Tuesday, April 21, 2009

What Can You Do for the Earth?

Actually, the question is, what can you do to improve the ability of the Earth to sustain you and me in the manner to which we've become accustomed?

Tomorrow, April 22nd, is Earth Day. Like New Year's Day, is a chance for you to join in with millions of others with a resolution. 

I have one easy idea for you: Cut beef and chicken from your diet once a week. See? Easy. Why does this help the Earth? Because industrial-scale farming is one of the biggest contributors to ecological decline around. Clearing land for cattle grazing alone is responsible for killing more species per year than I want to think about. 

Another easy idea: Give money to organizations that promote education about human sexuality and the distribution of birth control. Why? The root of the problem is there are more people on this planet than the planet has the renewable resources to support. And our population keeps growing. What say we try to bring that population growth curve down some? (Before some external natural force does it for us, as in inexorably will.) 

On that cheerful note... Happy Earth Day ;-).