Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Talking Trash

Liberals love meetings and focus groups about "being green," global warming, solar panels, you name it, but the reality is that most humans have little if any control over climactic change, can't afford solar panels and just plain don't have the time to attend another meeting.

Here's a news flash for you: Yes, you CAN make a difference. Round up some friends, grab a few huge trash bags and pick up the trash! Just like Mojo Nixon singing that "Elvis is everywhere," so is the trash: on the side of the road (especially exit ramps), in the woods, in parking lots, in parks. How it got there is a another blog entry, another time, but the important thing is that we can make it disappear.

My running club, for example, holds two clean ups, in the spring and fall, at the trail that runs from Verona through Little Falls. We actually have fun doing this. We're doing something good for the environment, we get to run on the trail afterwards and then go our for breakfast. Personally, I would like to see these held more often, possibly once a month. The trash that accumulates is staggering.

We hear about liberals being the only ones concerned with the environment. Talk about trash! There is soooo much hypocrisy there. How many of these folks actually use public transportation? Sure they ride their bikes to BlueWaveNJ meetings and whatnot but big whoop. That's a drop in the bucket. What do they drive the rest of time?

My brother who lives out west is a big ol' liberal but at least he's not a hypocrit. He actually rides his bicycle to work and back every day. So I give him props. When he does drive a car, it's not a big gas guzzler but a Toyota Camry.

I am stuck with public transportation as I live in NJ and work in NYC. If I rode my bike to work, I might not make it there alive.

So, next time you come unhinged about the environment, remember the Serenity Prayer: "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference."

Picking up the trash is time and effort well spent. Sitting in a focus group or meeting on a beautiful day is not.

1 comment:

Mauigirl said...

I hear you! So true. Our neighborhood association sponsors two park cleanups a year but in between I try to pick up what I see as we walk the dog anyway.