Going Green.

Watching movies to me has to be worth my time. You know, when you live in a place where everything else has to be done by YOU and not your maids/servants, even the entertainment portion of our lives had to be 'worth it'. And because my dang tummy-ache was still in full swing last Saturday, we opted to stay home and went to Blockbuster instead for our video night.

We got Al Gore's "The Inconvenient Truth". We have always wanted to see this in some of our indie cinemas here but never got around to doing it. Last Saturday, we made sure we have it. And, we're not disappointed. It was a documentary - so it's straight up, no fuss, lecture-type kind of a 'movie'. There was nothing Hollywood-y or cinematic. It's a film you have to see if you want to continue having a "place to live" for the next century.

Here are some of my thoughts on this docu-film:

1. Do you want to have a legacy for your children? Save the earth. I must admit, we're not big environmentalists (because yes, we have an SUV and that's what we use in this half-a-winter type of climate in Alberta) but we know we have to start doing something for our Mother Earth if we want to continue living here.

2. What Al Gore is sharing is the truth and it is well-researched, no fiction type of drama here. So, for those who shot down his propositions (from the time he was in the Senate - shame on you! The perversion we did to our Earth has happened way before we were born (I was a 70's child) and this 'project' has been sent as an alarm bell since the 60's and yet, the bells were shut. Now, after almost 40 years, the carbon dioxide level is an alarming rate, we are all going to die from global warming if we don't do something about it!

3. Sign the Kyoto agreement. Prior to my move here in Canada in 2003, I have heard of this and I thought it's about the automotive industry and how Japan was spearheading it (Kyoto just sounds Japanese and whenever I hear about Japan, it's cars - go figure!). I heard it first from Mike, a person I 'met' in a chatroom who is a staunch supporter of the green movement. (Who said that it's all mumbo-jumbo to sit in a chatroom - sometimes you really get to talk to the 'thinking kind' folks too!) Mike was in oil & gas and he decided to switch his roles and do something for the environment. After 4 years and watching this docu-film, I now understand that this is a significant pact that will have an adverse effect for the years to come if these 2 big giants (US and Australia) still WON'T sign. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto_Protocol

4. For governments to decide between the economy vs saving our planet is really dumb. Is there really a question there?!?!?! (This is the analogy Al Gore put out on the slide he used on gold bars vs Earth).

5. We can change our present situation and avert global warming if we do some few, simple things:

a. Recyle. We do this but not the hard-core type of sorting everything. After watching the film, we thought - hey, it's a 'small inconvenience' but if it means extending the lifespan of our planet for 100 more years, we are up to doing that. So guess what we did yesterday? We got 2 18 liters containers for recycling. Aside from our current pop bottle recyles, we purchased 1 container for everything paper and cardboard, the other one is for plastics and bottles.

b. Plant (trees). It's the 1st-grade science we've always known. If there are more greens, we have more oxygen in the atmosphere. If there's a big CO2 emission, we have to combat this by planting more trees. Ok, we can't plant trees where we currently reside (as it's rental) but in our currently-being-built house, we are going to have 1 tree and we made a decision that we'll plant more once we take possession of our house. We need more oxygen right now!

c. Walk and/or bike if you can. Less emission to the earth's atmosphere, the better. Besides, you get to extend life more as this is one exercise that's good for you and the environment.

d. Buy hybrid (automobiles) if you can. We knew that once our lease is up, we're switching to hybrid models for sure.

e. Find out from your current utilities provider if they have an energy-efficient alternative supply (for your heat and electricity). I have participated in a study (conducted in Canada) and right now, there are more options available for us (consumers) to choose energy-efficient alternatives. I know it may be a tad bit expensive by maybe a few dollars more - but 'healing' the planet costs something. We have freely perverted the Earth - now, we're paying the price!

f. Buy energy-efficient appliances and bulbs. We are saving for our front-loading washer and dryer and while it's significantly more expensive than a top-loading one, we thought if it's a way for us to help conserve the planet - we want to do this as well. The bulbs - we have considered this and we hope by the time we have the house ready, there are more options available then. (Typical cost of a light bulb $.38 vs energy-efficient $1.65 - expensive isn't it?!?!? But, that's what happened when we're in dire straits - everything adds up!!!)

g. This is costly - but next time you upgrade your home - choose the energy efficient homes. Ours is 85% efficient (the one we were considering in Panorama Hills was 92% efficient) Or, hopefully, as we get into more clear cut methods on how to make our homes energy-efficient, there will be renovation sites to tell us how to do it.

h. Lastly, don't procrastinate. Every single day counts in saving our one Earth. We know why we're experiencing all these history-worthy calamities. It's global warming and it's happening now.