Take the Turtle Challenge!
Tuesday, May 5th, 2009Doing What’s Best for Sea Turtles
By Kelly O’Keefe, Educator
An average working person’s day goes a little something like this: Wake up. Take a shower. Put on clean clothes. Eat a quick breakfast. Jump in the car and head to work. Work, work, work. Enjoy a leisurely lunch. Back to work for a few more hours. Drive home at the end of the day. Prepare dinner, then enjoy the rest of the evening. Many of you can probably relate to this repetitive schedule of events. I know I can. But each of these small doings has a huge impact on the health of the planet. Showering uses gallons of water. Cleaning clothes introduces chemicals into lakes and streams. Commuting burns precious fossil fuels. The list goes on and on. You’ve heard the saying, ‘Earth Day, Every Day,’ but how often have you put it to use?
Everyday, there are hundreds of opportunities to do at least one thing to help the plight of the planet. When in doubt, I remember what Dr. Norton once told me -‘Do what’s best for the sea turtles.’ It may require additional effort, but it’s worth it to sustain our planetary home for a few more
years. Here are a few earth-shattering statistics from the Environmental Sustainability Committee:
- Americans’ total yearly waste would fill a convoy of garbage trucks long enough to wrap around the Earth six times and reach halfway to the moon.
- At the consumption level of the average American, four additional planets of resources would be needed to support Earth’s six billion inhabitants.
- The average North American consumes ten times as much as the average person living in China and thirty times as much as the average person living in India.
For the next 365 days, I’d like to challenge you to become more eco-conscious and get creative! To show that it’s not as hard as it sounds, I’ll be posting my ideas and projects for the coming year each month in Caretta Chronicles. In the meantime, remember-‘Do what’s best for the sea turtles.’
