Going Green

It's a sad state of affairs when oil prices rise to an all-time high on Earth Day. A good reminder we need to think seriously about where we as a planet are going. And what can we do about it?

We hear so much buzz today about "going green." I guess if there's one good bandwagon to jump on, it's that one. As long as people are willing to adopt the attitude for the long haul. I heard a lot of "green" tips on the radio this morning on the drive in. Everything I've heard before, but sometimes we forget.

Of course, one of the obvious ones is to use less fuel -- either drive less or buy a hybrid vehicle or both. When we work 44 miles away, it's hard to drive any less, but we do ride together and only drive separately when it's absolutely necessary. Our Honda Civic gets good gas mileage but the minivan is another story. It cost 60 bucks to fill it last night and it wasn't even an empty tank. Ouch! We said we should stop on the way home and buy a Prius. But then I'd probably need a second job to afford one. Just more driving!

They mentioned saving water, too, by doing fewer loads of wash, turning off the water when brushing your teeth and flushing a few less times each day. Since Carter often forgets to flush already, we've got that one covered. Plus, when I was growing up, we didn't even have indoor plumbing until I was Carter's age so I have 10 years of water conservation invested already!

It goes without saying we should recycle, recycle, recycle. I feel guilty if I go someplace where they don't recycle and I have to put an aluminum can in the trash. It just doesn't feel right. We do a good job of recycling aluminum, plastic, glass, cardboard and paper at our house. The cardboard/paper effort requires a trip into town to the drop-off site every now and then but it's not really an extra trip if we tie it into a stop at the grocery store, etc.

In Wisconsin, we are particularly proud of Earth Day since its founder -- Sen. Gaylord Nelson -- lived here. It seems strange to think there was a time when it was OK to toss that can or bottle out the window or into the creek and litter. I distinctly remember that TV commercial when I was a kid where the Native American had a tear rolling down his cheek because he was so sad about what we were doing to the Earth. Not littering was a new thing then. So was caring about the environment. And what is this O-zone thing? The most crushing blow as a teenager was learning I probably shouldn't be using that aerosol can of Aqua-Net hairspray. How did we survive?

Think about what you can do to go green so our children and grandchildren have a safe and beautiful place to live. Why not start today?