Earth Day - Do some More

The feelings I don't have I don't have.

The feeling I don't have, I won't say I have.

The feelings you say you have, you don't have.

The feelings you would like us both to have, we neither of us have.

The feelings people ought to have, they never have.

If people say they've got feelings, you may be pretty sure they haven't got them.

So if you want either of us to feel anything at all

You'd better abandon all ideas of feelings altogether.

                                                                                                              -- DH Lawerence
 
Why did I choose this poem? I absolutely love DH Lawerence and had read his book  first at the ripe age of 9 -- of course it was from my Dad's library and wasn't on my Read List...what I do like about this poem is the assertion that feelings are fine and dandy but on this day it's about the doing that counts. I am worried that Earth Day will become yet another commercial venture for many...just like Valentine's Day and Mother's Day (hey! I got a beautiful bag one mother's day, so you don't hear me complaining).
 

So, do I do my part to conserve and protect? Here are some of the things I am trying to do -

1. We drive a Hybrid  Electric Car
2. 100% of the bulbs in our house are CFL
3. We use re-usable grocery bags about 50% of the time (the rest I forget, so I don't beat myself on it)
4. I use the shower for exactly 5 minutes (conserve water)
5. I buy organic and support my local farmers
6. I do not buy red meat and have reduced food waste by 20% (I have reduced my grocery bill by 25% even though I switched to 95% Organic)
7. I only buy sustainably farmed fish
8. I pack my son's lunch in lunch box's that I can wash
9. We have reduced our electricity and gas consumption by 10% over the last year
10. 50% of our cleaning products are green

I am sure there are more....but these are the one's I can remember. The fun thing I did with K2 today was letting him take 5 plastic grocery bags and recycle them in the Disney store for a free re-usable Mickey Mouse Bag - He was so excited !!!

I am constantly amazed at how much our parents in India used to re-use and recycle. I am hoping that slowly over time I can increase my awareness level and help my son develop compassion towards his environment and how it is being constantly taxed and burdened by man's synthetic actions...change after all is change - be it big or small. How are you celebrating Earth Day?