Environmentally Conscious: Making an Effort

I happen to live in a place where a good percentage of the population is aware of, and concerned about, the plight of the environment. But even as I do everything I can, I often feel it's not enough. I still encounter people who reject the idea of global warming, who toss perfectly recyclable materials, who use single-use utensils and plates at home, run the dishwasher every day half-full, and seem not to care that they're basically fouling their own nest.


If the dishwasher has a 'heated dry' setting, I turn it off. If I can wash the dishes by hand, I do

I donate to environmental foundations, support activists, and have taken part in activist protests

I decline products that have packaging that's hard on the environment

I donate clothing and other used items so they don't end up in the landfill

I unplug anything I'm not using

I use energy efficient bulbs

I eat a vegetarian diet

I use water from the dehumidifier in the basement to water my houseplants, hand-wash my clothes and even bathe

I take home other people's recyclables (if they live in an area that doesn't recycle certain items) and recycle them

I encourage people to use less water, to turn off lights, to compost and just use less in general

I buy as much of my produce as possible from the local farmer's market, and buy organic almost across the board.

I look at packaging for GMOs, and for the recycling (and chemical) content of the box or the can itself

I use cold water when I wash clothes, and line dry whenever possible

I drive a car that gets 35 miles to the gallon, and walk to work twice a week

I look for everything I absolutely need in thrift and resale shops

While there's a lot more I could be doing, and while I often feel like part of the problem rather than the solution, I do my best to keep a positive outlook, and I remember a quote from Oren Lyons, an Iroquois tribal leader:

"In our way of life, in our government, with every decision we make, we always keep in mind the Seventh Generation to come. It's our job to see that the people coming ahead, the generations still unborn, have a world no worse than ours and hopefully better. When we walk upon Mother Earth we always plant our feet carefully because we know the faces of our future generations are looking up at us from beneath the ground. We never forget them."