Silent Spring

While it is important to talk about conservation, consumption and the going green movement, it is also essential to look at where the movement came from. People such as Henry David Thoreau who document a spiritual connection to nature and John Muir who create organizations dedicated to preserving this connection. Many claim that one particular woman is credited with sparking the environmental movement, Rachel Carson.

In 1962, Rachel Carson wrote a book called Silent Spring. It details the harmful effects toxins have on wildlife, particularly birds, and how pesticides are not only killing animals but also humans. Silent Spring shook America when President John F Kennedy validated her findings by having his Science Advisory Committee look at the pesticide industry.

Carson’s book was revolutionary. It took an unheard of issue and revealed the horror contained within. Since this publication, the world has been aware of the harmful effects of pesticides and has tried to work to minimize them.

All of this just because of one book. This goes to show that not every movement needs to start with trumpets and fanfare. Carson saw a problem and solved it the only way she knew how; writing. This isn’t to say you need to go out and write a book on every environmental issue you’re passionate about. It does mean, however, that you can make a difference. Find an outlet you excel in and apply it to saving the environment. If you work hard enough at it, it may just make all the difference in the world. 

Click here to buy Silent Spring

It's Not That Hard To Be Green

When people talk about going green, everyone always assumes that it takes a lot of effort and money and requires major lifestyle changes in order to make a difference.  This is not true.  There are many little things that you can make adjustments to in your everyday life that are at little cost to you but are at great value to the environment.  We are going to explore a few of these adjustments that you could make that would change the saying, "its not that easy being green" to "its not hard to be green."

A one time switch that can be made is using fluorescent light bulbs.  The bulbs that you are currently using are going to run out sometime and when you go to the store, walk past the incandescent bulbs and go for the more energy efficient ones. It's as simple as that.

When you are driving, make sure you always follow the speed limit.  You use less gas when you are driving slow.  Not only does driving slower help you save the planet, but it also helps you to save yourself from getting in trouble with the law, so its a win win situation.

When using energy guzzling appliances such as the dishwasher or the washer or dryer, make sure they are full before running them.  Not only does this make sure that you are not using double the amount of energy but it also prevents you from having to waste your time unloading the dishwasher twice or folding laundry twice.  This simple change allows you to save time while saving the planet!

Plant trees in your backyard.  Not only will planting trees help put more oxygen back into the environment, but when it grows, it will also give you a shady place to relax under during those hot summer days.

For more simple ways that you can save the planet, visit http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080109111927.htm.  Remember every little thing you do counts in the effort to improve the environment we live in!

Eternal Expectation Creates Current Contentment

I don't mean to talk about different religious views on life after death or how to get there because that is not the purpose of this blog, but I have to notice that people with a certainty of life after death (usually eternal in a new, better, maybe even perfect place) live a more content life now and are willing to sacrifice more now in light of that future belief.  Now, I also do not advocate coming to a conclusion about life after death or deity by this means--no one should come to believe something regarding these for the purpose of treating the earth better, but it remains true that such an attitude will be a response.  Let me start with a story of sorts:

I visited a jail yesterday morning, and I have visited countries such as Laos, Thailand and Mexico where people have far less than my twenty year old friends on Elon's campus.  But some of those prisoners and Laocians are eternally more content with their life because of their belief in God.  It makes me notice how much my friends, even in their abundance, complain.

They pay thousands on thousands of dollars to attend college, get textbooks put together over years of research by multiple people, attend classes taught by instructors who have studied the material years beyond their own, and they complain about grades, homework, and the teacher being a little boring.

They have shoes to cover their feet, different kinds of shoes for different purposes, all kinds of clothing to match and suit their style, different clothes for each season, and they complain that the weather is too cold or raining.

They have access to a wide variety of food, nutritional facts to maintain a healthy body, dining halls that have the food prepared for them, kitchen areas in most dorms, and they complain about the chicken in Colonades (a dining hall) being too bland.

Many of them have cars to drive to any nearby store when they need something and the convenience of gas stations compared to biking, walking, determining their schedule on public transportation, or relying on a friend's free time to drive (or not having the convenience stores with everything under the sun), and they complain about other drivers slowing them down.

They've had doctors to prevent their teeth from rotting and discoloring, showers to clean themselves every morning, hair products, contacts to cover up failing eyesight, surgeries to heal broken bones, access to all kinds of fitness and activities, cell phones to make plans within seconds and keep in contact with long-distance friends, laptops to do just about everything you can imagine, but still I see people walking around sad, upset, discontent, easily angered, and even depressed.

All the stuff I've listed is just stuff and I haven't touched on relationships (of which I don't think I even need to explain the complexness).

Anyway, the point: even in the midst of incredibly good things, people are never content and happy all the time because they expect perfection (just like we expect people to do the "right" thing and don't thank them every time they do not do the wrong thing).

Maybe we expect perfection because we were made for perfection, but we've gotten in the way.  Maybe our bodies and the earth slowly decay because we need a new earth and new bodies that won't fade.  That's when the people content in this life say that this happens after this life.  Like I said at the beginning, I will not discuss any beliefs on how to get to this eternal life or a God/gods role in this, but it makes me wonder--so I figured it might make you wonder.  Coming to a conclusion on these things will affect our relationship to the earth and how we treat it.  Think about it.

Finish Your Plate

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American household spends $7,000 on food annually. The Department of Agriculture estimates that at least 25% of this food is wasted.  Here's a handful of helpful tips to avoid the waste of food when it seems like we have so much that a little waste does not matter--because we want to keep a global perspective.
Have a plan when you go grocery shopping.  Impulse buying usually leads to unneeded extra food or uneaten food, plus a larger dent in your wallet.
That also means it would helpful to plan meals out during the week as much as possible.  America helps their people out by having all the nutrition facts on our food, so you could even plan eating healthier by planning these out (the problem then lies in the momentary desires when I want some chips or ice cream, but those can be fought or replaced with other snacks).
Eating the same meal multiple times a week would allow you to buy in bulk, which is usually cheaper.  Sometimes bulk is the only way you can buy, and this way you would not have extras laying around in the back of cupboards.
Cutting down fast food is always a plus.  When you go out to eat, consider sharing dishes.  If you are on a date, it could be romantic.  If you are a group of four friends, maybe order three dishes and share them family style (because sometimes one plate is just a little too much for each person), especially if the restaurant is Chinese--they dish out a lot of chicken.


The competition of the will for doing all this is time because while this will potentially improve health and decrease waisted food and driving time, the planning behind all this will take more time organizing and then cooking the food yourself.  It will come down to what you value most in each season of your life and what your resources allow you to do.  Consider the pros and cons of each decision but know that there will always be both with every decision.

Digging Below the Surface to "Why"

I've decided to take a break from the statistics and engage more in the heart and mind behind many of the problems regarding our treatment of the earth.  The choices we make concerning consuming and disposing are not simply "what"--that is, what we do--but behind the "what" is always a "why"--why I chose to buy something, throw something away.  I don't know how many times in my life I grabbed a candy bar in the check-out line at a store simply because it was there, it tastes good, and I have the money to buy it.  I know that I own many t-shirts I do not need.  But if I continue on this trail, I would find that I technically could survive on so little that it's hard to even imagine, and I do not need to resist good gifts like laptops, laundry machines, a college education, and the list goes on.  I believe the heart lies even behind these things to the way I value and use all these gifts.  Here's the tricky part: my benefit to others and to the earth comes from a selfless view of my life, and my harm to others and the earth comes when I indulge my gifts too much simply because I want to and I can.  I say that's tricky because I do not wake up in the morning excited to sacrifice things I want for the benefit others, and why would I?  Well, I have to believe that a desire to value the earth (and thus, those living on it) must come from some view bigger than that in and of itself, because I only see three conclusions for the person who gives their life to helping the earth just for the sake of helping the earth:

1. They worship the earth to the extent of making it a god--because a person only gives their life to something if they believe that thing is worthy of their life and time and effort.

2. They begin doing all their work for the sake of other people seeing all the "good work" they have done, making their motivation actually the exaltation of themselves (not the earth).

3. They get discouraged because no matter how hard people work, we cannot stop the slow decay of the earth--only slow it down, just like the human life.  We can supplement our bodies with vitamins, make unbelievable medical discoveries, discourage harm from one human to another, live in a safe community, eat healthy food, exercise daily and wash our hands all the time, but the death rate for human beings since the beginning of history still remains 100%.

Often times the realization of #3 can crush the dreams of the people working for #1 because no one wants to worship (work for, give value to) something that will inevitably fail.  So, I challenge whoever you are to check your motives--because it is a good desire to help the earth and those living in it, so why then do I buy a candy bar simply because I have the means and want it (because I sure don't need it).  That money could go toward helping another.  We have an intrinsic desire to serve ourself, but also the conscience to know that serving others is a good thing.  I would have no reason to believe that unless I had a connection to everyone else, more than a surface level similarity.  I challenge you to consider a singular Creator, giving a greater purpose for good treatment of the earth and others--but that subject, also, is hardly scratching the surface (and not meant for this blog).  But, regardless of all this talk, do not disregard analyzing the "why" behind your consuming and spending.

Earth Week?

As we all know, Earth Day has just been celebrated. It is the best time of year for this holiday to be celebrated because, let's be honest... Spring, especially at Elon University is the best and most beautiful time of the year. The main purpose of Earth Day (which might as well be referred to as Earth Week because there are activities all week) is to increase awareness of the conditions of Earth and to spread awareness on how we impact the Earth in which we live in. If schools all over the nation can spread awareness and participate in events to benefit the environment, then it is clear how easy it is for just one person to do things to help as well. There are many simple things that an individual can do that in the long run, can help the environment in which we live in by multitudes.

1. Pay attention to how much water you use. When you brush your teeth, turn off the faucet while you are doing the actual brushing. Is there any purpose to leave the water running? NO! Limit the length of your shower. Play a game with yourself and see how fast you can get clean. And we all know the saying "if it's yellow let it mellow; if it's brown flush it down"!
2. Walk, run, bike! If we leave our cars at home for 2 days every week, each individual will decrease green house gas emissions by 1,590 pounds every year! You are also at the same time, being healthier and more active.
3. Recycle, Reuse, Recycle. If we recycle then it will cut down the amount of resources that are used to make more products. Using products that are reused results in less waste. When it comes to buying products, choose the one with the least packaging. Using recyclable products for a year would be equivalent to taking 400 cars off of the roads.
4. Compost. If we reduce the amount of waste we produce, then it will decrease the amount of solid waste  we use, then it will take up less space in landfills. It also makes a very good natural fertilizer. Killing 2 birds with 1 stone!

Be the change!

Clothes, Clothes and More Clothes

Clothes are an essential part of life, there is no disputing that fact. However, our society takes it to a new extreme. Fashion magazines are around every corner and shows like Project Runway take up a considerable chunk of TV time. It’s bigger news if a celebrity commits fashion suicide than the political turmoil on the other side of the world. Stores like H&M and Forever 21 make it easy and cheap to buy new clothing on a whim.

It is completely unnecessary to have such a focus on clothing. But what is even more wasteful is the clothing that sits unworn in the back of your closet. There are so many opportunities to put these unwanted or unused clothing to good use.

Quite obviously, you can donate your clothes to organizations such as Goodwill and Salvation Army. These places will sell the clothing at low prices for people who can’t afford to peruse the mall storefronts for a new outfit. If you have a younger sibling or other relative who would wear the clothing, give it to them. It lightens up your closet and allows the garment to fulfill its purpose.

Recently, Elon participated in the Cinderella project. High school girls who couldn’t afford a prom dress were bused to Elon and thanks to donated formal dresses, were able to pick out a dress for free to wear to their prom. This is a fantastic idea, after all how many times are you going to wear your prom dress after the event? Why not donate it to help out someone who can’t afford it?

It will take time to change society from a materialistic one to a minimalistic one. However, there are actions you can take to keep from wasting products such as clothing. Next time you have a chance, take a look in your closet and see just what you need and what you can put to a better use.