Tuesday, January 27, 2009

People, Cheer Me Up!

I had a really depressing post here about how basically, I feel like we're all totally screwed. And then I realized that such a post is not particularly productive and was just going to bum you guys out. 

So I deleted it.

Instead, I'm going to call on you guys to cheer me up and get me out of this funk. Tell me one good story about the environment. It can be from your personal life, it can be a local story, it can be a national story, or an international story.

Just some good news. Because sometimes we all need a little dose of hope.

34 comments:

hgg said...

I crashed my car, not enough money to buy a new one. Means that at least I won't drive around polluting anymore....for a while.

Hmm, that didn't help much, did it?

Eliane said...

Two days ago I walked out into my garden here in the Brecon Beacons National Park, and over my house I saw a red kite. This is a bird of prey that two centuries ago was almost extinct in the British Isles but after conservation and breeding programmes it has slowly been coming back and can now be seen again in Scotland and England, as well as Wales.

And this weekend there were half a million Brits engaged in watching and recording what birds they see in their garden/park for the annual national Birdwatch. It'll probably end up with bad news about some birds, but at least those people are paying attention.

Don't know if stories will cheer you up. If it was me, I'd go for a long walk followed by a cup of tea.

Anonymous said...

A few weeks ago I asked you where your bulk food store was here in London. I've been there a couple of times since then and I have prepared a few meals which were a 100% free from package waste! Hope that cheers you up a bit :-)

Anonymous said...

Hopefully this cheers you up...I'm a lurker here, but thought you should know that every morning when I get up I check my email, the news and weather, and then I read a few select blogs to get my morning going right. Those blogs are yours, crunchy chicken, FPF and chili. So you're making a big difference to me, and many others I'm sure. I love to get new ideas and perspectives from my most fav bloggers - which includes YOU! That's cheery right?!?

Farmer's Daughter said...

The good news from my front is that my family's actually considering going exclusively organic on our farm. While we've grown our food naturally/minimal pesticide use, mostly due to money, my big family could never just agree to go organic, since so many people are involved. When we explained to my grandfather that organic was not all that different than how they farmed when he was a child, he was intrigued. Now we're making plans to go to a conference and learn how to become certified. We're hoping that this will bring new life to our little family farm and give us the edge to survive this depression. Not to mention improve the quality of our local environment and food.

Joyce said...

Champaign-Urbana just got zip cars! And they're wildly popular! That hopefully means that fewer students will feel they need cars on campus, and maybe some local people will get by without a car, or stick with one car. Hope that cheers you up!

uma said...

Hi! Just wanted to tell you that I live in Argentine and reading blogs like yours have helped me a lot to change many of my habits... Not very impressive good news but at least they come from far away!

hmd said...

As you know, eating locally is my "big thing," the biggest effort I'm currently making towards a healthier environment. But I felt very alone in my community. Then we started organizing field trips to visit local farms in the community. The first field trip I attended had 12 people. Not bad. Then I took over and started advertising and one month later? We had more than 40 people on our January field trip.

The good news? People are interested and it's contagious. I'm not alone (although I'm probably more extreme than most). So many people out there care about the world in the same way we do, we just don't always see them. Change IS happening in hearts and minds, many because of the efforts we make every day.

Sam said...

Remember that little bike trip I went on? Almost everyone we talked to (no matter what political affiliation) were very upset about global warming (didn't want the glaciers to melt, for example and were sad that it was happening). Many of them in little towns promoted biking as a way of getting around. They could have been bible thumpers or pro-lifers - they were promoting causes I cared deeply about.

Does that cheer you up? That people I used to ignore (and are ignored by most media or berated and poked fun at) are on the same side as us green bloggers? It certainly did it for me. A side effect of this trip is that I look get very angry at those to poke fun at midwesterners or Christian fundamentals or Republicans.

So for me, knowing that so many people care about the same things has really reassured me

Sam said...

And by calling them "bible thumpers" I am berating them...aren't I?

Anonymous said...

“We cannot afford more of the same timid politics when the future of our planet is at stake. Global warming is not a
someday problem, it is now. We are already breaking records with the intensity of our storms, the number of forest fires,
the periods of drought. By 2050 famine could force more than 250 million from their homes . . . . The polar ice caps are
now melting faster than science had ever predicted. . . . This is not the future I want for my daughters. It's not the future
any of us want for our children. And if we act now and we act boldly, it doesn't have to be.”
[Barack Obama, Portsmouth, NH, 10/8/07]
ardy - the man who said this is now President of the United States!

Green Bean said...

Is it from the news article about how climate change will last for about 300 yrs even if we stop now? Just had to know!

Let's see, good stories? Hmm. A diva friend didn't blink at me when I talked about buying everything I own at a thrift store. The economy is so bad that the collective we are actually ceasing our decades long shopping binge. While solar panels and hybrids aren't on the frugal menu, much of what is is green.

Chile said...

Arduous, you know I'm not the one to cheer you up, but I did want to share something that crossed my mind last night. Yes, I do think that humans are in deep, deep trouble. However, that does not mean we give up on the changes we are trying to make.

Why? When they won't necessarily solve the huge problems we face? Because they change individual lives. Our lives, as individuals, are usually better for the "green changes" we make. The lives of those around us improve.

Example: Sure, I could go buy all my produce cheaper at WalMart. But, by being a part of a CSA, I support a local organic farmer who loves farming. I support his staff who get a decent pay and health insurance. I volunteer and help other people learn to embrace new vegetables and learn to cook better. My actions may not save the world, but they do make a difference. Your actions also may not save the world, but they do make a difference!

Donna said...

My sister-in-law, who used to give us Walmart gift cards for Christmas, just told me yesterday that she doesn't like Walmart anymore and she won't shop there.

Natalie said...

I was quite bummed when I heard some news yesterday. But I'm pretending that I didn't hear it, so I can keep moving forward.

Anyway, I wrote a post recently about some good news I read about over the Holidays when I was in the Bay Area. (If I were good I'd embed a link, but I suck!)
http://civiclessons.blogspot.com/2009/01/little-good-news-from-slough.html

Also, school is out yet again due to MORE SNOW. So, I'll be playing outside with my kids in a few minutes!

Kale for Sale said...

I invite you to a SF vacation for a minute. Outside the sky is a swept clean color of blue, a pair of seagulls catch the morning light beneath their wings, the cable cars on California street ring their bells incessantly while outside my office Chinese new years greetings are shared with smiling laughter. All sights and sounds I'm sure you appreciate which continue inspite of everything. I often have to remind myself to acknowledge the beauty of what's in front of me to balance out the dread. I know what would make you smile - a homemade jar of Jennconspiracy jam! Just thinking about it makes me smile. Take good care of yourself. There's hope. Just the fact that you care so deeply is hope.

Crunchy Chicken said...

I started writing an enormous comment, but I may as well just make a post out of it since I'm wandering waaaay off topic.

Jenn said...

We are all doomed. There's not a lot that we as individuals can do - cities that are preparing for low energy use are going to be in best shape but there's not much that "hope" can do to fix this situation.

sorry.

Cath@VWXYNot? said...

You should subscribe to the Whitehouse.gov blog - it's amazing how much that cheers me up.

See also this

Erin aka Conscious Shopper said...

I've been feeling kinda bad about living in the Southern US where many people think global warming is good because it will help bring about the rapture...But this weekend I attended a meeting of the Sierra Club to learn about their Cool Cities program and how to convince North Carolina mayors to join the program. I discovered at the meeting that Raleigh is actually doing really really well and is very committed to building sustainably.

So far, Raleigh has switched most of their streetlights and traffic lights to LED lighting and is working on switching the indoor lights in government buildings to LED. Lighting makes up 22% of a city's energy usage. I thought that was crazy. Also, all new buildings in Raleigh must be built to Silver LEED standards, and any building over 10,000 square feet must be certified as Silver LEED.

I also learned this weekend that Chapel Hill, another point in the Triangle, started a free bus fare program a couple years ago. It is funded by the tuition of the UNC-Chapel Hill students, and they actually voted to have the program implemented. Since it was started, the number of people that ride the bus has doubled.

If "going green" is finally catching on in the South, I think there's hope for us after all.

Michelle said...

I am afraid I have nothing amazing to add, but I did want to say thanks for your post. I can totally relate and I am glad I am not the only one who sees what is going on.

Anonymous said...

met an elder today who's in the custodial engineering biz, spoke to him about the marketing edge cleaning green provided and his eyes didn't glaze over.

Spot-On said...

After complaining about my garden soil for so long I finally decided to get out and bit by bit start tackling the front. Lo and behold WORMS, and beautiful soil! WORMS! Holy crap the soil is beautiful! Now we have just had a ton of rain but WORMS! I'm amazed and hopeful that I'll be able to grow stuff in the front without having to ammend the soil! wooohoo!

Robj98168 said...

Maybe a joke would cheer you up!
Or a pic of a cute kitty or a puppy, Or a goofy guy in a goofy hat? No? I hate that you are feeling blue- I understnd it, I get blue every now and then. Maybe some retail therapy is the answer??

Melinda said...

I got nothin'... except to say you're not alone. That's something.

AmazinAlison said...

Here is something:

http://tinyurl.com/dy7org

As the stats roll there was more clean energy installed in US in 2007 than dirty energy and total production of coal fired power shrunk!

Robj98168 said...

Ok Ms Arduous I got the message and posted four reasons on my blog why things may be looking up in the eco-world
Cheer up Love- it all aint bad news!

Anonymous said...

Cheer up! I found a place that rents textbooks instead of selling new ones, and they plant a tree for every rental or every return or something... But they don't ship books to the U.K., so I guess that's bittersweet for you, but good for me, my schooling, and the trees here in the U.S.! Miss you, dear.

Greenpa said...

Hiya Ruchi- I started leaving a comment for you on Crunchista- but it grew. Hopefully this can cheer you!

http://littlebloginthebigwoods.blogspot.com/2009/01/one-little-bit-of-good-news.html

EcoBurban said...

Cheer up... I have four boys that can carry recycling bins, pick up trash and litter from baseball fields, they write letters (on their own volition!) to companies like Apple asking for better recycling policies. I know when I am tired, they are carrying on from what they have learned from me. You have so many readers that are carrying on what they have learned from you! And someday, when you have 4 kids of your own :o) they will carry on... That's how hope works!

Melinda said...

Ok, Ruchi, I've written two posts that might help cheer you up. One is about relaxing. The other is about ... well, it has crazy old pictures of me that will make you laugh!!

Megan said...

I have met so many people in the past year or so who care. It's creeping into the mainstream, the UK news media are ALL over "green" issues, and I am OH SO HAPPY about Obama.

We will keep plugging away, and that "we" will get bigger and bigger and bigger. Promise.

Simon Tay said...

hey, you need some jokes & comedy in your life to cheer yourself up.

But do plan a dateline for some action plans to resolve your "problems".

The best way to reduce depressing stress is to finding solutions to your problems.

Anonymous said...

I'm behind on blog reading, but that's nothing new. Read about your predicament from Michelle's post at The Green Phone Booth. Maybe you can still use cheering up?

Go outside and breath the air. Listen to the birds. Stay in the present moment. Love what we have right now because right now is all we truly have.

Does that help? Now get back to the books!