Earth Day

Sorry, my creativity is waning.

I apologize for my long absence. However, between my last post and this one, I had training until the end of February. Two weeks after that, I had another week long training. Then I hid out in Kaolack for a few days while I finalized my trip details to America. :) I flew out of Dakar at 3:30 a.m. on the 25th of March, and arrived in Durango, CO 23 hours later at 10:30 pm. And I spent the next 3 days surprising my family. (Well, except for Alexis, my oldest niece, who I had told so that she could steal some winter-appropriate clothing from her mother for me. And Esther, the bride, who caught me online just before I left Senegal.) And I spent the following two weeks in America. So I've been a little busy.

Esther's wedding was amazing fun! So was getting to go hiking and picnicing in the snow. Talking to lots of family. Catching up with some friends. It was a blast!



So now I'm back in the land of 100+ temps, harmattan winds, warm water, and sandy food. Oh, Senegal.



But. Most importantly.

Today is Earth Day. And I think that everyone reading this blog knows how un-environmentally-activistic (can I make that a word?) I am. However. It is a good reminder to start making some small changes in our lives. I am over here, trying to teach people how to live sustainably. Trying to convince them to eat the healthy millet that they grow, rather than trading it for imported polished white rice on a 5 to 2 kilo ratio. Trying to teach them to support their own needs by each having a garden.

And I think that we in America need to learn this the most.

We do not live sustainably. Period.

So, today, try to do something to change that.

Start your garden. Don't have much space? Just plant a little herb garden. Try to provide for yourself, rather than relying on WalMart to serve your needs.

Plant a tree or 20. It might not increase your economical sustainability, but it'll sure increase your ecological sustainability. And didn't you need more shade in your yard anyway? Wouldn't you like an apple tree of your own? You need something to hang a hammock from, don't you? Doesn't your future child want a treehouse?

Decrease what goes into a landfill. Take out recycling. No recycling for glass, etc in your area? Try to reuse that stuff (I know, pretty sure I was told this in 3rd grade). Or find an excuse to go to where ever it is you need to go to get to the recycling plant. Use all your kitchen scraps, paper products, and leaves (dead or alive) to make a killer compost pile. No garden to use the compost in? Put it around one of the trees you just planted in your yard, donate it to a local community garden, ask a local nursery if they have some use for it, use it for potted indoor plants, or take it over to that neighbor who's always working in their garden.

Or. You can go all out. Do the fancy energy testing stuff in your house. Make sure you dispose of old electronics in the appropriate fashion (unsure? Call Radio Shack or Best Buy, they'll help you out). It is springtime--if possible, try to start walking or biking to work. Look in to alternative energy, the little solar charger I have does an excellent job at keeping my cell phone and iPod charged. Save rainwater to water with. Don't buy bottled water.

Just do something. Anything.

We're always talking about living within our means monetarily. How about we try to live within our means ecologically? I'm not saying to make a huge lifestyle change. I'm just suggesting we make a few tweaks to be more efficient in our consumption. Keep supporting the timber industry, just plant a couple trees, too. Don't feel guilty about throwing away recyclable things, just try to reuse some of them, too.