It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the different things people suggest you do to be more “green.” Are you having trouble deciding what one person can do to have a big impact?
No matter how much you reduce your personal consumption of Earth’s resources, there are so many factors beyond your control that it’s easy to feel discouraged by the enormity of the problem. Until we shift at a societal level, your efforts are going to feel like (and be) a drop in the bucket.
Let’s face it. Every time I turn off my car engine rather than idling, there are probably thousands of people who are still idling. Did I really make a difference?
Our society has cut itself off quite distinctly from the natural world. We live indoors, and even when we go out into the world, many of us go directly from our house to our garage to our car. Because of television and movies, we may know more about some esoteric frog in the Brazilian rainforest than we do about the insects that live in our own backyard.
And for almost any discomfort we may encounter, there is a human-designed fix. Cold? Turn up the heat. Headache? Take some aspirin. Lonely? There’s always Facebook.
This disconnect between people and the natural world has caused many to see “the Earth” as something separate from themselves.
The phrase “Save the Earth” is very telling. Earth is just a planet. It really doesn’t care what you do. What we’re really talking about is preserving life on Earth, and the natural systems that make life possible–including our lives.
We really should say, “Save the Humans,” because our fate is completely intertwined with the rest of the natural world.
So…the #1 thing you can do to make a difference on Earth Day and every day? Maintain your connection with the natural world and pass it on to others, especially children. Get outside, and send your kids out to play. Go sit by a stream. Go outside at 11:00 tonight, look around and listen. Then invite your friends to go with you.
Even if you’re in midtown Manhattan, I guarantee that nature is all around you and infused in everything you do. If you look for a connection to nature, you will see it everywhere.
If those of us who live in disconnected cultures regain our sense of being part of nature instead of separate from it, there could be a huge shift in the way we look at environmental issues.
Until the majority of people in the high-consumption cultures stop seeing the natural world as something optional you can visit during your summer vacation and understand that nature is an extension of themselves, too many people will continue to make choices that harm “the Earth” and all of us living on it.
How has time spent in nature affected your outlook on environmental issues? I’d love to hear your comments.
