Taking care of business

Everyday, most of us do something to take care of our health. Maybe we choose the salad over the burger. Or we walk up a flight of stairs instead of taking the elevator. Perhaps it's as simple as taking a multi-vitamin every morning. Whatever it is, most of us have our health on our minds and take steps - however small - to keep our bodies healthy.

We should the do the same for the environment. Everyday, we should all take steps to preserve our planet and make the world a healthier place to live in. They can be big steps, like taking public transportation to work everyday. Or small steps, like recycling glass and plastic. If, everyday, every one of us took steps to save the environment, the impact on the planet could be huge.

Scientists are in dispute as to whether the Earth's rising temperatures are a natural, cyclical event or man-made. Few things in life are black and white, and I believe that, while there may be some natural event going on here, it has, at the very least, been exacerbated by man. (Have you seen the pollution put out by China every second? There's a reason most of us had problems literally breathing in that country). As people who know and understand what we're doing to our environment - with or without the help of nature - we have a personal responsibility to take care of our planet. A personal responsibility.

Today, I walked to and from the grocery store, bringing my own bags. The total environmental impact of my trip was 2 plastic meat bags, to keep the meat from leaking. I could probably do even better. But it feels good to know that I didn't burn natural resources (gas), I didn't emit excess CO2 into the air, and I didn't add plastic bags to the landfill. And I got exercise! A small step, but if I could do that every time I go to the grocery store, think how many bags, how much gas and CO2 I would save over the course of a year.

We have a personal responsibility to take care of our bodies. We have a personal responsibility to take care of our planet. Maybe it's recycling glass, paper and plastic. Or grouping errands together to reduce car trips. Perhaps it's as simple as reusing a shopping bag as a garbage bag. Whatever it is, most of us should have the environment on our minds everyday and take steps - however small - to take care of our planet.