Happy Earth Day!

Yes, the Fras is a tree-hugger...come on, you knew it had to be true, I am after all a science teacher! I have to admit that I never was one until I lived in Costa Rica...and heard many lectures on conservation...and was converted.

So, as one converted tree-hugger, I thought it might be appropriate to notice Earth Day. Technically, Earth Day was Sunday (April 22), but as the Fras can't read a calendar correctly, she thought it was today and so her students celebrated today. (Note: not sure why I keep referring to myself in the 3rd person...it's a little weird I'll admit...but I'm not going to go back and change it).

You may or may not think about taking care of the Earth much. You may or may not think that our globe is actually warming, or that it's our fault, or that we should do something about it. You may or may not think that those crazy liberals are manipulating the population of the earth into believing that they should all become stinky hippies in an effort to save the earth, thereby accomplishing their sneaky goal of establishing a state of fear (useful for making people do what they want) and of stopping big business from making all the pretty pennies that they do.

Regardless of what you may or may not think, here's what I have to say about tree-huggerism: God put us on this world and instructed ol' Adam to rule it. That means that we, as Adam's descendents, ought to be good stewards of this planet. Being a good steward of the Earth means taking care of it. That means turning off your water when you're not using it, walking (or using some form of transportation that doesn't require gas) when you can, taking the bus and carpooling when you can, turning off your lights and your computers when you're not using them, etc. etc. etc. Even if the thought of being a good steward of what God's given us doesn't appeal, well, maybe just the thought of saving money might appeal. The avg. fuel cost for a Prius is around $800 a year. The avg. fuel cost for your non-hybrid sedan is around $2000 a year. And no, Prius's aren't ludicrously expensive (like many other hybrids on the market these days). Water and power not used = cheaper bills too.

Can we live completely "green" lives? Probably not. But as you should have learned in your youth, the actions of one person DO make a difference.

So, there's your pep talk - now go out there and take care of the earth! Yay for tree huggers and stinky hippies alike!

(and I probably ought to mention that I'd be happy to discuss global warming with you if you think it's total crap (it's not) and you want a fairly conservative opinion... also, I'm in the market for a car and I'm probably not going to buy a Prius, but don't think I'm too much of a hypocrite - I do turn off the water when I'm brushing my teeth...)