Monday, April 20, 2020

Sustaining Our Planet

As hard as this whole quarantine ordeal has been, it has opened our eyes, collectively, to the negative impact that humans have on this planet. Just form the short time that people have been outside less, pollution has started clearing, quite noticeable. This includes air pollution and water pollution.

Obviously, I am not suggesting that people remain locked away in their homes even when the pandemic is behind us, but we do need to start looking at ways to help the earth. Now, no one can confidently say that "there's nothing we can do" "our changes don't matter", etc.

We all need to start finding ways to lessen our footprint. Recycling, walking or biking to nearby places instead of driving every time. Carpooling. Reusable shopping bags. Reusable tumblers for coffee instead of disposable cups. Not using plastic straws, etc. There are many ways we can make a difference.


We, of course, need our leaders to make the big changes as well. One huge area we need to focus on is renewable energy. There is no reason that we have to pollute the planet just for power. Not when there are so many other options. I am not saying this like I am some sort of expert. In fact, I don't know as much as I probably should, but I do know it is necessary and completely feasible if a proper effort is made.

I've been looking a lot to Douglas Healy to learn more, as well. He shares a lot of great information that I would generally not come across anywhere else. There are always more resources to find, but he is a good starting point.

Global or at least national renewable energy is obviously the goal, but that doesn't mean that we can't, as individuals, move towards renewable energy on our own. If you have the means, if you own your own home and can afford to do so, installing solar panels to power your home is a really good step. If you can't go quite that large, you could do solar panels to heat your pool (if you have one).

There are hand crank flashlights and radios that you can use instead of consuming so many batteries. There are even solar powered device chargers, so you can charge your phone, tablet, etc using solar power. They are great for camping, hiking, etc, but are also just good for anywhere outdoors, like at a sporting event or on a picnic, or fishing. Anywhere you want to charge your device away from an outlet. Plus, you are saving electricity.

So, we all start doing our part. We keep making small changes, big changes, getting informed, campaigning for what is right, voting for the people who share our concern for the planet and our vision of a more sustainable future. That part is essential. We have to use our votes. We have to make sure that we elect people that are going to get things done and take us forward, not pull us back into coal mines and fossil fuel dependency. Be the voice. Be the change. And be well until next time.

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