Learning the
names of plants and trees is an exciting adventure. It encourages us to sharpen
our observational skills, and we become aware of the diversity of shapes and
colors surrounding us. It is also a fun challenge that inspires us to pay more
attention to the web of life around us.
This fantastic book gives us the opportunity to awaken to the diversity of plants and trees around us, but it also helps us understand how everything is interconnected in the web of life.
The stunning
photography caught my interest when I came across the book at my local library.
Nothing exists in isolation. If we poison the insects that birds need to exist, we are endangering the birds that visit our gardens. If we plant what they need to sustain their lives without the use of pesticides and herbicides, we are creating a safe home for them. For example, take a look at the vibrant Joe-Pye Weed.
Laura Erickson points out that “it
hosts a wonderful diversity of both larval and adult insects—essential food to
insectivorous birds—and also provides seeds for many small birds such as
titmice, goldfinches and juncos.”
You can
see how Laura Erickson adds the green color on the map to make clear in what
areas of North America the plant is considered a native one.
As you know, birds and insects also play an important role in plant pollination, which is necessary to produce our own food.
When we
do what we can to support the ecosystems around us, we support our mental and
physical health as well. We create a balanced environment where we can coexist.
This book by Laura Erickson is about plants
and trees to support wildlife in North America, but I am sure you can find
similar books about the kind of plants that thrive in the continent and area
where you live, so do your own research and find the book that suits your needs.
I have been delighted to see monarch butterflies where I live almost every day for the last four weeks, but I wonder if they will survive their migration considering the challenges posed by climate change. As I write this post, I struggle with the poor quality of air in my area. It feels oppressive. I continue to do everything I need to do but the atmosphere feels different. This is something that deserves attention.
The air we breathe is something that we cannot ignore.
What is the trump regime response to the
situation?
The response of the trump regime is to make
this problem worse. There are regulations in place to protect
the quality of the air by curbing greenhouse gas emissions, but the trump regime is getting rid of them. How is this acceptable?
In other words, the trump regime will worsen the current issue instead of addressing it. It
makes no sense.
Another
aspect of the issue I want to bring up today is the silent spread of unsustainable
data centers across the United States of America. The spread of data centers is
driven by the use of artificial intelligence. I live in one of the places where
they are planning to build one. This will have disastrous consequences for our
communities.
I have been actively researching the matter.
The data center will worsen the quality of the
air we breathe even more. The trump regime has no interest in fostering
renewable sources of energy to power the data centers. This means that harmful
pollutants will be released into the air because of the addition of data
centers powered by fossil fuels.
Data centers require massive amounts of
energy and water to function. This will increase the cost of our utility
bills; our communities will have to pay more to have access to clean water.
The data centers, on the other hand, will get the privilege of receiving
discounts on their electricity use. We, the
taxpayers, will deal with the additional cost.
Data centers do not provide a significant
number of jobs and they will affect our quality of life and make the cost of
living more expensive.
Communities are already suffering due to the
impact of these data centers. This technology is a tool used by wealthy CEOs to
make profits at the expense of our communities. Our air, water and health will
suffer and we will have to pay more for our water and electricity; this is what
the trump regime planned for us.
On day two in office trump announced a 500-billion-dollar
AI initiative and promised to use his executive powers to hasten AI
development.
In 2024 ChatGPT used over 500,000 Kilowatts of
electricity per day, which is the approximate amount of electricity necessary
to cover the needs of 180,000 U.S. households. The electricity needs of AI
could rise 150-fold in a single decade.
I am sharing some links here from reliable sources, and I encourage
you to learn about this and to educate others. Contact your local politicians
to voice your concerns; write to your local newspaper. Do everything you can to
educate your community on the need to stop the silent spread of unsustainable
data centers. I use the word “silent” here because data centers are being built without
the consent of the communities they impact.
AI uses
massive amounts of energy, so every time you use artificial intelligence for a
google search you are contributing to the emission of greenhouse gases. To address
this issue, I add the words -AI to my Google search words. If you have any
additional ideas, feel free to let me know. I also found some tips here:
https://usercomp.com/news/1430909/google-search-ai-disabling-for-energy-savings
I am sharing the links on the impact of data
centers here:
https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/2025/04/09/artificial-intelligence-water-climate/
If you
enjoyed this blog post, feel free to read my posts on the following books:
