2007/10/15

Blog Action Day

Today is an arbitrary day set to blog about the environment.

Here are some steps I try to demonstrate are entirely possible for anyone to take if they care about lessening their impact on the environment:
  1. Go car free. I have harboured an active resentment of all motorized vehicles, but this is optional. I would say walk when you can, failing that ride a bike, and ride transit or take a bus / train between cities only if necessary.
  2. Be a vegetarian. This has a similar impact as point one. There is maybe a bit less of a health benefit, but I think on average vegetarians are healthier than meat eaters.
  3. Live in an apartment instead of a house.
  4. Don't use plastic bags. I generally carry a canvas bag or a knapsack.
  5. Proselytize. This is a big one. No matter how much you do, you can only ever reduce your own impact by 100% (which is not even possible, it is just your upper bound. I think that the only way to accomplish this would be to kill yourself in such a way that your corpse falls into a composter). However reaching out to others can have a much more profound impact.
  6. Grow a garden. I converted my parking space into a garden. It pushes cars out and makes some green space an veggies in an otherwise grey and dingy alleyway.
I have some areas for improvement:
  1. I live in a drafty apartment that was built in the 60s. I could easily live in a greener home.
  2. Cheese has the same amount of CO2 emissions in it's production as beef. I have a hard time eating less cheese.
  3. I really should eat more local and organic food. I try to do this, but I have issues with veggies going bad, and money related issues (it costs more).
  4. I could probably become a vegan.
  5. Be more politically active. I volunteered for the Olivia Chow campaign a bit, but I have since become less enthusiastic about the NDP's environmental policy. This is mostly due to the Provincial party's logging and auto industry support (which they have to do because they are backed by the unions).
This was a bit of a screed I suppose.

1 comment:

Darren J said...

How did you make this garden? Did you build a box for the soil?