NATURE – the most worthwhile cause for preservation and conservation, a healer, a life saver.
Leaving your estate to a good cause is the most rewarding action one can take, even if there is family to consider. Since seven years ago, when making my will, deciding to leave my estate to various charities (among others the major part of it to the Nature Conservancy of Canada, NCC), I feel good about myself and my decision.
And since surrounding myself with nature I feel better, and lead a better life. Visiting our parks, and surrounding myself with my own gardens at home here. Talking about parks: In all my travels and residing or working abroad – from Scandinavia to North Africa, Russia, North America to Mexico and all countries in Europe – I have not come across such a beautiful park as right here, ten minutes from where I live (Beacon Hill Park, Victoria, BC).
[Note. Parks are the most worthwhile attempt to recreate nature, while natural habitats are more than than, they are giving back to nature.]
[This post is not about all those travels and visits of nature areas, else I could fill a book with it. It is only to remind others what a good idea and feeling it is to leave behind for NATURE CONSERVATION. Protect nature from development, being run over by humanity and high risers, and above all help restore natural areas, thereby giving back to wildlife. What they deserve.]
YET, it is wonderful to witness how many efforts are made worldwide to do just that.
Canada, the second largest country (after Russia), with almost 3.85 million sq.miles. How many wild places do we still have ? Only about 23 per cent of Canada’s land habitats are still wild, and the oceans are even worse off – with only 13 per cent untouched by humans. That makes for about seven million square kilometers of wild land and another two million square kilometers of untouched ocean.Nov 1, 2018.
[ https://globalnews.ca/news/4620290/canada-worlds-wildlife-save-it/ .
And who can be held responsible for large-scale destruction and exploitation of the last wild places ? Mostly Governments. Who are afraid to make the right decisions and pass the right laws, because of fear not being re-elected.
My photos CLICK HERE: [ https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZGgGoNeyQ5Uxt2iy9 ]
SURVIVING HEAT WAVE
Recent heat wave here in Western Canada, British Columbia, was over 40C in most areas. Resulting among others in over 400 deaths in the Vancouver area alone, mostly among seniors. [ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/sudden-deaths-heat-wave-b-c-1.6086770 ], deaths related to this heat.
For the past 50 years in Canada I have been subjected to many heat waves, some during travel for work (Ottawa) and also Quebec, Montreal, during summer. I learned then that in addition to drinking lots of water, which really is only for your inside, that also the outside of your body, the skin, is heating up tremendously.
One fact is: Heat always rises, while water always runs down. Meaning, that during a heat wave, the body temperature rises, and the upper part of the body needs to be cooled down as long as the heat wave lasts, that means 24/seven.
How to take at least simple precautions: Use a cotton kerchief for the neck (I have many from my Cowboy days in Alberta), soak it thoroughly in cold water and tie it around your neck. This prevents heat rising to you head, and knock you out. Secondly, soak your T-shirt in cold water and wear it. As the body heats up, this needs to be repeated hourly. In addition, if I have to go out somewhere, always take a bottle of cold water, to re-soak and drink. I have done this regularly for every bicycle trip as well.
I survived this last heat wave, alone, without anybody helping me, and I am over 80 years old.