30 Day Challenge - Day 8

•Day 08 — A photo that makes you angry/sad ( wrote most of this on the 8th day but posted on the 9th)

Ok,I am going to get on my environmental soap box for this one.

Photos that make me sad usually have something to do with misuse of the Earth by humankind. Ignorance is bliss simply doesn't cut it for me anymore.

Things I find worrisome... toxic chemicals in our toys, our furniture, our clothes, our cleaning products, our personal care products, our canned foods, our foods that aren't grown in a sustainable way with less invasive herbicides, pesticides, etc. All these things go into our systems and viola... high rates of cancer and other illnesses popping up everywhere.

http://www.seql.org/100ways.cfm

Then there is our need to consume... gasoline, electronics, plastic and things covered with plastic, Styrofoam and think not a minute about what the consequences are of this petroleum based need.... that is until there is an Exxon Valdez or a Deepwater Horizon... or some unrest in the Middle East as people fight for the FREEDOMS we take for granted here. It is frustrating to me that we just discard things when they appear to stop working instead of repairing thing. It is also frustrating that things simply aren't built to last as long as they used to.

We need to do a better job as consumers to educate ourselves. To work to reduce our footprints, to plant gardens or buy local, to buy in bulk with less packaging, to recycle and compost, to buy quality products that will last longer and take care of those thing (cars, electronics, etc.) to reduce the demand on new development of products. We need to do a better job of understanding what we are putting on or in our bodies to reduce contact with toxic substances, etc... etc... etc...

Mother Earth does the best she can to take care of our messes. We love our stuff and probably would struggle to do with out plastics, paper, shampoo, food, etc... but I guess my point here is we need to hold companies responsible for their actions, demand better options, look at the finical and ETHICAL ramifications of our actions. If we continue to blunder through and not be accountable for our action on the Earth there won't be anything left for future generations except an ugly mess like what I show in the photos.

Ok, stepping off my soap box. Take my thoughts or leave them...