Happy Earth Day

I have a whole slew of webpages that have caught my attention over the last several months. Some of them are about how to minimize your impact on the planet’s resources while maintaining a comfortable life. Some of them have been (or will be) mentioned and linked to in other posts here.

• This first is a youtube video that shows how carbon emissions over the United States flow. It’s a little long a dry, but I think it’s important to know why this is such a concern: CO2 Maps
• There are very real benefits to “going green” as Dr. Mao says in his post on Secrets of Longevity.
• If it all seems so daunting (and let’s face it: the strident tone of many environmentalists makes us all want to just crawl in a hole and hide sometimes), here is a website that breaks things down into more manageable chunks: treehugger.com
• This next shows in dramatic form, how gasoline prices have changed. There are also some political opinions readily expressed at this site…: Zfacts.com
• Many religious organizations are also beginning to be involved in helping to heal the earth – is yours? greenfaith.org
• and one last “informational” help, a CO2 calculator. I will list two, both are rather country-specific, but I think you can get a general idea from either one about both the things you can change to be a little more “carbon-conscious” and how you compare to others in using resources: first, from the United States — Climate Crisis/Take Action
  and second from Great Britain — carbon calculator
  and as a side note, if you put “carbon calculator” into a search engine, there will be many more you can check out!

The long and the short of it all is, if those of us who have access to high-energy, high-resource-consuming products and activities continue to use them as much as we do… if we continue to encourage industrializing nations to manjfacture products with inefficient (but inexpensive) technologies… and if we don’t find ways to heal the scars we have already inflicted (pit mines, poisoned rivers, clear-cut hillsides) then we are actually condemning our children and grandchildren to rather sad lives. I don’t actually think my own life will be significantly impacted by the changes to climate/food production, but I am certain my children and potential grandchildren will be.

What to do? Well, not all of us have the financial or personal resources to install geothermal heating and cooling systems in our homes, to mount solar panels (nor do we all live where solar panels are truly effective), to walk or bike to work (some of us don’t even live where public transportation is available), to grow our own food, to …

But we can all do something. I try to take the fewest number of trips into town that I can, doing all my work/shopping/doctor/friend visiting on the same day(s) and staying home once the car pulls into the driveway. Occasionally, our children can carpool with other kids who live nearby and have the same activities (not often, but we try). We recycle, and have since long before the curbside program began in our area (thanks to Tom). We try to bring our reusable bags when we go shopping, rather than always bringing home something else. We try to reuse items when we can, or donate them, or give them to friends who need them (books, toys, games and clothes the children have outgrown). We have compact flourescent bulbs in most outlets. When we purchased our large appliances, we got the most efficient we could afford at the time.

We didn’t do all of this at once, by the way. We did little things, and gradually added one more energy (and money) saving idea at a time. Even small things, done occasionally, add up.

Now then: got the bug?

Here are a few websites with gadgets or ideas that you might be able to use:

• Voltaicsystems.com — a backpack with solar panels to recharge your laptop!
• The Daylighting Collaborative — skylights and so much more
• Biodegradable bags — need I say more?
• For people who sew, organic fabrics you can feel good in from the O’Mama Report
• How about shoes that are recycled or organic? SimpleShoes.com
• If you’re mechanical or have the money to have it built, there are ideas for 100+ mpg cars out there. Check out the CalCars.org website
• And finally, though it may not seem like it, I believe the Slow Foods movement is very earth-friendly. Take your time, eat real foods from close to home. Enjoy life. This is good.

Basically, I think we have two choices in life: we can say we are hopeless and what we do doesn’t matter (very defeatist), or we can choose to do the best we can with what we’ve got and know that others (our children, for example) are watching and learning. Personally, I think the latter approach is overall the better choice.

While it is true that our small efforts in my one family are a pittance compared to the whole big problem , it is also true that by not participating in the head-long rush to oblivion we ARE stalling it, and maybe even reversing it. I will point out again that, while we had to clear 1/3 of the property (well, septic, house) and did clear 1/2 when we purchased it, I also planted or encouraged both native and nonnative trees and shrubs within 6 months and continue to add plants as we can afford them. They don’t yet replace the ones that were taken out, but it mitigated the harm faster than the usual all-grass lawn. By driving older (but efficient and maintained) cars – and clothes, appliances, games – we are trying to use fewer resources and teaching the children that one doesn’t always need the newest, hottest, most stylish items.

All of these make a difference. And you can, too. And together, we can definitely make the world a better place!

Happy Earth Day!

And there you have it. I will add a new category called “Green Living” so I can continue to add links on how to improve your life while saving the planet.

And by the way, this is how many cubic feet of CO2 the United States has contributed to global warming while you’ve been reading…

##
. Pretty impressive, isn’t it?