I know I’ve been a bit neglectful here over the past few days but its because I have been so busy! So much going on and I am in the midst of getting involved in/with a number of new projects and groups…a little crazy for me at the moment but just think, so much more for you all to read about!
Last Saturday I went to a conference held by a group called Peak Oil NYC (http://peakoilnyc.org/). The group’s mission is to educate the public on not only the damage that has been done to our environment and the fact that in our lifetime we will be OUT of affordable oil, but also to find ways that we can all change our daily habits to adjust to the inevitable switch we all MUST make away from oil and towards other sources of fuel.
The information I learned this weekend was overwhelming to me. To start, it changed a lot of my current opinions on oil and the enviorment (like, I now am thinking the rise in gas prices is a GOOD thing! Its WAKING US UP!). I walked home Saturday night feeling scared for the future given the current (not pending!) oil crisis, sad for what we have done to the planet, embarrassed by how wasteful I have been myself in 29 years (how many times have I left the house and left the lights on all day? Brushed my teeth and left the water running the whole time?). Yet I also felt hopeful - there ARE smart people out there working on solutions! And most of all I felt empowered – I can make a difference today. We all can.
I have been hesitant to blog about this too much at first because I don’t want to seem like I am getting on my soap box (who ME??), and I also didn’t want to seem like I was jumping on the Go Green bandwagon…but then I thought: Fuck it. I AM jumping on – and I hope everyone I know does too. I am not being dramatic when I say our future depends on it.
I am still figuring out who to best get the message out…it may be in the form of a new blog you can link to from here…still working on the details but for now I encourage everyone – not just New Yorkers – to go to the Peak Oil NYC website (http://peakoilnyc.org/) and read up on this crisis, educate yourselves, and find ways you can make a difference. Also, Vanity Fair actually has a great article on small changes we can all make to help out: (http://www.vanityfair.com/features/general/articles/060417fege09)
A few examples of simple things we can all do:
Turn OFF the lights when you leave a room
Unplug ipod or cell phone chargers from the wall – even when not in use they still use up energy
Get a big canvas bag for grocery shopping instead of plastic bags
Get your veggies at a local farmers market
Shop locally!
Recycle!
Small changes do matter, and we all can do something!
And keep checking back here for more ideas and links – as I learn more I will be passing it along!!
