ALL the lights are on, but...

Is any body out there? Is any body home?

Does any body else think about/worry about our world? I have to admit, I do. A lot. And not just politically, although, that is also a nail biter for me.

I don't talk about it much, but I am always thinking about the physical part of the earth I enjoy so much.

Every time I hear of some funky weather phenomenon, of some chemical accident, of some area being cleared of large trees for more ridiculously large homes, of some wasteful industry practice, I cringe. Information like that presented on the Gore movie makes me upset almost to the point of tears. I am not kidding. I feel physically upset by it.

It is so frustrating to feel like I care, and many times, don't feel like I can do much to make an impact. Yeah, we use a more efficient thermostat in our house, we recycle, we wash and reuse Ziploc bags, we use earth friendly dish detergent, we use heat conserving blinds, we (or husband at least) uses the compact fluorescent light bulbs, and of course we drive our little Honda Civics around.

But what are we really doing? We are still driving, we are still buying stuff, we are still cutting down trees. I still use a ton of electricity while typing on my nice little computer. I still make a lot of trash. I still buy things from Target and other big box stores at times. I still use a lot of water while reveling in the warmth of the shower in the morning. I still will use horrible chemicals if I have to, to get stains out, etc. Ironically, it is the Christmas season that reminds me of a lot of this waste. All the packaging- why do we need all of that plastic? Where does it all go?

A long-time friend of mine, M.K., posted about this today and I was relieved to find someone else thinking about it. I felt the same way when friend S.H. challenged us to an energy challenge recently. I think one of the hardest things about this crisis, is feeling like many people aren't even aware of it, and no one is doing anything about it.

It feels like the elephant in the room that is going to kill us, because people can't seem to get around to focusing on how they are feeding that elephant. Meanwhile it is getting bigger and bigger...

I have to remind myself that really maybe there are just a lot of people out there like me. Really caring about the beautiful spaces they enjoy and live for, but not really knowing how to change this society of ours.

The point is, we really need to start talking. We need to start solving some of these problems, because really it is up to us. No one else is going to drive up in a sparkling brand new SUV and save us from the hard work of it all.