A Greener Life

Living an ecologically balanced and friendly lifestyle is a worthy pursuit. Our native American ancestors believed in living in harmony with nature. They hunted wild animals for food, taking only what was needed to survive, and then finding uses for every part of the animal. Hides were used for shoes and clothing, bones were made into tools and decorative items, animal fats for body salves, cooking, fertilizer, and so on. Nothing was wasted. Plants were not disturbed unless needed for medicines or foods. The native American believed in respecting the earth and didn't pollute or abuse it.

Today, we live in a throw-away society. Things are built with planned obsolescence. But, we can duplicate and apply nature preservation theologies as practiced by our Native American predecessors. Buy reusable and recyclable items. Buy only what we need and don't waste what we buy. Whenever possible, grow our own fruits and vegetables using ecologically safe pesticides and fertilizers. Today, solar and wind power technologies are already in the marketplace. Solar lights and solar heating for homes and water systems are becoming more commonplace. Advances have been made with electric light bulbs that produce high wattages of light using two thirds less energy.

The technology is here, but citizens must push the marketplace to produce greener products in greater quantities by demanding more. While costs are a bit on the expensive side for many of these items, the longterm savings can compensate for initial prices. Whole house solar systems may be financially out of reach for many, but as time goes on and the demand for greener products increases, the competitive nature and ingenuity of American businesses to produce more at lesser costs tends to spur the imagination of many manufacturers.