I was listening to NPR yesterday when I heard about Maryland's move to reduce electricity use by 15 percent over the next few years. The NPR reporter listed a few ways to conserve electricity, which I'm already doing. But there were a few more suggestions that don't seem realistic, such as unplugging the TV when you aren't watching it...like I'm going to crawl around on my hands and knees behind furniture and fight my way through dust bunnies to remind myself what a crappy housekeeper I am every time I want to watch Weeds.
Everyone knows I whine incessantly about teaching. The peanuts for pay. The 24-hour days. The indentured servitude. But the kids, I gotta say, I love 'em. I really, really do. Who they are and what they do, it RAISES YOU UP, it restores your faith in humanity, and makes everything seem more important. They make things matter! Just consider my student Liza Stoner, who's willing to ride her bike 1500 miles to Washington D.C. to raise awareness of electric cars! She left yesterday, and I'm on pins and needles every day for her updates from the road.
Usually, when we're talking about something green at our house, it's something that's been in the back of the refrigerator with a "Use by" date of September 2005.
