Laws.

Do we really need more laws? We have a laws for basically everything.

So I ask the question again, do we need more laws?

My answer in a nutshell NO!

Laws should be written upon our hearts and in our minds, self regulation, write all the laws you want but until we have it in our hearts it's wasted energy.

There are laws on our books that are put in place to protect certain species of trees here in the Bahamas but hard to enforce.

I remember once being called out to give an estimate to have a variety of protected trees cut down, I informed the gentleman that he needed a permit to cut down the trees. Oh my and what lovely trees they were.

His response was " I need a permit to cut down my own trees?" He was highly upset. Now these trees was not cut down in order to build, quite the contrary, he had entire property bull dozed down that same week and the property has been empty these three years since.

So the law was not written on his heart and until we get an awareness on the importance and value of trees our words will fall on deaf ears.

Never underestimate the Power Of One! Each one of us can make a difference in this Bahama Land. So the the change we make starts with us, write this beautiful law upon your hearts that trees are valuable and we need them just as much us they need us!

What a lovely video, it speaks volumes to me.

Do we realize the important roles trees play in our lives? Now I'm not talking about the scientific data like how trees help us to breath cleaner, and how trees have a cooling effect, nor how trees increase the value of our properties.

No I want to speak today on how we incorporate trees in not only our daily lives but some of our most important life events.


Example, how often do you see wedding parties taking photos on the Cable Beach Strip, with beautiful trees in the back ground. I have had the good fortune of being present at many a photo shoot there.

What about picnics, every one scrambles to find trees to sit under, also many persons opt to have their lunch out doors and many a car can be seen parked under trees with persons eating their lunch.

So yes trees do touch our lives whether we are conscious of it or not. Trees are rooted and it is up to us to take care of them because they take such wonderful care of us.

Try becoming more aware of how beautiful they are and how if you let them how wonderfully they speak to our hearts.

I know I am a better person since I fell in love with them and trust me that was a radical change, going from a person who chopped them down on a whole sale level to becoming a tree hugger.

I will say it it a thousand times I am a Tree Hugger and proud of it. So while it is not necessary to become a tree hugger one can appreciate them for all their lovely benefits to us.

Until next time,

Joy

Trees, trees are oh so lovely and they are everywhere but we have to be careful to take care of our friends as so many are being cut down everyday. When a tree is cut down we not only lose a tree but a whole community.  

Trees grow and attract other plants to them and those plants in turn attract different species of insects which believe it or not are good for the environment.

Trees have so much value but sadly too many of us do not understand how important trees are to us. There are actually hundreds of reasons why we need to care for our trees but I will pick out just a few.

The number one reason is that trees help us to breathe clean air, we breathe in what the trees breathe out and the trees breathe in what we breathe out. But that is just the beginning, we love climbing trees , we eat our lunch under trees , we pick fruits from such trees as Mango , Sapodilla , Guinep, Tangerines, Juju, just to name a few . These fruit listed not only taste good but are very good for you.

Let us just take a look at the benefits of Sapodilla, we normally call them Dillies.  Well Dillies are loaded with vitamins and minerals. When you eat a Dilly, you instantly replenish your energy and revitalize your body.

The shade from trees helps keep our homes cooler, thereby using less energy and when we use less energy, we pay less to the electric company.
Unfortunately so many people are afraid of big trees; they fear that the tree will topple onto their roof in a storm or Hurricane; we need not fear tall trees if we properly maintain them by selectively pruning them once per year.

The Bahamas need more young people to educate themselves on the importance of trees, it is important that we pay attention in Biology class because there are so many fun things to learn.  Things such as the leaves are the tree’s food supply and when the leaves fall to the ground they are beneficial to the trees in that they keep the roots cool in summer and warm in the winter. The leaves also help the tree retain moisture that is so beneficial to the tree.

The roots of a tree are very important also. The roots filter the ground’s water and they help the soil to stay together. One mature tree can collect over 750 gallons of rainwater a year. That’s a lot of water!  Up to 75% of the human body is made up of water so we need water in order to live and trees collect water and also help attract rain.

Unfortunately in Nassau, we have cut down so many of our trees and now we have a water barge that brings our water from Andros.

But even now so many people are cutting down trees through the Bahamas so that they can build homes.  While we may have to cut down a few trees to build, far too many of us use a tractor and bull doze every tree on their lot. It is very sad because we lose all these valuable plants and insects along with soil and the trees.

We need to be friendlier to our environment and selectively take down the trees where our house needs to go. Think how lovely homes look that have large canopy trees near them. It is so much cooler in the shade.
Trees are even good for our overall health; here is what Dr. Roger S. Ulrich from Texas A & M University has to say, “In laboratory research, visual exposure to settings with trees has produced significant recovery from stress within five minutes, as indicated by changes in blood pressure and muscle tension”.

Trees make us happy because they give so much to us without asking anything in return. Birds make their homes in the trees and how beautiful they sing rejoicing everyday for life. 
Can you imagine a world without trees?  What a sad place it would be indeed!

I am known as the Tree Lady in Nassau and some of the Family Islands and I have made a business of taking care of trees, but I want you to know that trees are everybody’s business but we humans have destroyed so many trees. We cannot undo what has been done in the past but we can learn from our mistakes and protect the future. There cannot be a future without trees.  When they go, we go!!

We all have a wonderful partnership with trees and our environment and just one person can make a difference, and how do I do that? . When I was a younger woman I did not understand the importance of trees and I worked very hard cutting them down. Then one day it was like I woke up and realize what I was doing was wrong. Now I protect the trees.

Maybe this is a good day for you to wake up and realize how important trees are for you. Become a friend of trees. 

 Now go hug a Tree today....seriously I wont tell a living soul........

Please go to these websites to learn more.

http://www.gardenguides.com/93978-tree-kids.html
http://www.realtrees4kids.org/