Sustainable Saturday - Oh Spring Where Art Thou?

It may surprise you, when you read my posts about farmers markets, local foods and community gardening, that there is an event I look forward to every year that some may consider as a wasteful use of natural resources.

It wouldn't surprise you, though, if you lived in one of the states that suffer from winter cold and snow.  This is what my flower beds look like.

Rhododendrons looked like this yesterday at sunset in the bitter near zero cold.

Meanwhile, on New Years Day, 2700 miles (about 4,345 km) away from me, there was hope. There was a promise that spring would come again to upstate New York, one day.  In certain parts of the United States, summer had never left.

Wednesday, as the weather people announced a winter storm warning for the part of upstate New York where I lived, I looked upon a parade in Pasadena, California.  There, the sun was shining, temperatures were mild, and everything was green.

Or, pink, purple, green, brown and every other color of nature.  The Rose Parade has one special rule for its floats. All their surfaces must be covered in organic materials - be they flowers, grasses, moss, seeds, nuts, or other natural materials. Nothing can be artificial.

These pictures of the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California (a New Year's Day tradition) were taken off of my television set. One day, I hope to be there in person.  It is on my (what we call in the United States) "bucket list".

One float featured a garden with huge carrots.

Others had names loaded with puns - such as this one (So Close yet Safari Away).

There was a monster truck to entertain parade goers.

One city's float featured a black bear called Meatball who was caught in 2012 after repeated raids on residents' garbage cans.  This city, Glendale, struggles with co existing with wildlife in the area, as do so many communities in the United States.  Meatball's life will be a good one, living in a sanctuary.  But not all of these encounters have happy endings.

Some would say using natural resources like this is not part of sustainable living.

I say that beauty in our lives is always part of sustainable living.  Sometimes, even in the midst of winter, we need the promise of spring renewal.

Some of us love winter and the beauty of snow.

Me? I can hardly wait for spring.

What about you?