One of the things that I think is really important is sustainability. In all areas of life - we cannot go on as we have been going, that much is clear. An often quoted statistic is that if everyone on Earth lived the same way as Americans (or Australians), we would need something like 3 (or 5) extra habitable planets to support all of us. I forget the exact number given - but I'll look it up and update it. In the lack of any handy life-supporting planets around (other than this one we live on), the only option is to reduce our impact on the world.
Where to start? I get discouraged sometimes - that with so much to be done - how can I, just one person, make a difference. But such thinking can only hinder my ability to help so I try to get over it quickly when it happens. Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Gandhi - how much poorer would this world be, if they had thought that one person wouldn't be able to make a difference?
I think what is needed most is an attitude shift. A pretty major one, to be honest. This culture we live in encourages wastefulness. I'm starting to see the start of a shift. There is more and more information in the media about sustainability, climate change, local food options, etc than ever before. Mainstream media is catching on, no longer are these topics only written about in Nova or Living Now style publications. It's encouraging, but will it be enough? Only time will tell...
I have to log off now but in future posts I'll get down to some of the specifics - exposing my lifestyle for scrutiny on how green (or un-green) it is and profiling green local businesses that I want to encourage support for. Ultimately I'd like to set a website - specific to green options in Perth. There's lots of great information out there but I haven't (yet) seen anything like what I want to do.
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