glacier national park-in 1910
An Inconvenient Truth- Global Warming
A documentary presented by Al Gore. In this documentary, Al Gore showed us the ugly side of ourselves. He reveals an eye-opening truth on what’s going to happen to the future of our planet earth.
I have watched this movie over and over countless times. Every time I watched this show, I will always experience a strong sense of inspiration flooded upon me. I had tried countless attempts to think of a solution that could save our earth…or you could say, our only home. Global warming had occurred and yet people failed to see the impact that it could do to us.
- The number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes has almost doubled in the last 30 years.2
- Malaria has spread to higher altitudes in places like the Colombian Andes, 7,000 feet above sea level.
- The flow of ice from glaciers in Greenland has more than doubled over the past decade.4
- At least 279 species of plants and animals are already responding to global warming, moving closer to the poles.
I truly believed that without the need for me to name out all these catastrophic disasters that had occurred within these short decades, the majority are smart enough to realize that the situation would not resolve itself if we continue to live like the way we do today. 
In the movie, Al Gore mentions a couple of facts that I find it quite perturbing. He point out that, “Starting from 1970 there was a precipitous drop in the amount, extend and thickness of the artic ice cap. It has diminished by 40% in 40 years and there are research shown that within the next 50-70 years in summertime it will be completely gone!” It is hard to believe that the artic will run out of ice… the reality is harsh but true. In addition, he also stated that, the amount of melting happen in Greenland within these few years was enomous and if the melting continues at this rate; if Greenland broke up and melted; massive flood will occurred through out the world. The sea-level of countries like:
- Florida,
- San Francisco bay (a lot of people live in these area),
- Netherlands(one of the low land countries),
- area around Beijing and Shanghai,
- Calcutta (India),
- New York City
These countries will encounter disastrous flood, 100 millions of people living in those area will lose their home. Tony Blair’s scientific advisor once said this, “…because of what’s happening in Greenland right now, the map of the world will have to be redrawn…” However, we could prevent all of these devastations from happening simply by taking the initiative and unite as ‘one’ to help rescuing our planet earth. I am not saying that it’s going to be an easy task, but I have faith in our society. I have confidence that if we stand together and strive for the better, there will definitely be hope left for our future generations to enjoy the wonders of our earth.
“our collective nervous system, sometimes it takes a sudden jolt before we become aware of danger, if it seem gradually , even if it is really happening quickly, we are capable of just sitting there and not responding and not reacting…”
“…after the horrible 9/11 we said never to happen again, but, is it possible that we should prepare against other threat besides terrorist? Maybe we should be concerned about other problems as well… It is up to us to look at how we think about it; because our way of thinking is one of the vital factors that transform our relationship to the earth...”
It is heartrending how people are trying to flee from the reality instead of facing it. When atrocious natural disasters occurred, people used to claim that our environment is going crazy and that all sorts of strange catastrophes were beginning to occur.Even after such exclaimation by ourselves, ironically, we still failed to realise the message that earth is trying to bring across! Is it really fair for us to say that our environment have betrayed us? Or... if we think carefully, should it be the other way round? It is always easy for us to censure others and not reflecting the fault that we have created. It is always easy to put the blames for today's environment on the big industries and factories instead of ourselves.
However, instead of pointing fingers on who is to be blamed, why don’t we see through the fact and start correcting the mistakes that we had done? Trying to overlook the problems and deal with it some other time will always be the easy way out, but... rather than spending precious time on having such dreadful thoughts, why don’t we start comprehending the fact that, the longer we neglect the troubles, the bigger it gets! We have to start appreciating and not take our nature for granted because, the luxury that we experience now might not be here for our children.
I strongly believe that if all of us play a part in saving our earth, miracle will happen…
Green Tips
General
Pure soap is a good general-purpose cleaner which is completely biodegradable. Use it on the dishes.
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is a good multi-purpose cleaner, deodoriser and fabric-softener. Use it instead of harsh chemical commercial products.
Add salt to pure soap for extra scrubbing power.
To make a natural air freshener spray, dissolve a teaspoon of baking soda in 2 cups of hot water and add a teaspoon of lemon juice.
Vinegar is a mild disinfectant and can also be used to clean glass. Dilute it first!
Eucalyptus oil is a disinfectant and also removes ink and grease stains.
House plants naturally purify the air.
Sprinkle carpets with baking soda an hour before vacuuming.
Unplug your phone charger from the wall when you're not using it. Transformers draw about 40% of their maximum energy when plugged in and not in use.
Shopping
Buy fruit and vegetables loose, not in plastic bags.
Try to buy products with minimal packaging, or in containers which can be refilled or reused.
Choose products made from recycled materials.
Reuse plastic shopping bags (eg for fruit and vegies) and/or take your own large shopping bag or box to the shops. Buy a healthy vegetarian lunch at the Melbourne Uni Food Co-op (1st floor, Union House). They also sell bulk organic foods like rice, pasta, nuts and seeds, herbs and spices, etc. Take your own bags and containers.
Bathroom
Don't leave the tap running while brushing your teeth.
A shower uses less water than a bath.
Have a small bin in the bathroom for rubbish. Don't flush it!
Don't wash hair down the drain; put in on the compost heap instead.
Avoid shower curtains (and other things) made from PVC.
Use the half flush option instead of full flush if there's not much to flush!
In Australia, the driest inhabited continent, try to limit your shower to three minutes. You smell just as sweet with a short shower!
Kitchen
Place your fridge away from direct sunlight and heaters.
Check the energy rating of new appliances before buying.
Place a small dish of water with a few drops of vanilla essence in the fridge to make it smell nice.
Clean the rubbish bin with baking soda to absorb unpleasant odours.
Always use a sink strainer (drain sieve) and NEVER pour liquid grease or oil down a drain.
Less energy is needed to boil water in an electric kettle than on the stove.
Thaw frozen foods before cooking, to conserve energy.
Put a lid on the pot to boil water faster.
Go vego! Fruit and vegetable production is far 'greener' than meat production. Organic is best, of course.
If you do eat meat, try to buy free-range, organic meat products. They're better for the animals AND you!
Many chemicals released into the environment are stored in fat tissue: another reason to cut excess fat off meat and avoid high-fat dairy products.
https://www.trinitycollege.vic.edu.au/greenteam/content/about/index.php
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