Okay. I had caught the bug…worse than I ever had it before. It wasn’t just about casually recycling and maybe turning off lights if I thought about it. I knew that it was up to me – and only me – to make changes that mattered. It had been about a week since I had watched Too Hot Not to Handle and I was honestly bothered. The documentary mentioned certain aspects of life that could and would change with Global Warming: melted polar ice; rising ocean levels; longer, hotter heat waves; more violent storms causing flooding, storm surges, stronger hurricanes; animals forced into extinction; water shortages; desertification of land. The list was endless and scary!
For the first time in my life I was facing two huge hurdles – the earth and myself. I instantly realized what an incredible amount of work and change it would take for most of the human race to begin living differently in order to reduce carbon emissions. I also realized what an incredible amount of work and change it would take for just me to begin living differently. And I was realizing rather quickly that I wasn’t going to have a cheering section. Last year, most people still didn’t believe that Global Warming was happening and not only would I be fighting myself and my old habits to make changes, I would be fighting to make others believe.
Where to start?
In my small mind (which was already feeling like it would explode from information overload), I started where I could. With the small things.
- Unplug small electronics, appliances and chargers, use a power strip that can be turned off for other electronics.
- Switch lamp, chandelier and recessed can lights to compact flourescent style (you wouldn’t believe how many different styles they make these lights in!) and Turn Off lights that aren’t necessary.
- Really, really pay attention to recycling. I contacted our local waste management company and requested a list of acceptable recyclables. Think about other recyclables – Best Buy, Office Depot all accept office/electronic recyclables that you probably even didn’t know about! Call them for more information.
- Save water – we all think we do, but there’s room for improvement. Watch your sprinklers for runoff, don’t let the faucet run while you: wash dishes, brush teeth, wash your face, let the shower warm up.
- Always remember that the possiblities are endless and up to you. You decide how much change you are willing to make – from buying a hybrid and solar panels to just changing your lightbulbs and unplugging chargers and electronics.
I feel good about my changes and I am going to report to you all how they are going. Sometimes I get really overwhelmed and sad that I can’t do more faster or get others to start doing. I tried my best to get my husband on board – and he’s doing great – even making changes at his office. My kids are learning about recycling, saving water and turning off lights. I am working on others that I’m close to…and they still get annoyed. But at least, this year, we are having conversations about it and about possible changes they can make (my dad just bought re-usable grocery bags!).
[...] Green by cecilyvan I’ve written about my “Ah-Ha” moment last year (PI, PII), small things to start on, saving water, and recycling so one of my next moves was to examine what I send with my child to [...]