Small Changes

In last week’s post, Obstacles in Our Paths, I talked about how handling the problems of the environment is difficult for individuals in society because we stack all the problems up, and can’t bring ourselves to feel empowered to make the changes that we can. Because everything seems so hopeless, we sit aside and do nothing.

There is a great article in the New York Times, dated November 30th, entitled “Study Details How U.S. Could Cut 28% of Greenhouse Gases.” This article says that if we did the simple things, such as buying more energy efficient appliances, etc. that we could cut emission rates while saving a substantial amount of money. The problem is that consumers ignore this fact even though in the long run it would be cheaper.

I find this both inspiring and depressing. Imagine the good we could all do if we felt that it wasn’t so hopeless. Imagine the good that we could do if each person reduced their carbon footprint by 28%. Imagine if we all felt empowered and like our choices mattered because everyone was contributing to positive change!