Sustainability

August 16

I am thankful for sustainability. That is a word that has been around for a while but I did not know it. Merriam-Webster defines it as "of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged." I was originally going to do today's blog on recycling but after some research into sustainability, I think that is more appropriate and encompasses more. Sustainability is doing what needs to be done to ensure that future generations will be a ble to live and function well in their environment. It is recycling but it is much more than that. It is a coomplete holistic approach. Therefore I am thankful that something is being done in regards to trying to preserve our environment. It may only be minimal lip service, but at least it is something. Perhaps in time, we will become more congnizant of it and improve upon it.

The thought that we are consuming our natural resources on this Earth at an alarming rate has been a concern of mine for some time. The way that we go through plastic bottles, steel, aluminum, other plastic materials, cars, electronics, and paper, to name a few, is sharmeful. It does worry me that we could be stealing from our future generations. I admit I do very little for the environment. I am sure I consume and throw away way more things than I contribute back to the environment. But I do recycle and am proud of that. Recycling is imperative. Something as simple as not littering is also a good start. It burns me up to see people throwing trash outside their car windows. I know I am not perfect and have done my share of sullying the environment. But if we care about our children and our children's children we need to be mindful of the impact we could have on the environment. I know that this is a sensitive political issue, however, whether you believe we are causing global warming or not, you have to admit that we as a people owe it to our planet to try to preserve it as much as  possible.

This is a photo of a sustainability recycling box I saw at LSU. I applaud LSU for this.

Here is a poem which I originally wrote as a song some time ago. It is definitely a protest poem. It's not just a protest about the environment but quite a few other things. I think I covered a lot. Bear with me. I promise that I will try to keep future blog poems light hearted, funny, or stupid. At least I will try, or maybe not, haha.

so this is progress

they’re clearing all the trees in this old place down

gotta have growth in this town

a bulldozin’, breakin’, and burnin’ the land

for a little concrete, rock, and sand

the ozone layer is drifting right away

the haze is hazier today

bad air warnings now commonplace

need to find a little breathing space

they’re bootin’ all the boys at the factory

no room for people you see

down the size and efficientize

it’s computers on the rise

protect yourself with a pocket pistol

life can cause you such harm

take one with you wherever you go

strike first with a killing blow

we’re playin’ games and saving time

livin’ a life leisurely

wishin’ our lives upon a star

hopin’ for the lottery

there’s something to take for all you’ve got

a suppository, pill, or shot

bacterial resistance on the rise

more drugs is what the money buys

so this is progress, progress

progress in the 15^th degree

leadin’ all of us passers by

through the 21^st century

so this is progress, progress

wouldn’t you agree

this progress is gonna be the death

of people like you and me

of people like you and me.

© rt tulley