Daffodils by William Wordsworth

Poetry is a wonderful way to lighten a mood and lift spirits. On this soon to be sunny Sunday morning here at Green Leaf Reviewer I thought it would be nice to share a sweet poem that describes just how nature can make us feel happy no matter what our prior mood.

“Daffodils”
by William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee;
A poet could not be but gay,
In such a jocund company!
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

What kind of nature makes you happy? Whatever it is I hope you are able to go out and enjoy it on this wonderful day! ♥love♥

Nature and Poetry Make Lovely Bedfellows

While searching for poetry this afternoon for another project I came across a website called Poetry in Nature and I must confess I spent a fair amount of time reading through many poems. The site seems to be chock full of more modern poets and so many were beautifully written but when I came across this one I knew it must be shared here at Green Leaf. I hope everyone has a few minutes to get over to the site and check out many of these promising poets.

As the Sun Sets

© Kenneth G. Howard

The wind blows softly against my face,
The shade cast by the tree cools my heart.
The ocean waves relax the tension within,
That would otherwise tear me apart.

Alone on a calm hill for hours I lie,
Waiting only for the golden sun to set,
Prepared to see a moment of true beauty,
One that which I could never forget.

The warm glow of the sun begins to fade,
The ambient noise of the beautiful birds dies down,
The air around me cools ever so much,
But not even to that do I ever frown.

There it hits; my big moment of peace,
I move not a muscle; not even a bit.
I breathe deeply gazing at it's beauty,
Until the skies have become truly starlit.

The moon shines now; the warm glow is gone.
The owls have taken over the birds place.
I still move not, as I continue to breathe the air.
And I continue to feel the soft breeze on my face...

EcoTarium in Worcester Massachusetts is a Hidden Jewel

This morning I awoke excited to have the weekend arrive because we had no real plans and the entire day ahead of us but I had no idea we would find such a wonderful eco-friendly museum through so many random circumstances. I checked some email over coffee and then flicked on the television to discover one of my favorite local shows was on -- The Phantom Gourmet. Local eateries are rated and reviewed and this morning they were reviewing the hottest burger joints in and around Boston. One of the places they discussed was 5 & Diner in Worcester. Matt and I have been itching for some yummy diner food since we left Long Island so we got ready and hit the road.

As soon as we got off the highway my eye caught sight of a sign reading “EcoTarium” and we both agreed it might be something fun to check out after lunch since we were already in the area. We ate, it was yummy and served in a traditional fifties style with juke boxes at every table and home made whipped cream on the chocolate shake, and then we headed out to find out just what this EcoTarium was.

The museum was located about two miles from the highway and there were clear signs leading us right to it. We pulled up to the gate to discover the admission was only $10 for adults and $8 for children (3-18, under 3 are free). After we paid we had to wait for a minute as the Explorer Express Train passed by. As we walked up to the entrance to the museum we passed two living barred owls and two bald eagles in outdoor habitat locations.

The museum was fantastic inside with handicap accessibility through ramps and elevators to each floor and in the separate coat room just past the Information desk there were wheelchairs available for use. The main level also included a gift shop with lots of eco-friendly and educational toys and items. As we toured through the museum we encountered the Thinking Globally, Minerals, Old Growth Forest, Tide Pool, Freshwater and Africa rooms which were jam packed with animals, both live and staged, in their natural habitats as well as critical planetary information and tips for conservation. Throughout the entire museum were square boxes clearly marked for waste, paper or cans. After hanging out inside we walked down to the outdoor living habitat of the river otter who was so adorable and certainly showed us how much he loved to play and interact with people.

My only disappointment in the EcoTarium was the restrooms. The accessibility would be difficult for a wheelchair as the entrance hallway was rather narrow and there were no hand dryers, only paper towels. I was hopeful the towels were created from recycled paper.

Please check out the photos and video from our trip below and if you are in the Massachusetts area I highly recommend checking it out for yourself. Hours are Sunday 12:00 - 5:00, Tuesday - Saturday 10:00 - 5:00 (open year round except New year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas eve and Christmas Day). In addition to the museum and grounds there is a Planetarium, The Explorer Express Train, Animal Encounter and lunch as well as a wildlife path (outside) and many additional hidden treasures which we sadly did not have enough time to enjoy this time around.

Because of the accessibility, ease to find and available information for children and adults alike, not to mention the really reasonable admission price, I am granting EcoTarium Four Green Leaves! I applaud this fantastic museum for their innovation and look forward to a return visit really soon.

The MISSION of the ECOTARIUM is to promote appreciation, increase knowledge and foster stewardship of our New England environment by stimulating learning about the world in which we live.

To Love the Color Green Means

Generally it implies nature, peace or money but looking around recently it seems more likely to signify nothing more than a marketing campaign making use of a color we are beginning to more strongly identify with. According to Kate Smith, founder of Sensational Color:

Green occupies more space in the spectrum visible to the human eye and is second only to blue as a favorite color. Green is the pervasive color in the natural world that is an ideal backdrop in interior design because we are so used to seeing it everywhere.

The natural greens, from forest to lime, are seen as tranquil and refreshing, with a natural balance of cool and warm (blue and yellow) undertones. Green is considered the color of peace and ecology. However, there is an "institutional" side to green, associated with illness or Government-issued that conjure up negative emotions as do the "slimy" or bilious greens.

How the color green effects us physically and mentally
* Soothing
* Relaxing mentally as well as physically
* Helps alleviate depression, nervousness and anxiety
* Offers a sense of renewal, self-control and harmony

Soothing, relaxing, harmony…? What advertising executive would not want to use those tactics to reel us in?

The color green is being used for advertising everything from theme parks to cooking oil and everything in between. Do not get me wrong, it is wonderful that the color is becoming one that moves to the forefront; people are beginning to associate it with more than just the color of the tree but ensuring that same tree remains strong and standing as well.


Environmental protections and the services and products that accompany those industries do tend to use this color as the subliminal call to action -- the advertisement is green, green = Green, this is an eco-friendly product, consumer clicks. I have heard friends ask, with surprise in their tone as they point at their magazine page, “That’s environmental?” because the color green being used in the slick. My hope is that consumers are not tricked into purchasing products or services they think are eco-friendly simply because of the use of the color green.

To avoid being sucked into a marketing ploy the most important thing we can do as consumers is educate ourselves. Learn the definitions of green terminology, research the product on its website or through the Better Business Bureau and determine for ourselves what the environmental correlation is, if any. If there are two vehicle advertisements side by side, both featuring green as a prominent color we can look for the word Hybrid or the mpg of each of the vehicles to determine which, if either, are the more environmentally conscious choice.

Identifying with the color green is certainly fantastic, so using it in marketing just makes sense. It is us as consumers who must be diligent in determining which of these products and services are the ones that meet the environmental needs we possess and are not just there to play on our eco-open minds.