Simple Solutions for the planet and why we stop them from working!

Your green promises:

Re-use plastic bags when shopping, Oliver Marcus, London >> Stop wasting resources, Ness Backs, New York >> Consume more plant-based foods, Chana Tzi, L.A., Ca., USA >> Start growing my own herbs and vegetables, Holly Weisfeld, Herts >> Cycle one a day if not more, Jamie Cooper, Harts >> Visit a lot of eco-sites, Maria Kamutzki, Berlin >> I won't litter, Joel Austin, Pinner >> Be more eco friendly, Connor Buchalter, Hatch End >> Re-use water bottles so less waste, David, Middx >> I won't waste water anymore, Ben Green, Hach End >> Help my dad recycle everyday, Phoebe Decker, Northwood >> Turn electrical things off when I have finished using them, Talia Austin, Pinner >> Not to waste food, Joshua Roson, Rickmansworth >> Eat fairtrade chocolate, Josie Sacks, Pinner >> Bike/walk to places not to far away, Zoe Buchalter, Hatch End >> Recycle plastic bags when I go shopping, Sophie Scholl, Moor Park >> Take and re-use our own plastic bags when we go shopping, Cass Family, Harrow >> Not waste paper, Jed Gaffin, Northwood >> Walk to school more, Lea Abrahams, Pinner >> To be more careful with water, Max Abrahams, Pinner >> Turn the tap off when I brush my teeth, Ellie Roston, Rickmansworth >> Try and ride my bike as much as I can, Zack Bluestone, Stanmore >> Walk to from school everyday, Meiron Avidan, Stanmore >> Use tap water instead of bottled, Rianna Roston, Earth >> Turn everything off, not leave it on standby, Lewis Decker, Northwood >> Put my rubbish in the bin, Aron Bhalla, Harrow >> I will put my rubbish in the bin, Seth Bhalla, Harrow >> I will not watch the same thing as my brother on a different TV, Ilana Braham, Northwood >> Our family will walk to places if it is less than 2miles, the Garland family, Pinner >> Don't use sandwich bags for packed lunch, David Braham, Northwood >> Switch off lights when I am not using them, Matthew Rodin, London >> To walk and get the train more, Steph Leigh, Watford >> Not to litter and put rubbish in the bin, Jacob Lauder, Harrow >> Help put out the recycling more, Rachel Bard, Hertfordshire >> To put my cans in a recycle bin, Hannah Hyman, Borehamwood, Herts >> Walk to the bus stop, Matti Brooks, Borehamwood >> Re-use plastic bags when shopping, Gemma Black 5B, Hertfordshire >> I pledge to water my plants with a watering can and not waste water, Gemma Black 5B, Hertfordshire >> Make more things e.g sculptures instead of just putting them in the bin, Minnie Diamond, Bushey >> I shall turn off lights and T.V. when not needed on, Harrry Rubin, Hertfordshire >> Turn the TV off and not leave it on standby, Harry Rubin 5 Beech, Herts, London >> Turn lights off when I leave a room, Katie Moss, Radlett >> Only flush the chain when I need to, Hannah Hyman, Borehamwood, Herts >> Cycle one a day if not more, Jamie Cooper, Harts >> Ride on my bike at least once a day, Sophie Pollock, Borehamwood, Herts >> Grow my own fruit and vegetables in the garden, Isabelle Copeland, Bushey >> Don't leave lights on, Rebecca A, Herts >> Use energy efficent light bulbs!, Dov Colman, Borhamwood >> Not use the car for short journeys, Josh Zucker, Hertfordshire >> Turn the TV off and not leave it on standby, Jake Murray, Borehamwood >> To not leave the shower running!, Lauren Seres, Herts >> Turn lights off when I leave a room, Tyler Freedman, Bushey >> Do more recycling and help my mum sort out the waste, Maddie Freedman, Bushey >> Turn the TV off and not leave it on standby, Joseph White, Radlett, Herts >> Turn lights off when I leave a room, Zoe Klein, Hertfordshire >> turn off the plugs in my bedroom, Oliver Rothstein, Adlenham, herts >> Turn lights off when I leave a room, Nina Freedman, Borehamwood >> Take showers instead of baths, Harry Singler, Bushey >> Recycle my household waste, Harry Black, Bushey >> Recycle my household waste, Mrs Myers, Borehamwood >> Re-use plastic bags when shopping, Daniel Simmons, Radlett >> Not to turn lights on if it is not neeeded, Etienne Dean, Borehamwood >> Not use the car for short journeys, Leah Gorb, Bushey >> Use bits of junk around the house to make something & to not throw it in the bin, Sophie Pollock >> Turn the tap off when I brush my teeth, Natalie Maurer, Hertfordshire >> Turn the TV off and not leave it on standby, Rebecca Selt, Radlett >> Turn the TV off and not leave it on standby, Avital Cohen, Borehamwood >> Recycle my household waste, Max Bean, Bushey >> Start growing my own herbs and vegetable, Talia N, Hertfordshire >> Recycle my household waste, Leanne Rosner, Radlett >> Turn lights off when I leave a room, Leanne Rosner, Radlett >> Turn lights off when I leave a room, Kezia Blakeley, Hertfordshire >> Don't buy herbs if you can grow them, Emily Sterman, Hertfordshire >> Re-use plastic bags when shopping, Joshua Silver, Radlett >> Turn lights off when I leave a room, Ella Kosmin, St Albans >> Turn lights off when I leave a room, Ella Green, Borehamwood >> Replace two light bulbs in my house with energy efficient light bulbs, Jacqueline Sefton, Bushey >> Take showers instead of baths, Sophie Hyman, Borehamwood, Herts >> Turn the tap off when I brush my teeth, Joshua, Herts >> Turn the tap off when I brush my teeth, Benjamin Isaac, Herts >> Turn the TV off and not leave it on standby, Abby Rosen, Elstree >> Replace two light bulbs in my house with energy efficient light bulbs, Amanda Finestone, Borehamwood >> Try to have a shower instead of a bath and will not sing in the shower for too long, Sadie, Hertfordshire >> Cycle at least once a day, Jamie Cooper, Borehamwood >> Re-use plastic bags when shopping, holly, herts >> Turn lights off when I leave a room, Michelle Hertz, Stanmore >> Start growing my own herbs and vegetable, nicola weisfeld, hertfordshire >> Turn the TV off and not leave it on standby, Jack Glazer, Bushey >> Turn lights off when I leave a room, Jack Glazer, Bushey >> Turn the tap off when I brush my teeth, Holly Weisfeld, Hertfortshire >> Turn the TV off and not leave it on standby, Joshua Collins, Hertfordshire >> Eat less meat, Stephen Scott, London >> Turn the tap off when I brush my teeth, Hannah, London >> Continue to educate myself and others in ways of taking care of our earth, Raven Moon, Connecticut >> Try to live on less and take pleasure in the effort, Erich Connell, Greenville, NC >> I will be a vegertarian on a weekly basis, Lee-Ann, Tauyuan, Taiwan >> I promise to make sure all recyclable items go in the recycling and not in the bin, Lara Gordon, London >> I will try to keep recycling my clothes and not buy too many new ones, L.Bratter, North London >> I promise to recycle by altering my clothes, Anita Lancet, London >>

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Simple Solutions for the planet and why we stop them from working!

The scenario:

Spring has come. The Green family has just recovered from two months of crippling winter heating bills. Boom. A heat wave. A taste of midsummer in early April. Mrs. Green runs a business out of her home. Her hands are sweating and her eight-month old baby is fussing in whining, She can’t concentrate and her productivity is way down. It’s hot. The motherly touch reveals that the baby’s stand is hot enough to fry an egg on.

Out comes the electric fans. Its invasive electrical whirr disturbs the baby even more, and it scatters Mrs. Green’s papers all over the place. It doesn’t help much either with the heat. A grim solution shuffles its way into Mrs. Green’s mind. She steals herself to get into the car drive to the appliance store to buy an energy guzzling Freon-bultching eye-sore of a window air conditioner. It’s a violation of both her green values and her family budget… but it least it will keep her cool.

But STOP!.. Step away from the car!!!

There is a completely free, completely green and more effective alternative right here in her home.

Here is how it works.

Ingredients:

1) Add approximately ten to twelve pieces of firm cardboard; perhaps cut out the side of the cardboard packing boxes were about to throw away.

2) The medium sized container with the lid.

3) A rag or hand towel.

4) Water

Fill the containers about a third of the way with cool water. Dip your hand in the cool water and applied to the hot skin. Fan yourself with the sturdy cardboard and enjoy the breeze.

Mrs. Green splashes a little water on her baby’s hot head. The skin cools down and a big grin lights up the baby’s face. The afternoon is saved!

Here a few enhancements you can try:

1) Add a few drops of an essential oil to the water like, eg citronella, balsam or rosemary. Now your personal air conditioner also soothes insect bites and helps repel flying biting pests.

2) Promote your pre-schooler from floor-playing pest to fan engineer. Let her fan herself, and you. Wow! She can actually, with an swish of the hand, make herself, and even mummy too, feel better! Enhancing your fan is a great opportunity for creative projects .Good for her self esteem, and also for your toy budget.

This simple solution is good for your Yiddishkite too. And it is a well known, the first of the ten commandments and the first of the Rambam’s 13 principles of faith is the paramount importance is the idea that G-d created the world . He didn’t create it in order to be an absentee landlord! In fact, He runs the world. Even more than that, he saturates every single molecule and all the space between, besides.

BUT (isn't there always a 'BUT). If it is all so simple, why don't we do it? The answer is that small voice inside us all... our Yetzer HaRa; our evil inclination.

The Yetzer HaRa (the evil inclination) within each of us is a powerful force in world that serves no other purpose but to convince us that the above statements are not true! If you are reading this website, then you are certainly, like the Greens, amongst the enlightened who are working on making their minds and hearts bigger every day, and in making our lives more green.

The better are, the more the Yetzer HaRa turns up the heat, figuratively, and sometimes literally.

Consider the above scenario. The Yetzer HaRa is most certainly saying to Mrs. Green : “ Of course HaShem doesn’t run the world. Would it be 35 degrees C in April if HaShem ran the world? Don’t be so stupid!!!! In fact, Mrs. Green, it’s YOU who runs the world, and, didn’t I mention it, you’re doing a particularly miserable job of it. So, please, by all means, feel bad about yourself. You are totally powerless to change your situation in any real way, so why don’t you violate some of your core values and buy something you don’t need.”

The Yetzer HaRa is the voice inside all of us that makes us feel lowly, discouraged, and disempowered. It is the voice that tells us problems like the decimation of the environment are much too big fix, and none of our efforts can help anyway!

Don’t listen to him. Tell your Yetzer HaRa how much you appreciate him as a teacher, but, that you will no longer be requiring his services because as it happens, G-d does run the world.

Tell your Yetzer Hara not to worry because G-d made him too, will offer him a very nice retirement package.

Remind yourself that “G-d has given me all the tools I need, mostly right inside myself, to transform a hard situation into, at worst, an opportunity to grow and, at best, a surprise celebration, both personally and globally.”

Please try this simple solution at home. With G-d’s help, it will be good for the environment, good for your family budget and good for your soul as well. See if it changes how you feel.

I find, in my own life, it is the simple solutions; the small acts of hope and empowerment, and the successes that come from them, that make the difference between a day of happiness and connection with G-d, or a day of bitterness and despair. Please try it and tell us how it works.

Better still, come up with your own simple solutions that work in your home, and share them!

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