the importance of being green

As I sit each week writing these posts about environmentalism and getting into super-small actions to take, I imagine there are more than a few people wondering if being green really is so important, or wondering why some of us make such a big deal about it. It's something I like to think about, as a way to reinforce my commitment to creating a greener place to live. Sometimes you need to step back and notice the bigger picture, before diving back into the small things, like making crafts out of mason jars or picking up litter or not idling your car.

The biggest reason to be green, I find, is because this planet doesn't end when we do. It's been around since before we came into being, and will be around long after we move on. And therefore, we need to stop acting like it is only here for us right now, and stop using it with that mentality. Our descendants way down the road will live on this planet too, and they will need resources too. What are we leaving for them? A planet full of landfills, depleted energy sources and violent weather? Every little action we take now does matter, for us and for the future. Every little action contributes to the bigger action of keeping the planet habitable and resourceful.

I still remember one afternoon five years ago - I was walking outside with an older coworker, and noticed an SUV on the street that was idling, with no one in it. This was around the time gas was pushing $4 a gallon, and this SUV was wasting that gas for absolutely no reason. I made a comment about it being wasteful to my coworker, and she said something to the effect of "oh well, that's not my problem." But yet, it was. Instead of thinking about the present moment and how something affects you in that moment, think about the future. This coworker has grandchildren. What kind of world are they going to live in when they are adults, because of these kinds of actions? If everyone just left their cars idling, then our fuel and oil resources are depleted faster, and everyone 100 years from now will be forced to find some other resource for power.

Why is it important to not use plastic water bottles? If they are thrown out as litter, they can sit for years upon years, and they won't biodegrade. Someone 30 years from now could essentially find this piece of plastic that one person used for 20 minutes one day, 30 years in the past.

It IS our problem. We should leave this planet as nice as we found it, and take actions to make it even nicer - because the future depends on the actions we take today. If we take no action, the future will reflect that. And is that how we want our future generations to remember all of us? As the ones who trashed the planet? 

I want to do good for the planet today, and for the planet 100 (even 1,000) years from now. And I'll do good by picking up litter, reusing everything I can, being efficient with the resources we have, not being wasteful out of convenience, and sharing each step of the way with y'all.