Did you know that over 150 million people worldwide are homeless? In addition to this somber fact, according to the United Nations, up to 1.6 billion people also have inadequate housing. Not only is this a growing problem, but many of these people lack bedding, appropriate clothes for the seasons and need more food. However, many organizations are working to help alleviate this ongoing issue.
On a recent trip to New Zealand, my family and I visited Hobbiton, the movie set for all of “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” movies.
Have you ever wondered what Phoenix is doing to conserve water, or to reduce food waste? Did you know that Phoenix has more solar on city buildings than any other city in the country? I discovered the answers to those questions when I interviewed Phoenix mayor Kate Gallego.
“Humanity is at the mouth of a long, dark tunnel, and right at the end of the tunnel, it’s a little star. That’s hope.” Those are the words of Dr. Jane Goodall, an English primatologist and anthropologist. She was in Arizona in June to promote her new documentary, “Jane Goodall: Reasons for Hope,” playing at the Arizona Science Center through September 1. I had the opportunity to see the documentary and be part of a media panel interview with Dr. Goodall and David Lickley, the writer, producer and director.
Recently, my family traveled to England with my Tizzy and Grandad! I had a wonderful time. London is very different from Arizona. I loved the architecture of all the bridges and buildings. London is very old, so quite a few of the buildings look old fashioned and ornate, like the famous clock tower Big Ben and Buckingham Palace. Buildings and shops decorated with flowers around the windows and doors were especially pretty.
Saguaro National Park is a great place to visit. It has two sides, the east side and the west side.
Saguaro National Park East has a beautiful hiking loop called Desert Ecology Trail. The easy trail is . of a mile and paved. There are lots of signs to read and learn about wildlife and plants. Many different levels of trails are open for different skilled hikers.
A great place to visit and spend the summer this year is your local public library. Every year around the country, public libraries celebrate the Summer Reading Program. It starts on June 1 and ends on Aug. 1. It is a game where every minute you read equals one point. You also can earn points by attending events and looking for secret codes in the libraries and other places around town. Your goal is 1,000 points.
Have you heard of the concept of a Little Free Library? A Little Free Library is a box filled with books; the concept is take a book or share a book. My family put one up in our neighborhood recently! It was a lot of fun to organize!
First I got in touch with my neighborhood’s HOA (Home Owners Association) to ask if I could have permission to install the library. Once I got permission, my family had to order, paint, and assemble the library to the library’s post. My family used paint stain to protect and seal the library wood and post.
There’s a weed that has invaded our desert, and it’s called buffelgrass. Each plant lives for 20 years and grows 5,000 seeds a year. In its lifetime, it can grow 200,000 seeds in all. It was brought here from Africa in the 1930s by the farming industry to help feed cattle and control erosion.
However, buffelgrass is the villain to our native land. It fights plants for their water, nutrients and sunlight. Even if it gets caught in a fire, it can grow back while the native plants cannot. Buffelgrass can burn the size of a football field in only three minutes.
Most people typically think of cars when they hear that Barrett-Jackson is coming into town. However, amidst all of those cars, there’s a place that younger people might also like. It is called STEM Fest. From geodes to virtual reality to offers for sailing classes, and everything in between, it truly is a festival to celebrate stem! If you can name it, they have it. But you may be asking “What is STEM Fest?”
