Mermaid Goggles

14/08/2024

Anime NYC is almost here! I loved walking in the Japan Parade last year. I’m in the pink on the left.

04/08/2024

I just realized something. The Millennium Falcon looks like a tailless horseshoe crab. Like a horseshoe crab, the Millennium Falcon is durable and is a true rebel, defies all odds, and provides hope for freedom in the galaxy. 🌌💫

25/05/2024

We showed Fleisher Art Memorial a little love! I designed this sensory garden for the Bootsie Weiss Children’s Garden at Fleisher Art Memorial. With the help of my mom, we cleaned up and planted the garden today! I picked plants with different textures and fragrances. I love the Porcupine Grass, the Dragon’s Breath, the Foxtail Ferns, and the Pitcher Plants. As a surprise, I added glow in the dark features and left UV flashlights for visitors to borrow. Did you know you can see secret signals to pollinators with UV light? Go investigate by visiting this amazing space! today today

20/05/2024

OMG! This is amazing!!!! Thank you to all the advocates who have helped this species!!! ❤️❤️❤️

Shorebirds were out in force yesterday on Cook's Beach for the Celebration - including thousands of Red Knots! Our naturalist will be out there from 1-4PM again today, so join us!

18/05/2024

Look at these photos of “Marcy” a snow leopard that has just arrived at the Philadelphia Zoo! She is named for the tallest mountain in NY. She had a birth diagnosis that would have left her unable to walk if not for the work of the veterinarians at the zoo in NY where she was born. Photo credit: Syracuse Zoo

13/05/2024

Happy Mother’s Day! Listen to Episode 2 of my podcast “Phirst” to hear how Mother’s Day is rooted in Philadelphia! Historic Philadelphia Wanamaker Department Store WHYY

In this second episode, Phirst takes a look at the second Sunday in May—Mother’s Day—and the meaning behind the white carnation.

04/05/2024

This week I had the amazing opportunity to see the author Amy Tan at the Philadelphia Library. She has a new book about her observations of birds. It made me think of how mighty but fragile our endangered red knots are and as Amy Tan said, “All birds are the canary in the coal mine”. I also like her depiction of owl faces. Amy Tan Free Library of Philadelphia

23/04/2024

Happy Searth Day! Photos from yesterday’s Earth Day fair Futures Fest! So many people were interested in learning about our precious horseshoe crabs!

21/04/2024

It’s tomorrow!!! I’ll be talking about the importance of horseshoe crabs and volunteering with Return the Favor NJ, about hosting a Roots & Shoots USA project, the Discovery Film Festival, and how youth can get involved with the PHS : Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Flower Show!

14/04/2024

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The octopus is a master of disguise, capable of camouflaging itself at any moment. But what other secrets do they hold? From James Cameron and narrated by Paul Rudd, premieres Sunday, April 21 at 9/8c on National Geographic. Stream next day on Disney+ and Hulu.

13/04/2024

Thank you Free Library of Philadelphia and the FLP Teen Field Center for this free copy of Amanda Gorman’s book for !

13/04/2024

Here’s a poem I just wrote tonight about our amazing horseshoe crabs.

Orpheus’ Lyre

A new season blooms
As limuli emerge
As they have for millions of years

Blue sky, blue sea
White sand, white foam
A grand intersection

Migrating red knots
Feast upon the blue eggs
Left by ancient horseshoe crabs

It’s a new beginning
For life on land and
For life under the sea

It’s a new beginning
On repeat
To the music of Orpheus’ lyre

12/04/2024

I was invited to have a table at this Earth Day event to share some sustainable ideas! It’s going to be an epic block party! Come check it out in South Philly!

11/04/2024

Horseshoe Crab Rescue season is upon us! Join us for training on rescuing and recording!

Training dates have been announced! Training is required for all volunteers, new and returning. Go to this link to get registered for one of the training dates. Don't miss out on this season!
https://returnthefavornj.org/get-involved/updates-copy-2/

05/04/2024

😊🎂❤️

30/03/2024

The first novel was written by a Japanese woman! Shikibu Murasaki wrote “The Tale of Genji” in the early 11th century. And she wrote the BEST Woman’s History Month quote.

29/03/2024

Here is a little digital drawing and short essay I wrote as a tribute to Justice Sandra Day O’Connor!

One of the biggest legacies of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman US Supreme Court Justice, is her dedication to teach youth the importance of learning civics. If the nation fails to teach civics, then democracy is in danger. She stated, “You have citizens who don’t understand how ­government works and they’re kind of soured on it. All they do is criticize. They have no idea that they can make things happen. As a citizen, you need to know how to be a part of it, how to express yourself—and not just by voting.”

If the public is not engaged in the government process, then democracy will perish. It is the duty of the citizens of the nation to be proactive in politics, or even reactive, but to just not be passive. A democracy is run by the people. If the people do not participate in their government at every level, then the political system becomes undemocratic. Without civic engagement, the people will lose their rights and become oppressed.

Teaching youth civics is essential to democracy. Civics education gives youth the knowledge of the tools to preserve democracy: how to vote, how to petition, how to debate, how to protest, how to be a candidate, how to organize, and how to lead. Civic education empowers youth to use their voice and to be active in government. Justice Sandra Day O’Connor paved the way for civics to be a vital part of education which is a legacy that will safeguard democracy.

26/03/2024

I’m so happy to see that the United Nations posted the Discovery Film Festival as one of the UN Water events around the world! I love the unity of this whole experience. 🌎🌍🌏 Roots & Shoots USA UN-Water Fleisher Art Memorial

24/03/2024

This film highlights some of the facts from UN Water about the worldwide freshwater crisis, with images from UN Water and some that I took of one of my favorite spaces. Roots & Shoots USA UN-Water

23/03/2024

Thank you to the amazing Reciprocity Project for allowing us to screen “Weckuwapok (The Approaching Dawn)” at the Discovery Film Festival! This inspirational film documents a tradition of the Waponahkik (the people of the dawn land) as they bring gratitude to the sun. “Song and stories invite us to accept the new day and put behind us any harm done the day before. These are relational lessons shared from ancestors since time immemorial.” This film was very much appreciated by our film festival guests. We encourage you to visit their website for individual screenings of this film and all the films from Season One and just released Season Two. The Reciprocity Project amplifies the voices of Indigenous People around the world and “aims to create a paradigm shift that reframes our relationships to the Earth, other living beings, and one another.”

https://www.reciprocity.org/films/season-one

Roots & Shoots USA the Jane Goodall Institute UN-Water World Youth Parliament for Water

23/03/2024

Congratulations Director Renee Shi of the USA! This brilliant film transports us to a time in the near future when tigers must be remembered through storytelling because they have become extinct.

Roots & Shoots USA UN-Water World Youth Parliament for Water

23/03/2024

Congratulations to Director Talia Seidner from the USA! This beautiful film urges us to protect our planet through the use of song and animation.

Roots & Shoots USA UN-Water World Youth Parliament for Water

23/03/2024

Congratulations to Director Magnus Snipe from the USA! This film advises us of the effects of climate change on the people an Indigenous Alaskan village who are forced to relocate.

UN-Water World Youth Parliament for Water Roots & Shoots USA

23/03/2024

Congratulations to Director Juan Cristiani from Uruguay! This spellbinding film compels us to take action to preserve the environment before it is too late.

Roots & Shoots USA UN-Water World Youth Parliament for Water

23/03/2024

Congratulations Director Muhammad Wafri Zaidani from Malaysia! This entertaining film has a superhero recycling waste collector that shows us where single use water bottles are properly disposed.
Roots & Shoots USA World Youth Parliament for Water UN-Water

23/03/2024

Thank you to Director Lily Bernard from Ireland for permitting us to present “Laos an Lagain (My Lagan Love)” as an encore screening this year! It is a beautiful film that does something no other film does—shows us the point of view of a drop of water. We thought this was a perfect film to screen on

UN-Water World Youth Parliament for Water Roots & Shoots USA

23/03/2024

Congratulations to Director Rahmon Abdulazeez from Nigeria! This visually stunning film warns about the future of the people of Lagos living on the coastline due to climate change.
Roots & Shoots USA UN-Water World Youth Parliament for Water

23/03/2024

Congratulations to G Puneet Kumar Reddy from India! This informative film shows how a community came together to support skilled artists and cultural preservation.
Roots & Shoots USA UN-Water World Youth Parliament for Water

23/03/2024

Congratulations to Director Oksana Sobol of Ukraine! This powerful film documented the devastating impact on nature when the Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine was destroyed in June 2023 by Russian occupiers.
Roots & Shoots USA UN-Water World Youth Parliament for Water