After my Alternative Spring Break Trip to Maryville, TN, and drinking the hippie kool-aid, I came back with more of a desire to be environmentally friendly. (I grew up on Captain Planet and it was much more than a show...to this day you'll catch me picking up trash and occasionally even singing the theme song.) Anyways, I made a conscious effort to become more educated and spread some of the values and information that my new found friends had presented, and now I give you: http://greenky.org/
My buddy Taylor Shelton runs this blog and let me say, this guy knows a lot. And what he doesn't know he finds. I think it's a great quality more people should incorporate into their lives. I know I try to.
There are many hot button issues that go on in here Kentucky, and while they may not be the exact same elsewhere, they represent some of the other environmental issues that go on around the nation. Also, there's a lot of good political information and progressive ideas to ponder. Taylor considers both sides, and thankfully, is one of those people that cares about people and the environment. (Unlike some of those people who like animals more than people.)
So here is my recommendation for you all. It is time to start thinking about what goes on outside of your own world, and if you like visit http://greenky.org/
We are not encouraged to empathize or think about things from the other side. I used the term hippie with a negative connotation before spring break, and now it's a term of endearment. Why? Because instead of people being strange or weird? They are conscious and caring. Sure we do not agree or see eye to eye on certain things.
I recall a Greenthumb (University of Kentucky environmental group) meeting where Taylor was leading a discussion. The weather was nice so we were outside. I was sitting on the ground in my usual Ecko Jeans and T-shirt, which was pulled together with a pair of Olympic Nike Air Max 180's (the shoes Barkley wore with Dream Team 1). I thought to myself wow I am out of place. Everybody else has on canvas shoes or sandals, and I am sitting here with not just leather shoes, but patent leather shoes that have to be 10x worse than regular leather. And guess what? Nobody was bothered by it, because I cared enough to attend and the rest of the group was happy to have somebody enthusiastic and willing to help.
People aren't going to think the same, act the same, or share the same values, and but we have to coexist. I believe there will be there will be a continued reciprocal relationship between Greenthumb and myself, built on recognizing the importance of each others concerns.
Oh yeah... Why can't people other than the environmentalists care about the environment?
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4 comments:
fuck the environment. that shit aint poppin in the hood.
trees dont keep my lights on nigga. Fuck i care about a beluga whale?
Wes, thanks for the shout out, dude. I appreciate the kind words.
I don't know "marty mcfly" (but who doesn't love Back to the Future?), but I'll have to respond to his assertion. Just because you don't see the connection between 'the hood' and environmentalism, doesn't mean that there isn't one. In fact, the two are more intricately linked than even many environmentalists are aware of. In fact, historically impoverished minority communities are more likely to be targeted as the sites for wastedumps, nuclear facilities (where they exist), industrial factories with lots of pollution and other similar places. These places, 'the hood', are disproportionately affected by environmental hazards. Thus, they have just as great of a stake in environmentalism as someone who sees the intrinsic good of caring for the planet.
If you want some info on people who are doing great urban environmental work in impoverished communities, check out what Van Jones and Majora Carter do at http://www.greenforall.org and http://www.ssbx.org
I've read his blog. It's good stuff...even if it is hippiedom. Yeah, you did drink the hemp flavored kool-aid Wes.
LMAO @ McFly's comments even though Taylor served him.
Wesley, stop stealing my alias and making ignorant posts to make your blog appear more popular.
I never should have given you my password, this is worse than when I got all that spam from gay porn sites because you went and registered at tummysticks.net with my email.
Oh, and your tomfoolery didn't fool anyone. Anyone who's even the least bit cultured knows that the Delorean was environmentally sound and that I, despite my shoe size, happen to have one of the smallest carbon footprints among black males in my age group.
The lone positive result of your existence is the ridiculously eloquent and informative response that your coonery elicited from Taylor.
Budden(s) fell off.
Oh, and Oklahoma City, HERE WE COME!!!
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