The Environment & I: It Takes Two

I pretty much have a love-hate relationship with nature, but without its elements, surviving would be quite difficult. Every second of every minute of every day, we come across nature's elements as tools of survival. Without the environment, mankind would cease to exist. In the beginning of civilization, its bare necessities were all that people relied on to live. We still do to this day.

When I wake up most mornings, turning on my television to check the weather forecast is one of the first things I do. How I dress for the day is dependant on the weather. Water is key to my daily routine. I use it to shower, wash my face, brush my teeth, rinse with mouthwash, and drink from my cup of tea in the morning. Throughout the day, it's something I use often to keep up my personal hygeine, maintain objects clean, and hydrate my body. The ground we walk on is a part of nature, and so are our homes, our lands, the food we eat, the fires we start, the gas we use in our vehicles, and the electricity and energy we use to run technology.

It's not really a love-hate realationship though, but more of a love-neglect ordeal. I appreciate the environment and all that it has to offer me and everyone else on this planet. I realize I tend to ignore how I can help sustain it. I do my best to recycle water bottles, paper, and cardboard boxes, but I confess... sometimes I don't out of pure laziness. That's a really bad move on my part, but I'm learning to acknowledge the first two lines of that song by Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock when it comes to doing my part for the environment. It goes a little something like this...

It takes two to make a thing go right
It takes two to make it outta sight

Pollution in Pensacola: From 1999 to Today

Prior to reading the Report of the Special Grand Jury on Air and Water Quality published in 1999 about Pensacola, I already knew how critical the area's condition is concerning pollution. However, I wasn't fully knowledgeable in the facts that stood behind the statistic. The report helped me understand how our area has gotten to the state of pollution it's been in to this day. It's amazing to see the similarities in concerns and issues presented in 1999 that are relevant to the ones arising today.

The facts definitely raise a serious concern for the population's health. So it has me rethinking what I consume on a daily basis. I used to drink water straight from the tap. Considering the numerous problems with the water quality, not anymore. The risk of the water not being filtered and safe to drink is not worth taking. But I do still eat seafood, which I may reconsider due to the articles surrounding the aftermath of the Gulf Oil Spill. I can only imagine how high the amount of pollutants in the water have risen. It's really difficult to turn away from seafood when it's one of my favorite foods.

Pensacola Bay wasn't something I considered to have been pristine at one point. I've lived in Pensacola for 16 years, but I've never taken into account what it used to be. To me, it's been as dirty as it is now. Knowing the huge amount of discharge of waste treatment plants flowing in its waters, I could never imagine a clean Pensacola Bay.

These past few years in college, I've gradually been going green as I become aware of my environment and my own carbon footprint. Gaining more knowledge about the local environment from this report has made me consider more minor adjustments to my lifestyle.