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Wednesday, March 26, 2008

By a thread...

It's already begun people. I don't care what you think about Al Gore or his rhetoric. No issue has ever been more agreed upon by scientists and it is scary.

Whenever my representatives call me or poll me to ask about my top "concern" for america, it's the environment. I hate the war and I worry about the poor. I'm troubled by our lack of empathy with regard toward immigration issues and as for health care - well, that's just a given. But unless we can find ways to creatively and resourcefully and responsibly live on this earth, the rest isn't going to matter anyway. So I tell them, "please work to help the environment."

An amazing new (to me) person who illustrates this is Van Jones check him out in this interview from this month's issue of my favorite Magazine.

3 comments:

Michelle said...

And you know what, environmental issues are woven into issues of poverty and war.

I mean, think about it. Green living is a fad and a class issue. Rich people can afford to eat quality food. Poor people, who have to work multiple jobs, don't have time nor money to buy and cook quality food. That's where Cheetos, Twinkies, factory-produced eggs and meat step in. Cheap and easy. And think of the hidden costs of those type of products- environment and health costs.

All this to say, working on the environment IS working on the other issues. In a roundabout sort of way.

PS And the real trick is to live simply. You don't need to buy that expensive countertop cleaner. Vinegar, water and lemon juice do the same thing! You don't need to purchase packages! Some things come in bulk! Reuse that bag. Carpool, walk, ride a bus, advocate for more and better public transportation! (I know you know all this Ann, but educating others is also working on the environment.)

Whew, don't even get me started. Really.

Michelle said...

Oh, I forgot to tie it back into the issue of war.

O
I
L

Most things are made with the help of oil. Biofuel? Oil. Products from afar? Oil. The plastic wrapping on that CD cover? Oil.

O
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Michelle said...

One more thing:

Yay for Ann for making the environment her top issue!! This is going to be incredibly cheesy, but Ann's a pastor, so deal with it: making the environment a top concern is what Jesus would do.

Yup. I said it.