Dear Grandchildren,

Hello to my wonderful grandchildren. Your grandfather and I love the outdoors. We love to camp, canoe and garden. We especially love to travel to places with oceans and swim and snorkel. So many pretty places of nature to enjoy.

I am concerned that some of this may not be available to you and your children if steps are not taken to preserve it now. Already we are hearing about problems which have impacted the ocean, rivers and more.

I am trying to do some things to help with climate change. These are a few things that we are doing:
1. I recycle at home and at the office. I have implemented two trash cans under every desk at the office. One for trash and one for paper. We then shred much of the paper and recycle all of it. We also have a trash can in the back for cans and plastic.
2. We have a mulch area in our back yard where we put all our vegetable scraps. We add the grass clippings, coffee grounds, egg shells and it turns into wonderful dark soil for my gardens.
3. We donate our unwanted items to thrift stores instead of throwing them away. I also do a lot of my shopping at thrift stores which saves me money but also recycles items instead of always buying new.
4. I try to buy free range eggs which I call “happy eggs” because they come from happy chickens that can live in a happy way.

There are still some things that we are doing that we probably should change:
1. We are buying too many soda cans and plastic water bottles.
2. We have our yard treated for weeds and insects. I have always prided myself on a pretty yard and hate the weeds and bugs.
3. I need to buy more energy saving light bulbs. I know they are making them better now.
4. I need to buy more organic food. It cost more but is better for my body and for nature.

I need to learn more about the environment and what is happening to it by the actions that we are doing. If I keep learning I will be more motivated to pass on a good place for my grandchildren to live.

I hope we can pass on a better place to live so that my grandchildren and their future children can enjoy the beauty of nature that our wonderful God has given us.

Grandma “Iya”