So many people I have talked to have felt overwhelmed by all the problems they hear about -- habitat destruction, poverty, wars, drugs, species extinction, floods, and so on. We can feel helpless as individuals -- or we can begin with small steps towards solutions that beget solutions.None of us can truly work toward any sustainable solutions without first feeling good about ourselves. To me, solutions that beget solutions do help us feel good about ourselves, physically, mentally, and spiritually. If you want to be part of something bigger than yourself, then please join in this discussion!
One solution that begets solutions we discussed on our "Think Globally, Act Locally: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle" website (http://www.umuc.edu/gogreen/) is gardening. The picture of me in my garden shows some tall ornamental grass, which hides several compost bins and piles. I essentially compost everything from our kitchen that was once living, including the few used paper towels we have and some newspaper. I don't compost meat as that would attract rodents. There are no smells and no one can find my compost without me having to walk them there. My compost minimizes the need for garbage trucks to take my garbage each week, and minimizes my addition to greenhouse gas emissions from landfills.
So gardening and composting gets me outdoors and that lets me feel a part of something bigger than myself. I see the cycle of plants come to life each season, hear the birds, see the bunnies, squirrels, foxes, snakes, and deer. I get to eat fresh produce grown without chemicals in my backyard. My favorite ones are the sweet peas eaten in the early morning hours while watering from the rain barrels. I knock on my neighbors' doors to give them excess produce from my garden, and they bring me baked goods in return. We talk and get to know each other better.
In addition to providing all the benefits discussed above, my garden uses carbon dioxide and provides oxygen, and gives me a fossil-fuel-free method of exercising. And then because I need to use water for my garden, I buy rainbarrels, which then help to minimize runoff from my plot of land into the local streams and rivers.
My neighbors see my garden, and they decide to also grow vegetables and fruits, and landscape with native plants...If enough of us garden, we could have something like the Victory Garden movement during WWII! Gardening -- a solution that begets solutions.
Another solution that begets solutions is walking. Of course, I love to walk around my little garden, but I also walk from A to B in place of using the car to get from A to B. I walk on cold winter days in the city, as well as in local parks to clear my head. I walk along streets that have no sidewalk. People sometimes ask me if that is dangerous. I say "no, not really", but what I am thinking of is my former student, Tate, with his two wristbands, one on each wrist, that states:
No more excuses
We can give all kinds of excuses for not doing something we know we should do, but at some point, we must put our foot down and say:
"No more excuses!"
Walking allows you to talk to people and socialize as well as letting you breathe fresher air than in your car. Of course, walking gives you exercise and decreases your mileage in your car, which decreases your carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides emissions. But it does even more. The half-mile walk you took to get to the local school or to a friend's home becomes easy and you begin to take longer walks -- to the local soccer field, bakery, and library. You invite friends to walk with you, and soon, more people in your neighborhood are walking. You meet more neighbors during these walks, you loose some extra fat that you did not care for, and you are more focused in getting things done once you come back from your walk. And of course, all this time, you are decreasing your mileage on your car, and so are your friends and neighbors, while feeling healthier mentally and physically.
If you have children or help take care of children, the benefits are even greater. Walking is a great time to connect to children. And not just to my own children, but also to the neighborhood children, who will share in our walks to school. I benefit in the feeling of being part of something bigger than myself -- my community. And my children not only have a greater sense of community, but also are closer to me, and get their daily exercise. Walking -- a solution that begets solutions.
There are other solutions that beget solutions that I have been experimenting with. Another one that certainly brings the need for "no more excuses" is biking. I have two young children, and yes, I have heard all the excuses on why they shouldn't bike, but they do.
All of the solutions that beget solutions that I can think of provide me and my family with greater resilience, greater connections to our community and to natural cycles, better physical and spiritual health, and decrease our carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur oxides emissions. Please share your thoughts on solutions that beget solutions, and other solutions that beget solutions that you have experimented with or are thinking of trying.
