Recycling and Conserving
Thursday 01 December 2011 at 09:57 am.
If we are destroying our home, we are destroying ourselves. Quite frankly, this is what humankind is presently engaged in: suicide. But this is nothing new, really. We have currently simply reached a much higher capability of doing so. Our (industrialized) lives seem to be structured around this destruction, intertwined in such a way that it seems we would have to give up life as we know it and return to pre-industrialized times in order to save this planet, our environment. I think that by now we all have heard a lot about WHY it is important to care about the environment (pollution of air and water, destruction of ozone layer...). The question is: HOW will we do it? Education plays a big part: What can we do as individuals, households, schools, companies...Access and availability (of recycling facilities, clean gas...) are the next step. I do think that laws and regulations are necessary, even though they can always be broken or avoided. What we really need is a raising of consciousness and of awareness of who we are and why we are here. It leads us back to the ancient question about purpose.
The misconception that we are here to become materially rich, and to reach the highest position of power, have led us to where we are at today: destroying not only our environment, but also our relationships and ourselves. But we are bound to learn that the essential and basic purpose of our existence, the basis of happiness, is love and harmony within ourselves, in our relationships, and towards our environment. Once our human hearts and spirits have matured to that understanding, we will naturally care about the environment as an extension of ourselves. I don't think we have to give up modern technology or science at all; guided by a mature mind, heart and spirit, it can take us to a way of living where we will truly take care of, enjoy and live integrated with our environment. Sarah Jane Melvin Why is the environment important? That question relates to my past and your future. When I was young I lived on a street with only seven (7) houses, in Asheville, North Carolina. These homes were surrounded by a wooded area. In fact, the forest weaved around the houses, making each house a private place of enjoyment. I used to walk out the back door and greet birds, possums, raccoons, deer and even some wild dogs. The forest was about 100 feet from the houses on all sides. I thought that my children and my children's children would always have access to these wonders. That they would have the opportunity to see the raccoons and possum silently roam the woods, viewing their habits and feeling the love they have for their offspring. Watch the squirrels play, hunt and store their food for winter, maybe even witness a courtship.
I can remember sledding in the summer on pine needles, laughing with joy. Having marshmallow roast after snow sledding in the same area. Digging a hole for the fire, making sure the rock would contain the fire. The older kids would tend the fires, while the younger kids would gather up dead wood for the fuel. All of us were taught to respect the forest, only take what was needed. Our Cherokee friends told us that the animals that lived there needed the trees, grass, pine cones, hickory nuts, acorns and even the horse apples. That the animals needed the trees for protection ass well as food and the forest needed the animals for its survival too. Christmas time was always a wondrous time. But we children would prepare a special treat at that time for our friends. We would bring out our acorns, hickory nuts, suet and anything else we found in the forest that animals like. We would then decorate a pine tree with all this, Christmas Eve. My father would place a dim light on the tree and we would watch the animals come to eat and marvel at their quiet and speedy feast from their special tree. I had hoped and dreamed that all the children after me would be able to see these wonders. But no, they are not, for we have trashed the trees, burned them, cut them, killed them with our pollution and our wasteful ways. For we destroy without looking to the future, without thoughts to what will stand in it's place in years to come. The environment we are creating is one of steel and plastic walls to contain the asphalt, gravel and concrete society of the future. We will live in a sterile society and when we want to show our children the forests and animals...we will show them a book, for there will be no forest or animals left.
Around Home: buy energy efficient appliances. (not only they last longer but use less energy which means you pay less for your electricity bills) shop carefully. (reduce your trash by buying items that use the least amount of packaging. Less packaging means less cost for the consumer) buy in bulk. (this usually automatically converts into less packaging) recycle your recyclables. (almost everyone does it these days but those of you who don't, there is big money in it.) compost your green wastes. (it makes great food for the garden and again, reduces your trash therefore reducing your garbage bills) don't overload or underload your dishwasher, washing machine and dryer. (either way they are doing too much work therefore wasting energy and your money) use tote bags for shopping. (they don't break halfway to your car and hold twice the number of items) use old rags to clean stuff rather than paper towels. (they don't fall apart on you and do a better job cleaning) have a garage sale. (one man's trash is another's treasure. Make someone happy while you grow rich)
donate stuff that you cannot sell to a local charity organization. (makes you feel good and you can use it as a tax write-off) get creative with trash. (there are shows held almost everywhere that have people bring in art that they make by reusing items that would have normally been thrown away) Back to the top. Around Office if you already don't have one, start a recycling program. (hey at the end of every month you can throw a pizza party and recycle the cardboard boxes afterward) bring your own cup for coffee and other drinks. (it does not end up in the landfills, taste like styrofoam and cost your company big bucks for disposables) don't throw away rubber-bands and paper clips if you can still use them. (think about how many of those things you throw away everyday. Now think about the savings if you just reused them) empty your beverages down the sink before you throw away the unrecyclable containers. (this way the janitors don't have to replace the trash liners all the time thus saving some plastic trees and saving you some big bucks) wrap your gum in a piece of paper before dumping it in the trash can. (same reason as above) use both sides of the paper to send memos to your colleagues. (such a simple idea but utilised so little)
use email to send memos and other information to colleagues. (even better than copying both sides and you do not even have to leave your desk) Back to the top. For Cars keep 'em tuned. (besides the fact that they hum better, a tuned car will consume less gas therefore greatly reducing emissions) keep the tires properly inflated. (again, a very inexpensive way to save gas and getting rid of that wobbling effect) watch out for those aluminum cars coming out next millennium (it is not too far away. Not only will they give you the gas mileage of 100miles/gallon and will be as strong as the airplanes that you fly in) hey, there are great electric cars out already. (check it out. They save gas and are virtually maintenance free) recycle your used motor oil. (dumping it down the drain causes it to end up in your seafoods and water system) consolidate your trips and errands. (coming back from shopping and realizing that you need to go to the post office not only wastes your time but also gas and money) although not a very popular choice, drive at 55 miles/hour. (it has been tested and proved that this speed limit saves gas) carpool. (you will get to just relax on your way to work a couple days of the week plus meet new friends and rediscover old ones)
