Wake up calls

WAKE UP!

Keep in mind that all of the following WILL unavoidably end up in yOur own front-yard if we don't decide right now to make an end to yOur produce-and-waste-based 'civilization'.

yOur Plastic

"Over a few decades, humans have managed to dump tons upon tons of garbage into the ocean. Of the most devastating elements of this pollution is that plastics takes thousands of years to decay. As a result, fish and wildlife are becoming intoxicated."

As in many cases, this fact alone does not seem to be enough to have people wake up, become aware, take care and act. Sadly enough, an additional argument always seems to be needed, the same that is needed for the headline just to draw some attention...

"Consequently the toxins from the plastics have entered the food chain, threatening human health."

HumanProgress.net wonders, how selfish can we get? 
How much more do we need, to stop hyper-consuming and how much more do Big Industry and Big Money need to wake up and stop hyper-producing (and impose this hyper-consumption upon us)?

This poor turtle, already tortured it's whole life by that plastic ring, was (sarcasticly?) given the nick-name of Mae West.

Fortunately some people do act!
http://www.arthasoaps.com/garbage-patch-soap-project/

yOur Oil

BP has spent the past year (2011) trying to spread the blame for its Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Shell is blamed to corrupt Nigerian oil spill investigations

yOur Global Warming

Satellites See Unprecedented Greenland Ice Sheet Surface Melt (NASA)

The Arctic Sea Ice extent this September (2012) was far smaller than the previous record set in 2007.

yOur Deforestation

• Forests are disappearing at an alarming rate in Nigeria, Indonesia, and North Korea, according to a recent report by Maplecroft. The Deforestation Index map evaluates 180 countries where high rates of deforestation occurred between 2005 and 2010.
  According to the report, forest degradation is responsible for about 20% of global greenhouse emissions and considered a key contributor of climate change.
  
  
• 9 maps that explain the world's forests
  By the time we find out about deforestation, it’s usually too late to take action.
  
  
• Extent of deforestation in Borneo (Indonesia) 1950 - 2005 and projection towards 2020
  
  
  
• Deforestation (the Guardian)

yOur Electronic Junk

If you wonder "How on Earth can I do something about this?" the answer is quite easy, in fact, we don't even have to act, we have to NOT ACT! Not act in consumption that is.

STOP buying so much (new) stuff! This goes for cars, houses, electronics and clothing...
as for food: try to grow your own, buy local, not wrapped in plastic and try to avoid supermarkets and malls!

Now this would truly be "a small step for (each) man, but a great step for mankind"... and the planet!