This post was inspired by the ideas discussed in Michael Pollan’s 1991 work, Second Nature: A Gardener’s Education–a read that I found interesting in its entirety and would recommend to others.

 

Motivated by Pollan’s words as a guide, a correlational comparison can be drawn between the progression of early human evolution and the rate at which environmental destruction took place.

 

Those who could survive harsh winters, by means of sustaining a core body temperature, burned wood for fires. Those who were physically strong and mentally bright, used tools to hunt and kill for sustenance. Those who brought down nature for a means of shelter were the ones who survived. The aforementioned descriptions define the humans who we call our ancestors within our lineage.

 

As we come to a close of this 2017 year, I may ask, with the advent of centralized heating, ample available housing options, and innumerable and more eco-friendly and sustainable (in terms of resource efficient) food choices, we can surely separate ourselves from our ancestors in this way? Most of us are out of “survival mode” and now have a choice as to how to best spend our time.

 

“Only the strong survive” is a phrase at the core of Darwinism, or how we are all alive today. Those who were weak –weak minded, weak muscled, or unmotivated by primal instincts did not survive. I ask, at what point did these previously held theories that once sustained our evolution, come to cause our demise?

 

If the sun has always risen, the stars reliably in the sky, as long as there are trees to provide shade and mountain peaks in view, what more is there to worry about?

 

Well, speaking in our 2017 (and soon 2018) reality, we need to ask ourselves the serious questions. Personal frames of reference do not hold water against undeniable larger factors at play. How and why is heart disease our number one killer? Why are our forests on the edge of destruction? How are our waters polluted? Our air toxic? How have single choices been transformed into global-scaled shifts of devastation, so to speak?

 

If we are the ones who are carrying out the destruction of our resources and are not the ones actively trying to save them, then who else can we count on who will? How long can we make these viable resources last? How many forests are left? How many trees are left? How has the composition of the earth’s soil been compromised thus far? How poor can the air quality get? How many fish are left in the ocean? How far are we willing to compromise the quality of our water? What impact do these resources at their current state affect disease in humans? At what point, are we hitting a “rock bottom”? Who is (and would want) to stick around for a point of no-return?

 

We must reduce our evolutionary ingrained desires to “destroy in order to sustain” and “short-term survival tactics over long-term resource renewal”, and aim to protect these same elements that previously behooved us to destroy.

 

Now, I am not suggesting that everyone who owns a house, car, etc., to move to the forest and adorn loin cloths. I am suggesting that people have the power to make better choices every single day.

 

Most importantly and firstly, everyone has the power to choose what happens to their waste (trash) that they produce, by either recycling, composting, selling/donating, up-cycling, or throwing away. Secondly, people have the power to make the eco-friendlier choice when faced with present decisions, such as not buying cigarettes, not buying the items with excessive packaging (single serve granola bars and to-go coffee cups, for instance), carpooling or walking instead of driving (if possible), and bringing reusable bags to the store. Once put into practice, these aforementioned suggestions become no-brainers and even second nature actions. I always keep a few reusable bags in my car, just in case. Thirdly, people have the power to choose to make direct positive impacts on their immediate surrounding environment, such as planting a tree, maintaining a garden, maintaining a compost bin, and/or volunteering with an environmental group (if possible).

 

I think one of the major barriers, in addition to evolutionarily-fueled desires, is that some may feel individually powerless against today’s global-scale destruction. I urge you to consider that you do have the power to make the best choice (or better choice) with each and every day. Most importantly, there are power in numbers. People have the ability to union and work together towards a cause. Think about how the destruction started! Moreover, you also have the power to vote with your dollar.

 

The time is now. It is never too late to make an environmentally conscious choice. Turning off the lights saves electricity and money. Carpooling saves gasoline and money. (Are there any trends here?) Start small and work your way up towards larger scale decisions that have greater positive environmental impacts.

 

These aforementioned ideas are ways to lessen your carbon footprint immediately. Once you start making such choices, good vibes are sure to follow. Speaking of personal experience, living a life of intentional decision making is one of the most enlightening paths to follow.

 

You have the power. You have the choice. It is the consequences of your actions that impact yourself, others, and the planet. Don’t feel otherwise.

 

2018 is a new year. What do you have to say?

 

 

Some Future Goals of Mine for 2018 and Beyond;

• Rely on local/seasonal/organic produce (CSA, farmer’s markets),
• Continue Plant-based diet and Vegan lifestyle,
• Urge others to choose Veganism as the most sustainable option,
• Making steps towards and ultimately living as close to as Zero-Waste as possible,
• Volunteering regularly (as opposed to irregularly) to offset environmental impacts,
• Living without a car (?), Living without a microwave (?).

 

 

COMING SOON: Veganism and the Reduction of Environmental Impact.