Wednesday, April 22, 2009

For the Blue Planet!


Today is Earth Day! Actually every day should be Earth Day if we want future generations to enjoy the things we and those before us did. For me, it's kind of a no brainer when it comes to transportation and work at least. I only live about 2 kilometers from home to the office. So, if the car isn't needed, I'm only a 25 minute walk or a 10 minute bike ride away. This morning, I chose the bike. Throw my stuff in a back pack and away I go. The good thing is, the morning trip is mostly down hill which is kind of fun. The afternoon trip, not as much fun but still rewarding. We have a couple of other people in our office who also ride their bike so multiply that by however many people did that today and hopefully we made some kind of a dent.

Like a lot of other things, this can't be just a passing fancy. It has to become a way of life. In a throw away society, are we selfishly going to throw away the kids of tomorrow's future away as well? If I'm walking to work, there are things I see that astound me. Sure, some people recycle while others throw out bag after bag of garbage. Much of which can be sorted and recyled. Home owners could compost a lot of table scrap with little or no effort. Plastc containers, tin cans, old newspapers etc etc. Right now in a lot of cases, a lot of this garbage is being hauled out into the ocean and dumped. How long before that winds up floating up onto the picturesqe beach scenes I've noticed lately. Nothing you will see in a post card at any rate. Not to mention what it is doing to the ocean's inhabitants .

The picture above is of my desk at work. During a brief pause, I took stock of what was sitting there. Nothing much really except my Tim Horton's refillable coffee cup. Saves on throw away cups. Reusable tupperware which I bring some of my lunch in. No garbage. A couple of little plastic thingy's from fruit cups. I keep the plastic and use them at home for when I am cooking. They are great for when I am preparing a meal and I need to measure multiple ingredients. You know, small things like garlic, herbs, spices etc. These two; one is holding paper clips and the other a tea bag. The tins in the back which hold my green tea. When I am done with them here they go to work holding all kinds of items. Nails, screws etc etc. Until I looked at these things with a different set of eyes, I was doing something without really being aware of it. Believe it or not, even what I do at work has an impact on the earth. Currently, I'm with an Electrical Consulting firm and we advise our customers on the type of lighting fixtures to use which consume less energy, saving them money and saving the environment. It's a little more complicated than that but you get the drift. Neat eh?

I guess all we have to do is think about what we are doing. And now, we have to do it with a lot less. I've been living in this area for about 16 years or so, (I kind of lost track). But I am within a 15 minute drive of what is now the outskirts of the farming community. In the time I have been living here though, I have noticed how new sub-divisions have encroached on what used to be prime farm land. Year after year, acres upon acres are being devoured by an ever growing population. The farmers, God love them, have at least been doing their utmost to keep up with changes. They have managed to do more with less.......why can't the rest of us?

4 comments:

Natalie said...

Hear,hear!
You need to promote your blog a bit somehow, it's great. really. :D

Bogey said...

Thanks for the compliment Natalie. People make their own choices as to what sites they visit and what they want to read and comment on. I don't have the power to do that for them. I will be quite content to have people like you come by and stay for a bit if and when they can. Even Jesus started with one follower at a time.

Winifred said...

Totally agree with you. The me, me, me society is killing us.

Luckily our council helps us recycle with bins for garden stuff, paper, tins, glass etc. However it doesn't take plastic which is a really big problem. Do you save them and then drive to the recycling plant nine miles away? Not very green!

Sometimes it's so hard to be as green as you want to be. We're trying composting, my husband's current obsession! Making good stuff for the garden.

Bogey said...

Welcome Winnifred, I'm happy to see you. I think all levels of Government need to be involved. Right down to the small town councils. Individuals working together become a community and should we not be proud of our community.