Planet for Rent: Great Location, In Need of Repairs

Whatever our individual religious beliefs, many agree that the earth is our home and we each have the responsibility to look after it. Paradise, Valhalla, Nirvana, Garden of Eden, Elision Fields: were words created possibly out of man's desire to live in a clean park-like environment. This being the case, why then are there so many ecological, biological & geonomical problems in our home-this world? Biologist, Barry Commoner, in his book Making Peace With the Planet suggests three laws of ecology that explain why the earth is so vulnerable to human abuse. By focusing on these laws perhaps you and I can better hope to create real solutions to many of today's environmental concerns.

"Everything is connected to everything else", is the first law. A toothache can effect the whole body, so damage to one area of the ecosystem can trigger an entire chain of environmental aftershocks. Commoner gives the example of deforestation, how it has led to changes in local and global climate. In his book Commoner states: "Ecologists still know relatively little about the interlocking parts of our vast ecosystem. A problem may not even be noticed until severe damage has already been done."

"Everything has to go somewhere". This means that our planet is a closed system: all our trash and waste must end up somewhere. Sometimes even apparently harmless gases like CFC's (used in aerosol sprays, refrigeration, cleaning products and in manufacture of foam insulation) do not magically disappear. Often local beaches seem to be in need of cleaning because of plastic bottles and "six-pack rings" that do not break down over a short amount of time.

The third law; "Let nature take its course". Individuals need to cooperate with natural systems rather than bypass them for something we think is better-like the use of some pesticides. These were used in the past and were found to be harmful to not only bugs that ate the crops but also the whole ecosystem that the bugs were a part of. These chemicals eventually became useless because the insects became immune to them over time anyway. Although the use of some harmful pesticides has been banned in the U.S., many of them are still in use in today's third world agriculture; from which much of our grocer's produce is purchased.

These three laws of ecology help describe why we have the conditions presently. How can we strive to overcome them on a global scale? What can you or I do personally to save this fragile Planet? should be on our minds at all times. Caring for the Earth acknowledges that caring for our home requires "values, economies and societies different from today". So change is needed now.

Our ideas, wants and needs are our values. Is there a throwaway mentality in the society you live in? Canned food/drink containers surround us and frozen meal packages made of metal and plastic. Real sacrifice must be made: waste less, recycle and reuse more, conserve energy, and think globally not just locally.

If you want big changes you have to start off making small personal ones. If you expect your neibor to keep his front yard clean, then it is only right that yours be exemplary also. This concept also applies with caring about our present and future environment. By using less non-recycled paper, glass and plastic you cut the amount of production pollution and waste as well as doing your personal best at slowing deforestation. Are you willing to buy the slightly more expensive environmentally safe products over the brands you have coupons for? If you do, not only will you have peace of mind, your purchases will cause business and retailers to realize the need to recycle and stock earth conscious products.

Everyone I know over the age of 17 drives a car. Most of us take energy for granted, but energy consumption is one of the greatest causes of air pollution. The burning of fuel creates carbon dioxide and as the second law of ecology states, "it must go somewhere". I will agree that not everyone has access to good public transport to replace using a car, but how many times have we jumped in our car just to get to the store around the block when we could have walked? Why not ride your bike to your friend's house or in-line skate to the bookstore? Don't own either item- go buy them! Such earth and health conscious equipment are small investments to make for saving the atmosphere from more added pollution and possibly the addition of that second set of "love handles". New energy companies like Green Mountain, in the United States offer environmentally sound alternatives to conventional energy providers- why not check these out and switch your energy providor to such companies if you are allowed the option in your community.

Your personal efforts to save this planet may not be cost effective in the short term, but the future dividends are well worth the sacrifice and peace of mind. So please resolve to at least try to waste less, recycle more, conserve energy, try alternative transportation, and think in terms of the planet rather than just your own neiborhood and country. Do more than just say you care about the problem. Lip service is cheaper than action and sadly the response for global environmental change as described in Caring for the Earth: A Learner's Guide to Sustainable Living, has many times been like "thunderstorms of rhetoric followed by droughts of inaction". Let us not allow this to continue to be the case regards you and I. Remember the Chinese proverb: "The flowers of our tomorrow's are in the seeds of today".

This blue and green jewel's location is superb, neither a hot house like Venus nor an desolate Mars. With a little diligent cleaning and careful loving maintenance it could become the everlasting nirvana of your tomorrow's- but only to good renters. Will you be one of them?

Here are Links to help further your options for making a difference:

• Center for Resource Solutions. The Center for Resource Solutions (CRS), based in San Francisco, is dedicated to promoting renewable energy and economic and environmental sustainability. CRS administers national and international programs that preserve and protect the environment through the design of sustainable energy strategies and technologies.

• Global Green USA, is a national environmental organization headquarted in Los Angeles working to create sustainable communities.