The Next Revolution Starts Now
flag, independence day, patriotism
Silhouetted man waving an American flag.
Revolution is sometimes necessary, if never comfortable. Thomas Jefferson knew this when he and his revolutionary colleagues laid out their grievances before dissolving the bands that connected them with the King of England. We celebrate the success of that revolution every year, and for good reason. \r\n\r\n
This Fourth of July, 232 years later, there\'s another revolution afoot, with the potential to shake up the way America does business, interacts with other nations and pursues happiness. \"Green\" is more than a buzzword. It\'s a path forward for a great nation seeking to produce its own energy, shore up its security and provide sustainable prosperity for its people.\r\n\r\n
Jefferson didn\'t spend a lot of ink on energy policy in the Declaration of Independence, but a selective reading of the document almost sounds like a treatise on sustainability. (At least, the whole argument for untangling ourselves from that rotten King of England is framed as aligning human behavior with natural law and the \"powers of the earth.\")\r\n\r\n
So, this Fourth of July, start participating in the next revolution, one that embraces good-old American ingenuity and hard work on the path toward a brighter future for our great nation.\r\n
Indictment Against Oil
oil, independence day, indictment
World map in a drop of oil
A Prince, whose character is marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
\r\n\r\n
And yet, oil rules us.
\r\n\r\n
With gas at $4 a gallon, the indictment against oil slips out of the lips of nearly every driver at the pump. Whether it\'s skyrocketing demand in China, greedy speculators, the heartless OPEC cartel or peak oil, we feel powerless to affect the price of oil.
\r\n\r\n
The U.S. imports about 570 million gallons of oil per day, enough to fill about 863 Olympic size swimming pools. Transportation produces almost 30% of our nation\'s carbon dioxide pollution.
\r\n\r\n
So we buy oil for too much money from people who hate us, and in burning it we fuel an angry climate.
\r\n\r\n
That\'s the definition of a tyrant.
Declare Independence from Oil
bicycle lane, independence day, oil
A bicycle lane
The quickest way to happiness at the gasoline pump? How about passing it by on a bicycle.
\r\n\r\n
Public transportation saves more than 3 billion gallons of oil and cuts greenhouse gas emissions by 26 million tons. A simple car pool with coworkers can cut your gas consumption (and bills) by three-fourths. Walking and bicycling costs nothing and burns nothing but calories. (More tips.)
\r\n\r\n
If you do drive, drive a fuel-efficient vehicle and drive smart to reduce gasoline consumption.
\r\n\r\n
Beyond your personal independence from oil, you can encourage your community to plan for sustainable development, and vote for lawmakers who will work to cut carbon emissions, increase energy efficiency and invest in alternative fuels.
Indictment Against Waste
garbage, trash, waste, independence day
Trash pile of waste garbage
(It) has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
\r\n\r\n
Not to be overdramatic about it, but garbage is such a colossal waste.
\r\n\r\n
The average American produces 4.6 pounds of waste every day. About 68% of that waste is buried in landfills or burned in trash incinerators.
\r\n\r\n
Landfills represent about the least imaginative uses of American soil. Incinerators, no matter how efficient, release toxic byproducts, carbon dioxide that contributes to global warming, and gases that contribute to smog, acid rain and other air pollution problems.
\r\n\r\n
Then there\'s the trash that isn\'t collected. There\'s an island of plastic floating in the Pacific off the coast of California twice the size of Texas.
\r\n\r\n
Before it\'s waste, it\'s a natural resource of one kind or another. (Cue overdramatic patriotic music.)
\r\n\r\n
That cardboard box was a tree (from the Redwood forests...). That plastic bag was once a few drops of oil (...to the Gulf Stream waters). That computer has mined metals (from purple mountains majesty...) and that stale bread started its life growing in a field (...to amber waves of grain).
\r\n\r\n
Keep America beautiful.
Declare Independence from Waste
garbage, trash can, waste, independence day
Empty trashcan.
Does the pursuit of happiness have to involve so much junk?
\r\n\r\n
A good rule of thumb for the spendthrift green patriot is to ask two questions before making a purchase. First, do I really need that? Second, what is it, exactly?
\r\n\r\n
Buy in bulk. Buy items with little or no packaging. Buy items made with recycled content. Buy items that can be reused or recycled.
\r\n\r\n
Compost food and yard waste, and freecycle what you can\'t reuse.
\r\n\r\n
In general, aspire to a cradle-to-cradle ethic, where every piece of everything you consume can be reused or recycled.
\r\n\r\n
If there\'s nothing more precious than American soil, then be sure to do your patriotic duty and make the most of the natural resources it provides.
Indictment Against Factory Food
hamburger, factory food, independence day
Greasy burger
Whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive ... it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it.
\r\n\r\n
The organization of the American food system in the 21st century is in serious need of revolution.
\r\n\r\n
Tomatoes contaminated with salmonella sicken hundreds across the nation, and we can\'t tell where those red fruits came from, or what caused the outbreak. Thousands of cattle are killed only to have their lives wasted because slaughterhouses couldn\'t prevent E. coli from contaminating the meat. Cows are fed unnatural diets of corn and pumped up with hormones banned in Europe and Canada so they produce more milk.
\r\n\r\n
Meanwhile, some agricultural pesticides may be making frogs grow extra limbs, and chemical fertilizers are rushing down the Mississippi, where they ultimately choke off life in the Gulf of Mexico. And around the world, raising livestock causes more greenhouse gas pollution than all the cars, trucks, trains and planes on Earth.
\r\n\r\n
Sounds destructive. Time for a big dose of safety and happiness in our food system.
Declare Independence from Factory Food
salad, independence day
Hand dropping greens on a salad.
Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants.
\r\n\r\n
That was the way author Michael Pollan declared his independence from a sick food system in In Defense of Food (Penguin, 2008).
\r\n\r\n
Food, in this case, means the stuff your grandparents would recognize as food. Buy food that looks and smells (and tastes) like something that was grown. Buy food that has no ingredient list, or at least is filled with minimally processed ingredients you can identify and pronounce. Buy foods in season (strawberries from down the road in spring, not from New Zealand in winter) to enjoy the most fresh, nutritious taste with the least environmental cost.
\r\n\r\n
Buying locally from farmers you befriend is one way to shield yourself from the anonymous factory farms whose tomatoes are suddenly suspect. Buying local may also help cut down on the carbon footprint of your dinner, and let you decide for yourself whether or not the farm\'s use of pesticides or fertilizer was warranted and safe. Selectively choosing organic alternatives at least tells you that fewer chemicals went into the making of your meal, and into you and your family.
\r\n\r\n
The pursuit of happiness certainly involves food. Make it food by Pollan\'s definition as often as possible. Look to our 30 Days to Green Your Diet feature for more tips.
Indictment Against Toxic Chemicals
toxic, cleaner, independence day
Cleaner bottle with skull and cross bones poison symbol
All experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.
\r\n\r\n
By some counts there are more than 80,000 chemicals used in American commerce that have not been tested, or whose safety has at least not been proved to the satisfaction of health and environmental advocates. It\'s a regimen we\'ve lived with for three decades, but which doesn\'t work well for average Americans.
\r\n\r\n
Too often, when chemicals finally are tested, they seem to be linked to subtle but profound health problems. A little damage to a cell\'s DNA can cause cancer. A small dose of the wrong chemical at the wrong time can interrupt the normal development of a child\'s organs, leading to lifelong problems. Some chemicals have been shown to mimic hormones, potentially messing up the body\'s chemical messenger system.
\r\n\r\n
Human health isn\'t the only issue, either. Chemicals used around the home are often flushed down the drain, where they have contaminated water supplies and wildlife. One recent assessment deemed every stream in the United States polluted.
\r\n\r\n
In Europe, chemicals must be proved safe before being used. In the United States, the bar is a little easier to clear. At least, for now. Congress is now considering a law called the Kid-Safe Chemicals Act, which would improve the way chemicals are vetted to reduce the public\'s exposure to unsafe substances.
Declare Independence from Toxic Chemicals
window, cleaner, independence day
Hand wiping clean a big window
Natural nontoxic alternatives to harsh chemicals are easy to find, affordable and effective. Use them.
\r\n\r\n
Start under your kitchen sink, and swap out any harsher cleaners for nontoxic cleaning solutions, or look to the Zen Cleaner for weekly recipes for natural cleaning agents. (Oxygenated cleansers can replace bleach. Vinegar works great to clean windows. Baking soda is a powerful scrubber.)
\r\n\r\n
Then move on to the bathroom, and take a look at cosmetics and personal care products. These are applied directly to the skin, and yet there are many suspect, untested or outright toxic chemicals in lotions, soaps and makeup. \r\n\r\n
Make a rule of looking at the ingredient list and questioning any substance that you can\'t pronounce or identify. (Though be wary: Not all ingredients are listed.
Comments| Add a comment
LOG-IN TO POST A COMMENT
POST A COMMENT