Environmentalism Apathy

There is not much, if anything that pisses me off more than environmental apathy. Maybe I'm insane, but I don't even know how to understand not caring about the environment. There is so much wrong with our current state of affairs, and when people don't realize that we must make changes, I go nuts. Here are my biggest beefs with the apathetics.

1. Recylcing - How can something so simple be so difficult to people? When I ask why someone doesn't recycle, there is never a good reason. "Oh, we burn our trash" or "We just don't recycle." My response to that? I just "don't want to associate with you anymore." For example, the nearest recylcing center to me is in Findlay, about a fifteen minute drive. Most Arlington residents go to Findlay a few times a week to shop, etc... or work in Findlay and are their every weekday, plus some weekends. So, my response to people who don't recycle, yet travel to Findlay regularly is, what's holding you back? Laziness? Complete apathy? Ignorance? Come on, what gives? It takes fifteen minutes out of your precious time, but if everyone did it, maybe our landfills wouldn't be so, well, full. Plastic bottles take 450 years to decompose in ideal conditions, let alone a landfill which is far from ideal. Do you want your kids, and their kids and so on to deal with your 20 ounce bottled messes?

2. Ignorance - Our environmental problems are very real, and very present. There is Something New Under the Sun as the book by J.R. McNeill says. That thing is pollution, in our lakes, rivers, streams, oceans, soil and air. That pollution hasn't been there since the world has existed, we did it. We have exploited our natural resources and carelessly littered our planet with toxins and wastes. Man, the great creator, and destructor. It is so obvious that pollution is our fault, that not doing anything about it is more than just foolish, it is morally wrong. How much utility does being careless have? It creates much happiness for a few (CEO's of polluting companies) and much pain for everyone else who is affected by their environmental carelessness. How much overall gain is there? We are charged with being good stewards of the Earth, when are we going to start? All of us. Environmentalism is a team effort, that is started and grows with individuals.

3. Excuses - "Well, if China doesn't clean up their act, it doesn't matter what we do." Bullshit. Pure, and simple. WE are the ones so unwilling to change, WE are the number one polluters, WE are not setting an example to other "inferior" countries by continuing to be extremely wasteful.

Don't believe me? Read this article from "The Washington Post." We, the United States, are the number one offenders. It's time to face the music and make changes. There are many things you can do, and I shall list some below.

What YOU can do.

This is by NO means a comprehensive list. These are just recommendations, some obvious, others not so, that can be done to reduce our impact on the Earth.

Recycle - Do I need to explain this?

Buy Local - If you buy products produced and sold locally, what are the gains? The gains are simple to see; since the production is closer to the market, less fuel is used in transit. Also, if you buy local, you support your local economy, encouraging more goods to be produced in your area, snowballing the positive effect.

Buy Used - If you buy a used product, its environmental cost has already been actualized. If you were to buy that same product new, that would cause more production. Used however, is a form of recycling, and you can find some pretty neat things by looking in used stores. Overall, limiting our consumerism is a good idea. It saves money, and the environmental costs of production.

Take a Shorter Shower - The average shower flows at about 1 gallon of water per minute. Take 1 minute off of your daily shower, and that's 365 gallons saved per year. Take two minutes off, that's 730 gallons. You get the point. This is a very simple and easy saver of resources, time and money. Also on these same lines, turn the water off when you shave and brush your teeth. You really only need it on when the device needs to be cleaned off.

Ride Your Bike - If you aren't going far, and have a light load, why take a car? It may be convenient, but let me slap something incovenient on you, we are slowly destroying the environment with our fossil fuel burning car emissions. Take a bike. It is good exercise, and the only environmental costs are the initial production of the bike and the food you must eat to nourish your body for bike riding. By riding your bike 20 miles per week for errands in a city, you can save 1 gallon of gas. If everyone did this, imagine the ruduction of emissions and petroleum consumption?

Now, these changes we can all make are minute, at best. The thing about environmentalism is, we must cooperate. United we stand, Divided we fall. This rings so true with environmentalism. If one person does all they can to reduced their impact and no one else helps, the overall impact is nonexistant. If millions become more aware, the impact can be large. We must work together to help save the planet. Every little bit counts.