When was the last time you heard the expression “It’s a small world”? If you weren’t at Disney, chances are you’d just had a chance encounter with a friend or relative when you were far away from home, or maybe you found out someone you know is somehow connected to someone else you know. This week, I consider just how big this world of ours really is.

Welcome to week 22 of The Sunday Spark, a series with weekly thoughts and highlights, nuggets of learning, and a sustainable living tip for the week. In addition to pondering the size of the planet, this week’s edition features electric buses, the climate cost of your summer barbecue, produce storage tips, and cutting back on driving.

The Sunday Spark – Week 22

On my mind this week: It’s not a small world after all

One of my most vivid memories of my first trip to Walt Disney World as a teenager was the It’s a Small World ride. I was fascinated by all the characters from around the world wearing their native costumes and singing that catchy little song in different languages. The message of the song is powerful. It’s about all the things we have in common as human beings—definitely a reminder our world needs at the moment.

But I digress…

Technology has made it so easy to meet and stay connected with people all around the globe. We pick up our smartphones and instantly see and talk to our loved ones on the other side of the world. Emails and instant messages mean we don’t have to wait weeks or months for an answer to a simple inquiry to arrive in the mail.  

It’s actually a really big world

But, when you set out to travel from one end of the planet to the other, it really is a very big world after all. This week, I was reminded of that as I followed my daughter’s boyfriend’s journey from Australia to Canada.

Travelling is a whole lot faster and easier now than it was in my grandparents’ day when they spent six weeks on a boat to get from England to Australia. (Read all about that in Visions of 1920 travel and adventure.) Even so, it still took three flights and 26 hours to get from Melbourne to Toronto.

In a hundred years, we’ve shortened the time to travel to the other side of the world from 42 days to 26 hours. What will the next hundred years bring?

Perhaps we’ll be able to teleport ourselves instantly to anywhere in the world. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? That may sound like the stuff of science fiction movies, but so did video calls and instant messaging fifty years ago. It could happen.

It might not be a small world…but it’s still a great song

Because I still love Disney’s It’s a small world, I will leave you with this little snippet.

There is just one moon and one golden sun

And a smile means friendship to everyone

Though the mountains divide

And the oceans are wide

It’s a small world after all

It’s a small world, Richard and Robert Sherman

Now that I’ve planted this ear worm, you’ll probably be singing It’s a small world for the rest of the day. Sorry…not sorry…it’s a great message. Tell your friends.

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Three highlights of the week

It’s important to celebrate big milestones and simple pleasures in life. Keeping the trend going, here are three highlights and simple pleasures of the week gone by:

• It looks like the risk of frost has finally passed, so I planted my tomatoes and peppers on the weekend. This year’s garden will be scaled back for a couple of reasons. First, we’re getting a new deck at some point this summer, so I couldn’t use my planter boxes. And to be honest, our gardening hasn’t been very successful the last couple of summers. It’s time to reevaluate!
• The ducklings on our local pond are growing. Interestingly, all ten of them are still going strong. With a raft that size, we usually lose a few in the first few weeks. They make us smile every time we see them on our evening walks.
• I started a fresh new work notebook this week. There’s nothing like the promise of a new notebook—so many blank pages and possibilities. I buy extra-large notebooks and it takes me about 18 months to fill one. As I opened this one up for the first time, I wondered how many more work notebooks I’ll need before I retire.

Three things I learned this week

Life is all about learning. Here are three things I learned this week:

Electric buses in Waterloo Region

On the weekend, my daughter and I were out for a walk in our neighbourhood. A bus drove by and my daughter commented, “Hey, that’s an electric bus!” I did a little research and learned Grand River Transit has 11 electric buses as part of a pilot project. GO Transit is also piloting electric buses.

One of the challenges of electric buses is range. Our buses are on the road for many hours each day and current charging capacity wouldn’t last an entire day. Hopefully, we’ll see improvements and buses of the future will all be electric.  

Understanding the carbon impact of your summer barbecue

Summer weather is here and that means barbecue season is in full swing. Have you ever considered the carbon impact of your summer barbecue? Whether you fuel your grill with gas, propane, charcoal, or wood pellets, there is a carbon impact.

So which choice of fuel has the worst environmental impact? It turns out that authentic charbroiled taste comes at a heavy cost. Grilling meat or veggies for four people on a charcoal grill emits as much CO2 as an 80-mile drive. That’s 28 pounds of CO2. Better options are wood pellets (3.78 pounds), propane (1.99 pounds), and natural gas (1.73 pounds). The best choice? A solar oven has no carbon impact—but you won’t get those wonderful grill lines. (Source: Earth 911)

Produce storage tips

Did you know that apples, tomatoes, avocados, and bananas are examples of climacteric produce? This means they continue ripening and reach their peak freshness after they are picked.

As climacteric produce ripens, it emits a gas called ethylene. Storing this type of produce near other types of climacteric produce causes the others to pick up the ethylene. When that happens, they may ripen too quickly. So, you should always store different types of climacteric produce separately. Of course, if you are in a hurry for some avocado toast, you can speed up ripening by storing your avocados in a closed container with other climacteric produce. (Source: Earth 911)

I suppose that’s where the saying “One bad apple spoils the whole bunch” came from.

Sustainable living tip: cut back on car trips

The arrival of summer weather means many of us are thinking about summer vacations and road trips. While driving may be better for the environment than flying, it does still have an impact—not to mention the cost to our wallets.

This week, take advantage of the warmer weather and consider leaving your car at home for one or two local trips. Instead of driving, travel by foot, bicycle, or public transit. You’ll get some exercise, fresh air and travel at a much more relaxed pace.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on any of this week’s topics. Drop me a comment below and let me know your thoughts and ideas.