an inconvenient truth
Posted by ungreen on Jan 30, 2007 · Member since Jan 2004 · 152 posts
I just got done watching An Inconvenient Truth, and then saw this really amazing/depressing UN Report:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=20772&Cr=global&Cr1=environment#
Thank goodness for everyone here, doing their part and trying to educate others. Gives me some hope when I feel like this :(
Nothing new, actually. There is a difference being made. . . . .Power to the Veggies! ;)
I actually like this article about the "dubya" admin and their "spin" on the environment:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070131/ap_on_go_co/congress_climate_22
>:(
make a petition up and see if ur neighbors are interested in a recycling center and give it to the waste management pple (or to the city manager or whoever u can give it to), if they dont want to hear it then take ur recycbles (sp? sry) to another city that has a recycling center. i cant think of anything else, sry.
mdvegan, I can really relate. I, too, used to live in SF/Berkeley but now I'm in Southern California, where the ethic isn't exactly the same... I live in my university's graduate housing and we can hardly recycle anything, which seems insane given that you have a motivated population of 1,000+ grad students who WANT to recycle. We are "supposed" to just throw away tin cans, cardboard, most plastic, colored glass, etc. I have called everyone I can think of about this, and gotten lame, b.s. bureaucratic answers. I like the petition idea, and may start one... P.S. Don't even get me started on the restrictions on composting in our community garden... :)
I can pretty much say that I am the "ONLY" person that recycles in my county. I look at every overflowing garbage can as I go running in the mornings around here...all filled with cardboard, cans, bottles, and plastic. It is beyond me that recycling is not manditory nationwide. I've lived in areas where it is manditory, and you can actually get fined for throwing those items in the garbage. When I go to people's homes around here for parties I actually ASK then if I can take all their cans and bottles with me....is that sad or what?! :P
It doesn't just make me sad, it makes me mad. And I wonder under what rock folks like that have been living. >:(
I work in the food industry--and not only does my work place NOT recycle or save leftover food--it seems they go to the greatest lengths possible to waste as much as they can! We buy individually wrapped and packaged everything. Juice, appetizers, bread slices, fruits, yogurt, etc. All in their own individual cartons, placed in a box, and then shipped to us. So instead of serving up juice from a pitcher, we serve it from tiny, wasteful little cartons! WTF?! How upsetting is it when I make a sandwhich for someone and I have to unwrap two slices of bread? Can't the entire loaf just be wrapped? (FYI, I did my own experiment, and the individual bread does not stay fresher any longer than a loaf would) It's so foul. What's the point of the individual containers, if we're just going to serve the food on our own china plates, anyways? Grrr...
And on the topic of that video, I found it very interesting how he preached about the environment, than drove around in his CAR for 1/3 of the video. Oh, and he partakes in the cattle industry, which another thread on here revealed it to contribute more to global warming than transporation pollution.
Some small towns (not all, but some) have people that have been around a long time and take some pride in their little community. If you can uncover the better aspects of the neighborhood, and point out the importance of preserving them, a few ears might perk up. When I was moving across the street this past summer, some friends that were helping me move inquired about the bag of cans that was coming with me. . .well, we're not just going to throw them away! I mentioned that a lot of those were picked up off of our very own streets(that really bothers some people more than I expected). . within a few weeks, several people brought cans to me and asked if I'd like to take them with me when I recycle mine, and I've found that others are recycling theirs too (they just found out that there is a bin at the local dump for that--we take our own garbage, no street pick-up). As people are gently enlightened to some sort of effect it has on their own community, some just might start to care. Sometimes you gotta start small (1 person). I'm sorta outta-it right now, so, I hope this is making some sort of sense, if not, just scroll on down. . . :-[
My experience with this issue is that when you yourself take action, it is inspiring to others. I live in west Texas where not many people really give a damn about the environment. Directly across the street from me is a vacant lot. One day I was looking outside my window and felt really depressed at what my view was: a vacant lot full of LITTER. You name it, it was there. Plastic bags, paper, aluminium cans, used diapers, etc. So I just cruised out there and started picking up the trash, putting the recyclable stuff in separate bags. Several people at the church next to the vacant lot joined in with me, and by the time we got everything picked up, there were about 20 people helping me!!! So that just goes to show you that people do care, they just need a little prodding sometimes. So we all need to just get out there and take a stand for earth. If we don't, who will?? :)
lovely story ramabanana. actions speak louder than words. and who knows what the ripple effect may generate.
cheers!
rebecca
Bravo ramabanana,
I think that somestimes people get caught up in what a huge task somthing is and forget that if every one does just a little the job will get done. Most people are looking for leadership to follow also and by stepping up to the plate you show them what can be done. Good job!