What’s Gotta Stay

I like to use the term environmentally conscious or environmentally aware because I think it embodies what we all really need to be aspiring to.  Let me give a little explanation.

I grew up in a variety of places, but most of my childhood years were in Washington State.  Say what you will about the frequent overcast and rainy days, but the terrain in the Northwest is absolutely beautiful.  I grew to love the great outdoors, not only because of where I grew up but also rubbing off from my father who would rather be camping than living indoors.  He loved every sporting endeavor that would give him an excuse to commune with nature.

Now before you label me or my father as a tree hugging nut case, reality was quite the opposite.  My father was a career navy man, loved to hunt and fish, and generally thought the anti-nuke lunatics that would drive their boats in front of his submarine when coming into part where out of their minds.  He wasn’t the extremist that would put a bumper sticker on his truck that said “I love the spotted owl…for lunch,” but he would have a chuckle over it.  I do too.

There is a big difference between environmental activist and being environmentally conscious. It is like all things, there are extremes that really take things beyond realism, then there is a good, happy medium.  Activism is laying down on the tracks in front of a train carrying nuclear supplies because you believe so strongly it is just the wrong thing for society to use nuclear power.  Sorry guys, I appreciate your staunch beliefs, but you will never find me in your crowd.

Being environmentally conscious can be a simple change in our thinking which eventually translates to slight modifications in our actions.  Right now we live in frankly what I believe is a very lazy society.  How hard is it to be a little more careful with what we use, what we throw away, and to do just a few little things to better conserve our natural resources?  If you are stumped on the answer to that rhetorical question, let me help you; not hard at all.   Then why is it that more of us don’t start making these little changes?

We live in a high consumption, throw away society.  We love our convenience, low prices and disposable ease of use.  The problem is we have become a massive resource hogging country that takes no thought as to whether there is an end to the natural ingredients we use and the waste we are producing.  Our landfills are overflowing as we feed the monster.

I love the simple phrase coined as Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.  Really, it is that simple.  No one of us by any extreme change to our lifestyle is going to make the slightest dent in the incredible bleak outlook we are creating as a society.  But, if a major portion of us can make even small changes in the amount we consume and dispose of, the changes can be monumental and historical.  Imagine when you take even a reduction in one pound of waste per person per week.  Multiply that by every individual in the country and you have something measurable.

So how to we even nudge the massive downhill rolling boulder that is our society.  Standing in its path will only get us flattened without even a minor deviation in the path it is taking.  To me that is the activist that shouts with every ounce of energy their vocal minority can muster.  No, that may get a momentary bit of notice in the media that passes and is forgotten by the next day.  Bringing about any change requires the listening ears and resulting actions of millions of people.  It takes all of those people making a conscious effort to begin doing the small things for one day, then doing a little better the next day and each day following.

This is one reason I signed up to participate in the first Blog Action Day.  Not only am I supremely pleased they picked the environment as the initial topic to address in their social experiment, but I also admire the concept of activating a massive number of writers across the world to all address one topic on the same day.  This is how movements can get started.  This is how awareness comes about.  But even with this incredible concept, it is all for naught unless we put concepts into action.

What are those small things that need to be done?  Really that is up to you.  Try using a reusable water container instead of thoe 3-6 bottled waters you use each day.  Collect and store your newspapers, bottles, etc. and recycle them where possible.  How about helping your community start up a curb-based recycling program if it doesn’t have one.  Use cloth bags at the store rather than the convenient disposable options they offer.  Turn off unnecessary lights throughout your house.  Take shorter showers.  Carpool.  The list goes on and on.

Most of all, do something.  It’s that simple, and it starts with me, with you, and with your family.

Tags: blog action day, common sense, environment