4/22: HAPPY EARTH [IS, UNFORTUNATELY, STILL DYING A PAINFUL DEATH] DAY!
From the Original (and now archived) LiveJournal Entry Made on 4/22/2005 (with an updated P.S. II)
In honor of the 35th anniversary of Earth Day, Hawaii's Governor has declared today STARBUCKS Earth Day. Yes, STARBUCKS Earth Day. Here you go:
"In honor of the national month of environmental awareness, Starbucks Coffee Partners in Hawaii has organized several events around the community to educate the public on caring for the earth. This April is the first month that Starbucks will implement these activities to honor Earth Month. Many of Starbucks' activities center on or around April 22, thus, Starbucks in Hawaii has requested that April 22 be designated Starbucks Earth Day in Hawaii."
They "requested" it and he did it (in recognition of how "Earth Friendly" they are). This is shameful. Disgusting. It makes me sick to my stomach. And it represents a new low for the "Special Day That Couldn't": Earth Day. This has turned out to be a pretty annoying week in general. First off, it was a Multi-Week week. A week where it actually seems like much more than 1 week has passed. We're putting it at about 2.7 (weeks) at this point but she could top 3. The New Pope. ECCH! Hypocrisy abounds on all fronts. ARRGH! And what better way to end a week like this, than with STARBUCKS Earth Day.
"We had better get this mess cleaned up in time for tonight's Earth Day party!"
This day should be called "EARTH IS STILL DYING A PAINFUL DEATH" DAY. It really should. Let's just take a look some recent stats, shall we? Let's take a look at a typical Day on Earth, shall we? Let's take a look at some of the Daily Highlights, some conservative estimates actually, for this HAUNTED MANSION ON TOP OF A RUNAWAY TRAIN:
- 803 people worldwide will die from exposure to pesticides and countless more will suffer serious health threats from chronic exposure
- 7,400 to 13,000 children will die from diarrhea from polluted drinking water
- 29,000 children will die from curable infectious diseases
- 364 babies will be born that are diagnosed with mercury poisoning because their mothers ate contaminated fish. Meanwhile, government agencies recommend that pregnant women eat several servings of fish each week.
Larry, the hideously deformed and contaminated fish says: "Don't eat me!"
- Nearly 3 million gallons of engine oil will be poured down the drain and will enter our nation's waterways
- Over 43 million pounds of trash will be dumped at sea worldwide. About 77 percent of all ship waste comes from cruise ships
- Over 4 million pounds of hydrocarbons will be released into the atmosphere just from jet skis, lawn mowers, boat engines, and other 2-cycle motors
- At least 3,200 gallons of oil and fuel will leak from aging and malfunctioning pipelines in the US, polluting groundwater, lakes, rivers, oceans and soil
- 313 million gallons of fuel - enough to drain 26 tractor-trailer trucks every minute - will be used in the US
- 20 million tons of raw materials will be taken from US soil
So… the Earth is dying. And whose fault is that? Yours? Mine? OURS? Has Earth Day helped to stop the Earth's suffering in ANY meaningful way? No. Not one bit. Has it really helped to raise awareness in ANY meaningful way? It's sad, but it hasn't. 15 years ago, you couldn't have told my 1990 self these things (when I helped to organize a major Earth Day "celebration" in the northeast). I believed in Earth Day back then. But today? Earth Day just seems especially shallow. Drenched in hypocrisy. Who isn't driving today? Aside from me, I mean. Raise your hands. I thought so. Hardly anyone. For all intents and purposes, I have ditched my car. I worked things out so that this would be the case. Is it possible for everyone to ditch their cars? Of course not. Public transportation in this country is a disaster. But is it possible for SOME of us to ditch our cars? It sure is. But have you? No, you haven't.
Is there really anything that you can commit to today (you know, on STARBUCKS Earth Day '05) that will help to lessen the toll your existence takes on this planet? Aside from ditching your car and/or planting a tree? Anything? Anything at all? I'll give you clue:
Mmmmmmmmmmmm… Yummy!
Yes, in fact, it's the food you eat. You can make a difference and lessen the negative impact you have on this planet simply by changing your diet.
Overly simplistic? No.
Overly optimistic? Think again.
Practical and completely backed up by TONS of up-to-date scientific evidence? YES!
I wanted to end this entry with something positive. And this is it. To those of you who know me and haven't made the change yet, I already hear the chorus: "Jim's getting up on his save the environment by going Vegan" soapbox again! WELL TOUGH LUCK! I'm just speaking the truth.
Here goes:
First of all, I will recommend a book. It's by the guy who wrote "Diet for a New America". It's called "The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World" --- you can buy it, new or used, right here. It's got everything you need to help you understand the connection between a Healthy Earth and a Vegan diet.
Now, in the spirit of continued giving, I offer you something incredibly positive on this "special" day. I humbly offer the following resources:
askcarla.com - This site is run by PETA and features every possible FAQ needed to help you understand why going VEG (and, ultimately, VEGAN) is the way to go. It also has pre-packaged answers to those "gotcha" type questions that detractors will inevitably throw at you.
goveg.com - Again, another awesome site that's run by PETA. This site is a treasure trove of information to help get you going.
I'm now going to list some companies that can help you make this important transition. But please remember - these are corporations. They exist to make a profit. And while they produce food that helps millions of folks kick the Eating Animals habit, they all have some dirty laundry. Some have less than others. I look at it this way: they are helping to assist people to make this essential switch.
So, with that in mind, I wouldn't suggest that you stay with these companies forever and ever (after you've weaned yourself from eating your Fellow Earthlings). But use them until you can migrate to something even healthier. I would suggest a macrobiotic diet with lots of raw, unprocessed veggies at its heart. Also - consume food that requires very little packaging. But knowing that this isn't possible for many when they first start out (for a variety of reasons), I offer these imperfect corporations as places to turn. Many "normal people" supermarkets now have natural or whole food sections. This may help defray the cost. But a good many of these products are to be found in Your Grocer's Freezer. I will provide the link that describes the products and you can then explore to see what suits your fancy.
- Boca Organic
- Boca (Regular)
- Morningstar Farms
- Gardenburger
- Yves
- Worthington's LOMA LINDA Brands
- Fantastic Foods
So… there you have it. All the resources you need to make the switch. GO FOR IT. Will the Earth continue dying? It probably will. Will you be just a little less responsible for helping to kill it?
YES, YOU WILL.
