Blogging from the danger zone

June 4, 2008 · Filed under environment · Tagged action, apocalypse, chemicals, environment, garbage, oceans, paper, plastic, pollution, recycling, single use products, waste reduction

So … tornado sirens are going off. There’s lightning, followed by loud thunder. Sirens are going off (or maybe they’ve stopped … I can’t hear them at the moment). Sure is a fun night!

I’ve been experiencing internet connection problems for the past several days … which makes it incredibly irritating and difficult to get my work online done. It’s also made it difficult for me to complete reading important news articles such as …
The Triple Threat: Our Food, Water and Climate Challenges
http://www.alternet.org/water/85414/?page=entire
and
Apocalypse in the Oceans
http://www.alternet.org/water/86789/

These articles really make me question … exactly how screwed are we?

To read the articles listed there (and many similar pieces showcasing massive problems in our environment, government, economy … etc), I would argue pretty screwed indeed. It is going to take a lot more solution finding and a lot less passing the buck if we are ever going to get out of this mess.

And if we wait for our governments or our corporations to save us, we are totally screwed. Like with no hope of recovery.

So change has to come from us. We, individually, have to accept our own responsibility for our part in creating this mess. The average American, for instance, creates 4.6 lbs of solid trash per day in the form of paper, plastic, food waste, metal and whatnot. This adds up to 1679 lbs (almost a TON) of solid trash in a year. That is not to take into account the sheer amount of resources that went into the creation of that solid trash or the non-solid trash (ie: liquid and gas) that we each individually put out in a year.

So … take steps to reduce the amount of solid trash that you produce. Stop using paper towels and switch back to cloth towels. Try carrying a hanky instead of using kleenex. Stop using one-use paper based products in general (such as pre moistened glass cloths or floor cloths or hand wipes). Buy a bunch of reusable cloth bags for groceries. Stop spraying chemicals all over your home and into the air (reducing the amount of toxins in your environment and the waste of the cans it comes in). These are just a few ideas and suggestions on how to reduce the amount of waste that you personally produce.

So how about it? What are some suggestions you have for ways to reduce your amount of trash produced? What are some of the things you are already doing to help reduce your own impact on the environment?

Wishing you a healthy environment and a long healthy life!
Namaste,
Lina