Good Sunday to all!
Last week, I wrote a long diatribe on climate and fires and an inevitable acceptance that current leaders (worldwide) are doing little — especially (now) the U.S. But, I offered no glimpse of hope, no thoughtful response, no helpful advice.
I’m not an expert at fixing the environment. I’ll admit this readily. I have read up (for years) on habits individuals CAN take that can have an impact, though.
And so, in the spirit of offering some alternatives to giving up and doing nothing, here’s what I do: I do what I can. I don’t expect perfection. I don’t expect to fix it all myself. I don’t hold unrealistic expectations. I don’t believe in beating myself up if I fall short of some obsessive mark. But I do what I can and what seems possible to do.
Vegetarianism
For years (into decades) I was a vegetarian. I’ve been eating chicken lately (I’ll admit it). But I’ve been, for the majority of my adult life, a vegetarian. This is not to be confused with a “vegan.” Vegans are admirable. They are the folks who take great care that everything they eat, wear, and otherwise use doesn’t harm animals or the environment. This means no animal products anywhere, ever. No eggs. No cheese. No fish. (By the way, fish are animals, in case you’ve ever wondered. They’re not a vegetable.) I’ve tried to be a vegan multiple times. I always fall a little short. After about six weeks, I’m smelling Bourbon Chicken in my dreams and running off to a Panda Express. The longest I went as a vegan was about 9 months until it fell apart.
But upshot: Vegetarianism is one thing that can help the planet and the environment.
For more information, go here.
Green Cleaning
I’ve used green cleaning products for years, even made my own. There are some things for which natural, green products don’t work the best. It’s true. (Grout cleaning anyone??) But 90% of what you need to clean can be done with wonderful and natural ingredients. Lemons? Baking Soda? Miracles can happen with those.
I recently got a book filled with ideas and recipes:
Simply Living Well
I’ve bought many of these types of books over the years. But this book looks really helpful. I’ll write about it later, after I’ve tried some of it.
But Upshot: Cleaning with the Green ingredients helps
For some more information, go here.
Other (the short list)
Seriously, there are so many other habits anyone can do (I do and have done) to help. None of these are new:
- Get glass food storage (not plastic). You can reuse it! It saves money and the environment. (Think of mason jars or glass bowls.)
- Recycle and buy with recycling in mind. For instance, look at the box or container the thing you’re buying is in. Is it trashy? Or is it eco-friendly? Some items are unavoidably trashy (given what they’re sold in), but becoming aware of the packaging and the potential trash is the first step. (Note: If you can get the same type of thing in an eco-friendly box or container, go that route.)
- Take your own bags to the store to pack your groceries in. If you forget, then so be it. But if you’ve got a lot of these in the car, you won’t be collecting bags of “bags.”
- Avoid plastic in general unless you have no choice. I’m talking about food, clothing, anything!
- Have plants everywhere. I mean the real things, not the cloth fakers that look like plants. Love the plants. Bring the outside IN. Plants clean the air and make really mellow friends.
- Plant trees! Love the trees. Care for the trees, the forests. They’re not just in your yard. They are peaceful giants and some of the oldest species left on the planet.
- Turn off lights when you leave rooms. It’ll save you money and help the environment.
- Get energy efficient appliances (i.e., energy star) or automobiles (if you can afford ‘em)
- Buy organic (also if you can afford it). Even if you can’t afford everything organic, maybe get a few things that way, like apples. In fact, anything with a skin you’ll eat?? Go organic.
- Support the bees. Without the bees, we’re all doomed. This does not mean raising a bee colony. But if you see them, respect them. Help them. Grow flowers they love. Don’t piss ‘em off. Don’t use chemicals to kill them. Have an invasive hive moved; don’t exterminate them.
- Use energy offsets if your local provider has these available. The idea is that you support “green” energy sources as alternatives to the usual energy sources. It might cost a little more, but you’re supporting newer, cleaner technology.
That’s a short list of what I try to do. If I included all the suggestions here, this would turn into a book! But the point is that we don’t have to do nothing. I do the above, although not perfectly and not all the time. Yeah, it isn’t a set of policies enacted by a major government. But it’s something.
Happy Sunday
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