Chris Frazier's Blog

This is an article I wrote in 2002 when I ran for the legislature as a Green. I updated it a little.

LIVING GREEN

Living green is a way of life. Some call it living lightly, or making a smaller footprint on the earth. I have always lived this way because I grew up in a poor family, and that is how poor people live. Most Americans have a very wasteful lifestyle. They buy things they don't need, or even want, and end up throwing them away. They waste energy and water because they have the money to pay the bill, without any thought to the availability of the resources. We all need to realize that everything we do, and every decision we make, has an impact on the earth and our environment. The flapping of a butterfly's wings contributes to the force of a hurricane.

The most important, and threatened, resource on the earth for this century is drinkable water. Many areas of the planet are over populated. Many areas are having droughts, like here in Montana, and another El Nino is predicted for this year, which will bring drought to some areas and floods to others. We can't afford to waste water. We can all help to conserve water: put a brick in your toilet tank, only wash full loads of clothes and dishes, only water your yard in the morning, wash your car less, shower with a friend. But what good will our small efforts do if the companies that are developing coalbed methane in eastern Montana suck the aquifer dry?

The WTO rules state that water, and all natural resources, are commodities to be owned by corporations and sold to the highest bidder. Does the majority of Montanans know that PPL bought the water rights along with the dams? They could legally sell our water to another state, or another country, and we couldn't do anything about it. That is one of the reasons I am supported IR145 to have the state buy back the dams, along with the water rights, from PPL. But it didn't pass. I don't know if we could still do it or not. State ownership of the dams would help keep the price of electricity down, since the state doesn't need to make a profit. Before anybody screams socialism, don't forget that the people are the state, at least in theory. If everybody voted, it would be true.

Which brings us to energy. I would like to see us have a smooth transition from fossil fuels to renewable fuels. It doesn't make sense to wait until we are almost out of gas and oil before we do anything. Wind and solar are available now, and all new generation should use them. We should not be building any new gas, oil or nuclear plants to produce electricity. We also need to control our consumption. We can all turn off what we are not using. Just flip the switch.

Since congress didn't have the guts to require automakers to make more efficient cars, the people will have to do it. For every gas-guzzler on the road, there is a person who decided to buy it. We just have to decide to buy only cars that use less gas. Car companies are not going to make cars that don't sell. Except Ford.

It would be wonderful if homebuilders would include solar cells on new houses. They can also build them to gain or reject heat directly from the sun. Earth sheltered houses are another option. We need to make sure local building codes don't stand in the way of more energy efficient homes. Again, it is up to the people to insist that houses be built more efficiently.

One of the biggest problems in America today is garbage. We create landfills to bury it, we make mountains of it, large cities truck it hundreds of miles to find empty land. We really need to stop making it. There are ways for us to reduce the amount of garbage we create.

We need to curb our impulse buying so we don't buy things that we really don't want in the first place. It is hard to do, since advertising companies are always thinking up new ways to tempt us to buy new products. When we do need to get rid of things, don't just throw them away. Keep them out of the landfill. Donate usable items to a charity thrift store, have a garage sale, or give them away

Reuse packaging, such as food containers, pins, rubber bands, bottles, jars, plastic peanuts, etc. · Trash crafts are fun, especially for kids. Use your imagination.

Save items that can be recycled and turn them in. Newspapers, aluminum, tin cans, computer paper and plastic bottles can be recycled in Billings. Other areas also take glass.

Compost raw vegetable scraps and peelings, coffee grounds and eggshells, as well as yard trimmings. If you don't want to bother with a compost pile, just cut everything small and use it as mulch. In the fall be sure to use your leaves for winter mulch.

Living green really has to include gardening. I grow veggies in the back yard, and flowers in the front. And of course I have houseplants. Plants purify the air by taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. They give me food and flowers. I get exercise taking care of them. My garden is home for butterflies, birds and garter snakes (they eat bugs and mice so I don't have to use poison). And plants are just good company. I hope this has given you some ideas on how we can make our own lives better and healthier by living in a way that improves our environment. One of my favorite movies is "It's A Wonderful Life." I do believe that even small things that we do can touch other people's lives in a way that we may never know about. If we do the right thing, then the whole earth will be better for it.