Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Do One Thing to Make a Difference


Okay, I started writing this blog before Christmas but it was reading Kat’s blog early this morning that spurred me to finish it off. Seriously, if you do not read Kat's blog then you should as I have so many of hers saved as favourites. 

I had a really good chat with Mel the day after I finished work for 2011. During our talk I realised that we are pretty much on the same page with our feelings about the earth.

Sometimes when I am alone with my thoughts my heart just breaks for our world. It is not just the people, but animals, plants, resources etc. it is that I hate the fact that we (me included) are really mucking it up through all sorts of things like overconsumption, littering, deforestation etc. We need to remember that this is the only world that we have; there is no alternative unless you think that living on another planet is plausible.

Personally, I think that the time for action is NOW. It is no good waiting until things are so drastic that we cannot turn back the clock; imagine not having access to clean, fresh water?

So my challenge to myself (and you) is to consistently do one thing in 2012 to help this world.

Whether is pledging not to use plastic grocery/shopping bags and always taking cloth bags on shopping trips or using a “keep cup” (Café Chick’s blog about this is fantastic) for your daily hot drinks? I don’t care what you do, but do something and recognise that unless we all start doing things to stop the decimation of earth we are not going to have a planet to live on.

Other ideas:
Buy New Zealand made where possible.
Support smaller stores like Trade Aid
Gift plants/seeds etc. to your children to teach them to grow their own fruit, vegetables etc.
Stop wastage; buy only what you can use
Get involved in cleaning up your local park, waterway and/or planting trees
Start using public transport or car-pooling
Pick up rubbish if you see it (keep gloves and a bag with you at all times)
Think before you print

I have had a book for a few years and only read a tiny part of it; but I am going to finish it as it makes perfect sense to me and probably has some more fantastic ideas. It is ‘FightingGlobesity: A Practical Guide to Personal Health and Global Sustainability’ by Phillip and Jackie Mills; yes Mills as in Les Mills.

I am sure there are so many other ideas…what are yours?

1 comment:

  1. Fantastic post! It might not seem like much but the collective result of many smaller acts is more effective than trying to tackle everything at once. I know my actions are only small and there is plenty more that I could do, but since making the change to reusable shopping bags and coffee cups, I wonder why I didn't do it years ago!

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