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Letter to the Gentle Readers From Jan Ferguson |
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Hi, there. I'm the editor of the first Mother's Torch Newsletter. We named the Newsletter Our Green Age in hopes that the year 2000 will see a new way of thinking throughout the world. Please feel free to send us an email at ourgreenage@yahoo.com. All articles can be forwarded there as well.Every issue we will ask our members to contribute an article on their favorite animal, plant or environmental issue. We will also try to get a celebrity opinion or write about a particular celebrity who is devoted to the cause. A celebrity doesn't have to be in show business. He or she can be a local person in your community who uses their clout to help Mother Earth. Please feel free to nominate someone. My special thanks to Sandi and Winter for providing articles on their favorite animals and events in their area. My thanks to Deana Cox, a special friend who provided the thoughtful article that spawned this letter. I hope you enjoy this on-line newsletter which is as environmentally friendly as we could get it. |
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Now serious thoughts from the Editor. I started out writing a letter about why I was editing this newsletter but it turned out trite. So I turned to the articles and was struck by Deana Cox's insightful, if oft-heard, suggestions. I want to address personally the points she makes in her article about what WE can do to help Mother Earth. To often we forget the little things we can do. Sure we can't all chain ourselves to trees or save whales, but we can follow the simple steps she outlines so well.
How do you do this? Personally I walk as often as I can. If there is a place, a store, a friend within three miles of my house, I walk there. I rarely drive. In fact I average less than 5000 miles a year. I know people who do that in one month. Think next time you start up your car. Can you walk there? Is it that much of an emergency? I have seen the effects of acid rain. Not a pleasant sight. Barren trees and stunted growth in our forests. The forests of Western Pennsylvania have changed greatly in the eight years I have lived here. Once the silvery birches shimmered in the lowering sun on these cool afternoons of autumn. Now they stand bleached bark stark contrast to the browning pine trees. All because of acid rain caused by both cars with one or two people and power plants belching out toxins into the atmosphere. It is better than it once was, but it needs improvement. Take the first step.
This is a personal favorite of mine. When I moved into my house, there was not a tree or shrub to be seen. Grass everywhere. First thing I bought was a small tree. Now I have over 10 trees in my little yard and roses are crowding out the grass. From the silver olive leaves of the Frosted Pair to the green velvet mass of the regal Hornbeam, I stand in my little patch of green and smile. I mourn whenever I see a tree cut down in my neighborhood. Plant a tree. You'll feel better for it.
More good advice from Deana. Gas is efficient and I keep my furnace clean with annual inspections. And keep it dialed down. I won't tell you what I set the thermometer in my house to, but it is very low. Put on some clothes.
I have spent hundreds of dollars and lots of time putting up insulation and installing new windows. Not only has this reduced my bills, but the comfort and noise pollution reduction have improved the quality of my life. I also have no air conditioning. I live in the Northern part of the US. Fans seem more than adequate 95 % of the summer months. I'm not telling our Southern neighbors to ditch the AC, but again dial it up and insulate with curtains. Can't afford new window? How about plastic around the windows? I did that for years? Heavy curtains help too. Check your house yearly for potential air leaks and plug holes. Common sense things that we loose track of in our harried lives. That's your editor's two cents. Read Deana's article and begin planning what you will do tomorrow for Mother Earth. |
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Reduce the use of fossil fuels. 
