Tag Archives: life

Jan2

bombs for bees.

Posted on January 2, 2016 by beth

the bees could really use some help. in the last 10 years, a phenomenon called colony collapse disorder (ccd) has killed off huge numbers of honeybees around the world. it’s normal for beekeepers to lose 10–15 percent of their hives each winter, but beginning in 2006, beekeepers started reporting losses of 30–90 percent. scientists believe ccd may be caused by a combination of pesticides, parasites, and a decline in wildflowers as more and more land is developed.

this is where seedles come in. each “bomb” contains wildflower seeds packed in compost and brightly colored clay. “planting” them is easy: you just throw them on the ground and wait for the rain, sun, and soil to do their work. the candy-colored seed bombs “practically grow themselves,” says the company’s website.
there are six varieties, one for each region of the country, so bee lovers can be sure to plant native flowers that will thrive in their area.

seedles are the brainchild of ei ei khin and chris burley, a couple who initially hoped they could get people to plant a million flowers. they surpassed that number in 2014. in an email to mental_floss, burley (now the company’s “pollinator-in-chief”) said they’ve since set their sights higher: a billion flowers for the bees.
they are especially concerned about the interdependence between honeybees and our food supply. of 100 major american crops, 70 are pollinated by bees; without them, we might not have apples, almonds, carrots, or avocados. to encourage interest and awareness in the plight of the bees, seedles partners with local food companies to give out free seed bombs. because they’re pretty, simple, nontoxic, and foolproof, the seed bombs make great educational tools.

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credits: seedles, mentalfloss, kathy horowitz

Dec31

thoughts to remember in the coming new year and moving onward, courtesy of mr. rogers.

Posted on December 31, 2015 by beth

Standard

mister rogers on love

love isn’t a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like “struggle.” to love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now.

by far the most important aspect of rogers’s philosophy is the idea that you have to work to keep loving and caring about someone. it’s not a thing that happens once and then ceases. it’s a constant, lifelong process.

Mister Rogers on caring for others around you

if you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. there is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.

Mister Rogers on civic duty

we live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. it’s easy to say “it’s not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.” then there are those who see the need and respond. i consider those people my heroes.

rogers believed deeply that other people’s problems were also, on some level, his problems. he was careful to take the time to meet with as many fans as possible when he was out in public.

Mister Rogers on change

often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.

the concept of hope was incredibly important to rogers, who spent many an episode of his show trying to help children see past the big, scary thing right in front of them, be it divorce or the bathtub drain, in favor of what might be coming down the line.

Mister Rogers on peace

peace means far more than the opposite of war.

peace, like love or like hope, is an action one can take, something that can be done, not just something that might arrive.

Mister Rogers on solitude

solitude is different from loneliness, and it doesn’t have to be a lonely kind of thing.

most episodes of mister rogers’ neighborhood open with long sequences where it’s just him, talking directly to the camera, in a very calm, soft, still voice. they project a sense of tranquility that feels a little dreamlike, which is probably why the show was so successful. rogers understood that kids (and adults) like, and need, to be soothed now and then.