Where to start?

During the last few, very bitterly, cold months I have been slowing coming to a sad realization that I HAVE to change the way that I live. What's going on in the world & TO the world is despicable especially in regards to the way that we live as a species. I had always thought I was doing my part by throwing trash in public trash cans, using the recycle cans whenever I could, being informed about the way we live, but it was apparent that I was very, very, delusional.

I always thought that being concerned about the environment was for hippies, hipsters, or misfits that were just looking for a place/group to belong. (Again, so very delusional!) If I could pinpoint a time my thinking changed, I can't. I can pinpoint a general time frame I became more conscious of what was actually happening; was January 25, 2007. The only reason I remember this is because I wrote on my my-space page about it. The one & only thing I ever wrote on it. (Scroll to the bottom for the tirade) The night before, I was scrolling thru On-demand feature of my cable box to find something to watch that I hadn't already seen. When my partner suggested we watch "Who Killed The Electric Car?" a documentary. We did & I became very pissed off!!! If you've seen it you know what I am talking about. Here was the answer to the oil problem & I dare you to just guess who killed the project? I am not giving you the answer I'll let you investigate that for yourself. The documentary is still on On-Demand.

Anyway, from that point on I have been searching, investigating, watching anything & everything I can on the environment, alternative energy, sustainable building, recycling, etc. I've searched for local groups, people, organizations, inventors, people who are thinking non-traditionally to change our world. I've found lots of cool info, websites, & people, but nothing really locally. In my quest to live a better, greener life, I have a lot a passion to do something, but don't know where to begin. I have my own plans for my house, my wish list of renovations (which isn't so practical for us money wise) different projects, organic gardening, etc. I have already changed all the light bulbs to those efficient fluorescent bulbs, that turn out aren't so green after all but still necessary. I will post of a list of my goals that I want to accomplish with progress to them. As well as my search for all-things green. I have made the commitment to use my bike more often. In fact I just bought an electric bike or ebike to replace my car wherever I can, very cool & affordable. It's due to arrive either today or tomorrow. I've sold my big honkin' SUV, we already have a VW Diesel Bug so that will get us around. Gas price outrageous for it but it gets 50-60 mpg so that is good. So if we need to go further outside the city we can. Our next stop is the ECO Festival in Druid Hill Lake Park. I am hoping to meet some new people who share these passions, as well as find some direction to more local groups to feed my current obsession. We'll share whatever we can with you here. Until then...B-More Green!!

fight greenwash

Question everything, people! Accept nothing! There's a war going on and we're losing and it's time we step up. And let's not just talk about it and complain and wait around for the problem to get taken care of by somebody else. Never going to happen. I'm tired of the way things are and the time for action is now. Investigate, get informed, and do something. This is our country, our planet, & our lives i'm talking about and if they want a fight we're going to give them one.
Let's start with greenwash- corporations jumping on the "green" bandwagon in hopes of more record breaking profits. Who's guilty? All of them! From oil & coal companies with their pretty commercials showing canyons & flowers & clean water saying "we supply your power and that's something to celebrate" and "we're researching clean energy" to chemical companies coming out with "all natural" cleaning products neatly packaged in plastic bottles made using petroleum and shipped using even more petroleum that's really only 99% natural, and of course that last 1% is only the most toxic of substances out there! Or how about those energy saving lightbulbs I was conned into buying that really don't last 7 years and turns out contain mercury and made in a factory in China where the workers were never warned about the potential health risk and go to work everyday with numb bodies from mercury exposure, all to make a few cents in pay per day. Even though i'm on a roll, i'll stop here and save something for the next post.
My point is look closer people, stop accepting what you're told. And when people ridicule you and call you treehugger or hippie or activist; as if those are bad, shameful words; laugh back at them and then start screaming until your point of view is heard. And for god sake, stop buying the useless mass-marketed poisoned shit!