Let's NOT Talk About Global Warming

I'm sick of the so-called "debate" over global warming (which should more properly be called "global climate change"). We're doing it, we're not doing it, we're contributing to it, but not enough to make a difference, it's going to happen fast, it's going to happen slow, we can change it or we can't…

I received a forwarded e-mail today from a loved one containing a piece by the Weather Channel's chief meteorologist about how global warming is ending and we're about to start on a period of global cooling. I have to view this through the filter of the knowledge that this loved one is kind of a typical selfish, materialistic, Christian-when-it-suits-her, lazy, greedy American. (I love her, but hey – I've got to call it where I see it, you know? Ask another loved one of mine about the amount of shit that I've given him for voting for Bush, even after he proved himself to be a bad guy in 2004.)

So let's set global warming aside for a second, okay? Let's talk about the essentials rather than the excuses. Let's talk about the things that the greens are asking us to do and the reds are defying…

USE LESS PLASTIC. That's it. Buy less shit in plastic, and either get paper bags (most of which contain 60 to 70 per cent recycled material) or use reusable bags. They're cheap, typically less than a dollar each and MUCH stronger than either paper or plastic. And the plastic that you must use, recycle. It's not all that hard.

EAT LESS PROCESSED, SHIPPED FOOD – EAT MORE LOCAL, FRESH FOOD. Not only is this good for the planet, it's also good for you. Good for your body. When you buy a can of green beans in the store, almost all of the nutrients have been stripped from them. What has been put in their place? Salt – and a lot of it. When you eat "fresh" green beans that have been shipped from Mexico or Peru, they were picked so long ago that a lot of the nutrients have simply died and gone. When you buy green beans that were grown locally and picked day before yesterday at a local farmer's market, not only do they taste MUCH better, but all of the nutrients that we're supposed to get from them are still present. Not only is this good for the planet and good for you, it's also good for the local economy. Frankly, I'd rather do my best to make sure that local farmers and ranchers live comfortably than make the CEO of Del Monte even richer. And they, in turn, will reinvest that money in the local economy. See how that works?

DRIVE LESS – WALK MORE. How many young Americans have to die for oil before we've said "enough"? How many more terrorist attacks have to be perpetrated on our soil by Saudi citizens fed up with America's military support of their oppressive monarchy? That's right – not only is driving less good for the environment, it's also a step toward world peace. And, I might add, good for you. I love judge Andrew Napolitano's comment that while our democracy falls apart around us, we are content to graze in our couch-potato pastures. Here's a simple way to start getting away from your couch-potato pastures… make a commitment that anything that is less than a mile from where you live, you will walk rather than drive. Or ride a bike if you have one. The average human beings walks at the rate of three miles per hour. That means that you can walk a mile in twenty minutes. That's all. Twenty minutes. And for those of you who live in areas where there is NOTHING within a mile, start buying local… you may be able to change that. And if you start walking twenty or forty minutes a day you will notice a dramatic change in your health. Especially if you pair that with eating more fresh and less processed foods. You know that extra ten (or twenty or ninety) pounds that you've been carrying around that Atkins and the Zone and all of those other fad diets have done nothing to get rid off? Getting off of your ass will fix them.

So, now you've seen how much of a positive change these relatively simple things can have on your life and our economy even taking global warming entirely out of the equation. Now, if these changes do nothing for our environment, what have you lost? They certainly won't have a negative impact. If they have a positive impact, what have you gained?

Peace.

Randal