Environmentalism doesn't have to be about hugging trees
Talking about environmental issues can sometimes turn people off. Especially around these parts, to discuss using less chemicals on crops or conserving land can be a touchy subject.
But it's also a timely one because Monday was Earth Day and Friday is Arbor Day. So as we're watching the spring season get started, Mother Earth is a topic worth writing about.
Tomorrow, the city, county and hospice will plant trees in observance of Arbor Day. Working in an industry that uses paper as its final product, it's important for me to respect that day and try to help the earth every day in the small ways I can.
The simple choices we make impact our world, and changing our bad ways doesn't have to bring about great inconveniences.
Some of the things I employ that help to do less damage are: buying most products in bulk, which requires less packaging; using a solar panel to help heat the house; not running water while brushing teeth; using some fluorescent bulbs, which take one-fourth less energy, and not throwing away batteries, which contain mercury and can leak into groundwater.
People may not realize what an important issue water is in Rock County. Our supply is short and requires a lot of treatment before we can drink it. That's why the long-term plan for Lewis and Clark Rural Water System has been so important to the city of Luverne and Rock County Rural Water.
Living in the northern United States, we also may not be aware of how significant global warming has become. No matter what the current national administration says, most scientists agree that too many fossil fuels are burned at the same time that too many trees are being cut down. Changing climate patterns are affecting the worldÕs ecosystems little by little.
That's why we should all give credit to local Arbor Day efforts to plant more of those oxygen-producing gems.
Even though we are more at fault than weÕd like to admit, small changes can make a big impact. Here are areas that could use improvement:
Washing machines can use more than 50 gallons of water so avoid washing lots of small loads and choose the lowest level of water needed per load.
Use more waxed paper, which is biodegradable, instead of foil or plastic wrap.
To dispose of excess latex paint, leave the can uncovered to allow evaporation, peel out the hardened paint and see if the can is recyclable.
Plant a tree or two - they produce oxygen and consume carbon dioxide and provide energy-saving shade in the summer.
Just because I care about the environment doesn't mean that I remember to do the right thing all the time. I use too many paper towels, I leave lights on when they're not needed and, this weekend, went to the drive-through at McDonald's for breakfast and threw away a bag full of Styrofoam that won't decompose for 500 years or more.
Like a new tree taking root, these small decisions can become permanent examples of our care for where we live.
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