| Have you seen the bumper stickers that read: "If you aren't worried, you aren't paying attention"?
Indeed, our world is facing some serious challenges. Mountain-top mining for coal, fracking for natural gas, proliferating Super Fund Sites... These matter to all of us. As our water, air and soils become contaminated we are all at growing risk of health concerns. The costs of clean-up are huge, and isn't always even possible.
What to do? Become informed - read up on what is going on in your area. How does it apply to your purchases and daily choices? With a little creative thought, elegant solutions that do not cost the earth can be found. This can be enormously satisfying. Give it a try!
An example from my life is the angst I have felt over my car. Which way to go-electric? Hybrid? While I appreciate the efforts of the car makers and the people who buy these cars, I know that there are still pretty steep environmental costs to these cars. What options are there? For me, the answer is to leave the car at home whenever possible. I am fitting out a nifty vintage bike to use for all my short sallies out into the world. Every time we choose a bike over a car, we are burning calories instead of gas. By reducing wear and tear on the car, its tires, and the road itself, we are making things last longer. This country became great because its people understood the value of taking care of resources. Somewhere along the way we became squanderers. Perhaps we have been in denial- we can't afford to keep pretending that business as usual isn't running us into a brick wall. The cost to our environment and to our collective wallets and health are rapidly becoming too high to support. Perhaps we have been waiting for the magic bullet that will fix everything- folks, there isn't one. Look back to how our forefathers got things done- it was all the little things adding up that made for strong character, strong communities, a strong country.
Perhaps we have been waiting for a hero to save us. The fact is the world is full of heroes just waiting to happen- look in the mirror for the one nearest you!
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