A Sense of Wonder

"It's hard to elicit a sense of wonder from adults," a video game creator was recently quoted as saying in Fast Company magazine. That got me thinking. Do I have a sense of wonderment? What creates wonder in me?

The answer came quickly--the rain forest is where I find wonderment. It's why we moved to Costa Rica, in fact. I wanted to live a life of wonderment and do it with my kids, who happen to find endless wonder in the same place as I.

Several months ago Steve and I were leading a retreat group on an exploration of Arenal Volcano. Our guide spotted an enormous toucan in a treetop, which resulted in 16 pairs of binoculars being plastered to faces, including my own. I've seen dozens of toucans, but I never tire of their magnificence. One woman in the group, however, simply kept walking, impatient to get to wherever she thought we were going. "I've seen a toucan," she muttered, annoyed that everyone was taking the time to admire this creature. Right then I thought to myself: "I hope I NEVER loose the thrill of seeing a toucan in the wild!" While I was incredulous at this woman's indfference to the literal wonders of nature, I also came to understand that one person's wonderment is not another's.

What creates a sense of wonder in you?

How to Pack a Climate-Friendly Lunch

"Carbon neutrality" is the enviro-buzzword of the moment. Countries, corporations, institutions and individuals are discussing how to become carbon neutral.

What does that mean? Let's first talk about the first word-- carbon-- which actually refers to the toxic gas, carbon dioxide (CO2).

CO2 emission happens naturally through such processes as volcanic eruptions and animal respiration, among other things. CO2 is a necessary gas--plants use it for the process of photosynthesis, which gives off oxygen for humans to breathe.

The problem with carbon dioxide in the modern world is that we are producing too much of it unnaturally. Unnatural ways that CO2 is created are through the combustion of fossil fuels like petroleum, natural gas and coal. In other words, through things like driving, heating/cooling our homes and heating our showers. It is also created through many manufacturing processes, most notably, the manufacture of plastic.

And what's the problems with too much CO2? It concentrates in the atmosphere, creating a figurative "glass dome" around earth, through which heat from the sun's rays can enter, but can't exit, thus heating up the earth's surface like a greenhouse. This phenomenon is known as global warming.

And what's the problem with global warming? Just a few degrees warmer results in cataclysmic climate changes: melting polar ice caps, rising sea levels, floods, droughts. These changes result in such problems as food and water shortages and loss of habitat, not just for polar bears, but for people as well.

Carbon neutrality is not about getting rid of all CO2--that's not possible, and, as stated earlier, the environment actually needs CO2 in order for plants to create oxygen for us. The goal of carbon neutrality is to get the CO2 output back down to a level that is "neutral" in that it doesn't have a destructive effect. Scientists have identified the acceptable level of CO2 as 350 ppm (parts per million). Currently, we're at 387 ppm.

In order to accomplish this goal, which is critical to the very survival of the human species, everyone needs to do their part. Yes, that includes YOU.

Your action can be something as simple as revising the lunch you pack for your child.

Remember that the manufacture of plastic is a major producer of CO2? OK, so reduce the amount of plastic in your child's lunch and you've taken positive steps toward mitigating the negative impacts of climate change.

Here's how to pack a positive lunch:

--Buy in bulk. This avoids purchasing excessive, unneeded packaging such as that in individually wrapped or packaged items like yogurt, crackers, chips, puddings, etc. (Hey, I'm not advocating for chips or puddings, but this is an article about climate change, not nutrition...)

--Use re-usable containers (i.e., Tupperware) to pack the bulk items as individual lunch servings.

--Ditch the tinfoil or zip locks (these get thrown out) and put sandwiches in Tupperware as well. There are also some nifty cloth wraps that can be used for sandwiches.

--Do not buy individual drink boxes. Too much packaging, PLUS the hateful plastic straw. Instead, send a re-usable thermos containing your child's beverage. If your child is going to buy a beverage at school, suggest that he or she selects something in a glass bottle.

-- Stop packing plastic utensils! Send real utensils or tell your child to use the metal utensils at school.

--Pack the lunch in a lunch box.

--Choose locally grown foods--this cuts down on trucking and air transport, which is a major emitter of CO2.

Explain to your child why you are packing their lunch like this and ask them to do their part, too, which is to not complain, not buy packaged foods at school and to bring home all the re-usable items you just invested in!

Get Batty on Halloween

Halloween and bats go together like trick and treat. Bats are a Halloween icon because they’re scary, creepy and dangerous, right? Wrong!

“It’s time people learned the facts about bats,” said Ryan Jacobus, age 14, who has studied bats extensively with scientists in his adopted homeland of Costa Rica. Jacobus moved from Wisconsin to the Central American country with his family four years ago to learn Spanish and spend extensive time exploring the natural world. “Bats are cool because they help the environment. People need to know how important these creatures are so they can help protect them.”

To raise the public’s “bat”ting average and help dispel fears and myths about this flying mammal, Jacobus created an entertaining, educational video segment based on his experiences studying bats in the Costa Rican rain forest. The video airs on the web show Super Natural Adventures, which Jacobus hosts with his two brothers, Michael, age 12, and Will, age 11. http://www.supernaturaladventures.com/ www.supernaturaladventures.com

Jacobus explains why bats are environmental heroes. “The main services bats provide include eating thousands of mosquitoes a night, per bat; pollinating many plants, such as avocados; and replanting forests by dispersing seeds,” he said.

Myths dispelled in the Super Natural Adventures bat webisode include:

--Myth: Bats suck blood. Fact: Only 1% of all bats drink blood and it’s livestock they are after, not humans.

--Myth: Bats will fly into your hair. Fact: Bats have a highly developed system of echolocation that helps them avoid large, dense objects, like humans.

--Myth: Bats are blind. Fact: Bats can see. But echolocation is much more precise and thus how bats most navigate.

--Myth: All bats carry rabies. Fact: While all mammals have the possibility of contracting rabies, the most common animals that carry it are skunks, raccoons, foxes, and coyotes.

Super Natural Adventures is the premier web show about nature and the environment. It airs at www.supernaturaladventures.com and features webisodes on such topics as “Where Chocolate Comes From,” “Making Recycled Paper” and “What is a Rain Forest?” A new webisode premieres each month.

350 Day!

Today is International Day of Climate Action, promoted by 350.org, whose mission is to inspire the world to rise to the challenge of the climate crisis—to create a new sense of urgency and of possibility for our planet.

Today people in 181 countries are coming together for the most widespread day of environmental action in the planet's history. At over 5200 events around the world. people are gathering to call for strong action and bold leadership on the climate crisis.

We began our celebration today by joining about 30 students, teachers and parents who gathered this morning to clear land on school property to create a vegetable garden. Led by two dedicated permaculturists from the organization Huertas Donde Sea!! our group toiled hard for four hours under the tropical sun, swinging pick axes, working shovels to dig up grass, using the wheel barrel to cart it away.

Yes, it could have been done faster by a small group of adults using machinery (and some adults thought that might have been a good idea), but that would have missed the point. Creating a garden isn't something to get done quickly, with as little work as possible, so you can check it off your list.

Creating a garden is about communing with the Earth. Touching it is a good place to start! Planting a garden, in the manner of permaculture, is also about creating community. A small group of adults doing it all with machines would have totally missed the greater purpose. And moments of clarity like this one, from a seventh grade boy as he dug in the dirt:

"I am suddenly remembering that I used to garden with my grandmother when I was little. I loved that time with her and with the earth. Now I spend most of my free time watching TV or playing soccer. I'm glad I came today. Can I come next week?"

For more information on climate change and the international day of action, visit 350.org For a cool video on climate change check this out.

World Rain Forest Week

Next week (October 12-18) is World Rain Forest Week.

View the newest Super Natural Adventures webisode, "Rain Forest Exploration." www.supernaturaladventures.com and take a virtual trip to this precious world resource with SNA host Will Jacobus and his 4th grade classmates.

You'll learn what makes a rain forest and why they are important to the world, meet some rain forest animals and plants, and find out what is threatening our globe's rain forests. Entertaining, educational and fun, all in one. Enjoy!

Play Together

When's the last time you played with your kids? I'm not talking about driving them to practice, coaching them or training them. I mean, simply played, as in, no end goal other than enjoying each other's company, getting some exercise perhaps, doing something together.

I recently took a tennis lesson with Will, our youngest. Will takes tennis lessons once a week not so he can grow up to compete at Wimbledon--or even compete right now. He takes tennis lessons from a local guy at the public community courts simply because he likes to play tennis. What a concept! I took a lesson with him a couple weeks ago and it was a blast. I learned as much from him as from the coach. Afterwards, Will and I hit the play together and played a few matches. We laughed and encouraged each other and generally had a fun afternoon together.

I appreciate the value of team sports, of playing competitively. What I don't understand is the parental obsession with training our little athletes as if they are going to be professional some day. How about kids playing a sport for the fun of it?

I know. I'm so old fashioned and square. It's why I moved to Costa Rica, so I could be old fashioned and square to my heart's content. And content it is!

More About the Jacobus Family Adventure!

Lots of new folks are finding the Super Natural Adventures site and then finding me via e-mail to ask questions like, "Why did you move?" "Was it scary?" "How did you do it?" "How can I do it?" I recommend you start by going to my personal blog which chronicles our first years here. Read it backwards, starting in the archives, to feel like you're on the adventure with us. You can also read about the process I went through to MAKE the decision to move in an article I wrote for Athleta Chi.

Many people want to talk with me directly about their own desire to have such an adventure, especially with their family. Many want to discuss their dream and vision of raising citizens of the world or even talk about how they can bring SNA into their children's schools. I invite any and all visitors to e-mail me directly at junglemama@snamail.com

Finally, many people say, "We'd like to experience a life like yours...but only for about a week." I say, "Come on down!" Our travel partners at Activated Life Experiences can plan an amazing family travel experience for you unlike any trip you've ever had before.

Another thing you could do is a family service project. Do a fund-raiser--garage sale, bake sale, lemonade stand, you name it--to raise funds to save the rain forest. Contact me and I'll put you in touch with Tirimbina Rainforest Center. The rain forest is here in Costa Rica (and we filmed many SNA segments there, including "bats", "chocolate" and "ants") but there's also a non-profit 501c3 Tirimbina Foundation in the U.S. Your family's raised funds will go directly there, in a fund specific to preserving the rain forest.

There are many ways to parent, to raise citizens of the world, to teach our kids what we feel is important. I invite you to share in the comment section of this blog what YOU are doing.