Waxing Poetic

I think about the environment every day. Which means I feel a pang of guilt every time I start up my car or throw away garbage. The biggest frustration is that I want to help preserve the environment, but I don't know how to make a big enough impact. I do what I can: I shut the water off when brushing my teeth. I plan to trade my car in for a Prius. I try not to use a lot of paper towels. I recycle when I can.

But then I see these people drive Hummers around, and I feel every small step I take is negated. My father would argue that it's everyone's right to drive a Hummer, and would oppose any luxury tax on these vehicles. While I agree that people have a right to drive any car they want, what about my rights? Don't I have a right to breathe clean air? Don't I have a right to the same fossile fuels that these Hummers are sucking dry? The way I see it, people who drive Hummers, or any other vehicle that gets less than 20 miles to a gallon, are being selfish. They have no regard for anyone else's rights, or for the health of our planet.

Remember, when we were kids, we'd learn about the environment and how to save it? I remember writing papers on the Brazilian rainforest, or learning about endangered animals, or eating dolphin-safe tuna. What happened to composts and planting trees on Earth Day? Do we even teach our children about saving the environment anymore?

Not only do we all need to take more responsibility to take care of our environment - think about the welfare of others and the welfare of our plant - but we need to educate people again. It's a whole mindset change. But how do we, once we accomplish this, push our government and our private sector to find alternate fuel sources and do more to save the environment?

I want to know because I want to feel like I'm doing something to save the environment. And I don't want to feel guilty anymore.