Earth Day

As this year's Earth Day approaches, I advise you to remember that 'reduse' and 'reuse' come before 'recycle.' I have printed on both sides of paper for a long time and use notebooks for more than one subject as to not waste space. I also have a Kindle. Okay, I don't truly believe that this device reduces much paper since I have classic literature on it and there isn't much printing of those books lately. I also, from time to time, make my own, recycled paper. This practice serves all three purposes.

Save the whales. That's a given.

Lastly, a fitting 'preserve the environment' story:

While serving an LDS mission in Boston, a district of missionaries would meet to train on various topics related to service, proseletyzing and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Most often after the meeting we would sojourn at a local fast food restaurant. I believe in this case in the summer of 2005 we went to Taco Bell. Afterwards, while walking to the Forest Hills subway and bus station, Elder Wilguimps Horace (from Port-au-Prince, Haiti) tossed his nearly empty, large cup of soda over a fence and into a ditch.

We mostly laughed at his flippant behavior, but also informed him that you can't just toss trash around the city. He asked 'wh-, wha, why not?' since the trampled reeds and dead brush were already laden with rubbish (a term posted on road signs in New England). We probably gave a 'Respect Mother Earth' or 'Don't Waste [Massachusetts]' (like the old Utah anti-litter campaign) response, but I can almost hear (though he may not have been in town yet) Sir Alex Iorg warning that "if you keep throwing garbage around, the U.S. will become like Haiti without any trees."

This story isn't a dig at Haiti and there many and recent woes, but a reminder of great memories from the MBM as well as that of our stewardship for not just the earth's human inhabitants but it's other and resources.

Again, save the whales (Garrick).