From Fall Leaves to Compost

From Fall Leaves to Compost

November 29, 2007

It's the end of November, most of the leaves have fallen down, shadows are long, and the days are short and cold.

If you ask me, I think cold is good. This time of year, in Wisconsin, isn't it supposed to be this way? If you're like me, the cold weather kind of warms your heart and energizes you. Especially on a sunny day!

Now what we need to do, pronto, in case I didn't say it before, is turn that sunlight into power to heat our homes and offices in the winter.

Yesterday Monona got me out early to help her collect leaves for her compost pile. That's where she puts vegetable scraps, egg shells, some cardboard and such. This red container was what we used to put our garbage in before the city gave us a new one with wheels. Monona wondered: what did people do with their old plastic trash barrels, anyway?

We turned ours into a useful container to keep the leaves dry, so we can add them to the compost pile this winter, as needed. As we stuffed maple leaves in, they crushed down in volume to a weight of about forty pounds. Because maple leaves decompose quickly, they make the best compost. And when they stay dry, they keep their pale, autumn-gold and smell good too!

Truly yours, ~Polar Bear Witness
P.S. Please share the bear! www.polarbearwitness.blogspot.com

Research

Hypnotized by Those Screens

Given what I've shared so far about my new life, you may think that going to the cafe, exercising, shopping for food and chit-chatting with people about what we can do to slow down global warming are all that I do.

Actually, there's some research involved. Monona and I spent some time with Tana, the kindly and knowledgeable web librarian, who helped us in setting up our blog.

The library has a half-dozen on-line computers or so. The afternoon we visited every one of them was being used. Everyone seemed hypnotized by those screens. Well, maybe they were doing research too, about global warming and what more they could do.

Truly yours,
~Polar Bear Witness
P.S. Please share the bear! www.polarbearwitness.blogspot.com

What We Can Do. Y Not?

What We Can Do. Y Not?
Madison East Side YMCA

November 26, 2007

Speaking of the Sierra Club, last night at the Y we met Patty.

She asked us if global warming had something to do with us being there. Patty told us that she re-uses the rinse water when she does her laundry. "With a family of five, we probably save thousands of gallons of water every year."

"And you know," Patty continued, "when they put in new exercise equipment here, I wondered why they didn't buy the kind of equipment that could power the lights."

"And the chlorine they use in the pool is a carcinogen. Salt water," she said, "which people use in both public and private pools for environmental and health reasons, would be a much better choice."

Based on my Polar experience, I certainly agree.

When we asked Patty if she worked for an environmental agency, she told us:
"No, but I'm a lifetime member of the Sierra Club. And every month in their newsletter they suggest ideas for reducing global warming, what we can do."

Truly,
~Polar Bear Witness
P.S. Please share the bear! www.polarbearwitness.blogspot.com

Sierra Steps It Up!

Sierra Steps It Up!

November 3, 2007

Monona and I were busy that Saturday. And so were the volunteers of the Sierra Club.

Outside the front doors of Willy Street Co-op we purchased a 2008 picture calendar to help the Sierra Club in their efforts to educate people about what they can do to reduce global warming.

As I understand it, the "Step It Up" campaign means we have to move faster than the CO2 that has already accumulated in our Earth's atmosphere.

And we also need to do more ourselves, including demanding that our local, state and national public officials Step It Up!

Truly yours,
Polar Bear Witness
P.S. Please share the bear! www.polarbearwitness.blogspot.com

Love, Peace & Chocolate

Love, Peace & Chocolate

Cafe Soleil
Saturday, November 3, 2007

As Monona and I sat down at the market cafe this morning to make another entry in our journal, I noticed that we were almost at the end of the tiny, three-by-four inch, handmade paper pages of our beige and silver, silk and floral applique-bound book. Quite dainty for a Polar Bear.

It was a gift from Monona's New York City artist girlfriend, N. Cognita, whose favorite thing to do - imagine this - is to make art from junk!

So we took inspiration from our detritus-artist buddy and just turned the notebook upside-down, writing on blank pages of the other side.

As I took in the scene from the back of the cafe while Monona scribbled down my thoughts, what I noticed about being out in public is that small children usually recognize me first. They look up at me, their eyes and mouths open wide, and they smile. I guess that's good because they will be the ones who may still be around when my relatives and I become extinct. Who said that? Talk about creating a future of negative possibility to live into. Wow. Am I it, or what?

Today we're going to a demonstration called "Step It Up" to tell public officials and ourselves that we need action to reduce global warming, now. I've never been to a demonstration before, unless you consider my performance on the Capitol lawn in early October during the Saturday Farmers' Market one of those. No, that was more guerrilla theater. Yes, I would call it that, even though I'm a bear.

Hey, wow! I do have to say, I like this cafe. The coffee barrista, Karen, just walked by and patted my tummy. That felt good! She said to Monona, "He looks so cute!" Well, truth is, I look just like the other members of the troupe, but getting out socially might be doing something for my aura, as it were.

Gosh, time flies and it's almost quarter to. Time to go pick out our veggies, apples, maple syrup and cranberries. Yum! Berries, as you may know, are a food that we bears love!

Just as we headed out the door, barrista Karen came by! In time for me to have my wish come true: having my picture taken with her. You'll notice that the big white letters on her sweatshirt spell out the words Peace and Love. The small print spells out: Chocolate.

Truly yours,
Polar Bear Witness
P.S. Please share the bear! www.polarbearwitness.blogspot.com

At Home

At Home

Here I am at home.

This probably isn't what you expected my home to look like.

Actually, it is Home Savings Bank. It is one of Madison's, Wisconsin's and, possibly, the world's "greenest" banks. And by that I don't mean just mere cash.

I was there the two days Monona and her crew built new "rain garden" areas. These rain gardens and native plantings will save lots of water. Saving, I guess that's what banks are for.

Everyone was very friendly, both the staff and the customers. As you see, I stood guard by the side door. Do you think they might hire me, full time?

Truly yours,
Polar Bear Witness
P.S. Please share the bear! www.polarbearwitness.blogspot.com