Post 3: GREEN

• Earth is showing many signs of worldwide climate change
• Average temperatures have climbed throughout the decades
• Arctic ice is melting rapidly
• Glaciers and mountain snow are disappearing
• There has been an increase in extreme weather events throughout the years including: heat waves, wildfires and tropical storms

These horrifying facts got my attention quick, so last week I began the ultimate bettering the world project: GOING GREEN! I decided that camping would be the only way to truly do the job. So my family and I packed up our tent and camper and headed to Lake Michigan :)

While I was camping I took many different steps to help the planet. My most painful step was to cut down on electronics. This meant no blow dryer, hair straightener, cell phone or air conditioning for FIVE DAYS! I was pretty sure I was not going to live, but somehow I am alive. Using less electricity causes less green house gases to enter the atmosphere. My next step was to take shorter showers. When showering in a camper, the water can only be on for short periods of time or else the tank will fill up to quickly. This meant that the only time I had the water running was to rinse off. Yeah, it sucked. Shortening shower time causes less pollution because the energy to heat and pump the water comes from fossil fuels. My family also walked and biked almost everywhere that we went. By not using a car, we saved gas and decreased the amount of CO2 and pollution in the atmosphere from exhaust. We also did little things like dried our towels and cloths on a cloths line, recycled, filled bottles with tap water and picked up trash. Who knew that going green was such hard work!
I never would have guessed that I would become a tree hugger!

This week I will continue to help coach my little sisters softball team and instruct in ballet classes. The softball team is having their usual games and practices, but this week we are also going to the wave pool :) My big project for the week is helping with vacation bible school at my church. I am going to help set up and watch and play with the kids, but I will save details for my next blog!

Jess Warholak :)