I am a tree hugger. In a state where Birkenstocks
and flannel shirts are not considered statements but
just bad fashion sense, I proudly proclaim myself to
be an ardent environmentalist.

I have always been a green kind of girl, though not
as thorough as I am now. From the time I was a little,
I recycled aluminum cans and newspapers, but that
was about the extent of it. I didn't become
passionate until about three years ago, when I
started to notice how much trash piled up at parks,
on sidewalks, and in my own yard. When everyday I
had to pick up discarded cans and bottles and
cigarette butts around my pansies and daffodils, I
got mad, and then I got green.

Becoming truly green is a process, and it doesn't
happen in one day, one week, or even one year. In a
throw-away world, I learned that you have to adjust
gradually, or you become overwhelmed. My first
step was to consciously look around me when I
visited the grocery store. I noticed not only the
excessive packaging, but the amount of plastic bags
that each visit produced. Though plastic bags are
recyclable - the Sierra Club estimates that when 1
ton of plastic bags is reused or recycled, the energy
equivalent of 11 barrels of oil are saved - not many
people actually do it. Have you ever seen the copious
amounts of plastic bags hugging fence rows, waving
around like some kind of advertisement run amok? I
decided not to contribute to that mess anymore. I
bought a couple of canvass bags from a craft store,
and haul my groceries in them now.

I also bought a bike so I could run errands and
become healthier at the same time. I got a real
street bike, with fat tires, fenders, and a wire
basket. I made sure to get a cushioned,
spring-loaded seat to save wear and tear on my
tushy, and the handle bars allow me to ride erect. It
still took me time to get up the courage to ride
around town on my granny-bike, but now it's like
second nature. I take my bike to the library, post
office, and grocery store, and have a fun time doing
it, too.

I have never smoked, but have - like most of you -
been flabbergasted by some smokers' utter
carelessness. I have a theory that people who toss
their (lit!) cigarettes out their car windows are so
ignorant that they don't read newspapers anyway,
so maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree here.
Throwing those nasty cancers sticks on the ground
is not only disgusting and polluting, but dangerous.
Just the other day, with the high prairie winds
blowing and the air so dry my hair stood on end, I
saw a man flick his cigarette out of his brand new
car. Luckily, it didn't land on the grass. After yelling
at him and receiving a blank stare in return, I
wondered why he just can't use his ash tray. Will his
wife be upset if she found out he was smoking?
Does he think keeping the center console of his car
clean justifies ruining everyone else's nature?
People like that are like Dick Cheney on a hunt -
oblivious, or even deliberately disdainful, of common
courtesies.

The time has come for everyone - whether
conservative or liberal, Democrat or Republican,
religious or secular, Texan or non- to work towards
a better environment. Global warming is real, and so
is the destruction of earth by wastefulness. And
from what I've learned, you don't have to join an
organization, buy sponsorships, or rally around
campfires singing "kumbayah," either. All you need
is to modify your habits - gradually, but
conscientiously - and soon you'll be a tree hugger,
too, even if you don't want to admit it to your friends.
Did you know?

99% of the original prairie has
now vanished!
Being environmentally friendly does
not preclude one from a bad hair
day, nor from bad lighting. This
picture of me, taken at the
Chickasaw National Recreation
Area, attests to that.
Other ways a person can be
green are:

- start a compost pile with
organic kitchen waste, yard
trimmings, and leaves

- donate old clothes and buy
used clothing

- when washing hands or
rinsing dishes, catch your
kitchen sink water in a bowl to
water your garden. Plants will
get more nutrients from that
dirty water than from just plain
tap water.

- use ladybugs instead of
chemicals on your flowers for
pest control

- use paper bags to put your
produce in, and reuse those
bags

- pick up trash when you're out
on a walk (you can still make
money with aluminum cans!)

- cut down on meat
consumption (the raising,
processing, and packaging of
meats are not very
environmentally friendly)

- ride the rails to work,
shopping, or school

- carpool

- buy a car with a high mpg ratio
(or a hybrid)

- stop smoking!
David, my son and traveling buddy, has
always been a nature nut, just like his
mom.
He also likes puddles...
... and animals (even the non-moving kind)..
... and big hats. He is Texan, after all!
I don't like trash, but it sure
makes for some good photos.
Proudly
Hugging Trees