Wednesday, April 20, 2016

How to Train Your Dragon 3 and Earth Day - what's the connection?

It would have been nice to have HTTYD3 release in 2016, but it's not to be until 2018. The third part is going to drop us off where the Cressida Cowell books begin, with Hiccup talking of a time when dragons shared space with humans, which in turn means HTTYD3 will show a parting of Viking and dragon!

The books progressed to movies which in turn spawned a whole virtual Viking World with dragon games. Here fortunately dragons are not extinct. As I was reading about HTTYD3, it occurred to me that Earth too has seen the extinction of a series of creatures, some we know of and others we might not even be aware of. Fossils of dinosaurs help us understand creatures which seem more imaginary than real.


Dragon (Paul Halliday's) by Henry Burrows

Speaking of extinctions
Some of these extinctions are natural, but are humans causing some extinctions with our bad unsustainable choices. Are we as a dominant species disturbing the balance of nature with our oil spills, pollution, garbage floats etc.? Perhaps April 22nd being Earth Day, it is a good time to understand how we fit into this jigsaw of nature, and make choices which contribute to sustainable living. As David Brower the environmentalist said, “We don't inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” 

Simple changes
Simple changes in the lives of ordinary citizens can help keep Earth as our home planet for longer. Reduce use of tissue, carry cloth bags, recycle your dry waste, compost, plant trees and most importantly teach your kids to live sustainable lives. Create less wastage. In our minds we must understand that what we do today will affect us tomorrow. Everything is interlinked. We are tightly coupled with the Earth's ecosystem, and must therefore ensure that our actions do not start an imbalance which might be hard to correct. 

This  Earth Day - activities for kids

Schools organize a variety of activities for their students. Along with this it is important for parents to lead by doing something special for Earth Day. It need be big, but it could be memorable. It is just an observance, but one of the world's biggest and most secular. 

1. Take a Walk
Yes, it's simple. Take a walk. Look around. In a jungle or a concrete jungle, nature has a way of creeping in and surviving. Be it a patch of green or the call of a bird, the happiness and calm we get from nature is incomparable. Our learning from nature is never complete. 

2. Share with one other
Young or old, the state of our planet affects one and all. Talk to one other this Earth Day to help them understand how their actions can make a positive change. Coax them to make a teeny weeny change - perhaps reduce their shower by a few minutes and save water or start carrying a cloth bag for shopping. 

3. Make a recycled item
Even as recently a few decades ago, people recycled extensively. With the use and throw mantra taking root, we have become a populace which uses and throws with little thought. But now there has been a rise in people who are recycling, designing new stuff out of the old and feeling good about their contribution towards reducing waste.