Here in Pensacola, Florida, we are not-so-eagerly awaiting the arrival of the oil spill on our beaches and waterways. I, myself, am going through the many stages of Grief.
-Denial has ended as it is inevitable that we will be affected by the spill.
-Anger set in when I thought about how this will affect our local economy and our wildlife.
-I tried Bargaining- "If only the oil will stop spilling, I'll buy a Prius and do more to encourage others to conserve!".
-I became Depressed as I had to explain to my children why we won't be able to go to the beach again for a very long time.
-Acceptance came when I started trying to find ways to help and do my part.
As with Hurricane Ivan and other disasters past, we are strong, we are resilient, and we will recover from this...in time. Already, hundreds of residents have answered the calls for help, offering to volunteer in whatever way necessary. Non-profit and governmental organizations have banded together, without thought of politics, to make this a more coordinated effort, and therefore a more effective effort.
What will my part be in the recovery efforts? That remains to be seen- maybe I will be cleaning oil from local wildlife. Maybe I will help in fundraising efforts. Maybe I will help provide a voice in the fight against adding more oil rigs in the Gulf. Right now, I can at least offer this advice...
1. Do NOT be silent! Make your voice heard and let the powers that be know that this issue is important to you. If you are against drilling in the Gulf, contact your local representatives and let them know how you feel. If you are for drilling, but want stricter safety regulations, let that be known as well.
2. Find a way, in your own daily life, to lower your use of energy. Whether it means adding more home insulation, sealing duct leaks, or upgrading to more efficient appliances or vehicles, do SOMETHING to use less energy. If we, as a whole, lower of use of energy, then we will use less fossil fuels and maybe we won't need to drill for oil in sensitive areas such as our Gulf of Mexico.
3. Show your support for the Homestar/Cash for Caulking program. If this is implemented, it will help us all to implement the energy efficiency upgrades that we all need in our homes. Visit http://www.efficiencyfirst.org/ to find out how you can support this important legislation.
4. Urge your local builders to build Greener, more energy efficient homes. When you are shopping for a home, or having a new home built, ask for energy saving features. You don't have to be a "tree hugger" to understand the importance of conserving energy and lowering your monthly utility bills. Locally, homes built to Gulf Power's "Earth Cents" or Energy Star Homes standards can save the home buyer an average of 20-40% on monthly utility bills, while only costing a couple thousand dollars extra to implement these features during construction.
5. Help your local conservation groups who are working tireslessly to help coordinate oil spill cleanup and recovery efforts. Groups like Emerald CoastKeeper need both financial and volunteer support. (Visit http://www.emeraldcoastkeeper.org/ to donate, volunteer, or buy tickets for their annual fundraiser gala on May 22nd.) These groups provide a local voice and provide local knowledge of our waterways and ecology that will help the Federal Government agencies and BP corporate representatives to perform better preventive measures and effective post-oil spill clean up support.
6.) Keep informed on the progress of the oil spill and the recovery efforts. (In Escambia, Florida, visit www.myescambia.com/escambiadisasterresponse/ for the most current information.)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment