Where the sidewalk ends…there used to be an overgrown strip of land. With the help of a Community Connections Small Grant, this cul du sac turnaround is now Whitnall Knoll Gathering Circle—a bench built around an old elm, two raised pollinator beds, and a hand-painted oak sign, named for Charles B. Whitnall, founder of Milwaukee’s … More Whitnall Knoll Gathering Circle
Sign me up! I didn’t need to look at the research to know that the morning spent surrounded by baby goats was boosting my happy hormones. Sun salutation, downward dog, or table. All the poses spark joy when yoga is practiced amidst frolicking animals…get ready to grin, giggle and move!
Swimming with whale sharks, up-close encounters with humpbacks, and surveying adorable dolphins were just a few of our tasks, working as citizen scientists with the global conservation organization, Earthwatch. My week in La Paz, Mexico earlier this month helped fuel that feral part of me that needs to be in nature to feel fully alive!
I recently spent a week in Northern Spain with extreme athlete Wim Hof. Known around the world as The Iceman, Wim believes all people can tap into their own superhuman powers by committing to a daily practice of controlled breathing and cold therapy. My son and I, along with one hundred people from all over … More The Iceman and Me
Go easy on that droopy slice of tomato on your sandwich. It’s had a long trip. And, if your carrot sticks have lost their crunch, give ’em a break. They’ve traveled 1,500 miles to your lunch plate! Many foods we eat spend hundreds or thousands of miles traveling on boats, planes, trucks or trains before reaching … More If Your Food Wore a Fitbit
Sea turtles have always been thought to be loners. Turns out, these ocean reptiles may not be total party animals, but they do like to check each other out sometimes. Marine biologist Nathan Robinson studies juvenile green sea turtles in The Bahamas. He designed and built a camera that fits on a sea turtle’s shell. … More Sea Turtle ‘Dash Cam’
LEGO is going green! The Danish toy company has come out with a new line of leaves, bushes and tree bricks made from plant-based plastic sourced from sugarcane. Their intention is to manufacture most of its products and packaging using environmentally friendly materials or recycled sources by 2030. Kids attending Ocean Heroes Bootcamp (OHBC) in … More LEGO Bricks: Eco-friendly and Sugarcane Sweet
Kids these days…are heroes! Youth activists from around the world attended Ocean Heroes Bootcamp in Vancouver, British Columbia at the end of June and I was there to watch, learn and be inspired. Pre-teens and high schoolers get training on how to create campaigns to beat plastic pollution. Kids I spoke with come to bootcamp armed with … More Kids Stomp out Plastic Pollution
Our planet is in a climate and ecological crisis. We need to fight for our lives and the lives of all species. Scientists estimate that by the year 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fishes. On my most recent sea turtle expedition, 1/3 of the turtles we caught were infected with the … More Planet in Peril
Wrangling reptiles, sea creatures that swim, in the name of science, grab your mask, snorkel, fins. Turtle Rodeo is the research technique, an ocean adventure not for the meek. Sea turtles spend 99% of their life in the water, which means researchers need to go to the turtle’s turf to study them. Scientists hand capture the … More Susie’s Excellent Island Adventure
Susan Hunnicutt 