GardeningNude

Me Thinks I Need A New Royal “Water Saving” Throne – ‘Cause My Toilet Stinks!

My toilet stinks!

Although it’s shiny white porcelain glow, unique design, and lovely matching accessories made it a fashionable find, the real reason my husband and I bought the very special Crane Plumbing toilet from Menard’s was because of its beauty as well as its advertised water saving, money saving, and all around GREEN qualities.

Imagine a toilet with grandeur and “green” attributes; a royal throne fit for a Green Queen. Ah yes… this was indeed the dream. It took weeks of negotiation, preparation, and research before we purchased the toilet. Thrones are special, after all, and purchasing a toilet special enough for this Green Queen did not come cheap.

What a shock we received when it takes three, sometimes four, flushes to get the unmentionable contents to go down the plumbing. We must plunge several times a day to keep everything unclogged. Having purchased this toilet several years ago, I can now say, no – SHOUT - my irritation and disappointment with this horrid bit of porcelain. It is not water saving. It was a rip-off.

Sounds of irritated cursing can regularly be heard from behind the closed bathroom door. Mostly repeated refrains of “OH CRAP!” In fact, Mr. Crapper would be embarrassed that his name should ever be associated with this plumbing reject. Water saving? How is it saving water to flush two, three, sometimes four times instead of a single flush?

Our old toilet; now fondly remembered as “Old Faithful,” never missed a flush. Never clogged, not even once. Compared to the amount of water we are forced to use now, our old toilet (although not labeled “water saving” like the new one is) was definitely saving us water. And what did I do? I threw “Old Faithful” out in the garbage like an old candy wrapper. He’s buried in the landfill now. Lonely and missing our warm bottoms I am sure. Oh the tragedy!

My advice to you is do not buy a “water saving” Crane Plumbing toilet from Menard’s unless you have a guarantee and double-check their return policy. In fact, do your research on what you really get when a product is advertised “water saving.”

Next time you pray to the porcelain god, please put in a good word for me. Why? Because my toilet stinks!

How is your “water-saving” toilet? Is it really saving you water? Is there a better solution? Would love to hear what you have to say - I need some serious toilet help.

Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com, The Green Blog - www.gardeningnude.com, or The Garden Blog - http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

The Great Coffee Cup Challenge

Here’s the coffee cup truth – our landfills are filling up with disposable coffee cups. According to the Sustainability Is Sexy website, Americans use approximately 16 billion disposable coffee cups per year. In 2006 alone, Starbucks used 2.3 billion coffee cups. Most cups including Starbucks current coffee cup design (as of 4/2009) only use a small percentage of recyclable material and are NOT recyclable themselves due to plastic content used to protect the cup from liquid leakage.

This quote from Sustainability Is Sexy really says it all; “In 2006, it is estimated that paper cups accounted for 252 million pounds of garbage resting in landfills.  Paper cup use in 2006 also accounted for 4 billion gallons of water wasted, 6.5 million trees cut down, and 4,884 billion BTU’s of energy used.”

When I found out these statistics I was blown away. Lots of people on the internet are complaining about it, but very few people are doing anything. Let’s DO SOMETHING!

If we can’t recycle them, why not reduce and reuse them?

The Great Coffee Cup Challenge

1. I challenge you to bring your own coffee cup to the local coffee house.
2. I challenge you to ask the manager of that shop to use recyclable cups every time you visit.
3. I challenge you to show my readers a creative way to reuse the coffee cups via video or photo.

Above is a video I made showing you what I do to reuse disposable coffee cups. I challenge you to make a difference by finding creative ways to reuse these cups. Send your videos, photos, and write-ups to blog@thecasualgardener.com and I will post your ideas and suggestions.

Let’s do something to make a difference together!

Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com or The Blogs - www.gardeningnude.com or http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

GREEN AND SIMPLE TIP: Harry the Pug says, “Wash Your Laundry In Cold Water!”

Harry the Pug says, “Wash your laundry in cold water!” What a great tip to conserve energy.

That’s just the beginning of how you can save energy AND MONEY when doing laundry.

Front-loading washing machines use 40% less water than top loading machines. Quite often they have a superior spin cycle as well which helps pull more water out of the clothing. This ensures a quicker dry time in a dryer machine.

If you do not have a front loader, use the suds-saver cycle. Suds-savers reuse most of the soapy laundry water for a second use. Some suds-savers can cut water use by 30-50%.

My family has severe dust-mite – and yes – dog allergies. Therefore, we have to wash our bedding on the “extra-hot” setting to kill any dust mites trapped in the blankets. All clothing gets washed in cold. If the proper detergent is used, hot water is not needed to get your clothing clean.

This summer I want to take the Coronado family laundry to an all-time “green-diddy-green-green” height and start hanging my laundry on a clothes line to dry just like my Grandma used to do. That will eliminate even more energy waste. The goal is to save energy, but also to SAVE MONEY. Why are we spending all this money on energy in a difficult economic time when we do not need to?

Harry the Pug is all about conserving energy – so remember his advice (and mine) – wash in cold and try to hang the laundry once in a while to help make a difference!

Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com or The Blogs - www.gardeningnude.com or http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

Get Yo Green On Tuesday – Composting Kit And A Way To Save Kitchen Scraps From The Landfill

One of the greenest things you can do is save anything you can from a landfill. Food scraps are particularly difficult for landfills to deal with because when the scraps “melt” into mush they turn into a toxic bacterial soup that runs out of landfills like a river. We, as taxpayers, must clean up this “river” of ick with our tax money. Nice, right?

It seems to me that there’s an easier way to handle the problem: composting. If we compost our own kitchen scraps we are saving energy and money for taxpayers. Compost has the added bonus of being “gold” for your garden. Good deal.

Here’s the catch – last year I failed at composting. Something went wrong and my well intentioned kitchen scraps, leaves, and yard waste did not turn into compost. To help solve the problem I ordered a very cool kitchen scrap composting kit from Clean Air Gardening. It has a cool kitchen countertop pail with a filter so it does not smell, compostable bags, a compost thermometer,  and a “Home Composting Made Easy” book.

What did I do wrong last year? After reading the instruction guide carefully I think my compost pile was not wet enough. This year I put the compost bins right next to my newly installed rain barrels. Seems like it will be a lot easier to transfer water into the compost bin and all will be well.

Meanwhile, I have fallen in love with the awesome non-stinking kitchen countertop pail. Quite a change from the old bucket I was using. If you want to order your own composting kit, it is easy to get online at Clean Air Gardening. Go here - http://www.cleanairgardening.com/composting-kit.html.

Today’s post is a “Two For Tuesday” – this blog is on both my greening blog – www.gardeningnude.com AND my gardening blog – http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com – ENJOY!

Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com.

Monday Whazzup – One Man’s Junk is Another Man’s Treasure

As my eight year old and I are driving to her gymnastics class last week, we are negotiating over the grass. She is losing grass and I am gaining garden beds, so there is a strong concern over where she can practice her gymnastics.

Suddenly I spot a treasure in someone else’s garbage. I shout in my best garbage-grubbing voice, “HEY! DID YOU SEE THAT?!” She blinks and smiles broadly knowing we were in for an adventure.

What did I spot? A gymnastics mat. Amazing. Awesome. Perfect timing. It was a gift from the heavens given at the exact moment we were discussing our need for a solution. Now to get it in my car. We lifted the hatch on my Vibe and pulled off the headrests. Together we balanced the large, unwieldy, blue object and jammed it ungracefully into the back of the car.

Dusting off our hands we both climb back in with huge smiles on our faces and gladness in our hearts. I say, “Problem solved. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.”

Yes I am a garbage digger – why would I let something useful go into the landfill? Why would YOU? It makes no sense. It is a waste. It is ridiculous. So if I spot something useful in the garbage you can count on me to pick it up and transform it into a good idea. I hope you will too.

Think of me as the “Junk Brothers” distant cousin – the Gardening Nude Junk Woman… errr something.

Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com, The Green Blog - www.gardeningnude.com, or The Garden Blog - http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

Work Together To Make A Difference – How Teams Can Build Community

My blog theme this week has been all about “building community.”

Along these lines, I spent my entire yesterday working with Jim Kleinwachter (a.k.a. my conservation mentor and the King of Green) installing rain barrels and building compost bins. Jim runs the Conservation @ Home education program through The Conservation Foundation in Illinois.

Tom Reid came out and filmed the whole experience. He is from Crazy Green (www.gocrazygreen.net)  It was a fantastic team effort. Working as a team to make a video is a great way to educate people on being green – I can’t wait until the video is edited so I can show my readers.

Although I did some green educating, I also learned a lot about how difficult it is to be in front of and behind a camera. There is no filming until the proper time has been spent on set-up. Below is a photo of the boys on location helping assemble one of the composters we talked about from Clean Air Gardening.

We did not have a formal script, so the entire team worked together to help come up with Shawna-On-The-Spot commentary. It was fantastic.There is no filming until all the team has worked together to create a message for the viewer. When you think about it – doing anything worth while as a group often requires cooperation, friendship, and hard work.

This type of cooperation leads to something very important – community. Working together to accomplish goals, building relationships, and best yet – help each other through life – is a great way to get something done.

If you build closer relationships both in business and in your neighborhood it will help you feel better about who you are and how you are living life. This is an intricate part of living a green lifestyle as well. Do the right thing and build community whenever you can. Why? Because sharing life is a whole lot better than living in isolation.

Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com, The Green Blog - www.gardeningnude.com, or The Garden Blog - http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

Build a Green Community – Teach Non-Natives To Speak English

Shopping in Mexico when you speak very little Spanish is a wild adventure to say the least – I just experienced it two weeks ago on my 14 day eco-blogging adventure. You can see by the photo that it is difficult to understand when you go to the grocery store and are faced with a wall of “foreign” language.

Imagine if you felt this frustration every day of your life? Imagine if you could not read signs, pharmaceuticals, and ingredient lists? How would you be able to take the correct medicine dosages or find the best value for the least amount of money? You would not be able to. Simple truth.

Now I want you to consider something controversial in the United States - nearly one in five Americans speaks a language other than English at home according to the Census Bureau. This has been an increase of nearly 50 percent during the past decade with most speaking Spanish, followed by Chinese then Russian. Americans who discriminate against non-English speakers would shout, “THEN GET AN EDUCATION! SPEAK ENGLISH!”

Although I agree that people should learn the primary language of the country they live in, I propose that the solution is far from realistic. Our culture has truly become the melting pot that our founding fathers imagined. My family has a mixed ethnic heritage, and so does most everyone’s in the U.S., and now even President Obama shows us that a “non-traditional” family is the norm for American society.

With that in mind, instead of fighting against the non-English speaking community, why not welcome them and try to help them to learn English? Many non-English speaking individuals who live in the U.S. cannot afford English lessons and some are not even literate. This is happening in my own suburban community.

Instead of complaining and whining about this problem in our communities, why not do something about it? If we teach other people how to speak English and build community together, than we are HELPING OURSELVES too.

Here’s why – if you could learn how to read labels, than you would understand that CFL light bulbs utilize less electricity. If you could speak English, you could ask people how you can save money on your utilities. If you could be a part of a greener community that works together to conserve water and electricity, you would pay less for utilities and be able to save more money so you could put food on your family’s table instead. Even more importantly, understanding medical labels (like the ones above) would mean you or your family might have less emergency room visits. Also, you would be able to go to a doctor and understand what he says for your family’s health.

Do you see a pattern here?

If you claim to be “green” in your lifestyle, an important part of that green lifestyle is helping your community to understand each other and the world. Make a difference for your community today – be generous with your time and help someone learn English.

Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com, The Green Blog - www.gardeningnude.com, or The Garden Blog - http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

Monday Whazzup – How Being Part of a Green Community Can Help Eliminate Depression

Recently, while in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, I learned that throwing yourself off a 30 foot tree does a lot for your self-confidence and energy level. Really.

If you happen to be afraid about making that jump – fearful of the height – or afraid you really cannot accomplish your goal, the people on this same journey will encourage you. Not just the tour employees – but every person who is a part of the adventure. They say things like, “you can do it!” or “I believe in you!” In essence, you have a little mini-community right there on your tour supporting you through the experience. This energizes you and fills your soul with the belief that anything is possible.

How incredible is that? The more frightened you are, the more likely your group will cheer you on. By the end of my tour in the Yucatan jungle, I was shouting my encouragement to my new community as well. Always ready to jump off, dive after, or climb higher, my words of encouragement to others who were afraid to do these things made a true difference. 

Above you see a photo of my husband, Luis, upside down on a zipline over the Yucatan jungle during our Selvatica ziplining tour. It was incredible – and with a little encouragement and assistance from our little community, he jumped off the trees as if he had been doing it his whole life. He touched the jungle in a way some people only dream of. Below is a photo of our Selvatica ziplining experts who had a great time with Luis and helped him accomplish something wonderful.

When you become active in your community it produces the same results – you are encouraged and cheered on by your community friends. You become less isolated and therefore, more connected, to your neighbors. As time goes on you start to feel better – both about yourself and about the world around you. If you are in nature with your community doing more green things like gardening and experiencing outdoor activities, you have the added bonus of having feel-good brain chemicals like Serotonin kick in making you feel even more “up” and energized.

In other words, by being a part of a green community, you can help reduce depression – your depression – and feel better about yourself and your accomplishments. Some, like me, feel that becoming involved in your community and less isolated in your living practices, combined with more physical activity, is a miracle cure for stress.

Be less depressed and feel better about who you are; build community and get out in nature more often. You will feel fantastic when you do.

Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com, The Green Blog - www.gardeningnude.com, or The Garden Blog - http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

Olympus Stylus TOUGH-6000 Camera Review

 

There’s one word for the new Olympus Stylus TOUGH-6000 – TOUGH!!!! Spending 14 days on a Mexican eco-adventure means you have to have a camera that will survive anything. This camera is shockproof, waterproof, freezeproof, crushproof and shakeproof and was worth it’s weight in gold on my latest eco-adventure.

Whether I was getting ready to jump off a 30’ tree to zipline (above), or taking pictures of beautiful cenote scenery (below - last photo), the camera took fantastic photos. During the adventure I dropped the camera about four times, a guide stepped on it, and it accidentally fell off a boat twice. No kidding. And guess what? It kept on taking the best darned digital photos I have ever taken.

In the above shot you see hundreds of butterflies at the Sian Ka’an Bioreserve – a world heritage protected site in Mexico. They are zooming, dipping, and diving faster than my eye can keep up on an incredibly windy day – yet, the camera still captured the shot with amazing clarity.

Above you can see a photo I took underwater during murky conditions while only holding the camera in one hand. It is of a diver feeding a stingray and his fishy buddies in at the Xel-Ha eco-park near Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. WOW! No ordinary camera could take a photo like this. Best yet, it is a little hand held camera that can go any where so was easy to put in my back pack or my purse.

It has some amazing features, including the ability to digitally record a movie. Below you can see how I recorded a mini-movie in a cenote in Mexico using my little TOUGH-6000. I am swimming and am taking the photo-mini-movie one-handed while doing it. You will see both over water and underwater shots in the short video. COOL! I love it!

There are lots of other special features on this camera I have never seen before on other cameras including Face Detection, Tap Control (which allows you to tap the camera to take the photo), Beauty Mode (which allows you to smooth a persons complexion during the shot), and several night-shot taking features that were all easy to use. My entire education on how to use the camera happened on the airplane on my way to Mexico. I scanned the manual, hooked it on my wrist and was done.

My overall review is this is one fantastic camera which I have loved using. I can’t wait to show my readers more photos from my greening projects I have planned this spring and summer.

There was only one thing I had trouble with – the wrist strap Olympus provides with the camera does not allow you to tighten it close to the wrist. Because of this it came out of my hand and dropped during some of the more rigorous activities on my incredible Mexican Green Living Eco-Adventure. Hopefully a tighter fitting wrist strap will be easy to find.

Please leave a comment and let me know where I can find a strap that will not be obnoxious looking, but will still hold tight to my wrist.

Thanks Olympus – for making one tough camera that is a pleasure to use. You have opened a whole new world to me in photo taking - wonderful!

Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com, The Green Blog - www.gardeningnude.com, or The Garden Blog - http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

Make A Difference In The Life Of Another

Yesterday I was surprised when I walked out into the back garden and saw these fragrant blooms and smiled as I realized these flowers represent more than the heralding of Spring, they represent community. My friend, Helen Dale, gave me these bulbs and last fall, on a cold and blustery day, I dug a small hole and planted them with loving thoughts of her smile. Helen may live in San Francisco and I may live in Chicago, but our friendship is no less meaningful because of the distance. This bulb reminds me that she is a part of my community and I am grateful.

Community and good mental health is connected by a thin and marvelous strand of powerful glue. It is about helping the people you touch realize less isolation. We in the United States take more anti-depressants than any other country. Why do you think that is? My belief is it is partly due to isolation from each other and isolation from nature.

Connecting people and getting to know more people in my community whenever I can has become my joy. In particular, gardeners have a marvelous skill at uniting community. Most gardeners I have met are generous to a fault and are fantastic at getting people out in nature to help each other. Most gardeners realize that gardening – and therefore being in nature - is therapy and work to bring people together by giving plants away and educating whoever is within earshot on the benefits of helping the earth. And guess what? Almost every homeowner can try to be a gardener and a good neighbor in their community.

Why not spend some time today bringing community together and making a mental health difference for someone you know?

Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com, The Green Blog - www.gardeningnude.com, or The Garden Blog - http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

2009 Mexican Eco-Blogging Green Adventure – What I Learned in the Yucatan Peninsula

An eco-experience in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico teaches you far more about life than just touching jungles, oceans, and cenote ecosystems.

There are lots of questions I learned how to answer while on this amazing eco-journey in Mexico. Answers I never thought I would understand. How will a greener world come about when there are battling drug cartels practicing beheadings as a common answer to controlling its members? How will a greener world come about when over half the globe is living in poverty? How will a greener world come about when death, war, poverty, and disease cover much of the earth?

There is an answer and I see it clearly: education and community.

Common teaching mentality related to green issues seems to dictate a “from the top down” mindset. First educating the leaders, then the governments, then the corporations, then the people of the world. Perhaps this is a good idea, however, there is a better possibility; educating from the ground up.

At the Sian Ka’an Biosphere, an over 1 million acre world heritage site featuring jungles, ocean reefs, and mangroves, our Mayan guide, Antonio, taught us basic information via word of mouth just as his father had taught him.

As children, we did not learn how to brush our teeth from a mysterious government entity – we learned how to brush our teeth at home by watching the example set by our parents and grandparents.

When we learn the very basics of water conservation, we learn to turn off the water when we are brushing our teeth and to not let the water run down the drain wasted. Our parents teach us that skill - not the leaders of our country, not the politicians or corporate entities – just our family. While in Mexico I watched the wonderful Mexican locals trying very hard – by example – to make a difference for their families and communities.

While visiting Mexico I did not see a single crime and we met lots of wonderful friends and people. I was a guest in a country which is heritage rich as well as environmentally rich. Most every person I spoke with or spent time with was helpful, friendly, and giving. Each person was concerned about the environment in their own way and worked towards helping their world and community. I was surprised by this; expecting a far different attitude.

Similar to the United States, being “green” in Mexico means living a lifestyle that is considerate of others. It is about community and caring for the world. Largely, it is about educating children from the ground up. Here in Mexico, children live in homes like you and me. Sometimes the children live in poverty. All the time they are being taught by their families what is right and what is wrong.

My experience these fourteen days in Mexico has taught me that perhaps when the people, the REAL every day people of the world, work together to build a greener and more eco-aware community it defies all negativity, crime, and hate. It becomes possible because people working together can make a difference.

Enormous thanks go, again, to the Mexican community, the Mexican Tourism Board, the Cancun Visitors Bureau, and the Riviera Maya Tourism Bureau for gifting my family and I with the joy of spending time learning and living an authentic eco-experience in Mexico. Our experiences with the Mexican people have been safe, healthy, and fun – in other words; wonderful!

Perhaps the single largest thing I learned on this journey is that life is so very short – it is time we all worked to unite and help communities the world over with the common goal of being “green” and understanding more about nature and each other.

Simply put by President Obama, “Yes we can.”

Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com, The Green Blog - www.gardeningnude.com, or The Garden Blog - http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

2009 Mexican Eco-Blogging Green Adventure – A Cenote Swim and a Thank You to Mexico!

Without a doubt, spending 14 days in the Yucatan Peninsula learning about the Mexican eco-environment as well as creative and new ways to stay green has been a significant experience for both my family and me.

One of our favorite trips was a short excursion to a cenote called the Jardin de  Eden (the garden of eden). Our guide from the Riviera Maya tourism group, the very beautiful Itzel Olvera, went on many adventures with us, and this is one of the most memorable. Here you see she and my daughter getting ready to jump off a 20 foot cliff into the cenote.

We spent several hours jumping off cliffs and snorkeling about the cenote, which is a completely fresh water cenote filled with small fish, ducks, and other local wildlife. It was a very hot day, so the cenote was absolutely amazing and refreshing – a fantastic experience. Below you see a photo of my daughter mid-flight, jumping off the cliffs at Jardin de Eden.

Being a part of nature and totally immersing oneself in a different natural eco-system than the one you are used to is quite an education.

To help you understand more about the feel of the cenote at Jardin de Eden, I made a short video for you. Please follow it below so you can see for yourself what a beautiful place the Riviera Maya and Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico really is:

Our local guides for all the excursions were wonderful and we owe them a huge thank you for their kindness, generosity, and knowledge while we have been in Mexico on this fabulous eco-environmental trip.

Roger Sauri was our first Mayan guide. His family comes from the region of Mexico we visited and was immensely knowledgeable and helpful. Here is a photo of him at the Mayan ruins of El Rey in Cancun, Mexico.

Our fantastic and good looking guide from Rio Secreto, Moises, was tremendously informed on the scientific basics of caves and spelunking. His tour of the secret river several miles deep into the Yucatan jungle was fascinating and informed. Rio Secreto was simply marvelous because of his help.

There were many other helpers and guides along the way in our journey, but one of the most memorable was Henry from Punta Venado who gave us many tours in one – we rode horseback, drove ATV’s, swam in a cenote, visited the jungle, and explored a cave. Here you see from left to right, Juan Carlos, Itzel’s driver; Henry from Punta Venado; and Luis, my husband, all swimming together in the cenote at the Punta Venado jungle site.

Xel-Ha was one of the most fantastic experiences ever. An eco-park set along the Riviera Maya coast, Xel-Ha was like swimming in an aquarium. Below is a great photo of the whole crew at dinner. From left to right it is Delio (Xel-Ha), Juan Carlos, Itzel (Riviera Maya), Daniela (Xel-Ha), Shawna and Luis. And yes, I did have a margarita!

There were so many people we met along the way – many guides, helpers, and wonderful people from Mexico who were warm and wonderful. Our visit to the Yucatan Peninsula was simply incredible – I have so much more to write about than I ever imagined. I LEARNED so much more than I ever imagined. It was amazing. Thank you Mexico for allowing us to have this experience – special thanks to the Mexican community, the Mexican Tourism Board, the Cancun Visitors Bureau, and the Riviera Maya Tourism Bureau for helping make the journey possible.

Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com, The Green Blog - www.gardeningnude.com, or The Garden Blog - http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

2009 Mexican Eco-Blogging Green Adventure – Mexican Mangroves

This is the view from the side of the resort we are staying at in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. Beautiful isn’t it? What you’re looking at is a Mangrove jungle which was originally targeted to be destroyed and was gratefully saved by the Mexican government.

You see, Mangroves are really “rainforests by the sea” that grow in tropical and subtropical tidelands all over the world. Mangrove forests are comprised of  diverse, salt-tolerant tree and other plant species which thrive in salt water or a mix of fresh and salt water, specifically inter-tidal zones of estuaries, sheltered tropical shores, and small over-wash islands. While other plant life dies with the over-exposure to salt water, Mangrove trees have amazingly adapted unique aerial and salt-filtering roots and salt-excreting leaves that enable them to occupy the saline wetlands. The result is the Mangrove forest.

Mangrove forests are vital for healthy coastal ecosystems, in fact, this is why the Mexican government put a halt to additional building on this property. The forest detritus, consisting mainly of fallen leaves and branches from the mangroves, provides marine environment nutrients and supports baby “fish hatcheries” as well as immense varieties of sea life in intricate food chains.

During my time visiting the over 1 million acres of internationally protected environment at Sian Ka’an Biosphere this week, I was able to swim among the mangroves (see below). Touching their roots, seeing an incredible array of plant life, and feeling an amazing and unique connection to this special jungle life.

The shallow inter-tidal reaches that distinguish the mangrove wetlands offer refuge and nursery grounds for juvenile fish, crabs, shrimps, and mollusks. They are also prime nesting and migratory sites for hundreds of bird species. Many other animals occupy or temporarily utilize mangroves, including sea turtles, manatees, crab-eating monkeys, fishing cats, monitor lizards, plus dozens of other varieties of fish use the mangroves as protected nurseries.

As you get closer you can see this amazing forest of gnarled, jagged trees protruding up from the sands. At times these roots are anchored in deep, black,  mud, or are in the cenote canals in the wetlands of the Sian Ka’an. At other times the ocean cleanses the roots and brings in millions of fish and ocean life in abundance. Green fingers stretch to the hot sun and birds sing a cacophony of music every morning; fighting for their position in the world. This is where land and ocean intertwine and life is reborn along the Mexican coast of the Yucatan peninsula.

And imagine; this has been my view every day for a week – oh yeah, I am as close to heaven as any nature lover could possibly be.

Remember to enter these three contests which are going on only as long as the 14 day Gardening Nude 2009 Mexican Eco-Blogging Green Adventure - - link through below and follow the blog to win BIG -

“WIN A $100 Gift Certificate from Boston Proper” Contest!!!

“WIN A $50 Gift Certificate from H20x2.com” Contest!!!

TWITTER CONTEST –

“WIN A $299 Olympus Tough-6000 Waterproof Camera Contest!!!”

Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com, The Green Blog - www.gardeningnude.com, or The Garden Blog - http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

2009 Mexican Eco-Blogging Green Adventure – Mayan Encounter

After our morning adventure of climbing the ruins at Coba, Mexico, it was now time to venture on to an eco-encounter with a community of Mayan Indians. Alex, our ever present and dependable guide from Alltournative tours, served a traditional Mayan lunch  that a wonderful group of Mayan ladies prepared for us. Above you see a photo of my daughter with a Mayan girl close to her same age.

While the Mayan community here has some electricity, there are very few other amenities. Food is cooked over a flame and the toilets are raised outhouses – it is far different than the way we live back home. All the Mayan people are generous and helpful in all their efforts. It is a cooperative community of people who are doing the best they can to whittle out a living in very uncompromising natural surroundings.

Our first adventure with Alex was to canoe on a lake which was set within the community. As you look at the photo to the left you will see my family in a canoe. You will also see three little huts along the banks of the lake. These huts are the toilets. All the other thatched buildings are public areas for eating and living.

It was a beautiful day to canoe – sunshine and calm. All the lake banks are grassy and filled with turtles and other native wildlife. After we finished the canoe adventure, we hiked through the jungle. It was quite challenging as you can see by the photo below. Much of the Yucatan Peninsula is filled with limestone outcroppings and is very rocky with very little soil. Hiking through the jungle also means climbing over rock as much as it means working your way through vegetation.

Ziplining was our next adventure - we were able to ride a zipline over a large open cenote which resembled a lake. Quite frankly, I do not have a photo of this experience because I was holding on for dear life. Sometimes safety comes first.

As the afternoon progressed, the Mayan people had even more exciting adventures for us to participate in. My favorite experience was repelling 40 feet down into a cenote hole. By all appearances, it was simply a hole in the ground, but once you repelled down through the hole, you could see a huge cavern filled with water at the bottom. Here you see my daughter repelling down the hole with the special climbing equipment provided for all of us. As you descended into the cenote cavern, it was very dark. Holding the rope tightly, I was able to lower myself with the repelling equipment into the cold water. After the 90 degree heat, it felt wonderful.

In the photo below you see how we descended into the dark abyss of the cenote cavern. There were bats squeaking all around, collecting insects which fly through the holes to the outside world high above us. Small fish, some blind, swam around our feet and stalactites dripped from overhead. This all happened while we sat in inner tubes and floated in lazy circles watching the fun. It was simply amazing.

Going down was quick and easy, but getting out of the cavern was far more complex. Alex, our guide, and the Mayan guides pulled us out of the cenote by brute force. Several Mayans set up a pulley system above the cenote hole then cinched the climbing equipment carefully. Bouncing with each pull from Alex and his team, we were hefted up, up, up back into the daylight. Below is a video of my ascent from the cenote abyss into daylight. It is a very bumpy ride in a wet bathing suit, which surprised me, I laughed the whole way up. Lots of fun -

It was easy for a few men to pull me up, but it took a lot more man power to hoist my husband up. Six Mayan men and Alex, our guide, pulled Luis up on the pulley system. Below is a photo of Luis almost reaching the top to get a hand from one of the Mayan Encounter staff.

 

Living the Mayan Encounter was truly an awesome experience. Visiting both the Coba ruins in the morning and having the eco-adventure in the afternoon were really fantastic and brought us closer to nature. Jungle, cenotes, and lakes in the Yucatan peninsula are filled with many types of eco-systems and it was a gift to be able to touch them so closely.

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Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com, The Green Blog - www.gardeningnude.com, or The Garden Blog - http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

2009 Mexican Eco-Blogging Green Adventure – Coba Ruins

Climbing Nohoch Muul, the tallest pyramid in the Yucatan peninsula was more exciting than I imagined, it was very steep and windy, and hundreds of feet above the jungle. Arriving at the top with the other tourists, breathing heavily, I imagined what it would be like to be a priest who climbed the tower every day: exhausting!

Here’s a video of the climb I made to the top of the pyramid. Note the heavy breathing and lovely wind which almost blew me off the top -

Our guide for this journey was Alex from Alltournative tours. He kindly showed us many of the ancient ruins at Coba, then set us free to climb the pyramid for a view of the jungle. Instead of walking the 15 minute walk, we hired a Mayan taxi for a quick trip, which turned out to be a bicycle-driven two-wheeled carriage pedaled by a Mayan taxi-driver. He turned down our offers of water, and gave us a smile-filled ride to Nohoch Muul.

What makes this site rather special is that it was only recently unearthed in the 1980’s. According to our knowledgeable guide, Nohoch Muul has 120 steps and is just short of 140 ft high. When you get to the top, the view is absolutely spectacular and gives a wide picture of the jungle which extends for miles in every direction. When you stand at the top of Nohoch Muul you can really get a sense of how important nature is to this community.

Climbing down from Nohoch Muul was as dangerous as climbing up. Below is a photo of my foot as I am trying to find purchase. See how steep the stairs are at this point. This adventure is definitely built for the brave-at-heart.

Touching, climbing, and living the Mayan ruin trip was an important experience for my family. It taught us a bit about the Mayan heritage, particularly since my husband and daughter share in that heritage. It allowed us to learn more about the human condition. It was a wonderful view of Mexican heritage as well as a view of the jungles of Mexico.

Remember to enter these three contests which are going on only as long as the 14 day Gardening Nude 2009 Mexican Eco-Blogging Green Adventure - - link through below and follow the blog to win BIG -

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Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com, The Green Blog - www.gardeningnude.com, or The Garden Blog - http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

2009 Mexican Eco-Blogging Green Adventure – Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve

It all started with butterflies. When our tour van pulled up to the beach in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve there were thousands of migratory butterflies flying near the Muyil lake. My daughter and I walked into the flying butterflies and stood dumbfounded for minutes while they flew around us. They were drinking ground water in a mass and you can see them above next to me in the photo on the ground. Less than one foot from where I was crouching was a deep area of quick sand the guide warned me about.

In 1986 Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve was established as a part of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Program and became a World Heritage Site for the United Nations. Visiting the 1.3 million acres of Sian Ka’an, the largest protected area in the Mexican Caribbean, was an absolutely amazing experience.

There are over 100 known mammal species, 336 known bird species, and is the nesting site for two endangered sea turtle species. It has an amazing annual rainfall of over 44 inches and comprises almost one third of the Riviera Maya  coast. "Sian Ka’an" is translated from Mayan as "where the sky is born" or "gift from the sky". The reserve is thought to have been inhabited in the pre-Classic and Classic periods as part of the chieftanships of Cohuah and Uaymil.

Our Mayan guide, Antonio, took us on a wonderful adventure through the reserve. Here you see him standing on a limestone outcropping in the jungle. He was a wonderful source of information and knew much about all of the plants we passed by, particularly their healing properties. Less than 20 years ago, the Mayan community who lived here only spoke Mayan. Now, because of the influx of tourists and the need to protect the biosphere, the Mayan’s have adapted. Antonio learned the additional languages required to be a guide in the last five years and now speaks English, Spanish, and Mayan fluently. In fact, the Mayan people are very resourceful and learn quickly. I found Antonio to be quite an inspiration. He says the knowledge he has about the jungle plants and area were passed down to him from his father and is extensive.

First our tour began with the Muyil archeological site. There are 23 known archeological sites with relics dating up to 2,300 years old on the property. To the left you see my eight year old daughter standing in front of the tallest of these ruins. 

We had an incredible journey through the deep jungle. A jungle is cool and dark, but also deadly. All the plants and animals have special defense mechanisms they use to protect themselves from predators. Here you see a tree which defends itself with large spikes. This tree holds a large amount of water on its interior and must protect itself from thirsty animals.

Both my daughter and I were fascinated by the diversity of flora in the jungle – it was so thick once you stepped past the path, you would have to have a machete to cut your way through.

Sian Ka’an Bioreserve also has a lake system which was formed from cenotes. Although quite large, the lakes, Muyil and Chunyaxche, are linked to the ocean by ancient canals that were hand dredged and used as trade routes over 800 years ago by Mayan mariners. Antonio let us know we were going to cross these lakes with a motor boat, then swim on the canals. What an adventure.

As the boat pulled away from the wharf, I was shocked at how large the cenote lakes were. Up to 20 meters in the deepest part of the lakes, most areas were one meter or less – very shallow. Both lakes were quite large as you can see in the below photo of our boat trek.

Amazing canals stretch for miles and miles through the system of mangroves and wetlands. On one side of the canal system is mangroves, and on the other side of the canal system is wetland savannah which is quite beautiful. Mangroves are particularly important for the Yucatan Peninsula ecosystem as it protects the area from eroding during hurricanes and also serves as a nursery for many ocean fish and wildlife.

Floating down these canals was more amazing than I can possibly describe. If you were quiet while you floated, you could listen to the grasses on the savannah rustling and hear the birds in the mangroves hopping from branch to branch. There were hundreds of bromeliads and other flora growing all over the mangroves. While you could see small fish in the water, there were no signs of crocodiles or other predators as we floated. It was relaxing and wonderful and the experience of a lifetime. Below I made a short video of our float down the canal.

When it was time to climb out, both my daughter and I took our time as we so completely and totally enjoyed the experience. Here you see her holding a mangrove tree root during our floating journey.

It was soon time to journey back across the lakes and our guide zipped through the curvy canals quickly. One of the more exciting motor boat rides I have had as we flew through the canals to get to our destination on the other side of the lakes. Our guide ended the journey when we returned to the mainland with a traditional Mayan lunch. We had meat cooked in banana leaves. Delicious!

Although we just touched the surface of the gorgeous un-touched vistas of Sian Ka’an, I felt our experience at the Bioreserve was one of the more natural connections I have ever felt with nature. We were able to feel a mangrove jungle in a way I never expected – swimming through it – and it was truly beautiful.

Remember to enter these three contests which are going on only as long as the 14 day Gardening Nude 2009 Mexican Eco-Blogging Green Adventure - - link through below and follow the blog to win BIG -

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Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com, The Green Blog - www.gardeningnude.com, or The Garden Blog - http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

2009 Mexican Eco-Blogging Green Adventure – Diving and Coral Reefs

Visiting Centro Ecological Akumal was a fantastic educational experience. Scuba-diving and snorkeling is the only way to truly immerse one-self in the coral eco-system, and learning more about how to protect this rich environment is important. According to Paul Sanchez-Navarro, Director of Centro Ecological Akumal, coral reefs have declined worldwide due to many factors from fertilizer run-off to temperature rises to pollution of all sorts. This makes coral reefs perhaps the most endangered marine ecosystem on Earth.

Having the distinct privilege of visiting this fragile ecosystem is an experience of a lifetime for our family. While visiting the coral reefs we are very careful to not touch the coral itself. We view from a distance, floating in the ocean and watching the amazing diversity of life.

 

Paul Sanchez-Navarro (pictured with me above) told me that where we are visiting on the Yucatan Peninsula is the most extensive reef development in the country of Mexico. Here the continental shelf is very narrow, in many places less than two kilometers wide. There are partly submerged fringing reefs along much of this coastline. Sadly, the world's second largest coral reef is having difficulty  surviving many pollution issues, especially those related to cruise ships full of tourists anchoring off Mexico's coast.

While we sat and ate lunch on a beautiful Akumal beach, my eight year old and I noticed the beach had less sand and tons of broken and bleached coral. It made for interesting beachcombing and a lot of discussion about what life would be like without coral reefs. About one quarter of all marine species are believed to  depend on coral at some stage of their development. Many fish live their entire lives on reefs, while others use them as nurseries; if the coral dies out it is assumed the fish will too. The economic impact of losing coral is also significant – in the billions of dollars worldwide.

What will happen if we are unable to provide fish for the world to eat? Will people starve? Without the coral and fish, millions of people will lose their jobs and be unable to support themselves. Without smaller fish which inhabit the coral reefs will all the larger fish die such as tuna and shark?

These questions are questions we should all be asking. Why? Because WE are contributing to the death of these coral ecosystems by adding fertilizer run off and increasing carbon dioxide levels to the earth. It is not all happening because of tourists – our activities touch the coral reefs just like our activities touch our own neighborhood. WE need to be better stewards of the earth or we might cause our own destruction.

Right now – today – you should be asking this: “What can I do to make a difference for the world?” And you should be doing whatever you can. Damage to coral reefs and ocean fish is not only done by irresponsible divers or snorkelers, it is also done by all of us. Asking this question is important not just because it’s good for the earth, but also because it touches you DIRECTLY. Take responsibility, use chemicals only when you absolutely have to. Reduce your carbon footprint. Get started helping our ecosystems today.

Remember to enter these three contests which are going on only as long as the 14 day Gardening Nude 2009 Mexican Eco-Blogging Green Adventure - - link through below and follow the blog to win BIG -

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Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com, The Green Blog - www.gardeningnude.com, or The Garden Blog - http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

2009 Mexican Eco-Blogging Green Adventure – Xel-Ha Eco-Park

 

Set in middle of the Yucatan jungle, Xel-Ha (pronounced “shell-ha”) is a protected inlet set near Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. It is touted as being a natural aquarium park, and is indeed quite beautiful.

Talk about an up-close and personal view of ocean life! Snorkeling in the crystal  clear ocean waters at Xel-Ha is very much like swimming in an aquarium. It is free of walls and glass panes, has no man-made lights or feeding mechanisms, and has over 70 species of colorful fish. Luis, being the strongest swimmer in the family, swam across the inlet and back to view some of the fish in the inlet which were as large as he is – bigger even. Absolutely amazing.

All the staff at Xel-Ha are extraordinarily helpful and kind. Our guides from Xel-Ha, Daniela and Delio, showed me a behind the scenes view of Xel-Ha which was r eally a tour of a lifetime for a greening expert. Their kitchen system feeds up to 11,000 people per day and features a fantastic organic recycling program whereby all the food waste is recycled and composted, even the meats and bones. You can see this demonstrated in the giant compost bin shown on the left. All paper, plastic, and metal is recycled on the property and I got to visit the recycling and compost system. Saitra Perez Cabrera is a biologist who runs the recycling and compost program. She gave me a marvelous tour of her facility and we bonded over our mutual love for composting. It was marvelous – here is a photo of us together in front of her compost area.

Xel-Ha also uses no drinking straws on the facility, which injure animals, and prints no visitor maps. If you are interested in finding your position within the park, you are encouraged to look at the large maps which are hung at regular intervals instead of using a printed sheet which must be thrown away. Below, you can see how large the eco-park facility is and get a view of the inlet.

More importantly, Xel-Ha works to promote community by educating both its employees and the surrounding cities on greening concepts. This has brought benefits beyond any expectations to the people who live here.  Xel-Ha Natural  Wonder Park carries out some awesome “green” programs and is the first park in Mexico to apply for the Green Globe 21 certification process, which aims to face environmental challenges, social and cultural aspects, and make the benefits of tourism reach local communities. The sustainability upon which Green Globe is founded resides in a simple concept: To preserve resources for future generations. Xel-Ha is truly working to make this happen.

While I was toured around the “behind the scenes” facility, Luis and my daughter swam in the inlet. Both enjoyed large salt water fish experiences and got to feed the fish by hand as well. We later went to visit and tour the plant nursery and  a Mayan bee apiary, which is where a special stingless bee lives. The apiary features a Mayan style of caring for the bees. They hollow out logs and drill a hole for the bees to come and go like the photo to the left. We met a very dangerous ant which lives in the Yucutan peninsula called the “Tiger Ant”. Above you see a photo of the ant army. Their bite is quite painful, so we stayed well away from them.

There was nature all around us and at one point Daniela and Delio surprised us  with a special dive underwater called “Sea Trek” – wow – it was absolutely unforgettable. We wore special diving helmets on our shoulders and were able to walk on the bottom of the ocean while breathing normally. It was a great way to touch nature. We were able to see hundreds of fish this way. According to the guides, my daughter was the youngest person to ever go on the Sea Trek adventure at age eight. She LOVED it and did just fine.

All of the family was very thrilled when we had the great privilege of swimming with and feeding large sting rays during this experience. Sting rays feel surprisingly soft when you touch them and are graceful – it’s like watching a dance when they swim together.

What a wonderful and amazing ocean adventure for my family to experience – you can see us all together in front of the inlet in the photo below. Watching the people of Xel-Ha care for the land, the ocean, and their community was both exciting and inspirational. They believe in leaving a legacy for all the world to see.

What are you doing in your community to make a green difference?

 

Remember to enter these three contests which are going on only as long as the 14 day Gardening Nude 2009 Mexican Eco-Blogging Green Adventure - - link through below and follow the blog to win BIG -

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Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com, The Green Blog - www.gardeningnude.com, or The Garden Blog - http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com