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Marita Prandoni

Marita Prandoni photo courtesy of Marita PrandoniMarita Prandoni has a passion for exploring different cultures and worldviews. She draws inspiration from her family, tutoring extraordinary youth, meeting unexpected heroes and from the stunning natural beauty of her home turf in and around Santa Fe, NM.

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Knowledge is power only if you use it. Below are tools to help you get your eco activism on.

Eco Product Pick

Austin Air HealthMate Jr. Plus Air Purifier

Breathe better. The Austin Air HealthMate Jr. Plus removes sub-micron particles, chemicals and noxious gases from your home or office. See more items in our Eco Shop.

Small Earth
Reflections on universal issues from around our small earth, all of them interconnected, complex and evolving.
Groundhog Day: Punxsutawney Phil’s Cousins May Be Forecasting a Fate Worse Than a Long Winter
Thursday, 31 January 2013 00:00  |  Written by Marita Prandoni | Blog Entry

Prairie dogs photo by Lawrence in HoustonPrairie dogs are the eyes of the community.
- Terry Tempest Williams

Groundhog Day is most famously celebrated in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where almost always, Phil retreats, forecasting six more weeks of winter. But it is west of the Mississippi where Phil’s cousins, the prairie dogs, may well be offering a more dire prediction—about the fate of humanity. This is why there have been efforts to establish Prairie-Dog Day to bring attention to the plight of these creatures, under attack by ranchers and developers who consider them pests. Read on…

 
An Achievable New Year’s Eco Resolution: 'Not-Doing'
Tuesday, 25 December 2012 00:00  |  Written by Marita Prandoni | Blog Entry

'Relax' on a To-Do List photo by Sasha WolffI’ve never made New Year’s resolutions. They can end in feelings of guilt and drudgery. Sometimes they lead to consuming more, like buying exercise equipment—when getting outdoors for regular walks might have a more lasting effect.

I propose a different strategy for next year: Be less ambitious and, in Carlos Castaneda lingo, practice “not-doing.” This will shrink our impact on the resources and ecosystems that make it possible for us to survive. Read on…

 
Become an Eco-Conscious Consumer: Consume Less and Consume Smarter
Saturday, 01 December 2012 00:00  |  Written by Marita Prandoni | Blog Entry

Clutter photo by Hassan Abdel-RahmanAs the film, The Story of Stuff, so elegantly illustrates, since the 1940s dark-side capitalists in cahoots with engineers have clandestinely steered our society into becoming relentlessly loyal consumers. As a result, we have neglected our civic engagement and the health of our finite planet. There are several ways to outsmart these misguided and aggravating nudniks. My tips are modeled on the maxims of biomimicry—the laws that govern healthy ecosystems. By thinking like nature, you can avoid being hoodwinked in the first place. Read on…

 
Our Nation’s Capital Is Overrun by Rats—Figuratively and Literally
Thursday, 04 October 2012 00:00  |  Written by Marita Prandoni | Blog Entry

Rat Peeking Out of a Park photo by Jans CanonA few winters ago I was visiting family in Bethesda, MD, a suburb of Washington, DC. As we were driving home one rainy night, I thought I saw a cat dart across the street. At second glance, I realized it was a paunchy rat. Accustomed to seeing zigzagging cottontails in the headlights in my home state of New Mexico rather than rats, the sight of this husky vermin left an impression. Read on…

 
Choking on Plastic: Trash in Our Oceans and Waterways
Wednesday, 27 June 2012 10:00  |  Written by Marita Prandoni | Blog Entry

Plastic Bottle photo by FiraxThe Ocean Conservancy organizes an annual international coastal cleanup that takes place on the third Saturday of September. Based on their annual collective beachcombing, they publish an informative report called "A Rising Tide of Ocean Debris and What We Can Do About It."

The most frequent items found each year are cigarette butts, plastic bags and food wrappers or containers. This illustrates a huge problem. Cigarette butts and single-use packaging do not break down. Nor are they biodegrading in landfills. Plastic requires sunlight to break down and, if littered, it blows across the landscape, ends up in the rivers and bobs out to the ocean. Future generations could be dealing with a litter-strewn planet for centuries, if not longer. Read on…

 
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Eco Tip

Become a vegetarian or vegan, or at least eat less meat. Meat is a big waster of water and energy—and generator of greenhouse gasses. It also exacerbates world hunger. One acre of land yields almost 18 times as much usable protein from plant versus animal sources—356 pounds if used to grow soybeans, 20 pounds if used to raise cattle for slaughter. More tips...

Eco Quote

He who knows what sweets and virtues are in the ground, the waters, the plants, the heavens, and how to come at these enchantments, is the rich and royal man. — Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), Essays, Second Series, 1844   More quotes...