This is my first blog. Pardon me if it's amateurish. I'll get better, I promise! Some of what follows may be old hat to you, but it is a message that needs its volume turned up way past 11.
[Ed: After writing the below, I started to feel embarrassed that I hadn't gotten involved sooner. So what? I am now.]
My wife Lisa and I just attended an all-day conference here in Santa Cruz called "Changing the Dream, Awakening the Dreamer", sponsored by Inner Light Ministries and the PachaMama Alliance. It was at once both alarming, an inspiring. The key point of their thesis: the vast majority of American's are living in a sort of materialistic trance, blissfully unaware of the subtle side-effects their consumption has on Planet Earth. They showed a number of compelling videos that either described the problem, demonstrated its validity, or suggested actions we all might take. My favorite one comes in the form of a cartoon, and is absolutely essential viewing. It is called The Story of Stuff. I truly believe that in 20 minutes, this amazing and entertaining video will show you more about our consumer-driven economy and its ravaging effects than a short book on the same topic.
Another painful point raised in the workshop is that a majority of biologists are now convinced that the earth is undergoing mass species extinction unlike any other ecological event since the death of the dinosaurs. Depending on who you ask, either 70% of biologists or 85% (I am not sure this was the high number) declare this as fact. There are many reasons one might be left feeling hopeless after hearing this. There truly is very little time left. And while it may be too late to prevent mass extinction, it also may not be. Imagine if everyone started doing something truly different in their day-to-day lives, starting today. What if everyone just stopped using paper cups, for example? This would reduce the rate of tree harvesting by 2 gazillion trees a year, and these saved trees would filter out 16 gazillion tons of CO2. OK, so I am making up these numbers, but the point is very real: there is strength in numbers. We must all begin to raise our own awareness and the awareness of others, urgently. I mean right now.
They say it's difficult to change old habits. I tend to agree. I am hoping that by joining the chorus of switched on people who are actively supporting each other in adopting new greener values, my inertia will get it right between the eyes. I ask anyone who reads this to write one commitment they will do (mine was to start a blog). It can be anything at all. As simple as hanging the next load out to dry rather than using the dry cleaner. It could even be as easy as emailing a pointer to this blog to a friend. When you have done this small thing for our planet, please post it here. I don't like how much noise is found in the blogosphere. That's one of the reasons I have waited 'til now to start one. So please, keep your posts short and action-oriented. My favorite posts will be the ones about what you have done today.
Finally, a few more links to stimulate your imagination and light a fire under your butt:
- Earth Communications Office - a site with stunning videos about these issues. A real treasure.
- Resources from Awakening the Dreamer.
- Upcoming events from ATD. (Go directly to their site if you're a latecomer).
- Where do we go from here? - A list of materials from the workshop.
- Reuters article about mass extinction
Make it something you enjoy, so that you'll do it again and again. And again.
5 comments:
I am on board. My action: start a blog. (This one!)
Thanks, Alan,
for starting this blog! I was one of the facilitators that day, and have let all the participants know about your blog (which I heard about through the pachamama grapevine).
I sent out a thank you letter to the participants of the Feb 23rd Santa Cruz symposium, and invited them to come here to your blog to continue sharing new actions they're taking, and new unconscious assumptions they're uncovering. I plan to comment on my actions and assumptions, also! Thanks again for this inspiring combining of something you love to do, with something that's needed.
One of actions that I recommend is to replace all your plastic bags (tall kitchen bags, small bathroom trashbags, and big 33gallon leaf bags) with BioBags. These are biodegradable bags and will rid our lives of all that plastic. I buy mine at the New Leaf grocery on 41st street in Santa Cruz - though I've seen them at many different health food grocers.
Another resource I recommend is to get an online subscription to
www.thegreenguide.com
Great articles, tips and buying guides for greening your life!
What a great next step, Alan. I am a facilitator on the East Coast and have a blog, www.HealthyPlanetBlog.com. I will make more frequent posting one of my daily practices now.
By the way, almost 100% of the scientists, when polled recently about species extinction, agreed that we facing the 6th mass
extinction.
a comment about Corinna's comment about using biobags is to use no bags at all. For the last 10 years at least, I have used no plastic bags for trash. In my kitchen I have a hard plastic trash can (got at a yard sale)and I put a folded piece of newspaper (my husband still insists on getting the paper) on the bottom. When full I dump it into the outside trash can and wash it if needed. All other trash baskets in the house have no bags in them.
I waited for my trashmen and asked if they were willing to dump my big trash can the way it was done years ago and they were. I put the trash straight into my (reused) garbage bin and they lift it up and dump it into the truck. I know that some municipalites will not allow this. Just ask. Or try it and see what happens.
One negative about using the biobags that I have heard (may be incorrect) is that when it is mixed in the huge piles in the dump, they do not biodegrade. Ultimately, they will, I think, and then there will not be any plastic pellets left, so they are better than petroleum based plastic bags. Best is fewer of either.
For recycling, I use old boxes, or old trash cans, not paper or plastic bags.
My goal is less trash, and I am down to one trash container a month, most of the time. Would be less if my husband and daughter were more interested in how they purchase things.
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