Cow Farts and Carpools

This spring Mother Nature has wreaked enough havoc on the planet to claim an estimated 150,000 lives in Asia alone. There have been numerous deaths in the US from killer storms and tornadoes, volcanoes exploding in Chile, wildfires.... She is quaking, storming, fuming mad at the citizens who inhabit her for the destruction they have caused to her serene and balanced structure.

Sometimes I wonder what the ultimate price is going to be for all of our technological and industrial advances. And even as I sit here, being hypocritical, with my SUV parked in the driveway, and my trash burning in the barrel out by the cow lot (we do not have trash service out here in the boonies), letting my 4 year old play video games while I veg out in front of the computer for a while...I wonder if it will be my children and grandchildren who will pay the ultimate price.

I have made many strides, especially considering the area I live in, to try to go green. Florescent bulbs in every socket, all of our appliances are Energy Star rated, I make several of my own cleaners (for the kids sake also), I opt for paperless billing, I try to reduce our use of disposable table service, I recycle rain water for my flowers, I have given up my daily soak in the big garden tub and replaced it with shower except for the occasional 'pamper me' nights, we raise and eat much of our own produce, I bring my own canvas grocery bags to the store and I try to be mindful of the things I throw away and their potential for re-use. However, when you live in the boonies, there are some things that are just not practical. I can't walk or ride my bike anywhere except the local cemetery or grain mill. Cow's are a fact of life around here, even though they say they are a major contributor to global warming....cow farts = ozone depletion...and frankly I will start to feel guilty about that one the day McDonald's stops serving Big Mac's...but in all seriousness, I try to be mindful of what I can do to help the cause. And hopefully I will pass it on to my children. But is it too late? That is always the question in the back of my mind. Are all our efforts fruitless and pointless now? Was it our parents and grandparents generation's that unknowingly pushed the boulder off the cliff? Are we simply holding toothpicks in the air to hold it back?......I hope not.