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The Buck Stops Here
Global warming. It’s the buzz word making the rounds. There are movies about it, political positions on it, organizations working to stop it and we go about our daily lives as if we can’t have an impact on it as individuals. I say the environmental buck stops here … with each of us.
Rather than wait and look to governments and corporations to “do something about it”, how about setting an example individually? Historically, significant change was not brought about by businesses and governments, but by individuals committed to doing the right thing just because it was.
As Margaret Mead said “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has”.
So how can we as individuals have any impact? Considering that over half of the world’s pollution is sourced from households, each of us collectively can make a difference.
Here are a few ideas.
- Plant a tree! Trees increase levels of oxygen in the air and filter out pollutants we produce.
- Replace a light bulb! Exchange the incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent one. They last 10 times longer and use only one-fourth of the energy compared to incandescent light bulbs.
- Recycle! Recycling lessens the amount of waste that goes into landfills and reduces the amount of toxic chemicals absorbed into the earth.
- Visit a Farmer’s Market! Buy locally produced foods instead of goods that must be trucked in.
- Remember that each year Americans throw away 25,000,000,000 Styrofoam cups. Even 500 years from now, the foam coffee cup you used this morning will be sitting in a landfill!
- Buy fair trade products and certified wood.
- Use biodegradable, non-toxic cleaners to clean your home. Just one This Starter Kit is the equivalent of planting 10 trees, eliminates 108 lbs. of packaging wastes in landfills and 248 lbs. of greenhouse gas emissions. Bonuses are it saves you money and time.
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