NATURE CALLS
The time has come to take out the trash and clean up our act.
Every morning I wake up to birds harmoniously chirping in the old pine tree by my bedroom window. The sounds of nature are soothing in the space between sleep and awake – much more so than the blaring alarm clocks of my past. My husband and I bought a condo in the woods a few years ago in an effort to simplify our lives.
Although I have always been a proponent of the environment, living side-by-side with the wild has instilled a new awareness. It has strengthened my advocacy for the protection of our planet.
During my undergraduate studies, I took a Native American literature course, and felt such a strong connection to the way our predecessors turned to nature for wisdom and guidance. Throughout hundreds of different tribes, a common respect for the land ran strong. Most honored and greatly respected what they took from the earth. Quite different from the modern world where we’ve embraced mass consumption.
As an observant neighbor, I’m always shocked by the number of people who use the woods as a landfill. Each morning, I take my golden retriever for a walk, and each day there is a new array of trash to be picked up. This careless action pollutes our land, air and water, as well as the critters that live there. Aluminum cans don’t disintegrate; plastics can take decades to break down; animals crawl into cans or bottles, get caught and die. The list goes on. People alone are the number one polluters of the forests.
In my community, there has been a genuine effort by the city to educate on protecting wildlife, lakes, streams and forests. We’ve implemented community-driven campaigns to educate the public as well. Our hope is more neighborhoods will start to realize that protecting the environment is not a political issue, but the responsibility of each person who lives on this planet.
The controversial climate change is warning us that we are living far beyond our means, and reaching a critical point in the history of Earth. Each person must do their part to protect the space we inhabit. Essentially, we are only hurting ourselves. My father always told me to leave the woods in a better state then when I arrived. A little appreciation goes a long way.
What You Can Do:
• Organize a trash cleanup day in your community.
• If you see trash along the road or in the forest, pick it up (wear gloves).
• Bring your own bags to the grocery store.
• Reuse plastic bags, paper and glass.
• Cut down on waste. Remember, trash pollutes our land, air and water.
• Buy only what you need, buy in bulk and buy products with little or no packaging. How many often are you throwing out products you have never used?
• Dispose of trash responsibly.
• Take a walk in the woods and pick up trash.
• Recycle. It helps animals by keeping their habitats clean and safe.
• Plant trees and flowers.
