Tuesday, September 3, 2013

I'm Getting Kind of Worried About the Environment

Not a new subject. Everywhere you turn, there's another study/article/blog post/news item/massive fundraiser. Basically, we're destroying the only planet that we're able to live on because we've created a lifestyle that demands machines with extraordinarily high levels of carbon dioxide emissions.

This is changing the chemical makeup of our atmosphere to such a degree that the average air temperature is heating up.

This in turn makes ice melt in large quantities and seawater expand as it warms.

Which directly contributes to more (and more violent) storms, rising sea levels, and unpredictable weather conditions.

We know this.

The question is, what do we do?

Now, on a large scale, I have no idea. I'm not a scientist or politician or mover and shaker of millions  of people.

But I read a quote from someone somewhere (that's how all inspiring quotes are attributed these days) that said something like: "Just because you only make a small difference does not give you an excuse to do nothing." 

We can't expect to just wait around doing the same shit every day, wasting electricity/water/gas, and then have some celebrity coalition or summit of multibillionaires decide to swoop in and save the world. It's not going to happen like that.

It's the most cliched thing in the world, but it's true. We need to change the way we act in a bunch of small ways every day. If you do a little bit, and you tell your friends to do a little bit, and they pass it along, eventually most people will be imperceptibly contributing to the planet's health, instead of its destruction.

What do we do? Simple shit. Don't drink out of plastic water bottles. Turn lights off when you leave the room. Unplug your phone/computer charger when you're not using it. Don't drive like a fucking maniac with your foot stapled to the floor. Don't sing the entirety of "Bohemian Rhapsody" in the shower.

To be a bit over-the-top for a second, the Earth is dying. No, wait, let me rephrase that, because it's not a passive thing. We are killing the Earth. It's not going to stop any time soon, but we can slow it down in a million ways every day. Just keep it in the back of your mind as you're going through your day.

It's important.

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