Today is Blog Action Day and the focus is on the environment. Now I can’t write about the larger, world-wide implications of humanity’s effect on the environment, but I can talk a little bit about my own.
Like many folks, I separate my trash and recycle aluminum cans. I drive a small, fuel-efficient car. Occasionally, I make the effort to repurpose the materials around me, like using shredded mail to pad care packages to my family or wrapping presents in old maps. But I am becoming increasingly aware of how the way I live has an impact on the world around me, whether through the trash I produce, the amount of water I use, or the pollutants I send out into the environment. Although my efforts to this point have been nice and all, I know I can be doing more.
My movement towards living a greener, more environmentally-friendly life this year has been slow but easy to stick to: making the effort to buy food grown more locally, combining errands so that I make fewer trips in my car, and carpooling with coworkers when attending off-site meetings rather than taking 3-4 cars between us. I’ve started moving away from using paper towels to cloth dishtowels and replacing the multiple boxes of zip-top bags with reusable food containers. I continue to press coworkers to separate paper from trash waste at the office and to use coffee mugs instead of tossing out dozens of paper cups each morning. I also limit the amount of water I use in my morning shower, have begun replacing prepared household cleaners to less chemically-laden alternatives, and replaced most of my light bulbs with more energy-efficient models.
Could these actions be considered negligible, given how small their global impact? I don’t disagree that they are the very small actions of one person when viewed on a world-wide scale. But these actions — small as they may be — are meaningful steps towards living a less wasteful, less consumer-driven and more environmentally-conscious life.I know that there are so many more ways I can be a better neighbor on this planet. I’m stepping up and challenging myself to do more over the next six months. More info to follow as I formulate Project Greener Living.
