It’s Earth Day, Now what

are you Going to do About It?

Okay, I don’t want to sound like a broken record here, but I’m really starting to get annoyed. If I see one more gigantic SUV that barely fits in it’s allotted side of the road and behind the wheel is some 4 foot 11 inch woman, by herself rolling around town no doubt busily blowing her wad at TJ Maxx, I think I’m probably going to have a fit of environmental rage the likes no one has ever witnessed. And I’m a pretty passive person, really! I’m embarrassed though about the way many Americans seem to have this sense of entitlement and it tends to be at the expense of our dear, amazing, giving planet. The attitude seems to be that if we can afford it, therefore, it shall be ours. Bullocks, maybe instead of using all that extra cash flow for a palatial home to house two inhabitants, or a massive automobile to carry us less than 5 miles to work or downtown, maybe just maybe we should be shelling out a little extra greenbacks to protect and maintain this gorgeous Earth of ours, after all Earth Day is this weekend and I don’t think commemorating it by perusing the aisles of Wal-Mart is what Senator Gaylord Nelson had in mind when he created the day over 35 years ago.

What are we doing? Why are more of us not walking or riding our bikes to close destinations? Why are we leaving lights, computers, cell phone chargers, fans and other electronic equipment on 24/7? Why are we not insisting that our legislators give us options on what kinds of energy we consume? Why is not every person planting a tree on Arbor Day? For the first time in history, human activity is depleting and degrading Earth’s resources faster than nature can renew them. This is not new-aged hooey, this is simple science. And while Americans are appearing to be the most gluttonous beings traipsing around on this Earth, we can change for we are also the most inventive and entrepreneurial beings standing erect.

Do we really want to be that old dog that cannot seem to learn any new tricks? Karl Brooks, Associate Professor of History & Environmental Studies at KU, says this, “American culture, as we experience it today, depends on assuming the earth will always do our work when and as we direct it. Many blinders keep us from seeing that natural systems are indifferent to humans’ survival, and will respond to our interventions in ways that will ultimately make our survival more difficult. Climate change is the most noticeable and recent example. But changing the culture is hard, harder I think than manipulating nature, so we prefer to keep tinkering with the Earth instead of re-considering our own ideas, values and practices.”

The Earth has always fluctuated with climate change, which we study through sediments, fossils, the layers of mud and sand on river and lake bottoms, bubbles of ancient air trapped inside of glaciers record past atmospheres, and rings in ancient trees show us what the climates have been like. So, you might ask…”if the climate has always been changing why should we be worried now?” Because the Earth is warming faster and life on Earth, including humans, may not have time to adapt to this rapid warming sensation.

Energy

This seems like a no-brainer, water flows creating energy naturally, wind blows again creating energy naturally, the sun shines…are you seeing where I’m going with this? Conservation is the key and many experts say that we could save 70-90% of the energy we use today. Okay, sign me up. Sarah Hill-Nelson, Owner/Operator of Bowersock Mills & Power Co. as well as a Representative for Zephyr Energy, explains the need, “Renewable energy is basically insuring that the air we breathe is a little bit cleaner. For every kilowatt of clean energy we ensure goes on the grid that is a kilowatt of polluting energy we take off.”

Yes, renewable energy is about 15% more expensive. But, hey if you are paying $70 to fill the tank of your enormous car, what is a little extra to save our air? Because of legislation people actually don’t have a choice in the type of energy they consume and there are no incentives for the utility companies to provide renewable energy and promote conservation, which directly affects their bottom line. Hill-Nelson says, “Anyone can support regional renewable energy by buying Zephyr Energy. The average US household produces 35,000 pounds of greenhouse gasses per year. People can purchase as few as 2 Green Tags online ($40.00) which is the equivalent of removing 2,800 pounds of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.”

Living in Lawrence Kansas is often a study of frustrating differences, for example, the state of Kansas is about to grant a permit to build what will be the largest new coal-fired power plant in the nation in Holcomb Kansas. The winds will bring those carcinogenetic pollutants straight to Lawrence. Meanwhile, the Lawrence City Commission is discussing putting us on the map environmentally, Hill-Nelson explains, “Lawrence could become the 7^th city in the nation to be an EPA Green Power Community. This is a relatively new EPA program in which communities whose governments become EPA Green Power Partners (by buying a certain percentage of renewable energy), that launch a campaign encouraging the public to use renewable energy, and finally meet 2% of its energy usage through renewable sources. Also, keep in mind that Kansas is third in the nation in terms of our wind energy, but we have done very little to develop it. It requires money and political will.”

Cha-Cha-Changes

In 1970 on April 22^nd the first Earth Day was conceived and 20 million people gathered to celebrate. The American people finally felt like they had a forum in which to discuss the state of our planet and make it a political issue. But, it saddens me that I only found one event in the Lawrence community calendar to commemorate this day and that was a fashion show that advocates clean water in Kansas. I think we can do better. Brooks does to, and he states, “Earth Day changes come in two categories: easy and harder. The easy ones are easy to list: drive less, walk and cycle more, seek smaller accommodations that use fewer resources to maintain, accept more natural weather variations by adapting with low-cost technology (like a sweater when it’s cold; resting in the shade when it’s hot) learn more about the Earth by observing and listening, feed ourselves with simple foods that require less packaging and manufacturing energy. Harder ones: prefer political candidates who are willing to make hard environmental choices, invest in businesses that strive to diminish their demand on natural systems, and choose to live in ways that acknowledge other species’ needs, derive pleasure from human-powered activities, and teach our children to have respect for non-human species and the livelihood of plants.”

I want to garden forever, I want to pass on heirloom plants to my son just as my grandmother did for me, I want the polar bears to have a little bit of ice to rest upon, I want my carbon footprint to be practically non-existent, I want to be a contributor for better not a consumer of “stuff”. I think a lot of Lawrencians want these things and I know that Mother Nature could occasionally use a helping hand.

http://www.zephyrenergy.org – find out your carbon footprint with the carbon calculator. Also purchase Green Tag items.
http://www.kansas.sierraclub.org/wind/nosweatbrochure.pdf - great suggestions for conserving energy.

Recommended Reading:

“It’s Easy Being Green”, by Crissy Trask

“Big Coal”, by Jeff Goodell