green

foam foam and more foam

| Ana Elisa Fuentes

ocean.foamThe unpredictable and mysterious ocean foam

washes ashore Arroyo Burro Beach in Santa Barbara, California..

Yes, it is as toxic as it looks.

Some of the causes are as you might expect;

crude oil discharge from tankers at sea, motor oil, detergents, etc .. Contact with the foam

can cause skin irritations and respiratory discomfort.

All rivers and storm drains lead to the sea.

#worldoceansday

image copyright anaelisafuentes

from my photo assignment archive

ocean.foam2

A Line in the Sand: Are Environmental Issues Influencing Your Election Decisions?

| Ana Elisa Fuentes
Keenan G., 20, Cellular Biology student, Santa Barbara, California: “I feel like in the beginning, it didn’t. But now, it is a bigger deal. Issues like global warming, ice caps melting and our diminishing resources; these must be difficult decisions for our next president. I feel like the candidates need to listen to the people more and be less concerned with the popularity that comes with being President. Maybe I ought to look into and invest more time in the green party. These are issues that the entire planet is facing, not just the United States.”
Trudy B., 63, Vocalist, Santa Barbara, California: “Yes. I’ve always been interested in environmental issues. I don’t like some of the things we are doing to mother earth. I feel very strongly about our precious mother Earth. In many ways we have been unconscious about how we treat her and her resources. We need to wake up.”
Julie C. 69, Retired Nurse, Shreveport, Louisiana: “To a certain extent. I don’t want us to be foolhardy. I’m from a red state, Louisiana. I want us to be energy independent whether, it’s oil, gas, or solar. I’m a conservative. I study both sides of the issues. There are a lot of resources that should be taken use of. This will provide jobs. We need to be smart about what we do. Take every opportunity, be careful and watchful about how we protect our environment.”
Gerald D. 80, Retired Electrical Engineer, Portland, Oregon: “Environmental issues are not going to convince me one way or another. Period. They are not going to end up doing anything about it anyway.”
Oscar M., 60, Musician, Santa Barbara, California: “The environment is important to me. If I was voting, it would be somebody who is not representing corporate interests. I think we are due for big changes, on all levels, including our environment and our voting system.”
Todd G., 34, Electrician, Sheridan, Oregon: “No, not really. But, I think nuclear is the cleanest energy. I think it has the smallest environmental impact per square foot.”
Kyle D., 22, Unemployed, New Mexico: “I will not base my decisions on political discussion. They are roundabouts and the issues in question are constantly changing. I will decide in my own way. I will do my research then. I will vote based on who they are as a person. Specifics don’t matter.”

All replies and photographs are published with the participants permission. Photographs taken using an iPod touch.

A Line in the Sand column copyright, Ana Elisa Fuentes.

This blog post powered by foot and public transportation.

My sincere thanks to the participants.

Are Environmental issues influencing your election 2012 decisions?

A Line in the Sand

| Ana Elisa Fuentes

Welcome to A Line in the Sand – my new weekly column that will address pertinent questions about our environment in open public spaces.

Question: What does climate change mean to you?

Johnathan G. and Bridget M. both 19, students, of Rancho Cucamonga, California
” We were just talking about this. Climate change is caused by human activity. People need to pay attention. People need to be aware, about everything we consume and how we consume, and how we obtain what we consume, and our disposal. We need to be aware of our ecological footprint. All of this affects our biodiversity, especially when it starts killing things around us. It is so easy to ignore.”
Paolo M., 29, scientist, Lugano, Switzerland: ” I think it’s a measure of concern. It is underestimated. Our life is short, but the effects are long-term. We don’t do enough to prevent it. It’s important to try to make people aware of it, especially in the U.S.A. where people drive their car for an errand five minutes away. And plastic. I have been here two weeks and have a hundred bags. In Europe, the glaciers are disappearing.”
Oscar G., 32, window washer, Chula Vista, California: A variation of hot and cold weather. Stormy weather. Hot winds, cold fronts, dramatic and not normal weather patterns.”
Shao-Ya Hsu, 37, student, Scripps Ranch, California: Awareness of the environment. Before I was not so aware. Personally, I try to do more – recycling, not wasting our resources. Just to be here and observe the ocean. I just appreciate it. We have only one earth and we need to protect it.”
Ramona B. 49, housewife, Louisiana: I’ve heard about it on T.V. It’s all I can think of.”

All replies and photographs are published with the participants permission.

A Line in the Sand column copyright, Ana Elisa Fuentes.

My sincere thanks to the participants.

What does climate change mean to you?

Related articles

Why the Buzz Around Kate Frey?

| Ana Elisa Fuentes
Kate Frey pictured among blooming peas at the sustainable Fetzer Valley Oaks garden in Hopland, California.

Kate Frey, has for 18 years designed and  managed the gardens at the Fetzer Valley Oaks vineyard with her award-winning bio-diverse, organic and sustainable gardening methods in Hopland, California. Her merits include gold medals at the  Royal Horticulture Society Chelsea Flower show in 2005 and 2007; and a Silver Gilt in 2003. Her colorful and sustainable gardens were not only favored by the judges but met with literal approval from Her Majesty Elizabeth ll, Queen of England, who met with her privately in 2003 and 2007.

Unassuming yet vibrant, Frey was eager to roam the gardens that gave birth to her career. There are numerous accolades attesting to her achievements but there is no mistake,  that her work is all about the love for sustainable gardening and the beneficial insects, pollinators, and birds who are the punctuation of a colorful garden palette. She likes to create what are called “bird and insect hospitable gardens.”

Since Chelsea, Frey and her husband Ben Frey have accepted invitations from the Shizouka prefecture in Japan and a consultation   with the Royal House of Saud to tailor their organic farms.

Apart from her international accolades and achievements, Frey continues to focus her commitments on the California landscape. Her gardening successes, awards, and prizes have brought her to her current position as teacher and director of Sonoma State University’s Sustainable Landscape Program with Extended Education. The program started in 2007 and issued their first Landscape program certificate in 2008. Her additional projects include presentations at the social and scientific Bioneers conference, and biodiversity specific projects such as The Melissa Garden, a honeybee sanctuary located in Healdsburg, California. Frey was commissioned to the sanctuary project because of the “pollen generator” plants and flowers that are at the heart of her garden landscape design. Pollinators are a given throughout the year, floral nourishment and an environment free from pesticides. The 40-acre ranch owned by Barbara and Jacques Schlumberger consider themselves “bee-stewards.” “It is no secret, Frey said, that bees are a dwindling population in the US.”

We named the sanctuary “Melissa,” after Melissa officinalis or Lemon Balm a herbaceous planet and a favorite of bees in horticulture and mythology. Melissa, in Greek mythology who fed Zeus honey as an infant and who later transformed into a queen bee. Melissa is a Greek word meaning honeybee.

A bumblebee during buzz pollination:  the rapid movement of their wings dislodges pollen from its source.

Words and Pictures Copyright Ana Elisa Fuentes