Author: Emy Minzel

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Save the Boundary Waters Canoe Area!

Emy Minzel

The environment is very important to me, it is my passion. We take so much from her, doing something anything to give back and help her out she would appreciate, so will our children and grandchildren. My intention, is to spread awareness of our effects on the planet, whether they are intentional or not we CAN and must, change our direction of unsustainable consumption of its resources.

There is currently controversy surrounding the area called the Iron Range, of Minnesota it is a taconite mining community. Minnesota State officials are currently under pressure to grant a mining permit to Twin Metals Minnesota Mining to mine sulfite-ore copper at The Boundary Waters Canoe Area headwaters and pressure keeps building.

The Taconite/Iron Ore mines employ a great number of families in the area. I grew up on the Iron Range, it’s made up of good hearted regular families like yours. What I aim to do is spread education to the well-intentioned citizens of the area that the proposed Sulfite-ore copper mining is very different.

Sulfite Mining is not the same as the Iron Ore mining culture that they are used too. Sulfide-ore copper mining is much more toxic than Minnesota’s taconite mining. Sulfite-ore copper produces giant waste piles that, when exposed to air and water, leach sulfuric acid, heavy metals and sulfates. Sulfide-ore copper mines pollute groundwater, rivers and lakes. In the history of sulfide mining, pollution has never been avoided.

Hard rock mining, most of which is sulfide mining, contributes to more superfund sites than any other activity. A Superfund site is any land in the United States that has been contaminated by hazardous waste and identified by the EPA as a candidate for cleanup because it poses a risk to human health and/or the environment.*

Sulfite-Copper mining is dangerous very toxic, waste from this type of mining generates sulfuric acid historically seen to have disastrous consequences in a previous site located in Canada. This type of toxic waste cannot be cleaned up for centuries…CENTURIES! As in 500 years plus… or probably never.

I do not know of any company in the whole wide world to have that kind of money or morals to be responsible for an environmental clean-up that last for centuries. Do you? It is unheard of. That’s what bankruptcy is for… Then you know who gets to foot the bill?! That’s right… Tax payers. Slick trick right?! They get what they want and move on to the next area to ravage.

This is happening and common practice in places all over the US our environment is under attack by money hungry corporations that take no responsibility for their actions. Currently there is talk of opening Federal Land for Resource grabbing as in Fracking Yellow Stone National Park, Grand Canyon, etc.

Our “resources” like clean water and air are what keep us alive. A few years of jobs is not worth the risk of ruining the region for the next 500 years of toxic pollution; ruining the precious wilderness we all hold as a pride in the natural beauty our native home of Minnesota boasts.

There are already many people in the Ely, MN area that are protesting and voicing their avid rejection of the sulfite-ore copper mining proposal. There are also people who are in favor of it, because it will bring jobs to the area. I do understand the need for jobs, I do not understand the need to poison ourselves and the land we love for short term reward.

This ball is rolling right now my friends and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area NEEDS YOU to be its voice! The trees, pristine waters, fish and wild life in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area cannot defend or speak for themselves. We need to take responsibility for our land before someone else takes it from us. If it’s accidental or on purpose if this area is polluted and ravaged by toxic waste, we will have lost one of the last pristine wild areas left in the United States of America.

You may think I am exaggerating but I am not friends. Do your own research and discover for yourself the depth of water pollution in the US, it will frighten and astound you. We are on the verge of water wars because of our misuse of the natural resources we have been blessed with. It is not every day citizens like you and me doing this polluting and pillaging.

We must unite and say enough is enough, this is happening in all states in some area not too far from you, and it’s up to us to be paying attention. We are letting the Fox guard the Hen house, government officials are not doing their jobs, looking the other way of the citizens protesting the impending pollution.

Please help by signing this petition to stop sulfite-ore copper mining from impending devastation in Boundary Waters Canoe Area.

https://www.savetheboundarywaters.org/

Sending love and blessing to my fellow Earth Warriors,

Emy Minzel ~ Adventure Sister

Please follow me on Facebook and WordPress by following the links below

https://www.facebook.com/BWCAdventureSisters

emyminzel.com

 

 

(https://www.savetheboundarywaters.org/how-help/distribute-fact-sheets)

(www.bwcasulfitemining.org)

(http://www.friends-bwca.org/issues/sulfide-mining)

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#batshitpassionate

Emy Minzel

I am an avid nature lover, I consider myself an Earth Warrior or in other words… an Environmental Activist. After finding out the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota is under looming threat of toxic sulfite-ore copper mining threatening imminent devastating pollution lasting for over 500 years, I feel deep in my soul that I NEED to do something, ANYTHING to raise awareness and call the rest of my fellow Earth Warriors in to battle against this mining proposal. The BWCA is a magical place, it deserves our protection and nurturing, we must not allow corporate interests to spoil this beautiful treasure of Minnesota.

I have always loved nature, but I never got to involved with politics. After doing my research on why and how all this pollution is happening, that is exactly how my political interests kicked. You follow the money, when it comes to large corporations polluting the planet it will surprise many people to know that it is all legal thanks to the Clean Air and Water Act which just happens to be very corporate polluter friendly.

Special interests have paid for the right to desolate, devastate and pollute, while ‘our’ politicians paid to represent us, are happy to sign those bills for a big enough check. It is regular practice of polluting Corporations to just pay the fine by the EPA instead of complying with the regulations continuing with business as usual polluting anyway.

As an environmentalist, I am horrified how we treat the Earth. How we  brazenly manipulate or destroy nature to somehow make it work “better” for us is downright ego-maniacal. We need to work with her forces; we will never better ourselves by trying to poison the earth and battle against the nature of life.

Corporations (which are “people” according to Citizens United) are irresponsibly ravaging the planet, consuming her relentlessly, buying our government, taking all they want to support our demand for a high tech, fast paced, modern, and may I add unhealthy way of life, with no regard for life or the communities they affect by doing so.

We can start to help by doing little things, voting with your dollar, composting, reducing waste, and recycling. I have heard people say, “I don’t have time for recycling!” Really?! You don’t have time to put an aluminum can in a separate garbage can? They make big garbage containers just for that now they even come to your house and take it away. We need to recycle so much more then cans.

It blows my mind how obtuse people can be about the pollution problem of the planet, yet if we all put in just a little effort it would add up. There’s garbage in the oceans, acidifying and killing the coral reefs and poisoning the fish we over consume. What are we doing about the nuclear radiation still leaking into the ocean in Fukushima, Japan? Nothing. We are doing nothing.

I have learned factory farming leaving toxic cesspools of feces leading to increasing emissions, I’ve learned Fracking for “natural gas” is clearly poisoning land and drinking water, but is conveniently exempt from the Clean Water Act or any form of prosecution?! Fracking waste has been proven to cause all kinds of health issues not to mention how to get “rid” of the waste and the gasses that come up from sites polluting the air and everyone around it. Now they are using the polluted water from fracking waste solution to water crops of the food you buy in the super market near you.

I wish being informed on the health of the earth and our environment was part of the nightly news along with the nightly weather report. We would all be astonished if it were to learn the truth of things. You would worry for your children’s future and you would be as angry about it as I am. This is where my involvement in politics kicks in, I do encourage you to get involved if these words ring true to you.

We can and will make a difference if we do it together.

Please help by signing this petition to stop sulfite-ore copper mining from impending devastation that could destroy the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.

https://www.savetheboundarywaters.org/

Sending love and blessing to my fellow Earth Warriors,

Emy Minzel ~ Adventure Sister

 

 

 

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Carrying Christmas Spirit into the New Year

Emy Minzel

I drew Oracle cards on Christmas morning, with the intention of “What do I need to know today?” While trying to shuffle them one card jumped out not once but twice, it was the ‘Creative Expression’ card that encourages us to make most of the day by getting creative. My first thought was “But it’s Christmas day. Do I have time to write on Christmas?” I kept the card and flipped two more, the next was ‘Family Harmony’ asking me to send love and acceptance to my family even if it may be difficult, the card asks me to remind myself of three reasons why I love my family members. I think this was a sweet reminder from the Oracle cards of what Christmas is truly about, loving your family and enjoying your blessings.

The third card I pulled said ‘Kick Up Your Heals’ it has a picture of a unicorn on it having a grand ol’ time, this card was a reminder to have a good time today, asking me to laugh, play and dance and not take things so seriously. This does sound like a great day according to the cards. I accepted them at face value and as I walked away, I left them sit there in the face up in the layout I had used. I wasn’t quite sure what it is that I was supposed to write about. I put my laundry baskets down and thought, “I am going to pull one more card and ask them just what it is I am supposed to be writing about on Christmas?”

The next card that came up was ‘Follow Your Dreams’ its description reminded me that it is up to me to make time in my schedule for what is important to me. To do that I must make time to write, even on Christmas day, I did have a small amount of time that I am able to sit and write before the festivities commence. I felt the cards were telling me it is going to be a great day and I get time to write a little too.

Here is the thing, I have noticed I will sometimes blame other people for taking up my time, yet I also like to forget its up to me to turn off the television, put down the smart phone and focus on what it is that makes me happy which is writing. Writing does not feel like work to me, it really feels like art to me, I feel like I am able to express myself, my thoughts, feelings and emotions, in a way that people will truly understand. When I write I can choose what it is I feel like writing about or sometimes I will draw a card, and ask the Universe what the topic of today should be.

Today I see that the cards were doing double duty, reminding me that Following my Dreams should not take a time out just because its Christmas. The message I received from my Oracle card reading this morning is a reminder that Christmas is a magical day full of love energy that could be harnessed and carried into my work. Really? If you say so, I’ll bite. My phone keeps binging with texts from family and friends sending my holiday wishes, the ham is in the oven and I am enjoying writing on the sofa with my dogs Gus and Hank, before the celebration and games begin. This is the peace in the day that helps me mesh chasing my dreams with loving the opportunity and time I get to spend with my family

The oracle cards reminded me to that I don’t need the enchantment of Christmas day energy to enjoy the blessing in my life or as a reason to take time out of my day to chase my dreams, I can smoosh them all together and make my life magical every day. All I must do is give myself permission, be persistent and loyal to the time I spend on what brings me joy. It is up to me to make time for my dreams, my quiet time, my family, pets and friends. When I have days that I can balance them all like I am today, it does feel like I am living a charmed life. I could get used to this.

Yet we know time moves forward and eventually there will be days that will be the opposite of fairy-tale life. It is the reason why we must live to the fullest by enjoying the miraculous life that is ours right now today. I will do what the cards suggest, I will use my creative expression to merge all that I love including writing, into my day. I will count three reasons or maybe even more of what I love about each of my family members helping us to grow family harmony and my love for each of them.

Next, I will kick up me heals, laugh, dance and celebrate the breathtaking beauty in my life surrounding me right now today. Finally, I choose to make time to follow my dreams, hoping that the power of my thankfulness reaches you as you read these words. May the blessings from The Spirit of Christmas be with you through out the rest of your ordinary days into the New Year.

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The Pros and Cons of Positive Thinking

Emy Minzel

What could possibly be negative about positive thinking? Happy thoughts are so fun! I would like talk about the pros and cons of positive thinking, how it can benefit you and the people around you. I’d like to state nobody can be positive all the time, it is just not authentic, and can come off as insincere if you are trying too hard.  It’s no secret that happiness is an inside job, so we must create our own vibration of happy or joy will be fleeting.

There are plenty of positives that come with optimistic thinking, I find that if your brain is upbeat so is your attitude. Positive people are the folks who smile at strangers at the grocery store or help make a hard day bearable. When it comes to the muggle members of  family, co-workers, or friends who do not believe in the magic of positivity, I will sometimes get some positive push back so, I will start with the cons of positive thinking.

 

CONS

  • Being dismissed
  • Energetically draining
  • Optimism can be annoying
  • You can’t help everybody

 

When it comes to money or life challenges I have been accused of Peter Pan syndrome or called Pollyanna, this doesn’t bother me. What does get to me is, being dismissed as childish, written off as naïve or foolish when trying to find the bright side of an adverse situation. I am none of those things, I just believe if we are given a cactus, it doesn’t mean we have to sit on it. We all know there are rare people that love to wallow in self-pity and pessimistic disapproval of just about anyone and everyone. These people require a great deal of your positive energy, you must ask yourself. “will they appreciate your effort or just drain you?” in this case we could choose to send prayers from afar.

Honestly, I know being positive, looking for the good where there seems to be none, can be annoying. Knowing when to keep your positive pants zipped can be a challenge, please understand, we just want to help lighten your mood, yet we know, we make your eyes roll. Not everybody is in tune with their own vibrations, it can be hard to share your positivity with someone who doesn’t want to hear it. Know when not to waste your own energy. Just because you want to help everyone, doesn’t mean everyone wants your help.

 

Pros

  • Positive thinking raises your vibration.
  • Consciously focus on your blessings makes you thankful for what you have
  • Words of encouragement feel good to everyone involved
  • You get to let your light shine
  • It makes you happier to make others happy

 

People love to talk about their lives, I love to listen. Often just lending an ear to a friend is all they need to work it out themselves. Reminding them to count blessings before problems always help put things in perspective, it aids in finding the silver lining that the Universe usually has in store for us. Sometimes showing compassion mixed with a positive point of view can help others see the situation may not be as disparaging as it may seem.

I find that the more sunshine and joy I bring to others, the happier I am. Positive thinking raises YOUR energetic vibration. Raising your vibrations helps the Universe send more joy right back to you. I consider your smile, compliments and encouragement a gift from God a gift that brings Joy to the world. I choose to take responsibility for the energy I put out into the universe because I know she’s listening. This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine.

 

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Quiet Time

Emy Minzel

It’s no secret that I am a person who likes my down time. I have been known to turn into a hermit a least a couple times a year, hibernating like my bear spirit animal during winter. I also like to do this in micro bits of time every day. You know, check out of real life for a bit, put down the phone, turn off the tv, and just be. I can’t do this often, but I found the more I do, the better person I am. I don’t get as fussy about things that irritate me, because during my quite time I am able to process what’s really bugging me.

I believe quiet time is essential for everyone and it gives us time to ask ourselves just what is it that we need. What do we want? If something is bugging me, how can I fix it? It gives us time to clear our minds, or if you’re anything like me, quiet time allows the crazy in my melon to puzzle that shit together so I can move forward with a thoughtful plan of action instead of wandering around my life reacting to the day I face. Time for reflection helps me check my attitude, after all it is up to me who I want to be today. Sure, I can be a grumpy Gus, but acting like so won’t make me feel better or anyone else I encounter. I can choose to be a better person than I was yesterday. To me it’s like quiet time gives me magical powers, giving me time to count my blessings, put my big girl britches on and carpe diem.

I remember one of the most difficult journeys I’ve taken on foot was to Fourtown Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. My fellow Adventure Sister and I were naïve about the BWCA and we had overpacked, lugging five hefty portage packs and a canoe, while underestimating the difficulty of the portages. It took us a great deal longer than expected to get halfway to our original destination. Try as we may we could not find one of the portage paths heading to the next lake we wanted to get to. We were frustrated, unprepared, starving, and dehydrated. The sun was tipping well over to the other side of the world, and we had started before it came up. My Adventure Sister and I were exhausted. Mentally and physically we were being pushed to our limits. When we decided to give up the search for the portage we were seeking so we could finally rest, it only took us a short while to find an open campsite.

As soon as I saw that we would finally be able to stop going and going and going some more, my eyes burst into tears, an automatic response to relief my body so desperately needed. Stacy and I ended up staying at the same campsite the whole stay because we were both too sore to pack up and move. We had to soak our flaring aches in the cold lake, and rest to fight off the exhaustion before we became sick with colds too. We spent a great deal of time, doing nothing but recuperating in the beauty of the forest out of necessity. It was not how we expected our voyage to go, but hey, we were calling for adventure and we had an amazing time we will not forget.

Isn’t it funny how we can push ourselves and our bodies to the point of sickness, past the point of uncomfortable right into pain? Yet it just keeps on going, doing what you ask it to do, even if it doesn’t want too. Isn’t that what we tend to do in our daily lives, just on a less acute scale. Why must we wait for the pain of stress to take care of ourselves is it really that hard? We take care of others with ease, yet when it comes to nurturing ourselves we decide to be stubborn and ‘tough it out’ putting ourselves last.

I am blessed to work from home, yet I am not immune from stress and family life. In reality, I hardly have any quite time to just myself, I’m busy running the show. When that happens for too long it gets me easily irritated at the silliest things. I find when I am not able to just sit with a cup of coffee in silence and have the world to myself for just even a half hour that I get grumpy. Its seems every little sound, conversation, television noise, microwave dinging, it all just pisses me right off. Let’s just say I am not my best self when I am not able to check in with myself, by checking out for just a bit.

My point is to help you remember even in this busy holiday season, take care of yourself too. Your body, your spirit and your family will thank you because you will be your best self. Ask yourself every day ‘What will make me feel good today?’ then do it. It is not selfish to do what it takes to take care of you. Quite time is an essential part of that for me, the older I get, the more I embrace it. It can be hard at times to ‘fit me in’ the schedule but the moment I start feeling anxious or irritable I know I better listen. I seek nature and the sound of silence as my retreat. I will not judge your way of reconnecting, I just wanted to remind you how important is for you to go there.