Ok. So I don't really know where I fall in the political scheme of things. I know I'm not Republican and I know I'm not Democrat... I land somewhere in the middle.
That being said, I think we really should take better care of our planet, and NO I don't think trees should have the same rights as people... I'm nutty, but no that nutty.
The big oil spill in the gulf is horrifying, I'm glad BP is at least being inventive with how to fix the darned problem (hopefully before it gets 5000X worse). I really hope and pray their attempt works. The mess this is making is beyond my comprehension. As it is I look at some of the strip mining around SLC and think it's a tragedy and have a hard time comprehending the damage of THAT, let alone how many oodles of gallons of raw oil gushing into the ocean...
That being said, there isn't a whole lot little ol' me can do about all of that.
I mean, I try to be mindful of the resources I use in my day to day life, but with 3 kids and an income that only stretches so far I find myself at a loss. I really wish I could afford solar cells for the roof of my house, but honestly by the time they pay for themselves isn't it about time to replace them? Or am I behind the times?
I have a hard time knowing what things the average person can do to truly have less of a negative impact on the world around them. I'm so glad that society has stopped advocating the use of plastic and paper bags for groceries, instead pointing towards reusable bags. The problem is that I don't know how much of an impact even those make. (speaking of, anyone have a good idea where to get cheap ones?)
It's like this, "they" say that driving electric cars will be more environmentally friendly... I'm also confused about this, because the electricity has to come from somewhere! In this case usually a hook up through home. Where does the power from our homes come from? Usually coal plants. So, burn coal, or burn gas... GAH. The whole thing really makes me wish my city was more bike friendly. As it is, it's busy 50MPH roads and no bike lanes with young children... risk assessment for me = too high. I don't want my kids thinking it's okay to ride along those roads when I'm not around at very least!
I don't know... is anyone as lost as I am on this front? I feel pretty darned clueless. Anyone have any good sources for info on things like this? You know... straight forward "layman's" terms and as non politically slanted as possible?
4 comments:
I also firmly believe in being good stewards of the earth--for me it's not a political thing, it's a respect thing. A take-care-of-what-you-have thing. I was 'green' before green was 'in' you know? I'm kinda proud of that actually, because imho sustainability is the only responsible way to live. :)
So I'll try to answer a few of your questions...
In regard to grocery bags: If you sew, you can make your own. I have seen them made from old tee-shirts (you could get those cheap at a thrift store if you don't have any around the house). I have seen them knit or crochet (search on www.etsy.com to see some). I have made my own with just a simple tote pattern and some heavy fabric I got off the clearance table at the store. (Canvas and denim are great). I even saw a tutorial for how to make them with old plastic sacks--thick ones like from target. IT involved using an iron (and a liner) to melt them together into a 'fabric' and then sewing a bag. I'm sure you could google that too, it was pretty simple. :)
I actually do think that electric cars are are a good thing, but I think that we need to move more of our electrical grid to wind, solar, and hydro power. We have lots of those resources and if we are smart about what we use and where we could drastically reduce our reliance on oil. But it's expensive to make the change...on the other hand, it would also make LOTS of jobs to build massive solar stations/wind stations, so I think it's a good idea economically as well as environmentally. But that is a whole other issue. :)
As for the little things that each person can do to make a difference? I made a list full of ideas here http://brightonwoman.blogspot.com/2008/03/going-green.html :)
Incidentally, in my experience the 'green' thing is usually the 'budget' thing too. Sometimes I think I can't afford to NOT be green. :)
Check out this post (really the whole blog) for lots more inspiration: http://joyssimplelife.blogspot.com/2010/01/one-mans-trash.html
Thanks! I will surely check it out! :)
I need to be lotsandlots better about this. My parents have been recycling for like 25 years, which I find impressive. I'm actually a little naughty, because I adore grocery sacks. I use them as garbage liners for my bathroom. If you think about it, I don't buy small bathroom garbage liners, because I know I'll use my grocery sacks. Does that count as being a little bit environmentally friendly? Maybe not. :) But it's wallet-friendly, that's for sure... Ben is really into the building of sustainable buildings. He got his LEED certificate a year ago - he is officially a green builder. He designs our dream house all the time and is always saying that we're going to use wind turbines for our power if we stay here. That's smart. It's so frikkin' windy here...
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