Children Future in our hands.

 Scientists tell us we are entering the age of the sixth mass extinction.  Will that extinction include the human race? It could.  This is not a problem of the far distant future.  My great-grandchildren will face a world far different than the pleasant planet we live in today.

We are not dealing with science fiction.  We are facing science fact.

Billions of people will be displaced by rising seas.  People will fight for scarce water and food.  Rising temperatures will create more tension between people.  Storms and droughts will be more severe.  Ocean acidification will disrupt ocean food chains and destroy the food supply of billions of people.  Famine and disease will ravage the earth.

In the 25 July 2014 issue of Science we are warned:

“We live amid a global wave of anthropogenically driven biodiversity loss: species and population extirpations and, critically, declines in local species abundance. Particularly, human impacts on animal biodiversity are an under-recognized form of global environmental change. Among terrestrial vertebrates, 322 species have become extinct since 1500, and populations of the remaining species show 25% average decline in abundance. Invertebrate patterns are equally dire: 67% of monitored populations show 45% mean abundance decline. Such animal declines will cascade onto ecosystem functioning and human well-being. Much remains unknown about this “Anthropocene defaunation”; these knowledge gaps hinder our capacity to predict and limit defaunation impacts. Clearly, however, defaunation is both a pervasive component of the planet’s sixth mass extinction and also a major driver of global ecological change.”  http://bit.ly/1zqF45Y

Is it any wonder scientists have trouble communicating with the general public.  Translated, that quote means human beings are polluting the earth at a rate that is causing extreme changes in the earth we depend on to survive.  We do not know the full impacts of what we are doing, but we do know they are bad.

Our only hope is for people worldwide to come together with one voice and demand our Governments address the core problems of population growth, unsustainable demand on the resources the earth can provide and the impacts of pollution.  Governments will not take action unless they are forced to do so by their people.  Governments deal with current problems and at best have 5 year plans.

There is a yawning chasm between public opinion and scientific reality.  97 percent of scientific papers on global warming and climate change agree that climate change is caused by human activity.  Less than half the American people believe their is a scientific consensus that climate change is caused by human activity.  http://bit.ly/UIKU2Q.  Unless that perception changes, there will be little public support to curb greenhouse emissions.

We need a plan to care for the earth to the seventh generation.  Individually, we can vote with our wallets against polluting corporations.  We can support legislators who understand the problem and will work to minimize pollution and mitigate the effects of climate change. We can do all we can do to reduce our personal carbon foot print.

Also we must accept the fact we must be prepared to take care of ourselves and our family.

You need the supplies to deal with inevitable disruptions in supply chains.  And, you need the financial resources to deal with the crises in our lives.

Personal resilience requires us to have the knowledge we need to live productive, purposeful lives.  Financial resilience, based on multiple sources of recurring income, makes our personal resilience possible. People who are living pay check to paycheck and struggling to survive can not be resilient.

I donʻt subscribe to the theory that each person must look out for themselves.  Of course, our first responsibility is to our family, but we are also obligated to help each other.

Our hope for the future lies in small groups of people working together to solve local problems and coordinating their efforts globally.  Governments around the world have proven themselves unable to deal with the problem.  Only grass roots efforts can change public opinion and bring pressure on governments to change their ways.

Hana Like Newsletter 1/2014

                                                            Kaneohe Bay is my beautiful back yard.

Resilience – Teamwork makes it happen

Section 1 Personal Resilience

 Make a go-kit  A go kit contains the supplies you will need when you have to take shelter from a hurricane or other potential disaster.  Food, water, medicines, 1st aide kit, blankets and a change of clothes.  Take only what you can fit under a cot.  You will have 10 square feet per person.

 Go to your shelter early.  They will fill up fast and you may be turned away.  Our high schools are designated  as primary shelters.  If you are in a reinforced concrete building, shelter in place.  If you live in a single wall home, expect it to be destroyed by a category 3 huricane.  Read more.

Organize your Neighborhood  Nextdoor.com is social media for neighborhoods.  Only neighbors who live within the NextDoor designated neighborhood can participate.  Our Mikiola Community uses our NextDoor community to do everything from reporting crimes and suspicious activities to hunting for a lost cat.

Preparing the neighborhood  You need to know who in you neighborhood needs special help and who has special skills.  You need to organize and train a Citizens Emergency Response Team(CERT).  You need to know who has HAM radio equipment and you need to have  a couple of walkie talkies so you can stay in touch with family and call for help when necessary.

Plan to be able to campout for at least 5 days and potentially a month.  It will take that long for Rescue Organizations to reach us.

Section 2 – Financial Resilience

We help people live their dreams.  The more successful they are the more successful I become.  It is a win for everyone and nothing is more fulfilling than helping people live their dreams.  I do not think a job is the answer to helping us be more financially resilient. I look for business opportunities that provide residual income.  What I do must be something anyone can duplicate working their business a few hours a week and the start up cost of the business has to be within the reach of the average person.

SendOutCards is the best business I have found.  Take a look at this link to really understand the income potential of this business.  Also, I am working with a company that provides me the tools I need to market on the internet.  Their training in using their tools and in internet marketing is outstanding.

Let us know if an internet business interests you.  The potential is huge, and working together we can make our dreams a reality.

Gratitude is a thought.  Expressing gratitude is a process.  Do it often.

Section 3 – Malama Aina – Caring for the earth. 

Elections are on us again.  Nothing is more important than electing legislators who believe it is important to care for our environment.  The decisions we make to day will determin our grand childrens future.  No the record of the candidate you are voting for.  VoteSmart.com is a great resource to research the record of your candidates.  Know who you are voting for.  Look at what they do – not what they say.

The future of Kawainui Marsh in Kailua is being determined with the community discussions of the Kawainui Marsh Master Plan.  The Outdoor Circle has abandoned the Conceptual Plan for the Marsh they developed in the 50s when they were fighting the proposal to turn the Marsh into another Hawaii Kai.  The proposed Master Plan incorporates all of the features proposed in the original plan.

The Lani-Kailua Outdoor Circle is fighting to maintain the status quo.  The want no access to the marsh, no trails, no education center.  There is consensus that the resources and Hawaiian culture related to the marsh are important and need to be protected.

Where conflict arises is on how the marsh is used and interpreted.  One side wants the marsh to be left alone.  The other wants the passive recreational potential, basically a trail around the marsh, to be developed with small parking lots giving access at key locations around the marsh.  They are working to recreate a lowland native ecosystem in some areas bordering the marsh and the advocate for an education center where the signifiance of this wetland of international importance can be shared with the world.

Check the Hawaii Environmental Hui to join the discussion shaping the future of Kawainui Marsh.

World Wetland Day is Febrary 8, 2014 and will be celebrated on the grounds of the Kailua Methodist Church from 9am to 1:30pm.

E komo mai  Enjoy:

• Wetland Exhibits
• Tours of Kawainui/Hamakua Marsh
• Sale of Hawaiian plants and food
• Hawaiian Entertainment
• Guest speakers talk about the Marsh.

Learn about why Kawainui Marsh has been designated a RAMSAR wetland of international importance.  This is a place of rich historical, cultural and natural history significance.