Why it matters . . .

by Kim

"Make visible what, without you, might perhaps never have been seen." - Henri Cartier -Bresson 

There have been so many wonderful posts, and so many beautiful photos shared in our Flickr group and I'm a little sorry to see the month end. But just because the theme is ending, doesn't mean we should forget the importance that our actions have, EVERYDAY, on our beautiful planet.

The little girl in the photo is my neighbor and can I just tell you how much I love sharing my "garden friends" with her. I mean what's not to love about participating in the joy and excitement of a child learning and experiencing first hand about nature.

In fact, I believe one of the most important things we can do is to get our future generations on board by instilling that love of earth and nature in our children and grandchildren. To let them know that the consequences of all of our actions are far reaching, not just for them, but for everyone. . .and everything.

We are losing species of plants and animals along with their habitats at an alarming rate. Just in the rainforest alone, 80,000 acres are destroyed every day. And with one in three Americans having some kind of chronic condition we are losing the very things we need to treat them. Nearly half of all prescription drugs and seventy percent of all cancer drugs are made with compounds found in plants and animals from around the world. And what about all the species we are losing that could have been possible cures or treatments?

For this and so many other reasons . . . it all matters.

That's why to teach a child, is to give hope to the future!

Kim xo

Focus on Phoneography

As we wrap up the month of April, we would just like to thank you all so much for participating in our Earth Day theme.  So many amazing, beautiful images of this wonderful planet that we all call home.

From L-R
1st row - @anniestril @kellykardos @swell_shell
2nd row - @lansnap @rosiegrey @prariegirlstudio
3rd row - @saurand @barbaracarrollaz @marl1een:

Thank you again to everyone for your continued support and participation!  Happy Spring friends!

Thinking Outside of the Box…

by Susan

Oh my...is it my post already?  My iCal is reminding me...'post due'...'take pictures'...'monthly theme is Earth Day'...ding, ding, ding!  Let's get on it Sue, grab your camera...step outside.  And so...I do.  What do I photograph...lots and lots of flowers.  Pink ones...red ones...yellow, white, gorgeous ones!  Upload them into my computer and think...c'mon Sue...you can do better than this...be more creative with the theme...and think outside of the box.  And so I did...so to speak...

And then I notice it...the box at the curb.  The big green box (bin) at the curb with it's bright yellow lid.  I smile...and chuckle...because that's my shot. There before me is my big green 'recycling' box...with it's loud yellow lid and it silently says to me, 'hey...I have everything to do with Earth Day...come photograph me!'  And so...as you can see...I did.  Yes, that's my recycle box...the box that helps keep this earth cleaner...through recycling.  I smile...focus...click goes the shutter...yup...that's my blog post for this week. My not-so-pretty recycle bin is now a beautiful colorful capture.

How wonderful it would be if everyone did their part...and recycled.  But not everyone does, and that is unfortunate because it's so simple to do.  As you can see in the pic above, I captured a neighbor who decided to put a completely recyclable box into the non recyclable bin...the bin with the 'green' lid.  Mayday! Mayday!  That large cardboard box goes into the yellow lid box...yellow!  {yeah...I feel like I'm channeling the late comedian Sam Kinison...THE YELLLLLOWWWW LID...NOT THE GREEEEEEEN!}

Deep breath...deap breath.  The good news is that the recognition of Earth Day is a wonderful, peaceful way to remind all of us to do our part as best we can, one step at a time...to make this world a better place.

How do you make a difference? Photos, thoughts, interesting tips on recycling? Please share!

Happy Earth Day month!

Celebrating Earth Day in My Own Backyard

by Kelly

I cultivate my garden, and my garden cultivates me. ~Robert Brault

I come by my love of gardening naturally.  I remember being a young girl and spending summers with my great-grandmother, picking the zinnias she planted between her rows of green beans.  And I can't remember a summer when my mom didn't have at least a couple of tomato bushes growing out in the back yard.  

But don't get started on that summer she grew okra.  I still have the emotional scars from being sent out into the miserable Oklahoma, late-August heat to pick those sticky, fuzzy pods which she would then cook with stewed tomatoes.  {{shudder}}

Anyway, the love of gardening is deeply rooted in me (pun intended).  And even where I live in the city, I still manage to plant a small garden in my backyard each year.  In northeastern Oklahoma we have a pretty long growing season, so I like to plant early season vegetables like lettuce, peas, broccoli, and cauliflower first. 

Then by the time they are finished producing, my tomato and pepper plants are really taking off.  

I know...this is going to sound really cheesy...but having a garden is almost like witnessing a miracle.  I get such a thrill watching seeds sprout and push up through the soil.

And then seeing those first couple of leaves reach out and stretch towards the light.

I can hardly wait until harvest!  Because everyone knows that fruits and vegetables taste better when they come out of your own garden. 

But it's more than that.  Having a garden encourages a connection to food that you don't get from buying it at the grocery store. 

And having a garden makes me appreciate my food more....not just in the work and care associated with maintaining it.  But more especially, in the good earth which provides this bounty for us.

The great thing about having a garden is that you don't have to have acres and acres of land in which to plant. You can experience the wonder and joy of gardening wherever you live...whether it's in a small, urban garden like mine or pot of tomato plants on an apartment balcony.

I'm so honored to be posting today, Earth Day...gardening and nature are both so dear to my heart.  And as we celebrate Earth Day as a community today, I would like to invite you to share with us your photos of what you love about this wonder-full planet that we share.  You can add your shots to our Flickr pool or tag your Instagram shots with our hashtag #focusingonlife. 

Until next time, 

Kelly

An Earth Day Photo Project

by Terri

I hope you have all been enjoying our Earth Day posts so far this month. Earth Day is a day that is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural environment. Once again, it all comes down to gratitude, to being mindful of the blessings we have and being grateful for them.

As Linda talked about last week, the gift of this beautiful Earth is one we want to be able to leave to our children and our grandchildren. Photography for me has been one thing that has made me more aware of all the blessings we have and the desire to take care of them. When I’m out in nature and capturing all that beauty, I feel even more strongly that I want to preserve that for future generations. One of my favorite places to shoot in the spring is the Dallas Arboretum during their “Dallas Blooms” exhibit. Spending the day there surrounded by the beauty of nature can’t help but make me profoundly grateful for all that our Earth gives us.

I thought it might get us thinking about and being grateful for this beautiful world of ours if we took on a photography project together in honor of Earth Day. Here’s what we’ll do:

"Earth in a Day" Photo Project 

Tomorrow is Earth Day 2014. Take a photo any time during the twenty-four hour period of April 22 where you are. Take your best shot of our environment -- how you see it, what you treasure about it, the things you would never want to see fade away -- and then share them through our Flickr group.

Spread the word. Get outside. Have some fun and capture the moment as you celebrate our planet Earth.

What better time to get out into nature and capture all the beauty of our Earth than now, when Mother Nature is putting on her springtime show? Won’t you join us in this project? We would love to see the Flickr gallery full of your images taken on Earth Day. Let’s celebrate together!

The Platform of Our Lives

by Deanna

Here at Focusing On Life we touch on many different subjects and topics and we tend to “focus” on one theme for each month.  Some are specific like the color “red” and others lean to interpretation such as “joy”.   This month we are focusing on one of the most concrete “things” in our life….earth and with the celebration of Earth Day being next Tuesday, April 22 I felt today’s post should reflect that most significant topic, the great Earth beneath us. 

There are those that practice mindfulness of the earth each day by rising every morning, immediately kneel, and touch their forehead to the ground, helping them to begin their day with humility and gratitude for the earth that holds us.

All day we walk, run and drive around the surface of the earth usually completely unaware that the earth is the platform of our life, with a force of gravity that supports our every step and grounding our lives.  

Many times during the day we tend to “be in our heads” distracted and easily thrown off balance.  We can end that distraction by drawing our attention from our head to our feet, and in doing so we can feel more solid, grounded and less swayed by thoughts or emotions.  A Zen Monk writes….

“I like to walk alone on country paths, rice plants and wild grasses on both sides, 

putting each foot down on the earth in mindfulness, 

knowing that I walk on the wondrous earth.

 In such moments, existence is a miraculous and mysterious reality. 

People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. 

But I think the real miracle is to walk on earth….a miracle we don’t even recognize.”

So let us always be aware of this great miracle that supports our every step and treat it with the kindness and respect that is the perpetual platform of our lives.  

Mother Earth

by Linda

John McConnell's proposal to honor the earth on the first day of spring in 1970 was the beginning of what we now call Earth Day and celebrate each year in April. Kudos to him for calling our attention to environmental issues and their impact on our planet.

What a beautiful planet we have! Just look out the window, the view is amazing.

It is a sad commentary to think that humans had gone so far away from the care of our planet. How did we reach the point where someone had to stand up and speak out to get our attention?

Native American tribes have for centuries, been keenly aware of the earth and their impact on it. Their lifestyle was to take only what was needed and waste nothing.

They practice many rituals, celebrations, song and dance and prayer to the earth in preparation to farm. And more song and dance and prayer to nature so there will be sun and rain for their crops. And finally song and dance and prayer after the fields are harvested in thanksgiving for what they received.

These ceremonies are still held today. Ancient rituals that they believe very strongly about. Some tribes in New Mexico post a schedule online. Spectators are not always welcome and when they are there are strict rules such as no talking and no photography and the rules are strictly enforced but if you ever have a chance to see one, you will be amazed.

We should care this much that the soil our food is grown in is not contaminated. We should care this much that the rain or stream that is used for irrigation is not contaminated.

I remember when bottled water was first being sold. I thought it was ridiculous. Who would buy it? Well, I was wrong. Millions of bottles have been sold and millions more will be sold and it is sobering to think that these bottles will be in a landfill somewhere for eternity. Yes, I have purchased bottled water and everytime I feel guilty.

I still don't understand how it is easier to stop at a gas station and pay $2 for a bottle of water than it is to fill up a bottle of water from home and take it with you.

This Earth Day for me is another reminder to be mindful of what I am putting in the trash. Can it be reused? Recycled? Repurposed? Upcycled?

Shouldn't everyday be Earth Day?

...

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.
~Native American Proverb

...

To Die For

  by Carol

I love to take landscapes of unique places

I have said many times that I love photography because it prolongs the enjoyment of the beautiful moments of my life. But I also love photography because it lets me experience places in this world that I will never see. Yesterday I found myself an hour early for a meeting, so I stopped in at the local library and poked around the arts and photography sections. In preparation for an up-coming destination workshop my teacher had suggested purchasing a Galen Rowell filter. ( a graduated reverse neutral density filter, in case you're interested)  So I decided to find out who Galen Rowell was.

What a perfect hour ensued - an hour to warm the heart of any self-respecting landscape photographer! Galen was a very prolific "adventure photographer." He was a handsome, yet shy and appreciative hiker who traveled to the ends of the earth in pursuit of beauty. His stunning images drew in the likes of Tom Brokaw and the Dalai Lama as fans and eventually friends. He experienced the world as most of us will never get to see it. But he showed it to us - in books and galleries and magazines like National Geographic. Through mountaineering and exploration treks, he photographed the scenery, but he also photographed himself and his friends in frighteningly precarious positions that demonstrate how dedicated he was to having the full experience of a place and to making the perfect image of it.

Galen shot exotic cultures, unique landscapes and endangered animals, always with "visionary light and color." He climbed the peaks at Yosemite and the Himalayas. He boarded ice breaker ships to document the ice flow at sunrise, and stayed in monasteries in Tibet. He slept in the deserts to capture awakening prairie dogs, and dove deep into the sea.

Sadly and ironically, after all of these experiences, he and his wife Barbara Cushman Rowell, a naturalist in her own right,  lost their dynamic lives when an hour flight in a small plane  hopping them home to California crashed into the sea in 2002. They were only 64 years old, but what a legacy they left us! I am hoping that writing about him here will encourage you to look at his portfolio - it's really not to be missed.

"Rowell was someone who both traveled light, and traveled with the light. His faith in the revelatory powers of light as it appears on film coincided with a deep conviction in the power of images to reflect the aspirations of the human spirit." (Andy Grundberg from Galen Rowell, Light Traveler)  (He went) "to the last great, wild places in the world to be absorbed by their grace and grandeur." (He created) photographs "as timeless, as stunning and as powerful as nature itself." ( Tom Brokaw)

Originally I had 3 of Rowell's images posted here, with attribution, and a link to more.  After reading the copyright policies on his work, I have decided not to post them. But please, celebrate Earth Day by taking a look yourself .......

http://www.toddskinner.com/portal/Galen/Galen_main.html

Go Green

by Judy

According to color expert, Kate Smith, green occupies more space in the spectrum visible to the human eye than most colors, and is second only to blue as a favorite color.

The color green soothes and relaxes (both mentally and physically).

The color green alleviates depression, nervousness, and anxiety.

Green offers a sense of renewal, self-control, and harmony. 

Green is considered the color of peace. 

 Green represents life, vitality, nature, and of course, environmentalism. 

There are many phrases that use the word 'green' in them.  Green with envy. Green under the gills. The wearin' of the green. The mighty greenback. The grass is always greener on the other side.  The green, green grass of home.  A green thumb. Going Green. 

 We're talking about 'going green' this month since April is Earth month, with Earth Day being celebrated in many countries on April 22nd.  (Some countries celebrate Earth Day at the time of the Spring Equinox).

How do you celebrate the earth by going green?  Does your community plan special events to bring attention to the day?  Every year my town's 'Green Team' organizes a community hike on one of the many trails in the highlands surrounding the Hudson River. In the past, there have been community clean-ups, Earth Day carnivals, and bulk recycling events.  

Let this Earth Day be a reminder to all of us to help preserve the health of the natural world, and to help reduce the human impact on it.