How earth-friendly are you? Answer these questions to find out!1. What have you done within the past year to make your footprint on the earth a little lighter? ie. change light bulbs, purchase a gas-friendly car, recycle, etc. (If you haven't done anything, don't worry. Proceed to #2.)
2. What do you plan on doing in the next year to be a friendlier to the earth? (If you're not planning on anything, please proceed to #3.)
3. You've gotten to this point without pushing the "comment" button. Are you a lead-footed Hummer driver? ;-) Just kidding there!
Participating in Earth Day doesn't mean that you succumb to the left-wing global warming hype. In fact, I am not sure when or why climate change became a political issue in the first place. From here on out we're going to keep politics out of the issue. Let's see if you agree with the following statements. Just answer true or false.
It's not complicated to figure out that we all need to be wise to keep our environment sustainable for future generations. Politics aside, it really isn't hard to be friendlier to the earth. The problem is we've grown so accustomed to our ways and we all know that habits are hard to break. So, I guess it's better than ever to start now.It is good to conserve resources to make sure there is enough for everyone.
8 comments:
I think it's great that everyone's getting so environmental. The biggest thing I've done in my life to reduce my carbon footprint is to be vegetarian. Most people don't know that going veg is one of the top 2 ways to make a positive impact!!!! Producing meat, transporting animals, animal waste, and feeding and watering animals all have a HUGE impact on global climate change, far more than producing plant foods. Do some research of your own, and if anyone wants resources, just let me know.
The media is giving a lot of attention to going green, but for some reason, going veg to go green isn't getting that attention. I think it's about time.
Most meat eaters that I know say they could just never give up meat. Trust me, it's not that hard, and even if you lower your meat consumption if you think you can't completely eliminate it, you will be helping the environment, not to mention your health and the welfare of animals. That's my 2 cents.
ok, sorry to post twice, but according to the United Nations, raising animals for food causes more global warming that all the cars, planes, ships, trains and SUVs in the world combined!
Producing one calorie of meat uses more than 10 times the amount of fossil fuel that it takes to produce one calorie of plant foods like beans, veggies and grains.
Animal agriculture uses 70 percent of the world's agricultural land and 30 percent of the planet's total land area. Farmed animals use more than half of the water consumed in the US. Of the land that was cleared in the rain forest in the Amazon, 70 percent is used to raise animals for meat.
Just an opinion but so many Jeeps and Trucks aren't necessary. I know that theres a lot of people that actually use them for construction and whatnot, but theres so many people that drive a truck or hummer with 10 miles a gallon just because they have nothing better to do with their money. They assume it won't affect them in their lifetime so they just go ahead and do it.
I agree that protecting the Earth isn't a political issue.
I mean, its the Earth, our home.
I started this plan to conserve energy a number of years ago. It was very simple. Each winter I lowered by 1 degree the setting on my household thermostat. The first year I lowered my thermostat from 72 degrees to 71 degrees. The next year I lowered it from 71 degrees to 70 degrees. And each summer I raised by one degree the setting on the air conditioning. Its not a huge change, and humans are very adaptable beings.
You find that some of your habits change over time. Over the years you gradually get in the habit of wearing more sweaters around the house in the winter, wearing warmer socks and bedroom slippers, etc. You learn to pay attention in the summer to natures rhythms, i.e., do stuff that is active and generates heat in the cool of the morning or late evening and plan on spending warmer afternoons doing things that are more sedentary (i.e., checking e-mail, paying bills, etc.)
You become more conscious of using solar heating to the greatest extent possible in the winter, and of using natural cooling in the summer (awnings, blinds, strategically planted trees to provide shade).
I stopped lowering the indoor thermostat each winter when I hit 59 degrees (i.e. 13 years after I started this project). I no longer use air conditioning at all.
Conserving energy becomes part of your everyday lifestyle in tons of ways, most very small.
But my utility bills are the envy of all my friends and neighbors. Even with the never ending increases in utility prices over the past 15 years, my utility bills are no higher today than they were almost a decade and a half ago.
The gas, electric and water companies have all "checked my meters" in the past several years because they thought the meters were broken or malfunctioning. It turns out I was using so much less than the "expected amount" of those utilities that it triggered some flags to check the meters to make sure they were working. The gas company actually replaced my gas meter because it was so sure I couldn't possibly be using as little natural gas as the meter readings indicated.
I never set out to make any drastic changes. It was just one little thing at a time.
As it turns out, my passion to lower my home's energy use has dovetailed nicely with my interest in the weather. I have to take account of the weather on a regular basis - i.e., if using solar heating and a string of cloudy days is expected, you do all kinds of little things to keep the heat in the house rather than letting it escape.
I don't know exactly how to explain how my own sense of Mother Nature has changed, but I feel much more attuned to the rhythms of nature than I did 15 years ago. Its a different sense of being a part of nature rather than being a visitor or observer of it.
This year I am adding some items to my vegetable garden. I'm adding some veggies from the cabbage family (broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts), which are fairly difficult to grow more-or-less organically w/out losing most of the crop to cabbage worms. We'll see how that goes... What I can't grow myself, I buy locally at the Farmer's Market.
I find myself looking back to many of the lessons I learned from my Grandmother. She knew how to live simply, and actually taught me a lot. I didn't pay attention at the time, but am finding that I tap into the lessons she imparted to me about simple living more and more as time goes on.
The Last couple of years I always had things laying around my house that I just didnt want to dump at a trash facility due to several things
Item was still good, Didnt want to cause more piles of trash, and that I just didnt want to let it part if someone else could use it.
I found Freecycle.org and joined local freecycle sites and instead of dumping it, you can just freely give your item to others that could use it. They help alot you have a need or want and you post it and most of the time someone has what you need and you get it free of charge. And if you have something you want to give away no longer need you do just the same by posting. Its not a grab bag site though. I have found it so useful - In a sense ones trash is anothers treasure -
Christy Richards/ Dixon,IL
This year I made the switch to a smaller car. My daughter is old enough now that when we travel we don't need to bring as much stuff, so we didn't need a van anymore. Also, I drive quite a bit to go to work and back. Now I drive a little Corolla, and in addition to it being better for the environment, I'm spending a LOT less on gas!
And I'd forgotten how much more fun it is to drive a little car :-)
Wi Weather Buff, have you thought of joining a CSA? A few years ago we joined Angelic Organics, and it's a great way to get locally grown, organic produce, and to support organic farming in general. If anyone is interested, here is a link to their website:
Angelic Organics
Renee,
Thanks! I'm going to look into it.
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