Treehuggers R Us

Today is Blog Action Day and so I'm posting along with 11,000+ of my fellow bloggers about the environment.

I have blogged about the environment before (here's one post), but I don't have much new to say today, really, except that I am concerned that we're not being very good stewards of the planet.

I worry about what in the world will be safe to eat 5 years from now, how much harder it will be to breathe, how much worse our allergies will be, how little water will be available and how much the cost of gas, water and milk (among other things) will continue to rise as we take our natural resources for granted.

Remember when we were kids, we thought someone would invent a clear bubble to cover the Earth, or that someone would find a way to cause and prevent certain kinds of weather? Instead, we've made the weather even less predictable.

And as "leaders of the free world", I hate how we have exported pollution to the rest of the planet, from tobacco smoke to CO2 emissions as the rest of the world wants to live more like America. Why can't we take a stand, set an example, do the right thing?

At this point, in my house, we cannot afford hybrid cars, but at least my commute each day is only 4.3 miles, where David's is a whopping 6.7 miles.

I used to wonder if I lived in a place like Paducah whether I'd walk to work, but then I realized I carry so much to and from work that this would make it difficult. Not to mention, I'd have to wear tennis shoes every day, which isn't "professional".

I heard recently on NPR a story about how there was a successful campaign in Japan to get men to quit wearing business suits and ties so that companies could raise their thermostats to 82 degrees Farenheit. While 82 sounds a little extreme, I thought that was a GREAT idea! I hate how refrigerated every indoor place is here in Texas from March - October!

But mainly I am concerned about the environment because I love my kids. I want them and my students to have opportunities to live full, healthy, happy & safe lives, and the more we damage the planet, the less likely that possibility seems.