Thrift in the Land of Excess

If there has been one obsession I have ever had, it would be the environment. I admit I am a tree hugger from way back. I know that man's best friend is really the tree. I abhor waste. Every little vegetable peel goes into the compost bin. I don't like cleaning products, the chemicals or the odors that enter the atmosphere, or the containers they come in. I take care not to use more water than is necessary and keep the heat low in winter. Yesterday at work, a patient approached me with the fact that she had been letting the shower run for about ten minutes and it still wasn't hot. I wanted to scream...turn it off!...but I managed to give the message therapeutically. I have a basic desire not to take more from the earth than I give, and each year I try to be less of a consumer. While I was visiting with Stuart last week, he told me about the rampant pollution in China, the land that produces what America buys. I felt foolish that I wasn't aware. China is really paying a terrible price for the manufacturing they do. He told me about www.storyofstuff.com that I watched today. It is a pretty clear explanation on where our stuff comes from and where it goes. I feel that all I can do while still enjoying my life as a wasteful American, is to act on a very small scale as I "think globally."