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It seems like everyone has really great blog posts for Earth day with tips on how to live a sustainable lifestyle by recycling, shopping locally and even by using natural beauty products. Those are all wonderful and important, but it kind of feels like ...alright already! Tell me something I don't know!
I mean, that could be because I study Environmental & Conservation Science and living an environmentally sustainable lifestyle is a huge priority for me. But that is also why I think it's important to share with you some information for why you should even give a crap about buying one lotion over another. It's really easy to disconnect our actions from what is happening to the Earth overall especially when we ignore the damaging evidence for more "important" news like which celebrity got arrested (looking at you Reese Witherspoon!) and which team won the game (never the Cubs :( ).
Somehow, at the same time, it feels like everyone just wants you to be a B.O. and patchouli scented hippy that lives in a commune, but that really isn't necessary. I live an environmentally-conscious lifestyle everyday and I think I smell pretty good. I'm no where near perfect, but it's not about that. It's about slowing down, preventing, and reversing the damage to our planet that little by little we each contribute to every day.
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| My favorite climate cartoon! |
When I started writing this I wanted to share specifics of the damage being done to our planet, but honestly, where could I even begin?
Should I tell you about our endangered US rivers that are disappearing because we are overdrawing the water with outdated management techniques?
What about the lasting effects of the BP oil spill? Nope, that's not over yet. How about daily oil dumps from cruise ships?
You probably know about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. But did you know we have our own growing garbage patch here in the Great Lakes?
I could never begin to tell you about everything that is happening to our planet (I only know a fraction), but I can tell you how to become informed yourself.
1. Subscribe to Above the Fold, a daily newsletter from Environmental Health News. Above the Fold aggregates environmental headlines from across the world so that you don't need to dig to have the facts at your fingertips.
2. Check out Mother Nature Network. It's like CNN for the Earth.
3. There are bajillions of documentaries to watch. My favorite series is called Oceans. It is beautiful and I learned so much from it.
3. Make a sustainable lifestyle a priority! It's nearly impossible to read the news and not learn anything about the environment. It's like when you buy a new car and suddenly you see your car everywhere you look. Once you start looking for information, you won't stop finding it.
We will deal with the consequences of a damaged planet in our lifetime - it's not just about future generations anymore. In 35 years, 1/3 of land mammals may be extinct and the Arctic summer ice will be completely melted. I might not even have grand kids by then!
The Earth needs you to give a crap!
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