When the explorers first saw North America, they were struck by the vastness of nature. It was ripe for plunder, and because of its size and because of its relatively small population, they thought it would stay pristine forever.
I don’t know about you, but I was taught that you cleaned up after yourself. Even as a young child, I wondered where trash went, and what would happen when we filled all the holes and gullies with the stuff we didn’t want. My parents lived through times of great want, both before and after the war. They and all those who lived through times of deprivation kept and reused whatever they had. Little was thrown away.
Then we had the Industrial Revolution, which brought untold environmental damage. However, if you didn’t live in grimy cities, you could still look out over woods and streams and feel one with nature. You can still do that today, especially in rural areas, like the Lake of the Ozarks, where I live. What you don’t see can’t hurt you, right?
Let’s go through a short scenario in daily life. Pay attention to the questions.
Okay, it’s morning and you wake up. You hit the annoying alarm clock and lie in bed for a while. Your sheets are in a bunch, so you notice them first. What are they made of? Are they polyester, made from petroleum products? Are they cotton, made from the most heavily sprayed agricultural crop in the U.S.? What color are they? If white, were they bleached with chlorine?
The same goes for your sleepwear. Are they made from natural fibers such as cotton, flax, bamboo, hemp or silk? How were they dyed? What impact did the process of dyeing have on the streams close by? Maybe they’re light beige, made from unbleached non-genetically modified organic cotton. If so, good for you!
You get out of bed and head to the bathroom. You reach for your toothbrush and toothpaste. Your brush is probably plastic, another petroleum product. The bristles are probably nylon, another plastic. What about your toothpaste? What is it made of? Does it have fluoride, a byproduct of aluminum manufacturing? You do your business on the toilet and reach for the roll. Is it made from recycled paper?
After you get dressed you head to the kitchen for breakfast. You reach for the cereal and pour some into a bowl. You notice that the cereal is almost as brightly colored as the box. Is it whole grain or refined? You may virtuously pass on the sugar bowl, but how much sugar is contained in the box? Does it contain high fructose corn syrup? You smile at the bright colors, but are they natural? Or are they dyed with coal tar derivatives? What about preservatives? And has the flavor been enhanced by artificial methods? If you’re lactose intolerant you smugly reach for the carton of soy milk, probably unaware that it has been extracted with hexane, a neurotoxic substance produced as a byproduct of gasoline refining.
Okay, you’re fine with lactose and pour on the cow’s milk. Has it been produced organically? Or have the cows been given a growth hormone to stimulate milk production? Were they grass-fed or given feed that is often laced with antibiotics to reduce disease in cows whose digestion is impaired by being given grain?
Whoa, too much information! You decide to pass on the cereal and reach for the bacon. How was it cured? Did they use nitrites, a chemical that reacts with protein that can cause carcinogenic compounds? Or was it naturally cured? While the bacon sizzles you cook up a couple of eggs. Did the eggs come from hens who spent their lives in cages so confining their beaks had to be cut off so they wouldn’t peck each other to death? Or were they allowed to spend their days outdoors? Given their cramped, filthy environment, were they fed antibiotic-laced grains?
Next you pop a couple of slices of bread into the toaster. Is the bread white, with the germ and bran removed and a couple of synthetic vitamins added back in? Or is the bread made with whole grains that were raised without artificial fossil fuel fertilizers and toxic pesticides?
And on it goes . . . . Whew! I’m going to stop here. Now, this is really such a small vignette in daily life. As you go about your day, there are so many other questions you could ask, and you could go nuts in the process. The bottom line? Be aware.
Be aware when you get into the car. Ask yourself: Is this trip necessary, or can I combine it with other errands to reduce my miles on the road?
Be aware when you go to the grocery store. Shop the periphery, where they keep the perishables. If it’s too preserved for the bugs, should you be eating it? Make sure your food looks like real food and has been processed as little as possible. Cook from scratch.
Be aware when buying clothing or home goods. Instead of buying full retail, snoop around in resale shops, where you can often find top quality at a fraction of the cost. And you get the good feeling that your second-hand garment didn’t add to the toxicity of the manufacturing process. Even better, get free stuff on Freecycle.
Be aware when cleaning out the attic. Bypass the landfill and give your stuff away, because your trash could be somebody else’s treasure. Use Freecycle, or take stuff to consignment shops, or sell it on Craigslist or eBay.
Be aware when giving gifts on holidays and birthdays. Instead of purchasing wrapping paper, put presents into reusable gift bags, which can often be found at resale shops.
Be aware when preparing meals, and take your fruit and vegetable scraps outside to compost them. It doesn’t require a lot of space, and it doesn’t even require a fancy compost barrel. Periodically add some yard waste such as leaves or grass clippings. You can add water and turn it a time or two. You can be compulsive or not. Even if you don’t like to garden, know that your compost is not totally wasted by being wedged into a landfill where it can’t even rot, and is quietly making good soil for the earth.
Be aware of what you throw away, and try to reduce your contribution to the trash stream to one bag or less per week.
You can’t do everything. But you can do something. Even one thing is a step in the right direction. Realize that “out of sight, out of mind” is a pretty reckless way to go these days. Be aware that the chemical soup in our food and clothing and shelter could be contributing to a vast array of allergies and diseases. Be aware that our small inner environment is a reflection of the big outer environment.
Let’s do our best to clean it up and keep it clean.
