I was annoyed and now I’m pissed!!

Last year my husband organized a community clean up that took place right around Earth Day.
Although community turn out wasn’t great, the local elementary school got involved and several tons of trash were collected. Including items like tires and wooden pallets…those kids worked hard!
I was amazed, no shocked, at how much garbage there was in our small community.
I was annoyed with the idea that most of what we were picking up was probably thrown out the windows of people driving through the area, not giving it a second thought.
AND that in a short period of time, there would be more……

This year, there wasn’t as much as last year but there was still quite a bit in the short area that I covered.
I ran out of arms to carry everything since I had Kevin with me. And although he was enjoying the more leisurely pace, more sniffing time for him, I found myself getting angry.

I ended up leaving a trail of garbage along the side of the road that I meant to go back and pick up the next day. Two days later, it was still there. No one had picked it up…..not that I had expected that, but the thought had crossed my mind. There is a fair bit of traffic on the street.

Seriously, do I like wading into the ditch picking up dirty diapers, candy wrappers, half eaten chicken dinners, bags of frozen fries and hundreds of cigarette buts?
Definitely not….but the more pressing question is why do I have to?
Why are we, as a society, being such poor stewards of the Earth?
Why do we only honor our planet on Earth Day?
Why aren’t we ALL doing more?
More then posting a cute graphic on our favourite social media platform?

So many questions feeding the urgency I feel.
The urgency that is facing our species and yet no one is talking about it. Not in our daily lives. Or maybe we’re talking about it but not doing anything about it because lets face it, it’s uncomfortable.
Maybe like me, you’re annoyed at how little people seem to be thinking about these things.
Or maybe you’re unsure how the little things you’ve done will help.

I believe everything we do helps.
I believe it all adds up…I believe we can do more.
I have to believe….

So in the last month we’ve made additional changes, small changes, easy changes.

-No more baths….and I love a good soak. Next time you shower, plug the tub and you’ll see how much water you use in comparison to a bath. It’s CRAZY!!!
-Turn the water off while brushing your teeth, so simple.
-Don’t use your clothes dryer. Yes, hanging clothes out takes more time but think about it…you’re also getting some natural movement in there as well.
-Switch to a laundry soap with less packaging! We’ve been using a super concentrated product from Young Living that we dilute. So more loads with less. I’ve gone one step further with Eco-strips, less to truck around and no plastic jug! I’m still researching these as I ordered them from Tru Earth, a company in BC. They are a subscription, so I’ll be getting a monthly shipment from them unless I cancel. After the fact, I found them on Amazon, in a larger box, and they’re cheaper…..so ..more to think about.
-Ditch the single use plastic. We bought beeswax wraps to use instead and they’re awesome. Plus they’re made locally and donate a portion of each sale to a local non profit.
-We’re trying, and I say trying because it’s harder then you would think, to unplug our technology when not in use. So chargers, computers and the TV.
-Don’t wait until Earth Day to pick up around your neighborhood……and definitely don’t wait for someone else to do it. You’re out walking anyway, or you should be (more natural movement).

The interesting thing for me is the parallel between how we’re treating the planet and how most of us treat our bodies; very badly.
And yet we can’t live without either.
Think about it…..

What are you doing for the planet?
For your health?

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