HAPPY EARTH DAY DEAR READERS
But before I get started on today's entry, it's the end of week 16, so it's page count time:
CHAPTERS - 65
PAGES - 1,731
For the year so far:
CHAPTERS - 2,248
PAGES - 29,327
Today's book; "The idea of Earth Day has flourished through three decades. Now more than ever, individuals need to create change from the ground up and the whole earth down. As citizens of the world and consumers of global resources, we hold a vast capacity for improving our environment and leaving a bright legacy for our children."
I almost didn't read today's book, because at first glance it appeared to be a children's book. When I realized it wasn't I was very excited because I figured a book with such a happy cover surely wouldn't end up being the typical doom-and-gloom-we're-all-about-to-die kind of environmental books I've read in the past. But I was wrong. There was still some serious doom in this book. I realize of course that it's necessary to talk about how a problem came to exist in order to correct it, but I'm too high strung to read/listen/watch anything that goes on and on about how hopeless everything is. I prefer a book that acknowledges both the bad and the good that has been achieved, and then actually points me in the direction of what I should next to help correct things: In other words, I want the author to do all the work for me. Is that so much to ask? I'm just lazy that way - in fact, I'm so lazy that I first attempted to read a book called The Lazy Environmentalist but it turned out to not be lazy enough for my taste, so I switched to this book. I want a book that will tell me in 100 words or less how and why we got here, and then give me a nice, easy list of things that I can do (preferably in ten steps or less) that will fix things. Is that so unreasonable? Alright, so maybe it is.
But, I don't want to live in a barren, treeless world, so I'm continued reading anyway. The author did provide some helpful tips at the end of the chapters, but there was so much depressing information on the way to the tips that I felt kind of deflated by the time I got there.
Nevertheless, the book did inspire me to make some changes (or scare the crap out of me to the point where I felt like the earth would disintegrate tomorrow if I don't make changes, depending on how you choose to look at it). So here is my contribution to helping the environment:
- I changed all the light bulbs to energy saving ones. (The word I is used rather loosely here since when I say "I" what I really mean is that I was in the room, watching - supervising if you will - while someone else changed the light bulbs. Okay that's a lie, I wasn't actually in the room, I was watching General Hospital instead. But the important thing is that the light bulbs have been changed.)
- I'm going to stop using so many paper products. (I compulsively wash my hands - not enough that it would qualify as an illness, but more than a normal person would - and I need to stop doing that, and not just for the sake of the environment but also because I'm sick of people looking at me funny. I also need to stop wasting paper on stupid stuff like trying to figure out what I would have named all 18 kids if I was one of the Duggar parents or rewriting the endings to movies that started out well but ended badly or putting my to-read lists in alphabetical order.)
How did you celebrate Earth Day dear readers? If you spent it watching General Hospital like I did, well then shame on both of us (Just kidding, I don't actually feel any shame about watching soap operas, even though I probably should. And wasn't it a great episode!)
