We are blessed!
David Casaletto
My wife and I were blessed this Christmas to have all our family with us. Our two younger daughters live in Portland, Oregon which makes their visits special but infrequent. After checking what Santa brought us all and the reading of the Christmas story from the Bible, our conversation turned to our beautiful Ozarks natural resources. Our streams, rivers and lakes; the availability of fresh, clear and clean drinking water; and our beautiful hills and trees are the reason we love to live (and move) here. But I wonder if we are taking our God given resources for granted. I asked my west coast daughters to compare the environmental differences in living in Oregon with living in Ozarks. I was successful in talking them into writing some of their thoughts that I will share with you. I have also included some photos of my last trip to visit my daughters in Oregon.
Angela, Sarah, Kristin, Diane & David (left) Sarah & David enjoying nature (right)
Sarah Casaletto:
Growing up in rural Kansas and living in southwest Missouri, nature was always a big part of my life. Yet, it wasn't until I moved away that I learned how to care for our natural world and the resources it provides. Living on the west coast, especially working in the environmental education field has brought me a newfound awareness and appreciation for sustainable living practices. Learning about the environment has become a huge part of thousands of students' lives in the west, as many schools require environmental education as a part of their curriculum. This requirement it often satisfied by sending entire school classes to a 3-5 day outdoor education camp. Before entering graduate school, I directed one of these camps. It was through this job, that I came to see one of the major differences between my native Midwestern culture and that of the West was a lack of awareness about environmental issues.
By having environmental education a curriculum requirement, schools are clearly demonstrating this to be a priority. Yet what students learn through this time can form a foundation to be built upon. Students learn about ecosystems, and their place in the grand scheme of everything. Often times they learn what compost is, how to reduce waste and what it means to "leave no trace" in a natural environment.
Knowing about such practices is very important, yet what is most exciting is how easy implementing them in everyday life can be in the cities where I have lived. For example, waste removal in Seattle includes recycling and compost pick-up. At many large events, divided bins are often present to make these choices easy. In California, I visited one waste-management company that sorted their garbage. Water conservation is also a big issue, especially around the Puget Sound area. Environmentally friendly products are also readily available at a reasonable price.
All of these things help to create a more sustainable living environment, but it is education that helps teach students why it is important to make these choices in the first place.
Recycle bins at public event (on left), Kristin & David by Haystack Rock (right)
Kristin Casaletto:
Kids are raised with an awareness of the environment here because it's in the lifestyle. They go to Environmental Education classes, their schools have gardens to teach them about growing their own food, and their parents support green habits (for the most part).
It's a lifestyle here. People care, which makes other people care. It's kind of like the "when in Rome" saying, where if you move here and even if you don't care that much or you're ignorant of environmental issues, you will green up your life because everyone's doing it and because they care it makes you care more. It's fascinating to see people show so much interest in learning how to grow their own food, cook and can things, raise chickens in the city, etc. People here are eager to learn more, and they get busy with doing things like gardening instead of watching television.
Recycling is a big deal and it's easy to recycle because when you pay for trash service you get a trash can, recycling bin, glass bin, and compost bin. Why wouldn't you recycle when they make it so easy? You also start to become more conscious of composting and how much food waste goes into the trash. You realize that a ton of "garbage" can be easily composted in your backyard and then make awesome fertilizer for your garden, and cut your garbage amount significantly.
Businesses really make an effort to be green because it's so important to people here, and the community supports green businesses more often. People try to use less light and energy, not just to save money, but to save energy. Plastic bags have been banned by many stores, and there are sometimes rewards for bringing your own reusable grocery or shopping bag. People support a lot of local businesses rather than big chain stores. Even when choosing restaurants, people tend to go with a place that's local and unique. A lot of restaurants change their menu to serve foods that are in season, so they can buy the ingredients from local farmers.
