If Not You, Then Who? If Not Now, Then When?

I don't blog about as much as a should, but I really do think the environment is the #1 issue for the U.S. and for every country. Wars, civil rights, taxes, the economy, patients in persistant vegetative states... all that stuff is pointless to even discuss, with the prospects of using up our natural resources and global warming. Each person, each company, each city, each state, each country, and the U.N. needs to do their part to help, or humans won't be able to live in the Earth anymore.

Today the U.S. Appeals court is beginning to hear arguments in a case involving carbon-dioxide emmissions. The EPA says they don't have jurisdiction to set rules on carbon-dioxide emmissions. Greenpeace and ten states assert that the Clean Air Act gives them this right. These man-made greenhouse gasses are what is causing global warming. Global-warming could cause icebergs to melt, which could make ocean-levels rise, which in turn could put my little home near Hillsborough Bay under water, not to mention the better part of Bangladesh.

So my question is, if the ruling ends up being that the EPA doesn't have jurisdiction over carbon-dioxide emmissions, then who does?? It would seem the EPA would be a fine organization to set the rules on this. They have lots of smart scientists and stuff working for them, and they should be able to monitor it and stuff too.

However, the EPA is an independent agency under the executive branch of our government, and we all know what that means. None of this is a priority for Mr. Bush, so it gets put on the back burner. Behind pre-emptive foreign wars, slashing social security benefits, and taking away a womans right to choose.

Since our goverment doesn't seem to be helping much, here's some things us little insignificant individuals can do to help out. And if we all do these things, what a wonderful world it will be.

• Don't drive your car if you don't have to. Walk or ride a bike. It's good exercise anyway, right? Or take public transportation.
  
• Don't waste food. Only buy or take what you'll eat, and eat everything you buy or take.
  
• Don't buy more stuff than you really need. Why buy a new car or computer if yours is working fine and still serves your purposes?
  
• Don't water your yard more than is absolutely necessary. Xeriscape if you can.
  
• Recycle.
  
• Buy local products. This limits the amount of transportation to get products from one place to another.
  
• Buy used and recycled stuff.
  
• Support local and national politcal candidates that have these same priorities.