Birkenstocks and flannel shirts are not
considered statements but just bad fashion
sense, I proudly proclaim myself to be an
ardent environmentalist.
I have always been a green kind of girl,
though not as thorough as I am now. From
the time I was a little, I recycled aluminum
cans and newspapers, but that was about
the extent of it. I didn't become passionate
until about three years ago, when I started
to notice how much trash piled up at parks,
on sidewalks, and in my own yard. When
everyday I had to pick up discarded cans
and bottles and cigarette butts around my
pansies and daffodils, I got mad, and then I
got green.
Becoming truly green is a process, and it
doesn't happen in one day, one week, or
even one year. In a throw-away world, I
learned that you have to adjust gradually, or
you become overwhelmed. My first step
was to consciously look around me when I
visited the grocery store. I noticed not only
the excessive packaging, but the amount of
plastic bags that each visit produced.
Though plastic bags are recyclable - the
Sierra Club estimates that when 1 ton of
plastic bags is reused or recycled, the
energy equivalent of 11 barrels of oil are
saved - not many people actually do it. Have
you ever seen the copious amounts of
plastic bags hugging fence rows, waving
around like some kind of advertisement run
amok? I decided not to contribute to that
mess anymore. I bought a couple of
canvass bags from a craft store, and haul
my groceries in them now.
I also bought a bike so I could run errands
and become healthier at the same time. I
got a real street bike, with fat tires, fenders,
and a wire basket. I made sure to get a
cushioned, spring-loaded seat to save wear
and tear on my tushy, and the handle bars
allow me to ride erect. It still took me time
to get up the courage to ride around town
on my granny-bike, but now it's like second
nature. I take my bike to the library, post
office, and grocery store, and have a fun
time doing it, too.
I have never smoked, but have - like most of
you - been flabbergasted by some smokers'
utter carelessness. I have a theory that
people who toss their (lit!) cigarettes out
their car windows are so ignorant that they
don't read newspapers anyway, so maybe
I'm barking up the wrong tree here.
Throwing those nasty cancers sticks on the
ground is not only disgusting and polluting,
but dangerous. Just the other day, with the
high prairie winds blowing and the air so
dry my hair stood on end, I saw a man flick
his cigarette out of his brand new car.
Luckily, it didn't land on the grass. After
yelling at him and receiving a blank stare in
return, I wondered why he just can't use his
ash tray. Will his wife be upset if she found
out he was smoking? Does he think
keeping the center console of his car clean
justifies ruining everyone else's nature?
People like that are like Dick Cheney on a
hunt - oblivious, or even deliberately
disdainful, of common courtesies.
The time has come for everyone - whether
conservative or liberal, Democrat or
Republican, religious or secular, Texan or
non- to work towards a better environment.
Global warming is real, and so is the
destruction of earth by wastefulness. And
from what I've learned, you don't have to
join an organization, buy sponsorships, or
rally around campfires singing
"kumbayah," either. All you need is to
modify your habits - gradually, but
conscientiously - and soon you'll be a tree
hugger, too, even if you don't want to admit
it to your friends.
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99% of the original prairie has
now vanished!
not preclude one from a bad hair
day, nor from bad lighting. This
picture of me, taken at the
Chickasaw National Recreation
Area, attests to that.
green are:
- start a compost pile with
organic kitchen waste, yard
trimmings, and leaves
- donate old clothes and buy
used clothing
- when washing hands or
rinsing dishes, catch your
kitchen sink water in a bowl to
water your garden. Plants will
get more nutrients from that
dirty water than from just plain
tap water.
- use ladybugs instead of
chemicals on your flowers for
pest control
- use paper bags to put your
produce in, and reuse those
bags
- pick up trash when you're out
on a walk (you can still make
money with aluminum cans!)
- cut down on meat
consumption (the raising,
processing, and packaging of
meats are not very
environmentally friendly)
- ride the rails to work,
shopping, or school
- carpool
- buy a car with a high mpg ratio
(or a hybrid)
- stop smoking!
always been a nature nut, just like his
mom.
makes for some good photos.