The Fourth of July is of course widely recognised as Independence Day in the US.

But there's another 4th of July - Solar Independence Day.   I discovered this from the Solar Trade Association

We've got solar power to heat our water now, and if I could and our roof had been more appropriate, I'd have gone for solar heating in the house as well.  

But the least I can do is to tell you how pleased I am with the solar power in our house that we do have - I'm determined to see what else I can do to switch off our need for power produced by any fossil fuel and to use solar instead.  

Our bills for water have reduced our overall electricity bill, which is great news - and it's lovely to feel that hot water in a shower and to know we haven't had to fork out for it this month.  Yes, we had to pay for the solar system to be put in but prices are coming down all the time, so find out if you are eligible and go solar if you can!

What I REALLY love about solar is the fact that we have acquired more control over our use of energy.  Now that the system is in, we've got more control over at least some of our electricity bill and - I think - greater protection against rising electricity prices for hot water use. 

I read this wonderful quote recently from somebody called Charley Willey, who worked out the following:

"Make one person happy each day and in 40 years, you will have made 14,600 human beings happy for a little time, at least." 

That struck a chord with me, and of course as an animal lover, I came up with an alternate version:

"Make one animal happy each day and in 40 years, you will have made 14,600 aniamls happy for a little time, at least."

Of course, you can make your dog or cat happy every day and at the end of that time, that will just have been one animal over the length of time that you are blessed with them.  

But then there are ways to reach out to help a vast number of animals.  

1. Feed the birds in your garden or via a window feeder, and you feed many (or more than one, at any rate). 
2. Grow wildlife friendly flowers in your garden with a simple packet of seeds, and you'll help butterflies and moths, bees and other insects.
3. Put a small wildlife pond in your garden or a bird bath and watch in enjoyment as animals come to drink or take a quick dip.
4. Plant a tree and you'll give hundreds of animals shade from the sun, shelter from the rain, and somewhere to rest and nest.
5. Sponsor an acre, and you'll help thousands of animals and many different species by providing them or protecting their habitat - the area where they live.
6. GIve a horse lover a virtual gift from a charity like the Brooke or Spana and you can help hundreds of horses, donkeys, mules and camels, all thirsty after working long hours in incredibly hot temperatures.   
7. Add your name to a petition and improve the lot of animals in your country or abroad.

Every act helps and every act has the power to improve the lives of animals and people world wide.  And every act has the potential to help not just one animal but millions of them.

There's news from the west coast of Africa.

The largest marine conservation area in the continent is being created - a network of 9 new national marine parks and 11 new aquatic reserves is going to extend across a massive 20,500 square miles in territorial waters and out into Gabon's economic zone.  The area covers 26% will protect 26 percent of Gabon’s territorial seas.

The move will help protect fish stocks from over-fishing and also help the area cope better with changing climates and give the corals there a chance to recover.

The goal is to protect the waters for generations to come, and Ali Bongo Ondimba, who took over the presidency of the country after his father died in 2009, sees them the areas as precious as the rainforests which cover 90% of Gabon.  

The Gabon waters have some of the world's largest stocks of Altantic tuna, so there is a danger of overfishing.   The hope is that fish stocks will be revived and the breeding grounds of whales, dolphins and turtles will be protected by the move. 

Thank you, Gabon, for caring about the future of our waters for generations to come, both people and marine life. 

It's always exciting to hear about projects to bring water to everyone, especially given that so many areas of the world are experiencing droughts.   I can't imagine anything worse that not having access to clean drinking water, for animals or people.

So I was very interested to hear about a project in India to revive a medieval way to fight the drought in the area of Karnataka.

The BBC have got a video on it, but essentially an enormous system of water channels connected by tunnels built by Medieval kings with pick axes and shovels sustained life in the settlements above.   These tunnels were carved out well below ground and they were discovered five years ago by Professor V Govindankutty.   A main well - known as a mother well - is dug in the place where there is enough water and taken to the place where you need it.   Volunteers spent ages clearing the channels of debris and silt.  

These techniques were developed in Ancient Persia, i.e. a very long time ago.  With the ancient system begun again with about 50 wells in the area, they've all started having water.  To date, none of them have dried up.   Even in May, the area is still getting a good supply of water.  

This is a very exciting discovery and I hope more places which experience tremendously dry spells will take a look at it.