Green Tomorrow

Back in the late 1980s, we were told to switch from paper bags to plastic bags because it was “better for the environment.” In retrospect, that was one of the stupidest societal decisions ever, at least in my view.

Tell me, what is plastic made of? Does it come from the plastic fairy? Does it come from some renewable source? If you answered yes, you are wrong. Plastics are made from petroleum. You know, that terrible stuff that comes from the ground that is routinely blamed for all of our environmental problems. Plastic is petroleum.

This is what we were told we should switch to. Even more, this is what we were forced to switch to. “Paper or plastic?” was a question that only lasted at supermarkets for about five to ten years. Now, EVERYTHING is plastic-you don’t get a choice.

It’s all about “saving the environment,” right?

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Going “green” is nothing new. Long before the recent trends people have been trying to use healthier alternatives to toxin latent products for decades. In fact I have been using “green” products for most of my life. My question is very simple.

Is going Green just a fad or is it really the right thing to do?

Whether or not you have concerns of Global Warming or Green House Gases I believe that using environmentally friendly products (not just house hold cleaners) is the right thing to do, always.

Below are just of the few statistics I have rounded up. Some are very shocking.

• The amount of wood and paper we throw away each year is enough to heat 50 million homes for 20 years.

• About 110 million Americans live in areas with levels of air pollutants the federal government considers to be harmful.

• Americans dump 16 tons of sewage into their waters–every minute of every day.

• Although water covers two-thirds of the surface of the Earth, all the fresh water in lakes, streams, and rivers represents only one-hundredth of the Earth’s total water.

• Each year, 1 million sea birds, 100,000 marine mammals, and 50,000 fur seals are killed as the result of eating or being strangled in plastic.

• Americans throw away 25 billion Styrofoam coffee cups every year, and 2.5 million plastic beverage bottles every hour.

• Americans throw away about 40 billion soft drink cans and bottles every year. Placed end to end, they would reach to the moon and back nearly 20 times.

• Eighty-four percent of a typical household’s waste–including food scraps, yard waste, paper, cardboard, cans, and bottles–can be recycled.

• Using recycled paper for one print run of the Sunday edition of the New York Times would save 75,000 trees.

• If every American recycled just one-tenth of their newspapers, we would save about 25 million trees a year.

• Each year, 40 million acres of tropical rain forests–an area larger than the state of California–are destroyed through logging or burning.

• Only 10 percent of the 35,000 pesticides introduced since 1945 have been tested for their effects on people.

With so many options for “Going Green” today and many of those products are so economical there really is no reason not to try. Go and find anything and make a difference. I be live that the small act of scouring the sink can be apart of the giant act of saving the world.

Does the thought of saving the planet overwhelm you?

If so, you are not alone. When faced with all of the many areas of the world that need attention, it certainly can feel as though it is a task that is simply too daunting. Between thinking about carbon credits, climate change, solar energy, hydrogen power and biofuels, it can be enough to make your head swim.

News reports are full of depressing stories about species around the world that are threatened, global warming and the not so subtle warnings that our children will suffer if we do not immediately begin to change the way we live. The task can be so overwhelming that sometimes it seems as though it is easier to do nothing at all. Rather than ignoring the dire situation or giving into guilt or depression, there are low impact ways in which we can have a high impact effect on the process of saving our planet.

Even choosing one small way to help is better than doing nothing at all. You might be surprised to learn that there are numerous ways in which you can help. Many ways in which you can move toward a cleaner way of living are very simple and some will not even cost you any money at all. There are even ways you can help that can actually save you money.

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