Well, it's here. For better or for worse, automatic spending cuts in the federal budget are due to go into effect today. It's call "sequestration," which, when I looked it up in the dictionary, seemed to have something to do with "isolation," as in isolating a portion of the budget and making it unavailable. Or something to that effect.I'm making my answers activities I hope everyone else will consider doing more of, too.
There are wildly different ideas swirling around about how the cuts will effect the economy, the employment rate, and the services we are accustomed to counting on from the government. Here at the Friday Five, ours is not to prognosticate... let's leave that to the politicians and the pundits. Instead, let's all agree that there are some things that it would be good to have less of, some things that could use a nice trimming.
I invite you to name five of them here! The possibilities are endless, from the pruning required for the health of a tree to the hair cut that makes us feel fabulous. What are you planning to cut in the near future? And in what way will those cuts improve someone's life?
1. Less Styrofoam everything. Not only does it not biodegrade for eons; it's also ugly and unaesthetic.
2. Please don't dump toxic anything in the sink, gutters, storm drains—all of it reaches and grieves our earth's circulatory system the oceans, and makes all creation less healthy.
3. Keep the beaches clean and pristine! Sea plants and sea creatures depend on it; so does everyone on land, human and plant and critter alike.
4. Who needs all those in-ground pools, especially in the desert? Reduce climate change!
5. Buy local produce! In season fruits and veggies are fresher and more natural, less engineered, taste brighter and better; less long distance hauling means less depletion of oil, lower dependence on fossil fuels.
River Song, what a wonderful list of cuts we all should be making. I'm doing better than ever at recycling, less-to-no styrofoam. Buying local trips me up sometimes but I'm really trying there too. Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteWe have trained ourselves pretty well to be mindful of anything that leaves our hands for good. Sometimes it's not easy to find receiving places (like styrofoam!), but at least the evidence is clearer with every passing day what damage we are doing to our planet. Thanks for including these things in today's play as a reminder to remain vigilant!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder to care for the earth and all that is therein--especially the seas and oceans and the sea creatures. I once worked a clean up of Lake Merritt in Oakland--the stryrofoam made for ugly lake foam.
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