World Population (Links to an external site.)

Wow!  We are in dire straits people!  After watching this video we should all have a better idea of just how fast we are outgrowing our planet.  And so far, it's the only one we have.  It seems we are at the eleventh hour of taking action to halt, or at least slow the process of mass overpopulation.  It's time we stop taking for granted our natural resources and abandon our reckless ways in which we manage them.  Our planetary "space" is not unlimited...our resources are not unlimited.  We need a revolutionary shift in attitude towards our prime real estate and we need it now.  Our children are depending on us!

In an effort to leave a softer carbon footprint, I'm actively working on a compost project for my family's garden in an effort to cut down on discarded kitchen waste.  I've vowed to put an end to "purchased" gifts when giving on special occasions (especially with Christmas coming up) and now focus on homemade, home grown, or gifts of my time...all of which require no bows or wrapping paper to add to our landfills.  I rely on reusable cloth bags when shopping to forfeit the need for wasteful paper bags.  I shop in second-hand or thrift stores whenever possible to reduce the cycle of manufacturing "new" products needlessly.

I will have a serious roundtable discussion with my children about their family planning ideas, the importance of population control and how it will directly affect them in the future, and the future of their own children.

What else can be done?  Anyone?  Gladly accepting new ideas for consideration...what will you do?

A Softer Carbon Footprint

The accumulation of excessive carbon dioxide gasses being released into the atmosphere is contributing to the “greenhouse effect”, or global warming, and the culprit behind the crisis is us…mankind.  We are systematically fashioning our own demise, slowly but surely, in spite of our intelligence and resourcefulness.  Our excessive use of fossil fuels (car emissions, factory pollution, and the production of electricity, etc.) is causing the buildup of gases being released into the atmosphere, trapping the heat and causing a steady rise in our temperatures, both atmospherically and in our oceanic waters.

To reduce our carbon footprint we need a dire shift in attitude towards the way we view our planet.  We can no longer treat our earth as if it offers an infinite supply of natural resources.  We need to take a serious look at population control.  We need to reduce our spending and consumption in order to bring some balance back to an inflated economy.  We need to compost more and waste less.  We need to learn to commune with our natural environment, not attempt to conquer it.  We need to learn the value of every living organism, including the ones we might consider “pests” when in actuality they are a powerful and vital part of our ecosystem.  We need to teach our children how to unlearn so many of the detrimental and destructive systems and practices we’ve established, all in the name of “progress”.    

"Consciousness Runs Deep"

1.  Regarding the title of the video, I liked the analogy between our consciousness that runs deep and the video images centering around a body of water/lake and how they are connected.  The rap-style song proclaiming the relationship between our ethical views or practices and ecology was powerful and thought provoking.  Even more thought provoking than the title was the opening quote inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, "What we are doing to the rivers of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and future generations".

2.  My personal 'ethical' statement and Land Ethic for the environment and what I'm willing to do is reflected in my blog name: Walking Softly, which is what I intend to continue doing for my part in honoring and preserving our environment...leaving a softer carbon footprint whenever possible.  Specifically, I will work on converting food waste to compost for my family's garden and I will continue to give "green" gifts on special occasions, i.e. gifts of myself and my time rather than material or manufactured items.

3.  walkingsoftlyblog.blogspot.com