dare to say no!

to plastic, that is. patty shared this slideshow. it's about plastic bags. and some pretty distressing factoids concerning them.

I've told you about this before, but I highly recommend that you spend twenty minutes of your life watching the story of stuff. The information in it is pretty incredible. And unbelievable. And it really, really makes you think.

And, if you're someone who thinks "what can I do? what difference can ONE PERSON possibly make? then this article is for you. Marla shared it with me. And a little fun factoid from this? In Los Angeles, for instance, they have found that it's women in particular who are trying to make themselves more green. I like this. Can you IMAGINE what would happen if all women decided to make these kinds of changes in their lives?

Sometimes I get these kind of what-could-happen visions in my head. I get inspired and excited and I visualize what could be...a whole system of public transportation run by hydro and solar and wind power, turbines on top of buildings and solar panels too, right near rooftop and windowsill gardens. no more plastic unless it's recycled. a world without disposable plates or cups, where people tote around their own tupperware and don't buy useless crap and we no longer flinch so much at the cost of gas because we've found another way (and NOT drilling in alaska, shame on you if any of you think that's a brilliant idea). I have this little hopeful concept in my head where people use their share (and not what we in the US think is our share) and we are working with the earth, not against it.

a girl can dream, right?

so, now that you are armed with more info and some inspirational stories, what will you do? will you recycle? carry reusable bags? (like my faves, baggus) really think about whether or not you need whatever you just purchased? bring your own water bottle? take it a step farther and get a big ol composter even though you live in a townhome (like elizabeth!)? buy organic baby clothes (nicole)? decide to rid your household of personal care products that are harmful to the environment (like patty)? ride the bus and eat vegetarian as much as you can (like maria)? or even go vegan (like misha)?

I think I could list out most of my friends and tell you a step they've made. You may be just one person, and you may think "it won't matter" but if you think of what we've done combined? Pretty awesome. And if you haven't yet? Well hop on the eco-train. :)