BLOG COMMENTS RE: We Need More Than Just VinegarWe need to do more.
Not each of us individually, but the collective us. There are two major sides to the GreenMoms coin - protecting the earth and protecting our families. Individually we can definitely take steps to protect ourselves - even baby steps have an impact on our bodies. And individually we can take baby steps to protect the earth which can add up to big results. But the corporate/governmental "we" needs to make BIG changes. I know, duh, right? But if large entities make "small" changes they translate into HUGE changes much faster than any vinegar-cleaning group of moms could ever achieve. And imagine if they made "significant" changes!
It may seem odd that one of the founders of the GreenMoms website who is encouraging everyone to do what they can, every little bit helps, just get started somewhere, etc... would turn around and say, "BUT WE NEED BIG CHANGES TO REALLY MAKE AN IMPACT!!!" Well, I'm hoping the GreenMoms (and others who already care so passionately about this issue) will help generate ideas and actions to get "the big guys" moving.
I keep thinking about all the little things people are trying to do to add up, the passion they have for the issue, the time they put into thinking about how to make all sorts of changes in their lives but all of them added up together pale by comparison if mileage standards were improved NOW. If major corporate polluters made noticeable changes. If all plastic shopping bags were banned. If all cotton clothing was organic and fair-trade. If all of our food was grown organically and distributed locally. If the governments of the world invested in alternative/clean energies. If if if...I even just heard how some airlines are slowing down their planes to conserve fuel - who would have thought that slowing down a jumbo jet even *10 MILES PER HOUR* would save significant fuel (162 gallons) and costs ($535) and have a trivial increase in travel time (8 minutes added to a nearly 9 hour flight - "Planes slow down to save fuel" -
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TRAVEL/05/02/flying.slower.ap/index.html)?
If the "major players of the world" could find a way to make these changes (I know, it has to benefit them somehow from a business perspective) it sure would take a bit of the pressure off us little guys to fix this mess. Melinda recently made a blog post about Eco-stress - no kidding I feel stressed. I worry about using the clothes washer in the middle of the day instead of at night (or at all) but I really needed to get the stinky gunk-yuk out of whatever as soon as possible. Or every time I have to wait for the water to get hot to get in the shower (sorry, my commitment only goes so far ... I am NOT taking a cold shower or a military-style shower...a fast shower I can do) I feel stressed and try to figure out a way to compensate so I won't feel guilty. Oh for pete's sake - can we get some help from the big guys please?
If you have ideas, suggestions, links, etc. to help us help "the big guys" to get moving, and moving FASTER, to clean up this planet, please share them on this Discussion Forum. We need help from us "little guys" too.
