Today I'm starting something I've been thinking about doing for some time now. Every Friday I am going to try to post on an environmental topic. My intention is to share things that I've learned or read, pass along ideas for a greener lifestyle or simply offer food for thought. If this is not your thing, that's OK. I'll still be posting creative stuff on the other days!
In their (alternative, progressive) school, my kids are taught the "4 R's" from the earliest age:
- Reduce
- Reuse
- Recycle
- Rot
In that order. Man I am grateful for that school -- my kids are self motivated reusers, recyclers and rotters (compost). More about that community in another post because it is such a great example of the way that greener habits can be implemented in our everyday lives without really inconveniencing anyone.
Personally, I think the first of the 4 R's is the hardest, but without a doubt the most critical if we are going to stop plundering our environment. Our society's appetite for stuff is insatiable and, as my favorite bumper sticker says:
"Insatiable is NOT Sustainable"
What is the real price of our addiction to stuff? What are the hidden costs of our free market economy? The Story of Stuff is a very powerful video that tackles these questions. The entire video is 20 minutes long but 20 minutes that is well worth your time. This is a teaser:
To see the entire video, go here: