Before I get any farther into this blog, I want to make clear that I am not an expert in 'going green.' I'm just an ordinary guy who's trying to change his bad habits into better ones. I grew up in a big city in a very wasteful, environmentally destructive culture. But as an adult, I've traveled a bit and visited places--rain forests, deserts, oceans, coral reefs, mountains, caves--that the human world has not yet overtaken. And they're beautiful--deeply, inexplicably, mysteriously beautiful. Even the most gifted poets the world has ever seen cannot capture this extraordinary beauty in words, so I won't try. But I can say that destroying what remains of these places would be the greatest tragedy in human history. Our existence as a species may or may not be able to go on after that, but I'm convinced that our spirits would be forever broken.
Maybe you already know what I'm talking about. But if not, you might be able to get a sense of it by spending some time, the more the better, in nature.
Try to get as far away as you can, some place where you won't be able to hear a single man-made sound. If you live in the United States, there's a very good chance that you have a National Park or a National Forest within several hours drive of your home (this will be carbon well used!).
If you're up for it, hike out into the park and spend the night in a tent. Or go for a long day-hike. But just make sure to get away from the roads and the visitors' centers. Get out of the World of Man and into the World of Nature.
And when you're there, don't do too much, don't read books, don't spend all your time talking. Just be there, silently, senses fully open, taking in everything around you. Breathe deeply. Listen to every sound. Smell the flowers, the breeze. Look all around you, both near and far. Touch the trees, the rocks, the earth. Soak it all in, feel it deeply. Watch a sunset or a sunrise. If you're lucky, you'll get to see some of the creatures living there, as a guest in their home.
If you can't visit a large natural area, such as a National Park or Forest, then make do with some woods or a park near your home or office. Turn off your mobile and your ipod, close your books and sit silently. Watch the trees move in the breeze, hear the conversations of the birds, notice how the suns' rays drape over it all. Turn down the volume on your thinking, turn up the volume on your sensations and just feel your environment.
There's no substitute for direct experience, but watching documentaries about Earth's natural places can also help to connect us more deeply. A great place to start is the amazing Planet Earth series.
Aside from being enjoyable and good for our physical and mental health, it's so important that we take the time to experience nature, so that we can understand exactly what it is that we're losing. When we really get it, when we really connect with nature and experience its beauty in our heart, then it's impossible not to become an environmentalist. And if we are going to make the changes that must be made to save the ecosystems of this planet and to save our own species, we'll all have to become environmentalists very soon.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Take a Walk
America is a driving culture. We drive everywhere. Sometimes we even get in the car to drive a few blocks, as though we were allergic to walking. But going for a walk can be really pleasant.
My grandmother lives about 3.5 miles from me. Sometimes I drive there, and sometimes I walk. This past weekend, I walked. It took about one hour and twenty minutes each way, compared to fifteen minutes each way driving. But the walk was great.
It was a beautiful autumn day. I enjoyed the incredible colors of the leaves, the fresh air, the songs of birds, the darting to and fro of squirrels hiding acorns, the feeling of the sun on my skin, the sounds of the city, the people I passed. I got some good exercise. I had some quiet time to myself to do some thinking. I took photographs. On the way back, I listened to music. It was a relaxing, refreshing way to spend an afternoon. And I didn't use any gasoline.
Of course, driving seven miles doesn't exactly create an enormous amount of pollution. But it does create some, and every little bit we can reduce helps. Plus, if everybody cut out a little, it would add up to a lot. And, perhaps most important, if we start walking or riding a bike, even just a little, even just once in a while, our mentality starts to change. And as our mentality changes, our waste of energy and our creation of pollution start to decrease dramatically.
And anyway, the walk was much more enjoyable than the drive would have been. Here are a few of the pictures:
My grandmother lives about 3.5 miles from me. Sometimes I drive there, and sometimes I walk. This past weekend, I walked. It took about one hour and twenty minutes each way, compared to fifteen minutes each way driving. But the walk was great.
It was a beautiful autumn day. I enjoyed the incredible colors of the leaves, the fresh air, the songs of birds, the darting to and fro of squirrels hiding acorns, the feeling of the sun on my skin, the sounds of the city, the people I passed. I got some good exercise. I had some quiet time to myself to do some thinking. I took photographs. On the way back, I listened to music. It was a relaxing, refreshing way to spend an afternoon. And I didn't use any gasoline.
Of course, driving seven miles doesn't exactly create an enormous amount of pollution. But it does create some, and every little bit we can reduce helps. Plus, if everybody cut out a little, it would add up to a lot. And, perhaps most important, if we start walking or riding a bike, even just a little, even just once in a while, our mentality starts to change. And as our mentality changes, our waste of energy and our creation of pollution start to decrease dramatically.
And anyway, the walk was much more enjoyable than the drive would have been. Here are a few of the pictures:
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