As a family historian considering today's problems with climate change, I can easily draw lines between climate change and its relationship to our ancestors. We can simplified that relationship down to one thing; our carbon footprint.
Our ancestors lead difficult lives without all the modern conveniences we have today but our carbon footprint is far greater then our ancestors. Technology has made our lives so much easier and yet so much more complicated. In the wake of our need to be bigger, stronger, faster in everything we do we have damaged this earth. And now we may have to take a lesson from our ancestors. We have to look back. We have to take a page from our ancestors lives. We have to simplify our lives. Live cleaner and reduce our carbon footprint.
No one is asking you to go back to horse and buggy. Put we can walk, ride a bike, live closer to work reduce your carbon footprint, transportation being the biggest factor in our carbon footprint. If you don’t know your carbon footprint you can go to http://www.carbonfund.org/Calculators and find out yours. With this knowledge you can work towards closing the gap between your carbon footprint and that of your ancestors.
For two long it has been all about us and we have stripped this land of its resources. We must simplify our lives. Grow our own vegetable gardens or purchase fresh from our local farmers and markets rather then purchase packaged products or purchase product that has travel around the world to get to your table. We must harness the energy of the wind and the sun to provide our heat and electricity. We have to rethink every step we take and decide if that step is to our own selfish needs or will it benefit this earth. We may not turn this mess around in our generation or even our children’s generation. But it starts with us, our children already are on top of this and with our help each generation will progress until we have reversed the damage, made our lives simpler, cleaner and healthier. It must start with us, it must start today. To learn more visit http://www.blogactionday.org/
Genealogy is about learning from our past. Research of my own history has shown me one thing that not all progress has been in our best interest. It has come at a very high price. Take a lesson from your ancestors, simplify your life and reduce your carbon footprint.
