Earth Day tidbits for any day

A while back the SEA provided counsel to UM-Dearborn's English Club to develop a small pamphlet for Earth Day.  Some of our recommendations made it in, a lot didn't fit on the paper, and some were hastily put together.  Earth day also happened near a hectic time of the semester, so we didn't get around to sharing them online until now.  Besides, every day is a great day to do things for the earth!  Below are my thoughts:


A little bit on environmentalism in America:
There are several prominent figures in recent American environmentalism/conservationism, going back to John Muir (of the Sierra Club), Aldo Leopold (one of his essays, called the Land Ethic, is a major contribution to the foundation of Western ecophilosophy), and Rachel Carson (who wrote Silent Spring).  While they are most noted for their considerate contributions to society, don't forget that these are individuals just like you who led lives as considerate members of a social, economic, and ecological community wherever they were.  Also, we can also look to many of the cultures preceding our own that shared similar considerations.  For example, the First Nations people.

Environmentalism is an activity that every individual engages in.  We learn to take care of our own homes be it a room, apartment, house, etc.  As a society there are things we can do to take care of ourselves and other people, things, and beings.  Some of it we do without thinking, other activities require additional thought and effort.  Much of it happens through habits which were developed from our beliefs and education.  By acknowledging this greater community, engaging the environment, and developing a sense of wonder about the things around us, you have the ability to make the area a more vibrant place through learning, doing, and educating others to do good things.

There are people who strive to make the world a better place for others every day.  You can be among them whenever you make the effort to be informed, educated, and to do something about what you've learned.  You have the opportunity to take relevant and significant action within any community you choose to engage.

Environmentalism is really about being considerate of time, proximity, circumstance, people, places, and things (that's right, pretty much everything) and taking considerate actions.  Think, learn, and wonder about the natural and built environment.  Spend time outside and pay attention to things up close, far away, with whatever senses you can use.  Try to discern any relationships between what you're looking at and its surroundings.  Do certain plants tend to grow in a certain habitat?  Is it warmer on pavement than it is in a field?  How do these relate to what's going on with people, or parts of the economy?  Wonder, think, and learn about how they can or do affect each other every day.  Maybe even discuss it with other people.  It's up to you how much or little you want to do, but we'd like to request that you be responsible about it.

Don't rely solely on one news source, they may present facts, but facts are frequently particular perspectives of what is perceived to be true.  It may not always be representative of the entire issue.  Feel free to visit the Mardigian Library and ask the staff about how one can discern quality research and sources from sub-par information.

Lightening your global footprint--a few easy to implement suggestions:

Here are some easy to implement suggestions that would help lighten each person's global footprint (what's that? find out here: http://www.footprintnetwork.org ) AKA do good for the environment and in turn, for other people and things.  We've researched them before but due to time and space constraints, we're only listing them here.  Besides, it's more interesting when you can discuss it with someone new (we recommend SEA/Roots and Shoots members and some of the faculty at UM-Dearborn).  Ask them why these activities can make a difference and they can explain or point you in a credible direction.

For all food eaters:
-Read the food labels, find out where the food came from, what's in it, [politely] ask questions if you can!

-If you've got food to carry, use a reusable bag (although the food that you eat may have a bigger impact than

-Investigate the actual pros and cons, as well as the definitions for "organic", "all natural", "free range", "wild caught", "farm raised", "grass fed", etc.

-Learn more about the basics of nutrition, variety and moderation is still a golden rule, vegetables are important, but the kinds you eat can make a big difference for yourself (and ecosystems)

-Eat more food that doesn't need a label, and uses minimum packaging (right, as in fresh fruits, veggies, eggs, etc.)

-Remember that it takes water and energy to make food, as well as packaging, and that even if the packaging has been discarded (hopefully after being reused), it requires energy for transportation and space when it goes to landfill or other waste disposal sites

-Purchase locally produced food, organic if possible

-Learn about industrial agriculture, combined animal feeding operations, and check out sustainable agriculture--better yet, try to meet someone who practices sustainable agricultural practices or do it yourself!


Omnivores:
-Purchase locally raised, grass-fed beef

-Find out more about why lots of shrimp, cattle, pigs, and chickens can be a bane to water and the land that they are raised on (try searching "CAFO")

-Try eating a meals without meat regularly (become a part-time vegetarian), start with one vegetarian meal per week, then three

-Yes, we'd respectfully like to encourage you to shift over to full-time vegetarian meals in due time

Vegetarians and vegans:
-Teach everyone how to cook the satisfying, nutritious, and tasty vegetarian and vegan meals

-With all due respect, we'd like to encourage vegetarians to go vegan full-time when appropriate

Other things:

-When brushing your teeth, be sure to turn off the water!  Water typically requires energy (electricity) for purification, and it certainly requires energy for transportation (if you pay a water bill to a municipality, much of the money is used by the company to pay for electricity to pump water for delivery to your tap).

-Speaking of transportation, can you find alternative ways to get to where you want/need to go?  Public transit, carpool, bike, walk, etc.