Discussion»Questions»Environment» So you take much from God's Garden, this Earth, but what do you give back to it? Are you a good steward of this planet, or do you abuse it?
I bought some land, built a house on it. That was my part. Then I let most of the land grow into a brushy-woodsy enviroment. That was the earth part. Now Mother Nature has a few more acres that was once a cornfield.
That is awesome. You not only built a home for yourself, but you've provided a habitat for a multitude of wildlife I'm sure. I am a bird lover myself and I can just imagine the beautiful sound of their songs resonating around your place. You, bhwilson, didn't pave paradise, you helped provide it. An acre or two of lush green woodland sure beats the heck out of "a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swingin' hot spot," to partially quote Joni Mitchell.
I pick up trash along roads when I'm out running or walking. Sometimes, especially if it's a big load, the balancing of the trash in my arms is creative. :)
So this is my takeaway, you walk the streets looking to pick up trash. Rings true. I've done that very same thing on a few Friday nights downtown. LOL! Just messin' with there, Welby. I think that's great. Each person doing what he or she can, even in small ways, is enough to make a difference. Just one more reason to think highly of you, Welby.
I try. all the water bottles I have are reusable glass or metal, also I bought a bunch of metal/glass straws. i also recycle. all my bills are digital so I never get paper Bill's. I have a billion reusable cloth bags for grocery shopping and usually keep paper shopping bags too (plastic no bueno). also donate things I no longer use/wear. I dont buy products used/ tested on animals (this you have to be SUPER careful about because some products say not tested on animals BUT are produced by companies that test on animals)
I live a permaculture life on 64 acres of clay hills in the subtropics. Twelve garden beds are devoted to veggies and herbs, an acre to fruit trees. I compost waste and keep a worm farm. The horses provide manure. From the time we came here 17 years ago, the native forest has regenerated to cover half the land - allowing wildlife to move in and thrive. To encourage this, I spend an unpleasant proportion of my time controlling invasive non-native weeds. I've also planted a honey garden to help native bees thrive.
Ari and I use solar power and a heat-exchange hot water system in our home. We minimise packaging by buying bulk as much as possible, support the local farmers' market for things we don't grow or make. We have cloth bags for shopping, wear natural fibres and avoid synthetics and plastic. We use metal bottles for our water - filtered from rain from our roof. At uni, I use my own coffee cup and utensils to avoid using take-away containers.
We walk down to the local village once a week for a coffee and take a horse feed bag with us to pick up rubbish along the way.
We spend one or two Sundays per month with local Landcare groups pulling out weeds and planting native vegetation in the riperian zones of rivers, around the edges of public parks and along roadsides.
We are members of the Greens, the Caldera Environment Centre, and often chip in or donate labour for green movements and activism.
B.H.Wilson 