My relationship to the environment...is a sticky situation.

          I'm not exactly sure what my race or ethnicity has to do with a connection to the environment, or I don't know why it should be involved (leave the color of your skin out of it). I believe that your class, unfortunately, has the greatest effect on your relationship to the environment. How much money you have pretty much determines how you'll grow up and how people will treat you.
I find that many people, if not all, have a choice on how they view their environment, once they become an adult...where their environment has to be, and how they react to their environment. You don't have to remain in a "run down" area once you know what it takes to make a life for yourself. You can go out and get a job, educate yourself, and make enough money to live comfortably.
           I know there are many people who think they are stuck in the place they grew up, or that their environment influenced them so much so that they cannot make a change in their life. I was fortunate enough to be born into a loving family. My parents were responsible and they work hard to provide for me and my sisters. I think anyone who attends a public school, like I did, or is able to watch TV, can find out that there are many facets to the environment and if you are growing up in one that is holding you back and suppressing your people...then YOU can leave that area and make a life for yourself somewhere else.

         I can only define my environment as the people, places, and things around me that influence my various decisions. If I were to try and define it any further it would become a massive list of various descriptions of ...well everything I grew up around.
         I believe the thoughts and opinions of others can be threatening. Everyone is classified and put into a category without "due process". Judging a book by its cover tends to be a popular problem in society that people always say not to follow, yet they do anyway. From my point of view, based on environmental degradation when referencing society, I think a threat only exists when you give into stereotypes. From the ridiculous- "Asians can't drive, all white people can't dance, all black girls can sing"...to the more serious types like " all white people are privileged" and "all black people are ghetto and uneducated". These general and unrealistic stereotypes are what many people believe. Since they are so personally degrading and disrespectful you have to make sure you don't fall into these "categories" and start believing them yourself.

Farmer's Market Fun: fruits and veggies and...soap?

     First off, let me just say how much I enjoy the farmer's market. Not just Horn in the West, but any market, big or small (even though big markets tend to be more fun!). I was spoiled living in Charlotte because I had access to 3 or more markets on the weekends. One of the biggest ones that I know of was in Charlotte by the Airport.
     At the FM, you can find anything from the usual- fresh fruits, veggies, cheese, and meat, to the unusual wood crafts, pottery, muscial delights, and....soap..?
     But the FM is more than just a nice stroll outside grabbing some grub. Going to the FM means you are affecting the enironment in its "sustainability-ness", especially when you consider the THREE PILLARS pillars pillars....

By shopping locally you are affecting the economy positively. You are not supporting the huge grocers who get their products from mass prodution farms miles and miles away. So esentially, you are reducing the need for a large consumption of land for farming that supplies these monster grocery stores that we all know and love. This sets an economic model that ensures fair use of resources, not just for the States but for the world.

Environmentally, the farmer's market is hard to beat. By supporting the market you support protection from corporate exploitation, local agriculture initiatives, and the simple down-home farmer just trying to live and let live. You'll buy organic food that's good for you and the environment. No need to worry (usually) about pesticides and run-off into our water source.

Socially...well the FM is all about being social. By being a regular at the FM you create relationships with the Farmer's and the other shoppers. You support a peaceful society event that supports grassroots movements and the reduction of poverty.

     It may seem like a long shot, but doesn't sustainability start out on a personal level? Make the change that you want to see in the world... ya know, they say the flutter of a butterfly's wings can create a tsunami
...just a thought

Kill Yourself, Save the Earth

              Personal lifestyle change in the global North may be necessary for creating a sustainable society for various reasons. Some argue that simply changing your light bulbs and reducing the length of your showers will actually have a greater effect on sustainability.
Many also believe that the "global North" is using a lot of the natural resources available. So if the north were to change "their awful ways" then the world would essentially be a better place!....right? Wrong...

           Apparently it has been proven that even changing your personal lifestyle is not enough; That if everyone in the States were to do everything off of this "sustainability" list it would still only amount to a 22% reduction of pollution (being carbon or CO2). So the large corporations, power plants, metal smelting and government agencies are the ones who would have to change a lot of their "every-day going ons" to actually make a change in this downward spiral that the earth seems to be in.

However, there are some personal rewards to being personally sustainable:
-cash from the government for buying energy saving appliances
-general savings in money if you were to buy a solar panel for your house or use energy saving light bulbs
-you get that "feel good, can do" attitude that everyone knows and loves so much.
-you can live a healthier lifestyle by buying organic, which also helps reduce soil contamination.

I think these are all compelling reasons to make personal changes in your life. People think it will not make a difference....but how could it not? At least 22% is better than nothing.