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unplug

unplug magazine asks you to unplug from your current modes of thought and look at life in a new way, whether this means unplugging from our toxic consumer culture, mainstream society, the tv, or a limiting mindset. author megan prusynski explores life's alternatives and discusses activism, progressive thinking, and moving towards a "green" & sustainable life.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Election Season is Approaching

If you're anything like me, you are counting down the days until Bush leaves office (well, hopefully at least, although I fear he has something up his sleeve). However, I'm still a little undecided about which candidate I support. I tend to be pretty jaded with politicians in general these days. I do like what I hear from Obama, and I've always thought Kucinich was a badass who seems to think like I do. But who knows which of these will end up making it through the gauntlet that is the American election process.

If you're also having trouble figuring out this mess, try visiting Comedy Central's Indecision 2008 or taking an Internet Straw Poll to get an idea of how the candidates measure up.

Or, even easier, you may just want to wait and see who gets the party nominations. The two party system sucks, but it's all we've got, so get out there and educate yourself on the issues!

Labels: politics

Monday, October 08, 2007

The Importance of Water

As I travel, I have been thinking a lot about water. It's hard not to think about it when I regularly have to worry about keeping our water jugs full of pure drinking water. This summer we visited water sources such as the Columbia Ice Field, a huge field of ice with several glaciers feeding major rivers that carry fresh water from the heart of the Canadian Rockies to the Arctic, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans. We also visited Glacier National Park, where glaciers are receding at such an alarming rate that I've read the park's namesakes may disappear entirely within my lifetime.

Water of course is the source of all life and something that makes our planet unique. We are mostly water, after all. Visiting bodies of water like Crater Lake in Oregon and the Pacific Coast in California after seeing the glacial sources of it have reminded me how sacred and essential fresh water is, and how much I take it for granted. In the future, wars won't be fought over oil, but water. As global warming continues to change our lives and our planet, our great reserves of water will melt, and fresh water will become a scarce resource. Already water battles are being fought in the third world, where access to fresh water is limited, especially for the poor. And yet you can see it encased in plastic in machines all over America, a basic need and human right being sold and marketed like any other commodity.

Water is becoming an increasingly important issue, with many environmental and human rights implications. Like oil, it is a resource that is easily hogged by affluent nations and taken for granted by most people. When we need water, we just turn on a faucet, but it's not so easy to obtain fresh potable water in the slums of India or the desert villages of Africa. Meanwhile commercial farms gobble up water while polluting aquifers with pesticides and fertilizer residue, endangering the very lives of future generations. With our water resources dwindling, we’ll have to figure out new ways to feed ourselves and ensure that everyone has fresh water to drink. We'll have to answer some tough questions: Who owns the earth's fresh water? Who decides how to divvy it up? How can we justify watering our lawns when there are people who can't even get water to drink?

Thinking about water is, of course, not enough. I am increasingly trying to be more conscious about the water I use, conserving as much as possible. We'll all have to start conserving and paying more attention to how we use this precious resource as time goes on. Some ways to conserve water are:

Take shorter and less frequent showers. You can also get a showerhead filter that helps reduce water flow, and a timer to help you take shorter showers. Save even more water by showering with your partner.

Save gray water (from showers, doing dishes, cooking, etc.) and (assuming you're using biodegradable and completely earth-friendly soaps) use it to water your plants and lawn.

Fix leaky faucets and toilets immediately to avoid water waste.

If you're replacing a toilet, consider getting a dual-flush toilet that varies the amount of water flushed depending on if you go #1 or #2. Or you can use discretional flushing: if it's brown flush it down, if it's yellow, let it mellow.

Collect rainwater in a rain barrel for watering your lawn and garden. You can even get rainwater collectors that have hoses attached, or make your own.

Don't leave the faucet running when you're not using it - turn it off while soaping up your hands or brushing your teeth.

Eat organic food (or grow your own) so you're not supporting the water hogging, polluting habits of conventional commercial farms.

Speaking of food, eat less meat, or none at all. Raising animals for food uses far more water than plants, since it takes a lot of water to raise the plants to feed to the animals as well as to raise the animals themselves.

Purchase water and energy saving appliances, and be conscious of how you use them. For instance, make sure you adjust the water level when washing clothes and use the water saver option on the dishwasher (or wash dishes by hand, saving even more water.

Just be aware of the water you're using and make a conscious effort not to take it for granted.

Feel free to share your suggestions for conserving water by commenting! :)

Labels: environment/sustainability, lifestyle