It's no secret that Americans use a great deal more energy than other countries do, and that we live in homes that in many cases are much larger than necessary. But then, many people just do not care, and go on like the energy is going to last forever. I recently heard from one of our town workers that in one of our upscale neighborhoods these outstanding pillars of our community are refusing to separate their cans, bottles and paper for the recycle trash pick up. Well my reaction to that was to just leave it sitting on the curb until it rots, and let them sort it out then. Now there's a treat for them!
Things have really changed. When I was a kid we composted the garbage in the garden, and turned most of the in the glass bottles for their two cent and five cent deposits and sold the metal and rags to a scrap dealing old man that came around in a horse an wagon. His little one horse business, BTW, became a monster corporation dealing in scrap metals and recyclables. I'm sure his heirs love him for that! My point being that refuse is worth money, and my Mom really depended on the extra cash she picked up each month from the “rag man” as we used to call him. That was the nineteen thirties and now it's 2009, and we in our infinite wisdom have a better idea. We bury our trash which is just like taking a handful of money and flushing it right down the toilet every day! We also make bottles and bags from plastic which use up a lot of resources that are getting scarce. I'll tell you one thing, anyone that is out of work right now should look into recycling because there is a lot of money to be had if you sell at the market prices. Imagine how much money your city or town would save if there wasn't any trash pick up. It's you tax money paying for it and who isn't tired of high taxes?
Well I just keep thinking that better life styles, recycling, smaller homes, micro homes, energy conservation, solar electric and solar hot water heating are not such a bad way to go. This country has millions of people that are barely scraping by. It's no secret that if you live greener, you can retire greener, if you know what I mean. In the meantime, you can get by on a lot less money if you live the greener life style. Why live in a home that costs a fortune in energy costs when you can just a easily live in a home that is energy autonomous and puts money in your pocket? Well it's easier said than done, but if things start right, they end right.
The answer is build a smaller home and using our modern technology, make it off the power grid. Smaller home initially cost less money to build, and with the solar electric equipment and Led light bulbs you can light your home with just a few solar modules. The old ways of building homes and providing utilities are rapidly becoming obsolete. American ingenuity is rapidly taking over and changing things dramatically.
It's bad enough that we have the number of poor people on welfare and unemployed in this country that we do, and God bless them through no fault of their own in many cases, but the ultimate insult is that many of the poor are actually over weight, and poor because they never learned how to budget their money, grocery shop or eat properly. Just watch them at the cash register. They are the ones at the register with a carriage full of soda, sugar coated cereal, potato chips, Junk food, watered down “fruit drink” and a carton of cigarettes at $60.00 a carton, paying with food vouchers, or food stamps. I do not believe that the food stamps or food vouchers will pay for the cigarettes, at least not in my state. So they really have to earn that cigarette money. The diet of the poor and the cigarette smoking is a guarantee of major health problems down the road. No only can our kids not read write properly today. They have never even learned to eat properly, or budget their money. All this from a school system with a never ending demand for “more money” so our kids can receive a “quality education,” yeah right! How about teaching people to really be able to read and write, do math and keep track of their money, and live a better life style. Is that asking too much?
Think about living a greener life style for the sake of your health and your financial future, and ask yourself, what is my plan to survive when the heating oil and gasoline is ten dollars a gallon? Remember the three little pigs!
Walt
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