Have you ever stopped to consider how your lifestyle affects the sustainability of our Earth? Each decision we make about our food, home, transportation, and purchases has an impact on our environment. The consequences may seem small individually, but cumulatively over a year or a lifetime, and collectively within a culture, these decisions have very real effects.
Since its inception in 1970, April 22nd has been recognized as Earth Day. It is a good time to take stock of the state of the environment, and to renew our commitment to ourselves and to each other to be good stewards of our planet Earth. This year the Earth Day Network is issuing a "Call for Action on Climate Change".
The effects of global warming are evident. While it can be daunting to consider the loss of polar bear habitat due to melting ice caps or the death of corral reefs due to rising ocean temperatures, it is possible to reduce the green house effect, individually and together.
The most important thing we can do to care for our earth is to use less energy. We can decrease our energy consumption by buying foods produced locally, thereby reducing energy used for shipping. Buying in bulk will save energy, because there is less energy used for the production and use of packaging materials, and there is less packaging waste sent to the landfill.
Our homes are another important target for energy conservation. If every American household replaced ONE of their standard incandescent light bulbs with a compact florescent light bulb, it would reduce enough power plant pollution to equal the removal of ONE MILLION cars from the road. Each household would also save $30 in energy costs. Turning unnecessary lights off, taking shorter showers, regulating your thermostat more conservatively, are all tried and true ways of saving energy. In the age of chargers for cell phones, toothbrushes, and batteries, we should also remember to unplug these “vampires,” lest they continually drain energy when not in use.
Second to power plants, the largest producers of carbon dioxide in this country are cars. They are responsible for one third of our country’s total carbon dioxide emissions. By driving less, driving more fuel efficient cars, and driving more slowly, we can save on energy consumption and carbon dioxide production. Consider bundling errands into fewer trips and sharing a ride when possible.
On the other side of the carbon equation, we have deforestation. Trees are great consumers of carbon dioxide, and among other things, are an important partner in the control of global warming. Forests worldwide are being cut down to harvest tropical hardwood, to clear land for large agricultural businesses and for large cattle operations. Tropical rain forests are being destroyed at a rate of one and a half acres per second. We can slow this rapid destruction by decreasing consumer demand for tropical hardwoods, soybeans, sugar, and cheap meat. We can replace these oxygen-producing allies by planting trees locally, and supporting reforestation internationally.
In the face of such dire environmental conditions, it is tempting to look the other way, doubting that simple ideas such as conserving energy will really make a difference. On the other hand, if we do not make different choices, this earth will never be able to sustain us through the future generations. So make one small step a day to reduce your global footprint, and invite your neighbor to do the same. Together we can make a big difference.
To examine the size of your current Ecological Footprint, there is an amazing quiz that you can take on the Earth Day Network website. By examining a series of questions, you will discover how many earths it would take to sustain our planet, if everyone lived as you do. For this and more information, see www.earthday.net.
