It always puzzled me as to why Americans are so defensive about this topic. All we are being asked to do is conserve and be mindful of resources. Then it dawned on me. I think this strikes a nerve since we have been sold a bill of goods that “bigger means successful” and “more is better” and everyone drank the kool-aid. However the result of that mentality was millions of Americans in debt and facing foreclosing and people are being forced to change. Maybe “less is more”, “love and be thankful for what you have” and “respect nature” will become the new American slogans. Remember if insects disappeared from the earth the planet would cease to exist but if human beings disappeared the planet would flourish so we need nature. In addition, why has wanting to conserve become the enemy? What is so wrong with conserving energy, changing some lightbulbs, recycling and being less wasteful? Even if each one of us stopped using the paper cups at work for coffee and brought our own mugs (something I just started doing since I realized how wasteful I was being). If we want our children and future generations to live better than us it should mean cleaner air, food that isn’t contaminated with pesticides, greener safer homes without toxins, and places left where you can still ski and ice skate in the winter….sounds like a better world to me!

Peace,
Maria