Yesterday, I saw on the news that a chunk of Antarctica's shelf (7 times the size of Manhattan) has broken off, and I cried. I could not stop the tears from rolling down my cheeks as I looked at the satellite picture. What will it take for us to implement meaningful change??
I went to Scottsdale, Arizona for Easter weekend. Inside of 4 days, I saw at least 10 Hummers on the road, in an area of the country where natural resources like water are not exactly abundant. One of these monster trucks actually had a license plate that said, "
GBLWRMR." ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? And we wonder why is it that we're not loved and admired by all throughout the world??
When I was in Japan, one of my good friends told me about a program that she watched on NHK one night (the "PBS" or "BBC" of Japan) on Sweden's initiative to combat global warming. I was stunned - cars that run on human waste - brilliant. Yes, the startup costs are high, and for a while it does cost more than regular gasoline, but eventually the investment pays for itself, and you're doing something small, but significant to help the environment.
WHY can't we flip on the tube and watch similar programming in the US??
I remember a few years ago when Uma Thurman was on Leno (or Letterman?), and said that cars could run on vegetable oil! Most of us were like, "huh??" The fact that she stunned so many people with this idea should have been enough to make us realize how ill-informed we were, thanks to our crappy, profit-driven media - whether it's outright lying, or lying by omission, they do this country a grave disservice. Now we know (years after Uma enlightens us on a late-night talk show!) that cars can run on corn, hydrogen and....HUMAN WASTE. ALCOHOL. Scrap from slaughterhouses, aka, TRASH. Thank god for National Geographic and the Guardian. More people should tune in: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/06/070625-swedish-biogas.html
Hopefully, I am wrong about the majority of people in the US - that we do CARE, and if we hear the truth about what's going on in the world, we will act quickly to make positive change, for our own future generations and for the rest of the world with whom we are connected.
A happy reunion. Teddy has been on particularly good behavior these last 24 hours. Peter and I are still jet lagging. We arrived home just as Mom and Dad were arriving from Florida for a visit. Teddy and I met them & Pat for lunch in the city. Beautiful weather, too - all in all, it's good to be home!
