Note that if you purchase something via one of our links, including Amazon, we may earn a small commission.
And how to grow a scrappy food supply.
Dear Reader,
Welcome back to Feel-Good Friday. We’re going to start in the Ecuadorian courts, which recently heard the case of Toad Vs. Road. Luckily for the toads, Ecuadorian judges cited Rights of Nature to prioritize the survival of Jambato harlequin toads over highway construction. In order for the project to proceed, the government must show that the highway won’t drive the species to extinction.
While the Grammy Awards were a couple of weeks ago, let’s nonetheless celebrate the five biggest music and sustainability stories as selected by Billboard magazine, a list that, of course, includes perennial Climate Champs Billie Eilish and her mom, Maggie Baird. (Don’t miss Bluedot founder Vicki Riskin’s conversation with Maggie about her work organizing the delivery of vegan meals to people experiencing food insecurity.)
And we’ll round out our Feel-Good selection with a story about Texans protecting endangered whooping cranes. These white birds, with their “whooping” call, were among the first to be protected by the Endangered Species Act. These days, more than 550 of them annually make their way from Canada to Texas to wait out winter, according to an AP story — a whopping (and whooping) increase from the 16 birds that existed in the 1940s. And more good news: A new sanctuary encompasses 3,300 acres (1,336 hectares) of vital winter habitat for the birds, ensuring that no matter how much urban expansion might increase across the state, they’ll always have a place to roost. Want some more whoop for your Friday? Check out this Bluedot story about some folks in Louisiana who dress up like cranes in order to monitor the endangered birds that nest in their neck of the woods, err, wetlands. We do what we must, it seems. And sometimes that means impersonating a big white bird.
Protectively,
Dot
For more Bluedot Climate Quick Tips, click here.
