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Melanie Andersen's Website God | Family | Health | Education | Environment |
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Family
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Environment Thanks to a dear friend who gently, yet persistently reminded me about my ability to be a responsible consumer by buying organic produce and fair trade products, I finally had a revelation. The turning point in my decision to be an actively responsible consumer was the revelation that I ultimately choose my own personal destiny. I choose how I want to live my life. Buying organic is not about it being healthier for me, it doesn't matter if it costs a whole lot more, and it doesn't matter if my eco-friendly consumer choices effect significant change in the marketplace or not. It's about practicing what I preach – no, even more personal than that – it's about doing what I feel deep down inside me is the right thing to do and not giving in to what is easy or habitual while a little voice in my head is saying, “Was child labour used to make these shoes I just bought?” I cannot express the joy and freedom I felt after this. I have fewer pieces of clothing but they are all made from organic cotton. I would never even think of putting chemicals on the food I grow in my garden. Why would I buy food that was grown that way? I feel happiness when I buy organic food or clothing knowing that the farmers were not exposed to harmful chemicals and neither was the earth. So... I started buying organic food whenever possible, growing my own organic food in my backyard, and freezing the extras for food in the winter. I started buying organic cotton clothing at clearance sales online (which ended up being pretty reasonably priced). I started to think about respecting the environment and fellow-human beings in all aspects of my consumerism. What about shoes? Bedding? Children's toys? Office supplies? Furniture? My house itself! It just started to snowball really quickly. Hours of “Googling” on the internet introduced me to a whole new world of responsible-consumerism. So now, I'm thinking of building an environmentally-friendly home out of straw and clay, and recycled or sustainably harvested wood, and formaldehyde-free non-toxic building materials, and solar power, and wind power, and rain water. Am I some hippie-freak? No. I am just living in a way that I feel good about. I now feel like I'm part of the solution instead of part of the problem. And that is very empowering. As I grow older, I feel like I am getting better at expressing who I really am. So... Please enjoy the fruits of my hours of net-surfing. When you look long and hard enough, you don't have to compromise much to live in a responsible and respectful way. Take David Suzuki's
Nature Challenge PowerWise 2008 Most Energy Efficient Vehicles
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Health Education Environment |