Friday 9 May 2008

Is it really the Planet we need to save? Organic Advice

Every time I read some media article or personal campaign geared towards saving the Planet, I cringe at the over generalisation! Sometimes I think people are so mislead or mis-communicated too. The real ‘thing’ that needs saving in my opinion is not really the Planet, it’s us the Human Race and life as we know it! Not only will we wipe ourselves out if we carry on as we are, but our wildlife will go before us, if we don’t reverse what we are doing. Time memorial shows us that the Planet has been through cataclysmic change and come through the other side just fine, Mother Earth may have had to wipe out the Dinosaurs or create an Ice Age to get through, but she’s still fine and dandy. The Planet will adjust itself to all the destruction we are causing, either through global warming, changing weather patterns or more natural disasters.

For every action we take there is a reaction, either negative or positive. This is where the issue of Social Responsibility comes in. It is everyone’s responsibility, not just the educated few to help preserve the environment we live in. What I mean by that is the water for drinking and bathing that we take for granted, the heating that keeps us warm in the winter, the energy that transports us by car, plane, train or bus to where we want to go, the weather that allows us to live safely without natural disasters and enjoy a pleasurable outdoor existence, rivers that don’t flood and destroy our homes, beautiful wild habitats and animals for us to marvel at: This is what people are trying to save! Can those of you who say you don’t care about green issues, really not care about these things? Would it bother you if hurricanes and flooding affected your home constantly? Would it bother you if food and water and fuel were too expensive for you to afford? Without your home comforts would you be happy? Until now, this has been a plight suffered by people far away, but it is threatening western suburbia now, so will you still not sit up and take note?

Now more than ever we need a sense of community that extends beyond just our family and friends, but to our KIND. Instead of fighting wars we should be uniting to work together to preserve our environment, not by overpowering nature, but by working with it.

Now it’s not possible for everyone to become completely Green. Unless you resort to living in a hut in the forest with no heating and running water and killing your own food, you really are not doing our environment any favours. We really cannot begin to wipe out the industrial revolution! So lets start by getting REAL! Everyone even me, is a hypocrite in some form or another. We can none of us be perfect, and it’s about time that the Green Perfectionists got off their high horse and actually admitted to the fact that they are not perfect either! I am not and I don’t expect you to be.

It is however important to do what you can as much as you can. SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY means you too! Here’s the low down on how everyone can start doing their bit on being a little bit more responsible. It may be simplistic when the problem is in fact much larger, but hey…everyone has to start somewhere.

  1. Turn off your computers and lights at work when you leave, if your companies policy is to leave them on, challenge them
  2. Recycle everything you can at home and at work
  3. Plant at least one tree in your lifetime – more if you can
  4. Don’t keep the Tap on when you brush your teeth
  5. Put the lights off when you leave a room
  6. Switch off plugs when electrical items are not being used.
  7. Get a low petrol consumption car, thick curtains, a fuel efficient boiler and home insulation – it’ll be better for your pocket too!
  8. Car pool if you can
  9. Think about the products you buy, don’t buy the cheapest or the best marketed, buy the ones that have caused as little pain and suffering to animals and the people making them, and as little environmental damage as possible
  10. If you are in a business, look at how you can change your product or service to make things better for our future – eg, in your use of resources or materials.
  11. Switch to green electricity.
  12. Switch to environmentally friendly nappies
  13. Don’t get the supermarkets bags for life that are made out of plastic – it’s the same garbage, just with you for longer, get the hemp ones or cloth ones that biodegrade.
  14. Don’t buy degradable it’s a scam only buy BIO –Degradable!
  15. Swap one or two meals a week to non-meat based – plant based diets are much less intensive and use far less energy, as well as the cruelty aspect. Apparently a vegan driving a 4x4 is still using less energy than a meat-eater who uses only a bicycle!
  16. Do continue to have fun and live life to the full
  17. If you have a dream fulfil it! Even if it’s something not socially responsible, make sure you make up for it in some other way.
  18. If you think you’re doing good, it’s likely that you are.

Now even if you can only start with a few things on the list, it’s a start. Your list maybe totally different. Make your own. Not everything is possible for everyone all the time. But sometimes is better than never at all. We all have to accept the fact that some people will never care, but if you do that counts. You have the time to integrate these things into your life, make it before it’s too late!

Remember a good place to start is to think organic and for that why not try buyOrganics. We are an organic conscious website that sells products such as organic clothing, food, wines, skincare and health care products toiletries and much more.

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