My Why

Nearly two decades ago when my daughter was eight, we were talking about Weather, the chapter she was studying in Science class. I explained that in Massachusetts our only real threats were hurricanes, usually mild by the time they got to us. She pointed out that there had been a tornado in Sturbridge the month before. “Yes,” I said reluctantly, “and that sort of weather is likely to happen more often due to climate change.”  I proceeded to explain what that was, in eight year-old parlance.

“So, what are we going to do about it?” she asked.

“Well, we recycle, and turn off the water when we brush our teeth…” I began.

She put her hands on her hips and looked at me like I was an idiot. “No, Mama, this is a BIG problem. What are we going to DO about it??”

I felt my life come to a complete halt. She was right. And I had no idea. “Can I get back to you on that?” I asked weakly.

In that moment, it became personal.

I became an environmentalist to save the planet for my child.

After 18 years as a waste world professional, I firmly believe that we have all the resources we need to flourish on this planet… except we treat nearly half of it as waste. Food, clothing, furniture, building materials, cans and bottles- all of it. If we reused, repaired, recycled, and rotted it into compost, not only would we have enough, but our air, soil, and water would be much cleaner.  

This is the world I want to leave my child and all future generations.

Educating on how and why we should do this is my answer to my daughter’s question.