Tuesday, March 30, 2010

The Yoga of Sustainability: a simpler, healthier, happier world

SECTION ONE: Protect

This section will focus on ways to protect our natural resources. That includes non-polluting, non-erroding and other practices of non-spoiling.

CHAPTER 1: WATER

Water is a most abused resource, both in squandering and misusing it, and in blatantly rendering it contaminated.

If we have something toxic, such as medication, to dispose of, what do we commonly do with it? We toss it into the toilet. Where does it end up from there? It ends up contaminating drinking water and entering the tissues of fish, where it can harm the individuals life, the reproductive abilities of the species, or end up in an unsuspecting human's dinner. NOTHING OTHER THAN HUMAN WASTE, TOILET PAPER OR AT WORST, FOOD SCRAPS SHOULD GO INTO THE TOILET. Call your local pharmacy and ask if they take & properly destroy expired medication.

Even that which we use to clean our home, selves & dishes can foul freshwater ecosystems. Any cleaner, detergent, shampoo, conditioner or soap that contains phosphorous/phosphates with encourage the growth of algae in the water where it ends up. This extra burst of algae growth will use up the water's oxygen and suffocate fish & other waterlife. ALWAYS USE SOAPS, DETERGENTS, SHAMPOOS, CONDITIONERS, & HOUSEHOLD CLEANERS THAT ARE BIODEGRADABLE, AND DO NOT CONTAIN PHOSPHATES.

We also have been conditioned to use poisonous cleaners throughout our home, making ourselves & waterways sick. NEVER USE TOXIC CLEANERS, BLEACH, DRAIN UNCLOGGING SOLUTIONS OR THE LIKE. INSTEAD USE A SNAKE TO CLEAR YOUR DRAIN, AND USE ALL-NATURAL, BIODEGRADABLE, SUPER-CONCENTRATED SOAPS TO CLEAN YOUR HOME. IF YOU NEED TO WHITEN LAUNDRY, USE BORAX. Your home will still shine, and the environment will be preserved. You and your loved ones will also be healthier for it.

It's not just the pipes in your house that are linking water to the rest of the water cycle, but the ground as well. Thousands of gallons of gasoline are poured onto the earth every year- from spillage at the pump to filling the lawnmower. We need to exercise great care in the handling of toxic substances. ALWAYS BE MINDFUL NOT TO SPILL PETROLEUM PRODUCTS AND OTHER HARMFUL SUBSTANCES ONTO THE EARTH- PAVED OR BARE SURFACES. It poisons the ground and groundwater. Even spillage on paved surfaces with runoff into storm drains during the next rain. Never throw garbage outdoors for the same reason- toxic substances from furniture, tires, electronics, batteries & other trash left to nature pollutes earth and water. ALWAYS DISPOSE OF REFUSE PROPERLY- RECYCLING BATTERIES, ELECTRONICS, TIRES, AND HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS. Call your local transfer station for details. ALSO, NEVER SPRAY CHEMICALS, FERTILIZERS OR HERBICIDES ONTO YOUR LAWN, AS THIS IS THE SAME AS DUMPING OTHER TOXIC SUBSTANCES OUTSIDE. Cultivate a lush lawn by leaving the blade at a medium or high level and mowing grass every 9 or so days. Mowing too frequently and too close to the ground is the same as over-grazing, and it causes the grass to die back and doesn't allow it to build strong roots. Mowing every 9-12 days leaving a medium length on the grass stimulates thick, heavy growth. If you can't stand the weeds, buy a tool to pop them out of the ground. If you don't feel like taking the time to do so, make peace with them and let go of the ego that drives you to desire a uniform lawn. That is a human ideal, and nature sees health in diversity, not monoculture.

Water is a precious resource which we Americans are blessed to have ready access to. We need to respect this abundance and stop the needless poisoning of groundwater & freshwater ecosystems.

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