two days and voilà.

Remember, proper waste management not only helps save the environment, it also helps save energy, reduce pollution and protect animals around the world. A small effort from your kids today can guarantee a healthier, greener tomorrow.

Fun facts about animals and nature! Our world and its animals are truly amazing!


-A rat can last longer without water than a camel can.

-A cow gives nearly 200,000 glasses of milk in her lifetime.

-Dolphins sleep with one eye open.

-The world's smallest mammal is the bumblebee bat of Thailand, weighing less than a penny.

-The grizzly bear can run as fast as the average horse.

-The female lion does more than 90% of the hunting while the male simply prefers to rest.

-An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.

-All polar bears are left handed.

-Ants don't sleep.

-A cockroach can survive for about a week without its head before dying of starvation.

-A goldfish is the only animal that can see infrared and ultraviolet light.

-The only continent without reptiles or snakes is Antarctica.

-It takes about two years for a pineapple to grow to its full size.

Americans dispose of more than 700 billion pounds of paper, glass, plastic, wood, food, metal, clothing, electronics and other refuse annually.

The problem of managing mountains of waste may seem overwhelming, but experts note there are easy ways for consumers to make a difference every day.

"Old habits might die hard, like forgetting to recycle a soda can or newspaper, but the good news is, there are many simple ways to cut down on waste, from buying concentrated household products to buying in bulk," says environmental expert Kim Carlson.

Carlson offers the following tips to help consumers reduce, recycle and reuse waste:

* Keep it loose. Buy screwdrivers, nails and other hardware items in loose bins. At the grocery store, choose produce that is not in prepackaged containers.

* Bring your own bag. Reuse bags and containers. Keep a supply of bags on hand for future shopping trips, or take your own canvas tote bag to the grocery store.

* Consider concentrated detergent. Concentrated products often require less packaging, resulting in less energy to transport to the store and less plastic to recycle. All small & mighty is a new concentrated laundry detergent (one 32-ounce bottle cleans as many loads as the regular 100-ounce bottle). In addition to less packaging, the formula contains 74 percent less water than regular detergent.

* Choose to reuse. Reach for reusable products such as cloth napkins, sponges or dishcloths instead of paper towels.

* Recharge and renew. Use rechargeable batteries and recycle old batteries to help reduce garbage and keep toxic metals out of the environment.

* Buy smart. Look for long-lasting, energy-saving appliances with the Energy Star label and electronic equipment with good warranties.

* Get crafty. Reuse scrap paper and envelopes. Save and reuse ribbons, tissue paper, gift boxes and even wrapping paper. Save cardboard boxes, colored paper, egg cartons and other items for arts and crafts projects.

* Think thrifty. Donate clothing to charity organizations or sell the items in consignment shops, fairs, bazaars or tag sales. Also, share hand-me-down clothes with family members and neighbors.

My roommate found a tree growing out in the yard the other day and I seen for the first time the beginning life of a walnut tree. I admit if I had been mowing I wouldn't have noticed it. So before he transplanted it to a large container for safe keeping I took a few photos. He'll let it mature more before finding a place on the land for it.

We've all been working hard on clearing the land in the back of the property. It's looking better everyday and is good exercise, for the body and the mind.
It's over grown with weeds, grass, small trees and tons of things like old fences, wire, barrels, wood and the things you'd find on an old farm.

There's a large tree near the center that suffered heavy damage during a storm(tornado I think) from a few years back. This was a BIG tree ...grand, had to be beautiful ..every time I had seen it I thought about it in it's glory days..

It had a lot of damage, it was dead. As we worked our way back to it we knew it'd be a task to get it cut up. We cut up a great deal for firewood and stacked it by the barn. It got down to the massive trunk...what to do.

We decided to cut it up and use the once grand tree for tree stump seats!(4th Photo) We got six good sized sections out and after cleaning up the surrounding area the roomie placed the new tree seats around the old stump.
A Nature Council:)
He threw out some grass seed and watered the area down. It's been really dry here so I hope it takes.


I love it. The whole area will be a great place to relax..meditate..just be. There are smaller trees to cut down, also damaged in the same big storm. Two were cut today, one about 4 feet high the other close to 6 feet high. The plan is to put bird feeders/water's on the shorter ones to due other animals, and the taller ones birdhouse, hopefully being higher and a little more safer. A great way to bring the bird friends back to these trees.

As I sat today to think about the work that had been done I thought about these two trees. The new tree and the old tree. My roommate estimates the old tree to be about 60 years old. New life in the little walnut and a rebirth for an old, grand tree that most people wouldn't have cared about. And old tree that might have been cut down and forgotten is now the center of activity, a focal point.


I simply love that.

scroll down for part 2

As a way of sharing our love of nature we are offering two free nature lover desktop wallpapers! There are two versions, one blue and one green. Both have Nature Lover in an elegant and soft text. Both have a 'surreal, energy, fractal' look to them.

Each comes in four different monitor resolutions: 800 x 600, 1024 x 768, 1152 x 864, 1600 x 1200.


Choose the wallpaper you want, choose the screen resolution and click the link. A new window will open where you can right click the image and save to desktop and use as your desktop background. Enjoy!








Nature Lover GREEN Desktop Wallpaper: 800 x 600 1024 x 768 1152 x 864 1600 x 1200

Nature Lover BLUE Desktop Wallpaper: 800 x 600 1024 x 768 1152 x 864 1600 x 1200

Show your support for wild animal and domestic animal rescue! It does not matter if it's a stray cat or African elephant, if an animal needs help we need to help! Bold and colorful Animal Rescue T-Shirts and Gifts for animal activists, animal caregivers and animal lovers! Perfect for school and Zoo fundraiser's! Over twelve different animals to choose from, domestic and wild animals! Bird, Chimpanzee, Rescue Dog and Cat, Whale, Elephant, Horse, Lion, Polar Bear, Turtle and more! Truly unique and colorful Animal Rescue t-shirts and gifts!

Click to view all Animal Rescue T-shirts and Gifts

Noah came into our lives about a year ago. We're not sure what happened, if he got lost somehow or was thrown out ..we'll never know how or where his life was began but we know when he came to us he was in really bad shape. A family member brought him to us and in the beginning we didn't expect him to make it. I don't think he was old enough to be away from momma cat.

He was small enough to fit in the palm of my hand. He was weak and he'd shake a lot. He had patches of fur missing all over his body. There was at least one small chunk of ear missing and it looked like portions of his nose had been scraped off. You can see in the first photo it looked like he had swallowed a small ball, his little tummy was so swollen! He was in bad shape.

Since I have the only bedroom downstairs he stayed in my room for the first few weeks. Everyone fell in love with him, we loved him, cared for him and nursed him back to health. It was my roommate that named him Noah. Everyday he'd grow stronger and healthier. I think it was the fact that I was the one in the room the most with him and I've heard young animals and kids will bond with the one around them when they are young. Since I work at home I'm with him everyday. When he got strong enough to jump he'd run at me, jump up on my chair and sit on my shoulder while I worked. His scrapes, cuts, fur, nose, ear and everything else has healed nicely. The only thing is when he meows it doesn't quite sound normal. Maybe his kitty voice was damaged during his rough start.

A year later and he has some of the softest, shiniest and healthiest looking fur I've seen on a cat. At times he's like a little puppy, following me all over the house, even to the bathroom! My friends and family joke that he 'adopted' me. They joke and call me Noah's Daddy. I joke and call him my puppy! It's apparent that he knows how lucky he is. He is SO loving and affectionate. Before Noah came along I considered myself a dog person. Cats were ok...but I have always loved dogs more. I just felt dogs were more loving and interactive. It wasn't until Noah came that I realized how loving an animal can be.

Everyone is protective of him. This summer while out playing he ran though some weeds in the grassy field next to us and got a sliver of weed stuck in his eye. We were horrified! Off to the vet we went! The vet pulled out the weed and gave us ointment for his eye. He's ok and today has fully recovered! We watch him close because he's had such a rough start to life and then nearly poked out his eye while playing in the field ...poor guy!

Today, other then his wispy meow he's healthy and so incredibly loving that I light up with joy when he runs into my room in the morning. Noah is a cuddler..so much I close my door at night when I go to bed. If he's in the room with my he will literally sleep on my face! He's a cat that has to touch you, he is constantly is reaching out his little paw when he touches, as if he wants to pull you closer to him. Everyday, and I mean every single day of his life: I tell him how much I love him. How grateful I am for his love and affection. He is so loving, so happy, so content... never in my dreams had I thought that it'd be a cat that would bring so much love and joy to me.

You ever have a pet that you knew you'd never give up? Like if you were to move and the house or apartment wouldn't allow cats that you'd find a place that did simply because you're not giving up your pet for anyone or anything? Noah is that kind of pet. He's family! He has grown too big to sit on my shoulder any more, but everyday at some point he's in my lap or laying across my desk while I work. This cat is truly a wonder. A gift from above. I love him and cherish him so much that it breaks my heart to ever think of a life without him.


This is Noah. He's the little kitty that stole my heart.

For a very long time, we have relied on fossil fuels. It provides heat to our homes, gas for our cars and electricity. Since we are now using it more than ever, there is a consequence. We are depleting our resources and slowly killing our planet. Fortunately, we can change our ways and then shift our attention to green energy sources.

But why green energy sources? Well because there are advantages to using them which we will never be able to get if we don't change our ways. This is also even if some will argue that the problem with green energy is that it is sometimes difficult to generate the power we need. While that may be true, that is why there are other green energy sources available and we just to know which ones are viable given the geographic location.

The various green energy sources such as solar, wind, wave, hydropower and geothermal do not produce anything harmful which may have a negative effect on the environment. This is the exact opposite of what you get when you continue to operate a coal or nuclear power plant.

Coal you have to remember releases carbon dioxide into the air. On its own, it may not cause that much damage but there are currently 50,000 coal plants around the world and that number is expected to grow.

Nuclear plants may not release anything harmful into the air. The issue is how we dispose of the spend rods and if another nuclear accident should occur. We remember Chernobyl and Three Mile Island. We have probably learned better ways to prevent another incident from happening. Through the years, a few minor accidents have occurred and although the leak was contained, just imagine if it wasn't?

Green energy sources may not be maintenance free but at least it does not require that much to maintain them compared to conventional means. In the end, we save money because such facilities don't cost that much to operate.

The next advantage of using green energy sources is that we will never run out of them. For centuries, the sun's rays have reached so has the wind which is blown from the sea. By using it, we decrease our dependence on oil which is a nonrenewable resource.

If you think about it, many of us have taken these green energy sources for granted. If we do the right thing now, future generations will not have to face the mess that we could have handled on our own years before.

In short, the power is in our hands. We have the technology and we know what to do with it. The only thing we need is to do is to put our money where our mouth is because despite the number of conferences on global warming and climate change, little has happened.

It is easy to talk about how concerned we are about the environment but you have to ask yourself when will more solar panels or wind turbines will be erected? When will the number of coal or nuclear power plants be reduced?

Green energy sources is the solution to the environmental, political and social problems of this lifetime. By spending more on these technologies, no country will have to depend on another or even a corporation for their power needs because they are self dependent and free.

The Nature Wear Team is made up of friends and family that love animals, nature and the environment. I'd like to thank and send love to those who have helped build, design and continue to expand the Nature Wear shop. Thank you Ray, Bobbie Jo, Marc, ThomasC, Tony and Sharon as well as all of our customers! I am grateful for you all!