Too small to make a difference?

[Tinkerbell]

Coming from the UK, we are regularly exhorted to do our bit to prevent global warming. However, there is the other opinion which suggests that we are too small to make a difference - do you think you can make a difference, however small the initiative?

Tink

[Earth Hart]

Originally Posted by Tinkerbell

Coming from the UK, we are regularly exhorted to do our bit to prevent global warming. However, there is the other opinion which suggests that we are too small to make a difference - do you think you can make a difference, however small the initiative?

Tink

Hi Tink,

Back in the '80s I met the ecologist Prof. Eugene Odum at "Wildscreen" in Bristol. He told me of an interview he gave for an American PBS TV station where the interviewer asked him what was the worst case scenario when it came to the environment. He replied "He who could do little did nothing." That says it all I think. Every little thing we can do does help, even though we may not see the benefits.

Earth Hart

[Scribe]

Hi, I just joined this site linking from Wild About Britain.

I am a Storyteller, and tell a tale about a young boy who is walking along the beach and is very sad because an awful lot of starfish have been washed up and the tide has gone out, leaving them to die on a quickly drying shore. The boy starts picking some of them up and, running to the waters edge, drops them into the sea. A man is watching this going on and tells the boy to stop. "You ain't gonna make any difference, son" he shouts. The boy picks up yet another starfish and throws it into the sea. "Made a difference to that one!" he says.

I know it might seem futile at the moment, but I live in hope that one day people will suddenly realise what is going on and we will all start to sing from the same song-sheet.

We have got to keep trying - consider the ant! (Where did that come from?)



George /|\

[paul m]

That's great George.

On the wider question, if you *don't* try then you might as well commit suicide now! I suppose none of the global pollution will effect me greatly but I have sons and grand children .... I wouldn't want them to suffer and I would want them to enjoy some of the wonders of nature.

We *can* make a difference as individuals - shall I list the ways? Indeed, we can do very little directly to stop other people from undoing our 'good work' but we do have some influence if we act to produce political pressure on governments and economic pressure on companies.

What's your favourite?

[callum_1]

Of course we can make a difference!! Every little helps in the figt against global warming-just think of the scale of change if everyone was to change their ways. I've signed up to make a pledge on this great website called Live Earth Pledge Tree. Loads of people have made pledges to hep do something for the environment. Its really encouraging to see so many people recognising that the little things count. Make a pledge on the site and stick to it to help us in the ever important fight against global warming now!

[paul m]

How are your pledges going Callum? Is it like New Year's resolutions or giving up smoking - a good idea but difficult to stick to? Hope all is well ...

Originally Posted by callum_1

Of course we can make a difference!! Every little helps in the figt against global warming-just think of the scale of change if everyone was to change their ways. I've signed up to make a pledge on this great website called Live Earth Pledge Tree. Loads of people have made pledges to hep do something for the environment. Its really encouraging to see so many people recognising that the little things count. Make a pledge on the site and stick to it to help us in the ever important fight against global warming now!

[KrisK]

The problem wiht global warming as of late is that it has lost it's lights for being a perdicament of mankind. It used mean that we have not enough learned what it meant for our cultural practices of gasing up cars every morning, requiring comfortable clean apartments, and seeking the holistic ideals of considerable nurture towards the trees , birds, and intuitive solving of counter engineering phenomenon of what NOT TO DO.

I won't waste time. We must DO IT now. We must belong our responsibilities from the working with respect to that in the JUSTICE of nature. What is justice from and amongst ourselves depends on the primary justice of nature. Hence, when we do not live by bread alone and after-all become spiritual beings, we must remember how that comes about from the roots for working. So we must continue to WORK. Working smart is working for the natural environment. Is that progress? Not now for some reason, and our psiritual habits seem to deny us justice.


I'd rather work and just be unjust. maybe nature will come through for the chemical progress in understanding the climate upon our human nature.



Kris krajewski

[WildLife Warrior]

I truly believe that i can make a difference...it's instilled in me. I don't listen to anyone telling me that it's futile and that i might as well give up...i work day and night to ensure that i do my bit and i instill it in so many others as well because at the end of the day we should now all be instilling the importance of protecting our environment and wildlife around the world to every single child in this world...after all they are the ones that can make the difference..they are the future generations and if we can teach them now then maybe we stand a chance in having things changed. I work with children and i am always teaching them the importance of it all and the worst thing i think i have heard for a while was a woman who saw it fit to tell me off for teaching her child the importance of recycling because her child kept telling her to recycle and was driving her mother crazy with her ideas and how she had soon put a stop to it, now to me that is an example of why things may never change, if we stop simple things like that we are condemming our planet already.

Im very eco friendly and i know it drives people crazy but to be honest i don't care. I recycle as much as i am allowed to, i make compost, i grow my own vegetables and will soon be starting on fruits, i don't own a car so i walk everywhere and if i am desperate to travel a far distance then it is public transport or a car share and yes i will even say i live by the motto if it's yellow let it mellow if it's brown flush it down when using the toilet at home...of course i do flush when he yellow builds up to much but im saving water, i also shower instead of having baths and i limit it to no more than 6 minutes...a slight bit more than the Australians 4, i turn off lights i am not using, i leave nothing on standby, i also go to work and turn off things that no one is using.I believe i can change the world and that is all i need...belief....i recall a motto that was once told to me....In Brazil it is said that a butterflies wings can start a storm off, now imagine millions of butterflies together...what a storm that would make....i like that quote, it shows that if we all band together we stand a chance, a chance to change things.

[animal_instincts]

Yes, I do believe we can make a difference in our own small way. Because everytime we let an opportunity to help slip away, we're actually contributing to the things that little by little make up the cause of global warming.