How Do We Make a Difference?
Q: “I feel overwhelmed with a sense of responsibility when I read about all the toxins in our soil, water, and air. Where does one begin?!”
Soil, air and water toxicity, due to our lack of forethought about consequences, has become a landslide in agriculture. Chemical toxic persistence is all around us. Many of them can’t be filtered out of our water; it’s in the air we breathe; when it gets into our bodies it takes up residence in fat cells and organs. Have you thought about all the unusual diseases and illnesses that have come to our attention in the last few years? See, it doesn’t stop in our garden or field, or even in the pond below the house. It continues on in underground waterways, on prevailing winds high above us. And I haven’t even mentioned the death to the vital soil life web. Our lack of knowledge is no excuse for the consequences of our actions. How long will it take to clean it all up? Can it be cleaned up? Are we brave enough to try to rectify what we can? It seems huge, insurmountable. It isn’t!
Begin with what you are responsible for – your body, your family, your piece of earth. Educate yourself on what the chemical companies don’t want you to know. There are some awesome people out there, trying to get the word out. Listen and learn. Go to the places these toxins are sold and READ THE LABEL. Write the corporate offices that carry these products. Tell anyone who’s trying to garden “cleanly”, and with minimal disturbance. How do we make a difference? One voice at a time…one person learning… one brave soul speaking out. It starts at home for all of us. I’m working on my responsibilities on our little corner of the earth. Join me, won’t you?
Sherrie Ottinger, The Tennessee DirtGirl
