Green 101
(Otherwise known as the FAQ. Eventually I’ll have posts about all these things.):
- What do you mean by “green”? That’s a bit of shorthand for environmentally friendly. Green like grass. I have no idea what the “Green” political party is about. This isn’t about that.
- What does “sustainable” mean? Sustainable means something that can keep going on its own. If you garden, for example, and use your weed clippings and other garden leftovers (like kitchen scraps) to make compost to go back into the garden, you don’t need anything else to keep it going. (other than your labor)
- Why would I want to save gasoline? Other than it’s increasingly expensive? It was all made a while ago, and we don’t know how to make more. It’s not going to last forever.
- Is global climate change real? I don’t know. I know pollution is real, and I’m all for stopping my part of it.
- What does “Peak Oil” mean? See #3. Some people think we’re on the downslope to running out of petroleum right now.
- Why conserve water? Many communities are facing drought. Others are overloading their sewage treatment capacities with all that extra water used for flushing toilets and running the sink faucet unnecessarily. Underground water tables are being used up faster than natural processes can replace them. There’s not an infinite amount of usable fresh water.
- Why should I care about garbage? Sure, some guy comes and takes it away, but it doesn’t vanish. It’s got to go somewhere. Plastic garbage doesn’t go away for thousands of years. We’re running out of places to put all that trash.
- Why should I care about saving electricity? Other than cutting your utility bill? Electricity doesn’t grow on trees. Most electricity is made by burning something (like coal or gas, which makes pollution) . Less electricity use can mean less pollution. An alternative is to use solar, wind, or water-generated electricity, which makes much less pollution, if any.
- What’s all the fuss about organic food? I dislike poison being put on my food and a lot of other people feel the same way.
- Do I have to be white, eat vegetarian and live in a shack to be “green”? No.
People of all ethnicities, socioeconomic standings and diets can help take care of their environment. You don’t even have to move; just use what you have where you are. - What do I do to start? Here’s a few things you might try that are really easy:
- Turn off lights if you’re not using them
- Turn off water if you’re not using it
- Plant something you can eat
- Walk instead of drive if it’s less than six blocks away
- Call and cancel catalogs and magazines you don’t use
- Have a barbecue outside if it’s hot rather than using the stove and making your a/c work harder
Those are just a few. Read the blog for more!
