Our Peri-Menopausal Planet

It's snowing in DC. Finally.

We had ONE snowstorm in November, and after that, the weather was trying to be winter. Today, a beautiful white blanket is covering the undead grass and trees with leaves. You know what means? It means I have about one more hour to finish this blog before some branch lands on a power line and leaves me with an afternoon of writing via old school – you know, pen on paper.

I have to say, I have been enjoying the warm weather this winter. But, those moments are quickly quelled by Eco-guilt. The devil on my shoulder says, "Ain't this great." But, the angel on my other shoulder, clad in an organic dress with eco-friendly wings says, "It's supposed to be cold. What are you doing to save the Earth?" At which point, I get up and walk through the house, turning out every light, including the night lights, gather empty soda cans for the recycle bin and stack all the paper printed on one side into a pile for re-use on the other side.

Ah, I feel better. OK, not really. The earth is heating up. I shouldn't feel good about this at all. To make it worse, even Weather.com, in some ignorant way, is teaching us to feel good about the Earth heating up. The next time you visit the site, pull up a ten-day report for your zip code. The drop down menu allows you to see your "fitness comfort" as it relates to the weather.

Since when should we be concerned about "fitness comfort?" Excuse me, but I seem to recall in the olden days (is "olden" a word?), when it actually snowed outside during the winter season, that people used to go to the gym, run on a treadmill while watching Gilligan's Island reruns, or even, if they had enough over-head space, jump with a jumping rope. WTF is up with this comfort level?

Global warming is not something that we have conveniently created so that we can be comfortable. We just can't take comfort to this level of eco-destruction. Because, believe me, this "comfort level" will be temporary. After that, it will major shifts in temperatures, the end of rain forests, deaths of habitats and endangered animals, the rising of oceans, and the end of Florida (see Scientific American February 2008 – On News Stands Now!).

I can't believe, in my lifetime, that I'm watching the northern ice caps dwindle into a place where people can go boating for fun. This is not fun. This is not even cool, pardon the pun.

So, before I get off my soapbox, I just want to challenge you today to step out of your "comfort level" and pick one, two, or maybe even 12 things you can do to slow down our Peri-menopausal Planet.

Then, take it one-step further. I challenge you. Practice sustainability. Don't buy useless junk. Purchase products you can trade-up. For instance, Sony allows you to return their broken products to trade-up for a working item. Sony then takes those items and utilizes the parts, so that fewer items go into our landfills, which ultimately destroy our ozone. Here is more info: Sony Recycle

Finally, one more challenge, if you have the means to do so. Make your home eco-friendly. Install solar-powered panels, don't waste water, purchase eco-friendly water heaters . Oh, the list is endless.

Here are some simple things to do that helps. And believe me, every little bit DOES help!

I found this online:
1.    Turn off lights.
2.    Turn off other electric things, like TVs, stereos, and radios when not in use.
3.    Use rechargeable batteries.
4.    Do things manually instead of electrically, like open cans by hand.
5.    Use fans instead of air conditioners.
6.    In winter, wear a sweater instead of turning up your thermostat.
7.    Insulate your home so you won't be cold in winter.
8.    Use less hot water.
9.    Whenever possible, use a bus or subway, or ride your bike or walk.
10.  Try to buy organic fruits and vegetables if you're concerned about pesticides. (Organic food is grown without manufactured fertilizers and/or pesticides).
11.    Don't waste products made from forest materials.
12.    Use recycled paper and/or recycle it. Reuse old papers.
13.    Don't buy products that may have been made at the expense of the rainforest.
14.    Support products that are harvested from the rainforest but have not cut down trees to get it.
15.    Plant trees, especially if you have cut one down.
16.    Get other people to help you in your cause. Make and/or join an organization.
17.    Avoid products that are used once, then thrown away.
18.    Buy products with little or no packaging (I know, it's hard to do when you have kids!)
19.  Encourage your grocery store sell environmentally friendly cloth bags for people to use when they shop, or bring your own. (My local Trader Joe allows people who do this to enter a contest for free groceries for a month!)
20.    REDUCE, REUSE, & RECYCLE.
21.    Compost.
22.    Buy recycled products.
23.    Don't buy pets taken from the wild.
24.    Clean up dog poop with biodegradable poop bags.
25.  If you have a good zoo nearby, (if the animals are healthy and the zoo takes care of them), support it! Especially if they help breed endangered animals.
26.    Don't buy products if animals were killed to make it.

To Recycle your appliances if you are in Minneapolis or Los Angeles

For activists

Thanks for reading!

Comments

[Paloma Campos]

I am so glad that you posted this. The state of the environment is constantly on my mind. I found a terrific recycling center in Glendale that I take all my recyclables to, including my old broken down electronics. I also consistently bring my own bags to the grocery store and to the Farmer's Market in my neighborhood to reduse waste. As luck would have it my boyfreind's house and my work are both within a 10 mile radius to my apartment. I live in a pedestrian city, so that once I am home I walk everywhere. I also enjoy making artwork and wrapping gifts with recycled materials. My light bulbs are the eco-friendly variety (even though the light is sometimes difficult to get used to). OK, the list goes on and on and I bet you are happy that I am typing this rather than using a piece of paper.

[Gabrielle Birchak]

You're my hero!