It’s not easy being green…
Many people have asked me if I was truly green and if my company was really eco-friendly and I always give them the same answer: I’m green enough. Because let’s face it, I don’t think that anyone can truly classify themselves as eco, organic or green because we are surrounded by pollutants and some of the activities we do such as drive to work, or eat non-organic food is not considered green. As I noted on www.cluesscurl.blogspot.com, it’s the little things that count to going green such as turning off the lights when you’re done using them, taking shorter showers, and walking most of the time instead of driving. Never let anyone accuse you of being a hypocrite just because you’re not some dreadlock – wearing, vegan loving hippie. I don’t promote one extreme over the other, just awareness and education.
Now to my second topic. So I want to delve a little deeper into what my company is about and why I’m doing this. I’ve never heard of too many black people caring about the environment so maybe I’m just the first one? Well, there have been news lately that the ice shelves in Antarctica have broken off, one a couple of years ago the size of Jamaica. And that’s due to global warming. Why is this important? The ice shelves in the north and south poles help cool our planet. The suns’ rays reflect light off the ice(known as permafrost) and bounces back into space. Permafrost normally melts and freezes back up but the problem is that the permafrost is melting at a faster rate than it should. Therefore, it’s causing the ice shelves to snap and break off leaving the ice to float away and melt as it reaches warmer climates. Sea levels will rise affecting about 10% of the population( roughly 700 mil people). So what does this mean? It means that with less ice and more ocean, the sun’s rays are absorbed into the ocean thus making the earth hotter and more unbearable for us. Try wearing a white shirt out in the sun and then wear a black one. You know that old saying about black folks generating heat? It’s kinda like that(lol). I don’t care what the naysayers say, the jury is back on this one and we are passed the tipping point. Remember last year when we had all that snow and it literally took months before all of it finally melted away? Then this past summer we had that killer heat wave that seemed like it would never go away? Didn’t seem like we had much spring or fall weather neither. And I noticed that it’s been like that for some time now. Just last fall I mentioned the same thing. 2 days of fall and 6 months of winter. No transition period.
So why do I care? Well I hate being out in the heat(I lived in Arizona and been to Texas; it’s no joke). I think that we in the community can do so much more. We already know how to be somewhat eco-friendly right? Have you ever heard of your mom telling you to turn off the tv or the lights if you’re not using them? Or to keep the door closed so the cool air won’t escape out? Sure, it was more about not paying a sky-high bill, but she was on to something. When I was little, we used to use old jelly jars as cups and my mom even washed plastic forks to reuse. It’s funny now, but then, I thought it was something you just did. It’s the small things that we can do to make this place, our earth, livable for the next generation. Buying flourescent bulbs; recycling glass bottles and plastic; cut tv and computer time; never ever use styrofoam(or at least limit your use severely) ;drive less…more tips can be found under Tips on How Not to Shit on Mother Nature. Some corporations and many lobbys(Corn Sugar lobby, I’m looking at you) IMHO don’t care much for environmental issues and try to downplay it because it threatens their bottom line and way of doing business. They try to use poor, low-income people(code for black) as their little wedge to pressure the government against reform. I hope that the administration is doing what it can to crack down on these practices. That is why we must become vigilant and educated on what’s happening around us. At Green Afro Diva, the main focus will be overall health and well-being as well as learning to be green. The blog is used to explain things such as what a carbon footprint is, what’s happening in other countries like africa and here at home, ingredients in our hair and body products, the food we eat, spirituality, and sexual intimacy. I also market apparel such as shirts, mugs, handmade bath and body products and can be seen at the Baltimore Farmer’s Market on Sundays starting in April. Talking about environmental awareness should not be meant to scare the shit out of you. It should make you aware of the things that’s happening around us and hopefully motivate you to get up and do something. As the company progress, there will be neighborhood cleanups, seminars(freebies given), planting of trees, and any other ideas that I can think of.
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Green Afro Diva ™ - Natural Living with Flava 