View from the Valley

I have found myself really angry lately with all the green this and the green that we are hearing about today.  As much as I try to keep my political views to myself I found myself just having to get this out.  Although, I can not fix it all I think it is contributing to my stress in life.  I know that is silly but….

I really didn’t start thinking about it until yesterday a wine company brought in his catalog with “Green” Eco friendly wines in it.  And I got to thinking the world is on this green kick, government is on this green kick, I have been on this green kick for well over 5 years.  I changed all my lightbulbs out to those special lights that cost an arm and a leg to buy but you don’t have to change for years and save money on your electric bill.  We have all but 1 appliance as energy star.  We recycle although not as much as hubby’s dad.  And then I realized, why am I recycling.  Here I go purposly seperating items into special garbage cans for what.  We have a two story garbage facility in the Napa Valley.  So the garbage goes on the first floor.  Truck backs up, dumps.  The recycling goes on the second floor.  Truck backs up, dumps right onto the garbage below.  So all this recycling is for what reason.  I am only one person I can’t stop it alone so I need to spread the word.  My aunt and uncle took a fridge down to the appliance recycling the other day.  They put it in the appliance location which isn’t cheap and they stood there and watched a backhoe push all those appliances right on the garbage pile.  Right on way to help the earth. 

Next thing, this whole organic thing is driving me crazy.  Organic meats organic fruits.  Okay I go to Whole foods and buy organic fruit that just happens to come from somewhere on the east coast.  Am I wrong in thinking that non organic locally grown may be better then organic that took either a ton of jet fuel into our atmosphere or diesel into our atmosphere to get here?  And in South America is their standard for organic the same as ours?

Then you have our government saying save the earth save the earth.  Really!!!!!  This is a joke.  If they wanted to save the earth save the earth why are they outsourcing our products to be built in China.  We all heard about this lead thing.  Think about how many toxins we are putting into the earth because their work standards are far worse then ours and then lets add the tankers coming across that are running into bridges that are leaking tons of fuel into our bays and killing our local resources.  Oh that is saving the earth isn’t it.

And what about our cars?  I was all about buying American made cars.  Not so much anymore.  Several Toyota’s are made right here in the San Francisco Bay area and several in Kentucky.  Although they are foriegn manufacturers the money they are paying to build these cars are going right into American families pockets.  They are feeding American kids.  Whereas you buy a Ford made in Mexico you are supporting Mexico not here.

Looking at all of this is really making me mad.  I try to do my part, you try to do your part, and the government sits there and says “you stupid people, you will buy into anything we say.”  This has got to stop.  We can’t live like this.  Remember the Gardens of Babylon, one of the seven wonders of the world, were once lush beautiful Gardens.  Now it is Iraq, a very desert country.  We are doing this here.  Step back and take a look at how green your community really is.  I bet you will be suprised.  You are only one person but as a group we can change this.

Until next time…….