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If you’ve been in a cranky mood recently, I have a ponderation to share…

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been in a really funky mood recently. One of those “pull the covers over my head/I hate people/wish I was living off the grid” moods.

Considering that’s not my general take on life, I started thinking about why that’s been the pervading sense the last week.

Truth is, there’s a lot going on in the world these days that feels overwhelming. The oil spill being the most immediate and pervasive when it comes to the news. I’ve found myself wanting to shut out the images and just not think about it, because it makes me sad on a very deep level.

However, I can’t do that. Shutting down and giving in to anger, sadness or despair isn’t going to help anything or anyone. So, I figured I’d see what I might be able to do that might, in some small way, allow me to feel like I’m helping.

On 07.07.07, I made commitment during the Live Earth Concert Event. Since that day, I’ve used a reusable bag 99% of the time and I’ve only taken a plastic bag when I had no other option whatsoever. According to info here, Americans use (on average) 130 plastic bags a year. Which means, I’ve avoided using approximately 360 bags. It doesn’t seem like much, but I’m one person. If you think exponentially, that becomes significant.

Still, my passing on plastic bags does more to help reduce waste than to help the Gulf of Mexico. ;-)

Which leads to my question.

What 1 thing, no matter how small, can I change that might help reduce my need for oil? What one thing can you change?

Maybe it’ll help us all feel a little less…funky.

4 Comments

  1. Start carrying around water in a metal bottle (and refill from tap) instead of using bottled water. Same concept as the bags…less plastic less oil needed to make them.

  2. As an ecologist, I have already taken many steps like this. I use reusable bags for shopping, I avoid bottled water, and I take the bus to work, all of which are related to petroleum products. I also buy local foods whenever possible, again, this limits transportation and gas usage.

    Keep at it all!

  3. While they may not seem to be significant at first, all those ‘little things’ we do certainly add up to make a difference. Things that I do in my household include recycling, as well as turning lights off when I’m not in the room, unplugging appliances that are not in use, and using the new energy saving light bulbs.

    The reality is that in the United States we have a culture of excess where we want to have as much as we want – not as much as we NEED – and if we just cut back a bit on our consumption it would make a tremendous impact on our environment and our reliance on fossil fuels.

    If everyone did just a little, it would add up to a LOT.

    :D

  4. Are you close enough to your job that you can walk or bike when the weather is nice enough? Or, when you go shopping, how about hooking up a small bike trailer to a bike and using that when you shop?

    Or if you aren’t close enough to your job, what about public transportation? You may even be able to convince your bosses to allow you to work from home once in a while to cut down on gas consumption.

    :)

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