A rant in A minor

"Being green" is more than a fad, more than a philosophy, and more than a way of life. It should be, just the way we are. We as a society have come so far from our origins, we don't even recognize them anymore.

I have to admit up front, I don't know much about Indian tribes, but I find myself, more and more, wanting to know. From what I understand they lived and breathed green. Most tribes waged no wars, unless for defense. They worshipped Mother Nature; they took no more then they needed, and they used every bit of what they took. They gave back to the Earth what they recieved from it, and in this way sustained themselves.

My husband and I were having a chat this morning about our new generation. Our kids believe that money is never scarce, when something breaks you buy a new one, and there is no need to take care of anything, because there is always something newer and shinier around the corner. It's ridiculous. Why are we, as parents, not teaching them to value things. Some of us do, but not nearly enough of us. In this day and age, and what we know about the environment we are destroying, it would seem to reason that we parents would pick up the slack. We would be adamant about setting good examples for our kids. If we teach them to sustain their world, then they won't have to teach their children to sustain it. It will become ingrained, a way of life.

Come on parents, rally together! Teach your kids the value of a dollar, teach them newer is not always better. Show them how to make use of things they would otherwise throw out. RECYCLE! COMPOST! It's not that hard. Use every bit of everything you buy, think about the things you NEED to have. What examples are we setting for our kids? From what I've seen of the majority, not good ones. Prove me wrong.

The sky could be green!

credit: National Geographic

When I think of rooftop gardening I envision an array of colorful containers brimming with plant life, a skyscraper view, and a beautiful sunset. What can I say I'm a sucker for a sunset. The recent May issue of National Geographic changed my vision. There is an interesting article in it that talks about a new way to build. Instead of building these boring structures with flat black top roofs, why not take that space and create an entire environment. They are called living roofs. In Germany, Switzerland, and Austria they have become law on roofs of sustainable pitch. Did you know Chicago's city hall has one, and is currently North America's leading green roof city? They are also developing living walls, what a neat concept. This is revolutional. We can change the way we think and perceive things, it just takes a little imagination. I do believe there is a need for all of these buildings, because of technology, our population is expanding at a rapid pace. BUT, we don't have to live in these concrete jungles anymore. We can take them back and create a little bit of Earth. Why haven't we done this before, and why is this not mandatory here? Here is the start of the article, I urge you to check it out before they move on to other things. It was interesting, and at the very least the photographs were beautiful. Up On The Roof.
I am sold. How about you?

We now interrupt our regularly scheduled programming....

Sorry to anyone who may or may not follow this blog on a regular basis, I have recently started school again. With that said I have been overwhelmed as of late and have not been able to update here properly. I assure you I have some good posts in mind, at least they're good in my mind :) and will try to have something new up this week. Until then enjoy the pictures.