A Boomer's Footprint

Category: Sustainability

We face a tremendous responsibility being
in charge of a whole planet. We know some
obvious steps we can take – recycle, energy efficiency,
even if w eare not following them all the time.

What about the many others ways our choices impact
Mother Earth? What footprint are you leaving behind?
How are your steps today going to affect your childrens’,
children’s children?

  • Our changing climate.

    “Climate change may not be responsible for the recent skyrocketing cost of natural disasters, but it is very likely that it will impact future catastrophes.” NASA Earth Observatory

    Maybe the scientific definition of climate change does not support the ever increasing natural disasters across the globe, the reality is “Our Climate is Changing.”

    For example:

    041111-grantham-flood

    From March 13 – Aug 13 alone, Kansas City had 29.5 inches of rain, often 4-5 days of heavy rain in a row, including instances of flash flooding. Oklahoma and Texas were hit even harder.

    Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Pennsylvania had 9.02 inches of rain compared to the average fall of 3.79.

    Study-Tornado-risk-is-growing-spreading-R618F8NG-x-large

    From California to Pennsylvania and many states in between have experienced 486 tornadoes of varying degrees of damage so far in 2015.

    04-01-abfire

    According to the USDA Forest Service, there are currently 74 active wildfires in California, Washington, Oregon, Montana and Idaho.

    The nearly dry bottom of the Almaden Reservoir is shown near San Jose, California Jan. 21, 2014.
    The nearly dry bottom of the Almaden Reservoir is shown near San Jose, California Jan. 21, 2014.

    Recent drought years California include – 1929-1934, 1976-1977, 1987-1992, 2007-2009 and 2012 – to the present.

    In addition there are so many more disasters around the globe.

    Link to Oxfam website to read about 5 serious situations around the world.https://www.oxfam.org/en/campaigns/5-natural-disasters-beg-climate-action

    I was struck this morning watching a news show weather person with a hugh smile reporting more record setting temperatures ahead.  Why the smile? This changing weather should be a major cause for concern.

    So what can we do about it?  It is hopeless? As grandparents and young parents, we should be alarmed for our future generations and the potential future of our planet.

    While it may seem fanciful to create living options in space, is that our best option?  It has been five years since world leaders held a summit to discuss climate change.  Shouldn’t they be meeting monthly???

    I am seriously concerned. Are you?  This is a time to wake up and consider our impact on the planet for every tiny choice we make.  While this may seem like an alarmist statement, just look around. Talk with friends and family around the world. Find out how their lives are changing.  Then let’s accept our personal responsibility to change our behavior.

    Stay tuned. As I continue to research what we can do to save Mother Earth.

     

  • Making a Difference for our Planet – intro

    green path through trees76,000,000 Aging Boomers can have a tremendous impact on our planet. Since we are expected to live longer than any previous generation, the choices we make about how we age is imperative to ensure continued health of our planet.

    While we have been viewed as a selfish generation by some, we can change that attitude by stepping up and making better decisions to live more sustainably.

    For ages, the two most common practices of green living are to:

    Reduce, reuse and recycle

    Save Energy

    There are so many more ways to live green.  These choices methods and their interconnection to each other are crucial for our own health, our quality of living and the health of the planet.

    Some other ways to live green are:

    Living in a green home

    Using non toxic products

    Eating low on the food chain

    Shopping responsibly

    Green remodeling

    Being a responsible traveler

    Getting involved

    It takes a commitment and focus to change habits which have existed for a long time.  But we know with government intervention we can change. One recent example is the use of re-usable shopping bags. It may have taken awhile to remember to carry our own bags but we got there.

    The question is: what will it take for each of us to choose alternative green living techniques on our own rather than what for the government to choose for us?

    I will continue to write about simple changes we can choose to “Make a difference for our planet.”