It's been three weeks since my last post. I assure you they were productively spent on various waste free activities. A few of those activities brought me in contact with some very inspiring women. First, I met Adria Vasil, author of Ecoholic, the Canadian book that inspired me to immerse myself in becoming a vegetarian nearly two years ago. This one simple act, Vasil wrote, is the greatest impact an individual can have on global warming. In addition to that piece of advice Adria's book has many other useful practical ideas on being green. It is also filled with information on how you can protect not only the health of the planet but also the health of yourself and your family. Her newest book is being prepared for release in September 2009. I can hardly wait to see what new innovative, impactful, green choices she will suggest for us as individuals.
The second person I met this past month is Dr. Laila Ishkandar, from Cairo, Egypt. Dr. Ishkandar has successfully assisted ten's of thousands of people in their quest to make a living. She teaches them how to capture the waste that others toss away and use that same waste as a raw material for another product to then sell to make a living. Western society says Dr. Ishkandar makes a business of garbage to landfill with no respect for the environment, tossing useful materials away with no concept of their value in terms of wasted resources and energy. They need to view that same garbage as a useful resource to be used as raw material for another product. In her words, those who respect the materials save the environment. Her business model of salvaging materials to be used again has brought hope and life skills to the downtrodden in her city.
The time has come for each of us to rethink what we purchase and casually throw away. Resources, both physical and human went into the production and distribution of whatever product and packaging we purchase. We paid for them just to toss them away. You might ask, "What person in their right mind pays for something just to toss it away?" Well, we all do it everyday, if we haven't yet changed our habits. We do it when we use a disposable coffee cup, a one time use plastic bag, a single use plastic water bottle. The container is being paid for only to be tossed the minute it is empty. This is what producers have convinced us to expect from the products we purchase....convenience and throw away. In addition, other products are made to go obsolete – your car, your shoes, your cell phone, your computer, the colour of your clothes and linens. That's how the economic system continues to survive ....you continue to buy.....shop, shop, shop and discard yesterdays model. But this is how the economic system also fails.....you decide to stop updating what you already own....you decide to reuse or repurpose an item...you decide not to waste.....and the house of cards comes tumbling down. But the earth needs you to do exactly that - to stop - to rethink your throw away practices - otherwise you, along with the rest of the world will end up killing the golden goose (our planet) that provides us with fresh air, fresh water and clean soil for our survival. And it provides all of this for FREE if the cycle is not interrupted. In light of this, one can only ask, which is worse a failed economic system or an unlivable planet?
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
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