We have Met the Solution and It is Us

"We have met the enemy and he is us."

Pogo's wise words (via Walt Kelly) have been repeated
often in environmental circles, but have "people" been
listening?? I hope so.

I agree with Pogo and one of the reasons that I continue to write about green gardening and environmental issues is to convince others that each of us can make a significant difference. And when many people change the way they manage their own landscapes and lifestyle choices, the difference is huge. Mother Nature might be able to breathe a sigh of relief.

Please see the Resources Page for further information on many of the green topics I've been concerned about over the years. There are so many ways that we can make a difference.

Here's an example of a lifestyle choice that will save a lot of money and help the environment at the same time. I posted this on my Facebook wall and Sustainable Gardening page, because I really do not understand the bottled water frenzy--it seems like such a rip-off.

Originally posted on EPA's Water is Worth It page.

We have Met the Solution...

I was pleased to see the opinion piece in the New York Times, We have Met the Solution and It is Us by Frances G. Beinecke, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, and Trip Van Noppen, president of Earthjustice. They attended the Rio+20 Earth Summit this year and observed that while the main document finally agreed upon by all the countries was so watered down that it is unlikely to have much effect, but they said:

It did offer some bright spots—such as progress on protecting the high seas from pollution, overfishing and acidification—although it left other dire threats unaddressed. Chief among these was failing to negotiate a treaty to protect ocean biodiversity. But what we must remember is this: Rio+20 is not just about a document. Rio+20 is a catalyst. It is the starting point for change, not the finish line. It is a call to action for all of us who now realize that we can’t just rely on government negotiators or verbose and hyper-compromised documents to save our planet.

We must do it ourselves

What Rio+20 did was shine a spotlight on the environmental and sustainable development issues we all know we must address. For at least a few days, it forced us all to pause, take stock and think about the legacy we’re leaving our children.

Now that the speeches are done and the negotiations are over, and the world’s leaders are heading home, it’s time for the rest of us to take action.

Individually, we must be efficient with the energy and the natural resources we consume and be ever cognizant of what the decisions we make today will mean for our children’s planet tomorrow.

Collectively, we must force our government leaders and our corporations to do what is right for our planet and its resources. We must press them to implement the commitments they made at Rio+20, and the commitments they made in other international agreements as well. And we must hold them accountable when they don’t. As we learned at Rio+20, government negotiators and thick documents can’t save the planet. But as we also learned, we can, and we must do it now.

Well said! (Emphasis is mine.)

Okay, now I'll step off my soap box for now.

Green Gardening Matters,
Ginny Stibolt

We have Met the Solution and It is Us

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