My office neighbour recently moved to another department. She left me with one of her plants and a colony of tiny black bugs...on the plant. While picking out the dead leaves they finished off, I found myself looking at these little bastards and thinking "
you stupid bugs, you're killing off the very plant that sustains you...and there aren't any more like it anywhere in this office, where'll you go next?". Amazingly, then again maybe not so amazingly at all, it took me a full 10 seconds to realize that we humans are just as stupid...gorging on our planet's precious resources as we multiply, with little regard for future generations and their wellbeing. I know it's been repeated at nauseam, but do we not know any better? Are we no better than those stupid bugs? No, we're actually much worse! We know the consequences of our actions, yet we proceed as usual.
What would it take to curb this trend? Not that much. Here's a little crude sketch I put together to give you an idea of where to start:
1. Good roof insulation is critical to preventing heat loss during cold months, thus minimizing energy usage for heating purposes. On flat roofs (e.g. high-rise buildings), planting green roofs is a good idea.
2. Set up a rainwater collection system (e.g. along the eaves trough). Roof run-off can be collected and used for lawn care, car washing, and other non-drinking purposes, thus minimizing use of costly treated water.
3. Pave as little as possible. Make walkways water permeable (e.g. stones, not pavement) so that rain can seep into the soil.
4. Buy a hybrid car (electrical and conventional fuel mix, or biofuel powered e.g. ethanol) or at least a non gas-guzzler to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Offset car trips with walking, biking, blading or transit when possible. Honda makes some descent hybrids, as does VW. Anything American is usually the worst in terms of pollution.
5. Have natural landscaping around the house. Plant native plants, and do not maintain lawns that require a lot of care (watering, herbicides, etc). If you live in a dry part of the world, you should not have a lawn (stones, shrubs, cacti, etc. can make a yard look just as nice) Invasive species are a no-no…obsessive lawn-moving and planting of annuals, likewise. You'll be a pulluter and a hated neighbour.
6. Plant an organic vegetable garden (No pesticides and artificial fertilizers). Keep a compost heap for fertilization and to reduce household waste.
7. Solar panels installed on the roof would provide additional electricity for the household in addition to the wind turbines (8). Any excess electrical generation could be stored for future domestic use, or put back into the public grid (sold to the electrical company). When in short supply, the household would supplement its energy needs by drawing from the public grid. Note: it is also possible to buy panels that use sunlight to heat water by running cold water (connected to your regular drinking water system) through a series of pipes in the panel until heated by the sun, and ready for use. This would reduce need for furnaces and boilers.
8. Portable wind turbines. (see #7.) A major part of the household’s energy grid, could easily generate enough power for the household, with potential for a surplus which could be sold to the public grid for profit or to offset other servicing costs. Imagine sending your electrical company a bill for your services…sweet!
9. Have lots of windows (good quality/insulation). It will increase heat absorption in cold months, and allow for well lit living quarters, decreasing the need for electrical lighting.
10. Plant fruit trees in the backyard. Again, organic. Lots of tasty healthy treats plus shade for the soil to prevent scorching in the summer and of course ideal for hammocks.
On the inside, how about having energy saving pulbs and other appliances, and please stop leaving everything on standby. Turn off your TV for once...no, really turn it off! If you can turn it on with your remote, it's not really off, it's on standby, and uses a surprising amount of energy in that state...24 hours per day. You're not missing much anyway, just another "scientist" a.k.a. oil industry lobbyist trying to convince simple minds that global warming is a myth. Simply unplug things when not using them. And in the winter/fall seasons, why are people still walking around barefoot and in T-shirts at home? Turn the thermostat down a bit, and dress for the weather sauna freaks! Same goes for the sweater wearing A/C junkies in the summer. I'll never forget freezing my butt off in the scorching days of summer inside a movie theatre blasting the A/C while showing
An Inconvenient Truth, a documentary about our need to stop over consumption which leads to global warming. It's all on those damn bugs' fault!
I unexpectedly found myself at the wrong end of an animal-rights heckling incident today. Getting off a crowded subway train, I heard a distinct mooing sound coming from someone in the crowd. I would later realize that this guy was apparently mooing at every person he saw with a leather jacket. As I walked through the gates, I found myself in between him and his female counterpart. He kept mumbling something about cows (I assumed he was talking to her), and then made an obscure reference to wishing they'd make a stake out of...well, I think he meant me, because as I turned back to see who he was talking to now, he was looking back my way. His counterpart chuckled in agreement. He looked satisfied that I had heard his comments, rather than pretending to ignore him like the others did. Only then did I realize I was one of his intended audiance, and that I was wearing my leather jacket today. Oops. 
