The Religious Right and the Environment

Yesterday evening I watched the 3rd part of a CNN report titled God's Warriors. The issue of Evangelical Christians and the environment was discussed. In recent months more and more Evangelicals are starting to join the movement to reduce carbon emissions to save our planet. But this doesn't come without criticism from the Religious Right's loudest voices. If more Evangelicals join the movement to "Go Green" it could ensure a win for the most Earth-friendly candidate in 2008.

The First 100 Hours

The new Democratic House and Senate under the leadership of Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid have set their agenda for the first 100 hours of the 110th Congress. On Thursday January 18th the new Congress plans on ending subsidies for big oil and also plans on investing in renewable energy; let's hope they deliver!

Hemp

Our nation's illegal War on Drugs is a great failure. Instead of going after criminals who commit violent crimes authorities are always going after dealers and users. I never knew that a person using marijuana was hurting others more than a pedophile. When cannabis is used to make non "drug" products it known as Hemp. Hemp production is illegal in the United States. Hemp is a safe renewable source of clothing. It doesn't harm the environment whatsoever but our earth killing government feels it necessary to ban hemp production. The ban of cannabis and its products is just like the prohibition during the 1920s which was unsuccessful and eventually that law was repealed, maybe one day the prohibition of cannabis will be repealed.

The Third World and Kyoto

While I believe the United States should sign on to the Kyoto Protocol I don't like the idea that Third World countries, like emerging superpowers of China and India, don't have be upheld to the same guidelines. China is probably the most powerful nation in the world and they are being given special privileges while other nations in Europe are held to strict rules. Now I wouldn't complain about this issue with President Bush because his solution to problems usually is a unending war, like Iraq. Instead of finding alternative energy he decided to make his friends in the oil business happy by going to war with a sovereign nation, overthrowing its leader and "liberated" a country that didn't want to be liberated. I could just imagine the new Democratic Senate approving the Kyoto Protocol and then having our President find a reason to go to war with China, that is war we CANNOT win!

Save a Breath, Buy a Hybrid

So, I decided I’d start reading some news as to complete the 11 blog entries assignment, and found some interesting stuff.
Apparently the amount of carbon dioxide humans have been pumping out into the air has since the 1990’s more than doubled. In the last four years the amount has increased significantly as each year comes to pass. This is some pretty ridiculous stuff.
As of now about half of the carbon dioxide that we pass from cars and certain power plants goes straight into the atmosphere; the other half is absorbed into the land and oceans. As we increase the level of emissions, the amount in the atmosphere will also increase, leaving us with polluted, filthy air.
The obvious cause for all this is our automobiles. The bigger, the cooler, and the better, is our American outlook. This is a horrible attitude, and if we don’t start to shift our thinking we might not have the breath to speak. Hybrids, hybrids, hybrids! Buy one, ditch your SUVs; we’ll be just as safe if we are all driving tiny hybrid cars, and you’ll still be just as “cool,” I promise.
The other easy solution is to convert the entire nation to the wonderfully clean nuclear power. So, if you are reading this and have some sort of political power, lets get some plants made, try and convince ole Georgey. This might be a difficult process since the last ones built were in the 70’s, but good luck.

Rehydrate-Replenish-Refuel

One-fifth of the population of the entire world is lacking clean drinking water.
This fact stuck me as fascinating. Water seems like something I so greatly take for granted. Whether I’m taking a shower, washing clothes, or just taking a drink from the fountain, I never even think about the fact that this water has been filtered and purified to cleanliness.
Pollution along with climate changes, i.e. drought, are lowering the level of clean water available. These are not only third-world countries that are being affected by this crisis. Parts in New York, China, and England as well are lacking the quantity of water necessary for health and survival.
The solution starts with the individual. We must watch what we hurl out our car window, or what trash we drop as we walk. Also, protesting against polluting industries can be effective. This as well as petition composure and signing can truly change the planet. Get out there when u have free time and help cure the thirst of our world.

Hunger on the Holidays

The holiday season is here. Time to spend, spend, spend, laugh, and be merry.
This is the time of the year where money doesn’t matter. We hop in our cars and travel any lengths to get that special present.
I’m not going to try to bring down your holiday spirits with environmentalist bitching, but I will encourage you to help in anyway possibly the poor and less fortunate people of the world. Whether it is donating time or money, anything helps. Just as animals, trees, and plants are part of the environment, so are humans. And some of us aren’t so fortunate.
Here are some places to check out regarding this blog:
www.salvationarmyusa.org
www.goodwill.org
www.thehungersite.com

Self Examination

Today I was in deep thought on my basic ideals concerning my “environmentalist” title and I’m kind of thinking they are lies.
I drove miles on a highway in order to have band practice with my friends. We plugged in our energy eating amps and jammed away for hours. With the lights on, music blasting, we cared little (not at all) about our energy consumption. And I know I do stuff like this all the time, whether it be burning gasoline or natural gas, I just do what I want and to hell with what I’m destroying.
I suppose I could be a lot worse. I don’t litter, and I appreciate the environment in all her glory. I mean, I’m doing this blog for God’s sake; that’s gotta be worth something.
Do what you do, and try to keep a look out for the environment, even if it just as small as picking up a gum wrapper, or turning off some lights you aren’t using. You don’t need to be a legend. It’s the little things you do and don’t do everyday that can change the world. So look out for the things you should be doing and aren't, and the things you are doing that you shouldnt, change yourself a bit, and enjoy the world.

meat is murder?

My little sister told me over the weekend that she is now a vegetarian. That struck me as shocking at first, and now I’m starting to question myself. Plants and animals alike are an important part of the environment. So should I, as an environmentalist, not eat animals? I took some time over break to mull this over a bit and here’s what I came up with.
Feeding off of Mr. Charles Darwin, we are the fittest being on Earth and we should exemplify our superiority by surviving. Me must eat, sleep, and procreate. Healthy eating includes proteins and other things found in animal meat. That is why we eat them, to stay healthy, full, and fat; i.e. be the “fittest” animals alive. Since we too are part of this world, we should be allowed to eat other animals without distress, and continue our survival.
My second theory was that we should all be vegetarians. Mankind has evolved so to the point where we can artificially generate what we gain from eating meat. We don’t need to barbarically slaughter animals and consume their flesh, and fashion their skin to our liking. But we do. And we like doing it. The chief reason we eat it is because of taste. Our society no longer needs to worry about eating to survive; we are beyond that phase in evolution. In fact, most of the nation is worrying about eating too much to survive. We are humans, we are selfish, and we are pigs. We eat for pleasure and meat is our lure.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is more than just a day where Americans overconsume food. During Thanksgiving and the Holiday season we should think about how thankful we are for all the material goods we have. We should think about how we can limit ourselves so that we don't hurt the planet with unncessary consumption.

"We need an energy bill that encourages consumption."
-George W. Bush

Sit Back and Enjoy the World

This blog is titled “Green is Good,” but we’re always just complaining about the crummy condition our environment is in and will be in the future, but this entry will be different. It will be reasons why we should be working on this problem.
This weekend I went home. At some point I went and took a walk, somewhere around 1:00 AM. I started it by walking through our beautiful green yard. The wet grass made my shoes shin in the moonlight. I then proceeded into the forest in my backyard. I walked under the darkness of the tree and listen to the crickets and whatever other animal that was bad there, maybe a groundhog or something. I came to the oh-so-ugly off-white fence that led me into the parking lot of the middle school located near my house. The cool air and fog went through to my skin, giving me comforting chills as I walked. I got to the playing field behind the school and just sat on a hill above the football field. I laid back and watched the stars and the moon. With the moist grass on my back and the light light (ha) from the sky I was completely happy and in awe of the world that we are in.
Thinking that any of this would ever change because we fucked it up would make me so very sad. I think just sitting in the grass and watching star is plenty enough for anyone to realize that we need to do our part in preserving the world as it is for our children, and their children. It just wouldn’t be fair to rob them of this place we take for granted everyday. So please, look at our links and our blogs and go out and stand up for the Earth, because Mother Nature has a bit of trouble defending her life.

SUVs and Cowboys Hats

Every generation contributes to this world in its own different way. With the industrial revolution, pollution was terrible. Gradually people realized what they were doing and began to change their ways a bit. The steps taken to eliminate the exhaust from during the early 70’s helped and demonstrated that we are not as horrible for the world as we had been.
Granted changes are due, and people are still doing horrible things to the environment, but I think people in our current day are getting a bad rap. I mean, we got hybrids next to our fuel eating SUV’s, and we got our lovely resource overindulging airplanes, and our lovely oil heated homes, but we need all these things, right? Right? I mean, we’re Americans.
I don’t go two minutes driving without seeing a goddamn SUV or a truck. Generally these five or seven passenger vehicles are containing only one person. The respected businessman sitting high above the little cars; he’s important, he can afford the gas he’s burning away and doesn’t think twice about the environment he’s killing. Not to mention all the car accidents involving SUVs and cars. In most cases both passengers get hurt or killed. The SUV is something like 5% safer for the driver of it and like 40% more fatal for the car in which they run down. I consider myself part of the environment, so I am offended as an environmentalist as well as by the death threat every time I go driving.
It’s our damn pride that we must work on omitting, because we are ridiculous. Bigger, better, faster, all phrases we hear in commercials to buy their products. We need to drop our insecurities and all get hybrids and/or use public transportation more.