{"id":25777,"date":"2011-03-25T20:27:12","date_gmt":"2011-03-26T00:27:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/25777\/4-ways-counterbalance-japans-catastrophe\/"},"modified":"2011-03-25T20:27:12","modified_gmt":"2011-03-26T00:27:12","slug":"4-ways-counterbalance-japans-catastrophe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/25777\/4-ways-counterbalance-japans-catastrophe\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Ways To Counterbalance Japan\u2019s Catastrophe"},"content":{"rendered":"


AfSD\u2122(ADVOCATE FOR SAVING DOGS\u2122)<\/a>
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Advocate for Saving Dogs\u2122 on Facebook<\/a>
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4 Ways To Counterbalance Japan\u2019s Catastrophe<\/h4>\n

posted by Lauren,<\/a>
 selected from Owning Pink<\/a>
Mar 25, 2011<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
By Monica Wilcox<\/strong><\/div>\n
I\u2019m beyond fear, beyond anger, I\u2019m downright seething.<\/div>\n
It\u2019s not that quick, knock-the-bowl-off-the-counter kind \u2014 but the
\nslow, drawn out, meltdown kind of livid. I want to know who was cocky
\nenough to build nuclear power plants ON the Ring of Fire (there are a few beauties<\/u><\/a>
\n in California too). I\u2019m angry that I\u2019m supposed to feel reassured that
\n this radioactive disaster is not in my backyard. We are in a locked
\nbiological system! Despite no immediate health threats on our home turf<\/a>,
\n Japan\u2019s nuclear mess is our mess. As I watch the deterioration of
\nmultiple nuclear reactors from the comfort of my 70 degree, well-lit
\nhome, I\u2019m curious: how long do Americans plan to continue on with the
\nenvironmental status quo?<\/div>\n
10 Riskiest Nuclear Power Plants in the U.S.<\/a><\/div>\n
I\u2019m irate because I know the answer to that question: when it becomes good and damn unprofitable.<\/div>\n
Let\u2019s Be Honest About This Green Thing<\/strong><\/div>\n
The truth is most people don\u2019t want to be held personally responsible
\n for our environment. I grew up with a man who considered himself a
\nconversationalist, but was, truly, one of those early environmentalists.
\n I watched my father dedicate his adult life to protecting Wyoming\u2019s
\nland and water. I played at the back of town hall meetings as he argued
\n with farmers who were over-irrigating the Colorado River, and meetings
\n with coal mining companies who were carving huge pock marks out of the
\n land. His cause, the protection of our natural resources, was extremely
\n unpopular through all of the \u201970s, \u201980s and into the \u201990s. He was \u201cthe
\n Tree-Hugger,\u201d \u201cthe Granola,\u201d the \u201cSierra Club<\/u><\/a> Kook.\u201d<\/div>\n
Honestly, his cause was not even appreciated in his own household:
\ndon\u2019t pollute, six inch deep baths, a home never heated above 64
\ndegrees, panels of insulation we\u2019d have to pull off the windows if we
\nwanted to see outside. I gave a hoot, alright \u2014 a hoot about getting a
\nshower more than three minutes long. It was\u2026uncomfortable and
\ninconvenient. My childhood was a firsthand account of why many Americans
\n are not very good with uncomfortable and inconvenient. I get it.<\/div>\n
I also understand how overwhelming the \u201cenvironmental issue\u201d is. How can I slow the devastation of the Amazon rainforest<\/u><\/a>? How am I supposed to save the turtles, frogs, bees, lodge pole pines<\/u><\/a>,
\n dolphins, sharks, and the manatee? Environmental experts are asking me
\n to believe that recycling plastic and eating less beef is going to
\nsave the polar bear population? How can a 41 year-old gal have any
\nimpact on a planet that\u2019s capable of creating a 24 foot wave in a
\nmatter of minutes?<\/div>\n
Are You Ready To Talk Green?<\/strong><\/div>\n
For 30 years we\u2019ve watched the environmental movement push their case
\n but I feel they made a critical error: much of it was done in fear,
\nnot love. Can we blame them? If you believed your house was
\ndeteriorating around you, wouldn\u2019t you be damn scared? And fear always
\ndraws attention \u2014 but it can also make people feel defensive,
\npowerless, and turned off. A wall of public opinion built up against my
\n father and the environmental movement. I watched him justify our clean
\n water, trees to build our homes, mature forests to clean our air \u2014 but
\n people didn\u2019t want to HEAR their choices were destroying this planet.
\nSo they turned away to check out all the bells and whistles on the
\nlatest Smartphone.<\/div>\n
So I\u2019m confused.<\/strong><\/div>\n
How can we approach the subject of massive social change toward our
\nenergy consumption without turning off the majority? Because this is a
\nfantastically abysmal time to take proactive steps. Between the Gulf oil
\n incident, the increase<\/u><\/a>
\n in our dependence on oil, and now the breakdown of these nuclear
\nreactors, I think it\u2019s fair to say we\u2019ve done an abysmal job caring for
\n the planet over the last year. In fact, I\u2019m going to take a green leap
\n and label our energy system as barbaric. Yes, barbaric! As in slavery
\nwas barbaric to humanity; our energy systems are barbaric to this
\nplanet.<\/div>\n
Can we afford to make unconscious energy mistakes anymore? Why are
\nthey building oil wells so deep in the ocean they can\u2019t reach the
\nshut-off valve? Why wasn\u2019t there a third shut-off valve for the second
\nshut-off valve for the first shut-off valve? Why wasn\u2019t there a back up
\n system for the back up water cooling system in these toxic structures?
\n Why are they building nuclear plants ON a coast line or a fault line?
\nAre they building them at the base of active volcanoes? How many toxic
\n \u201cincidents\u201d are we going to have before the survival of sea turtles
\nbecomes the least of our concerns?<\/div>\n
Can we finally, finally, admit that the human race is NOT capable of
\n building anything that Mother Nature cannot destroy? Consider her as
\nthe house in a Vegas casino: over time she\u2019s ALWAYS going to win.<\/div>\n
We Are The Demand<\/strong><\/div>\n
We are a species carrying iPads with a million applications but to
\ncreate family cars that get 50 MPG are beyond us. We\u2019re capable of massive LED screens that roll up like fabric<\/u><\/a>
\n but installing solar panels on every new home as a standard is just
\nnot feasible. I don\u2019t want to hear this crap anymore! The truth, the
\nabsolute truth, is in our homes and offices: our society is more
\ninterested in technology as entertainment than using it to create solid
\n energy solutions that coincide with Mother Nature.<\/div>\n
But this isn\u2019t about technology, it\u2019s about demand. Not from the World Wildlife Fund<\/u><\/a> or Greenpeace <\/u><\/a>or Al Gore<\/u><\/a>
\n \u2014 but as a total population. The status quo will not change until you
\nand I JUSTIFY it. We are the ones who will determine when our energy
\nsystem has become unprofitable, not Exxon.<\/div>\n
Do you think we are ready to take responsibility for our impact on
\nthis planet? The electricity we demand, the gas we demand, the water
\nand land, the food, the up-to-date electronics? Because WE are the
\ndemand! We are the demand.<\/div>\n
Be The Demand<\/strong><\/div>\n
If you\u2019re ready to do something proactive to counterbalance the tragedy in Japan and the Gulf, here are four powerful steps:<\/div>\n
Change Your Perception of Stuff<\/strong>. Every material
\nobject EQUATES to energy. My son sees a \u201cfree\u201d toy and thinks, \u201cNo
\nmoney? I\u2019ll take five of them.\u201d I have to explain to him that this
\nplastic toy has a money value and an energy value: the petroleum in the
\n plastic, the electricity to manufacture, the gas to haul it to this
\nstore, the electricity to light the store, the gas to haul it to the
\ndump, the land to hold it for the next 1,000 years. EVERYTHING has an
\nenergy cost. Even that delectable tomato you grew out of your own
\ngarden. Every time you buy, eat, use, dump a product, you are voting how
\n our resources are going to be used. So if your child isn\u2019t going to
\ntake the toy in his McDonald\u2019s meal out of the wrapper, have him request
\n that they keep it for someone else.<\/div>\n
Eliminate Unnecessary Energy Usage<\/strong>. Think about
\nthe average amount of time you use a water bottle: 30 minutes tops? And
\n maybe you are recycling them (better than the trash) but remember it
\ncosts energy to recycle that bottle. If it costs more energy to recycle
\n than the energy we will gain from reusing it\u2026 Obviously, the best
\nchoice would be one drinking container you reuse for years. My personal
\n favorite energy dilemma is the used paint brush. Which choice is the
\nleast energy taxing: chemicals to remove the paint from the brush (and
\nwhere do you deposit that paint thinner?), gallons of paint filled water
\n to clean it, or throwing the used brush in the trash? I buy the
\ncheapest wooden brush, keep it wet until I\u2019m done painting and then
\nthrow it in the trash. Not an easy decision. For more energy conscious
\nideas check out The Energy Guy<\/u><\/a>.<\/div>\n
Buy \u201cGreener\u201d products<\/strong>. I\u2019m not thrilled about
\nsupporting chicken farms whose chickens have never seen the sun. I spend
\n the extra money for eggs that come from open range chickens and I\u2019ve
\nfound a brand that isn\u2019t that much more than regular eggs at Costco.
\nChoose areas you are willing to demand greener products. If you\u2019re torn
\n between products, go for the \u201cgreener\u201d one. Not sure which one is
\ngreener? There\u2019s an app for that: Good Guide<\/u><\/a>.<\/div>\n
Take One Environmental Stand<\/strong>. What is your
\nabsolute favorite aspect of nature: bird watching, city parks, the
\nocean, the mountains, snakes? Find a group that supports this area and
\ngive YOUR energy to it. Environmental groups are making it incredibly
\neasy for your voice to be heard. Don\u2019t want another oil well drilled?
\nThere\u2019s a group working for that. Want to snorkel without mounds of
\ntrash floating by? There\u2019s a group working for that. Here are a few
\ngreat places to start:<\/div>\n
Union of Concerned Scientists-Citizens and Scientists for Environmental Solutions <\/u><\/a><\/div>\n
Oceana-Protecting the Worlds Oceans<\/u><\/a><\/div>\n
Sierra Club-Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet<\/u><\/a><\/div>\n
Earthjustice-Because the World Needs a Good Lawyer<\/u><\/a><\/div>\n
You and I are deciding right now how our energy is going to be used
\nand reused. The question is, are we ready to demand a change? Are you
\nready to go beyond \u201cthinking green\u201d to \u201cliving green\u201d? If so, how?
\nInspire the rest of us!<\/div>\n
* * *<\/div>\n
Monica Wilcox <\/a>is a blogger for Owning Pink <\/a>and co-founder of Femme Tales: Truth With Humor<\/a>. When not working on her novel, Monica is hiking and biking with her family in the Bay Area. <\/em><\/div>\n

<\/strong><\/div>\n

SOURCE<\/a><\/p>\n

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AfSD\u2122(ADVOCATE FOR SAVING DOGS\u2122)<\/a>
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Advocate for Saving Dogs\u2122 on Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/b>Please join me at Friendburst<\/font><\/a>
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<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

AfSD\u2122(ADVOCATE FOR SAVING DOGS\u2122) Facebook:Advocate for Saving Dogs\u2122 on Facebook 4 Ways To Counterbalance Japan\u2019s Catastrophe posted by Lauren, selected from Owning Pink Mar 25, 2011 By Monica Wilcox I\u2019m beyond fear, beyond anger, I\u2019m downright seething. It\u2019s not that quick, knock-the-bowl-off-the-counter kind \u2014 but the slow, drawn out, meltdown kind of livid. I want […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25777","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-other"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25777","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25777"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25777\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25777"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25777"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25777"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}