Save the Planet - Start Living Green!

By James Corbin

What is all this stuff about Sustainable Living, Renewable Resources, or Going Green? There are so many different definitions, what does it really mean to the average guy or girl? I guess it can all be boiled down into one sentence. The Earths' resources should not be used up faster than they can be replaced or put back! What resources? What are you talking about, you say. Well, things like fossil fuel (oil, coal, natural gas), all of our forests (trees, plants, etc.), all of the wildlife, the oceans and all that reside there, the very air that we breath and so on, and on. It's easy to see how all this is connected and the things that we do and decisions we make today, can definitely affect our future.

When I first started hearing about and paying attention to "sustainable living" or "living green" I thought that this just might be another catch phrase or scam or con to eventually become another money grab. Then the more reading and research that I did, I began to think that there might really be something to all this. It just seems to make sense. Like in our own families, when we plan poorly and overspend or overuse our resources, there will definitely be consequences. And mostly negative! The same would apply in our environment, if we overuse and do not replace, there will be consequences, and mostly negative!

So hence the reason for this series of articles which I intend to write. Mostly due to the promptings and support of a dear wife, I intend to share on a regular basis how one person or family can respond to the call for "green living" and to be aware of our surroundings and what our impact is on those surroundings and what we can do to improve the situation.

What are the steps that we as individuals or families can take to improve the situation? I think that the first thing that should be done is to recognize that a problem does exist and then make a personal commitment to do whatever you can about it. Once you have done that on a personal level, then it should be done on a family level. I think that is the only way real change can be implemented. And then when other folks see and recognize that other people are changing and doing something, they will join in and change and do something also. Then businesses will see the changes people are making and make some changes also, if they want the benefit of continuing to receive your business. A chain reaction will start around this "living green" thing and really get the ball rolling.

I think a family meeting would be in order. And encourage everyone to really take it serious. Identify the issues that face the family and what the family can do individually or as a group to resolve those issues. Come up with a plan! Write it down and display it where all the family can see it and take ownership of their part in it. There is a place you can go to evaluate the ecological footprint of the family at http://www.earthday.net. There you can actually see the effect your family has on the environment. Then you can make a plan to reduce it and actually get on the road to "living green".

The author has just recently become involved in going green and a sustainable lifestyle. More articles are to come. He has also become involved in repairing and restoring electric guitars. He is building a new website dedicated to electric guitar parts and supplies. Visit his site at http://www.electric-guitar-parts.net

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