The Winds of Change

Can you hear that slight gurgling noise? That's the sound of the most recent environmental catastrophe/disaster/fiasco that we human's have inflicted upon this planet. Yep, thousands of litres of crude oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico. For almost a month now the fruits of our industry have been polluting the waters of the gulf and every attempt to fix the problem has so far failed. Beginning with lobbyists who convinced the government that there was no issue when it came to blowouts on wells in the gulf, to the ridiculous plans to fix a rapidly growing environmental nightmare, I'm beginning to wonder if this oil company has ever dealt with oil wells before. The question is now becoming, not what can we do to stop this problem, but who can we blame.

If this oil leak doesn't spur us on to look for alternative sources of fuel and energy there is something wrong. It's not like we have no other options when it comes to this. What about solar energy? Why not take some money and focus our efforts on equipping every home with a solar panel or two to help reduce the need for reliance on fossil fuel for heating and electricity? What about wind farms? Why not put some money into developing more efficient ways to harness the power of the wind? Use that to further reduce the need for coal burning power plants. It will undoubtedly take time and money, but if we don't start calling for major changes and soon, things can only get worse.

We all give lip service to the whole 'green living' thing, but we really don't care. If we did we would have mandatory composting and recycling and would have a maximum number of allowable garbage bags on the curb per week. Anything over that number and we pay for it. Watch how fast your household waste diminishes when you begin to pay for all those items you throw out that should be sent to a recycling centre or put in the compost bin.

If we really cared we would all be driving the smallest vehicle we could based on need. There would be very few SUVs on the road. When I was in town the other day, I saw a woman parking a huge truck that was proudly emblazoned with a 'V12 Engine' badge. Why on earth does anyone need a huge truck to go get groceries and pay the bills? I like driving as much as anyone, but do we really pay what we should for gasoline? Do you really think that $1.03 a litre is the real cost of producing gasoline? What if we add in the money spent on cleaning up the Exxon Valdez spill and the Ocean Ranger, the Great Barrier Reef and now the Gulf of Mexico? How much is that litre of gas now?

If we really cared we would buy what fruits and vegetables were in season at the grocery store and based on where they came from. If we had to pay for things based on how far they travelled from where they grow to the grocery store shelf would you really need that pineapple? Last I checked, strawberries don't grow well in Canada in January. When was the last time you went out for a walk saw a mango tree? Kiwis grow where?

We need to start calling for smarter design in our appliances so that they are more energy efficient. We need to start building houses and buildings with an eye to making them as efficient as possible so as to waste as little energy as possible. We need to start telling our politicians that where we live (the planet Earth) is important to us. Until we do -- change will never happen.

When it comes to answering the question of who to blame, we need only to look in the mirror. If we don't make changes in how we live and soon, we soon won't have anywhere to live.