Presidential leadership headline

We’ve made it to the 21st century and we’re still extremely dependent on petro-chemicals for all our needs. They’re detrimental to personal and planetary health. At the rate we’re going we won’t have a planet for future generations and the air won’t be healthy enough to breathe.

Today was a perfect day to go out and get some air and some sunshine. Every morning I’m blessed to wake up to the rising sun and feel its grace and warmth and beauty as I begin my day. Although I spend most of my day working on the computer and the Internet I always make sure that I spend at least 10-15 minutes throughout the day cleansing my mind and filling my lungs with fresh air. However, that is becoming more and more difficult to do. This afternoon I stepped out into the luscious green back yard to enjoy the birds and warm sunshine and stretch my muscles a bit. After a few minutes of some deep breathing and stretching I had to go back inside the house after being assaulted by a horrible odor of coal tar pitch (roof tar). For all I know it was slurry, the stuff used in repairing streets. All I know is that it is a horrible smell, makes it very hard to breathe and prevents me from enjoying my favorite thing in the world – the great outdoors! I’m not alone in this dilemma. There are millions of people throughout the country and the world who suffer from what’s known as multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) or environmental illness (EI). People may remember from my first article how I spoke of fragrances in beauty care and cosmetics, not-to-mention the ones found in cigarettes. Well, one of the biggest problems affecting and plaguing our world is that of industrial pollution and toxicity.

Recently, my husband and I watched two very important powerful videos. One was a movie, entitled ”Safe” about a woman living in an affluent area, who experiences a nosebleed in a beauty salon and begins to feel threatened by the very environment that surrounds her. After being referred by her doctor to a psychiatrist she learns about a group who suffers from the same problem and meets others who are also suffering. Julianne Moore plays the proverbial affluent San Fernando Valley housewife married to an ignorant fragrance-addicted husband who notices her sexy perm, but doesn’t even care that she doesn’t feel well. The other video we watched was a video entitled Silent Spring, Rachel Carson. This video demonstrated and focused on Rachel Carson’s fight to raise awareness on DDT and various other chemicals that were widely used in the 1950’s and are currently banned in the U.S. Rachel Carson was a very courageous woman who, despite her own suffering from cancer, used every ounce of her being and strength to raise awareness about the hazards of chemicals.

Unfortunately this world is not geared for people like this and prefers to ignore, mock, or hope that it will just “go away”. As a person who suffers from this illness I can tell you that it’s not going to just go away. We are the proverbial “canaries in the coal mine”. When an environmentally ill person suffers and dies that’s a warning that something needs to be done. In the meantime at the time of this writing several thousand more harsh industrial deadly chemicals have been created and released into the atmosphere. If I were to try to mention one the amount of letters would give you a headache! This is a very serious problem and it’s only going to get worse. Many experts and physicians in the field of environmental illness and medicine have said that the industrial world is creating more and more deadened polluted chemically addicted zombies by the minute. Between the coal tar pitch (roof tar) that’s used to fix leaky roofs and the horrible fumes that are belched out of commercial trucks the hope for this planet and its entire species, including humans, is dwindling. I feel that the reason more and more people aren’t suffering as much as people like me is that they are so accustomed to using chemically laden products in and on their bodies that they have become desensitized.

A common question comes to mind whenever this subject is brought to the table. What can I do? The solution is simple. It’s four simple words and can be readily and easily done by any walk of life – empower, education, financial clout. While these may seem like simple things that don’t seem very attainable many more people are making a difference by using them. Ed Begley, Jr. and Ted Danson are but two of many people who have the financial wherewithal to make a difference and are educating the public and their friends. Whenever Ed Begley is at an event kids always come up to him admiring his electric car. This gives him a golden opportunity to spread the word of environmental sanity and responsibility. There truly are many things you can do to do your part to respect the earth and its inhabitants. But when it comes to pollutants like coal tar pitch (roof tar) the answer to that is simple.

I’ve seen many houses that have a pointed slanted roof. When rain falls down it just slides right off and onto the ground. There’s also hard metal material that can be used to reinforce the shingles. Granted, I’m no roofing expert, but I’ve seen good roofs and I know that one does not have to call on their local roofing company to come to their rescue in order to fix their roof. While money is an issue, think about this. Do you have any idea how the tar is affecting the air, the wildlife and even your neighbors? Granted, most people are away when their roof is being fixed, but there are people who stay home during the day. I’m one of them. The idea here is environmental investing. Invest in your health and the health of the planet and future generations. While it may seem like a tremendous expense to put out and using that disgusting goop seems to save money, the end result will be far worth it. Believe it or not, that roofing goop doesn’t even last, it’s not permanent. My husband had to work with the goop for someone and weeks later he learned that he wasted his time. He had to make the repair again. It’s not just tar. It’s also commercial vehicles. The stuff that’s spewed out of these monsters can knock out wildlife.

If you are fortunate enough to live in a city or town that’s “green-minded” that’s wonderful! Make a difference! Take action today! Don’t wait! Environmental respect and awareness isn’t a catch phrase and it’s not a fad or passing phase. It’s a concept that must be understood and acknowledged if we want a planet for future generations! There are many simple things you can do to protect the health of yourself and your loved ones and that of the earth. It may take a little education and time and energy to understand but there are plenty of books and magazine articles available to help you along the path. It’s time to shift our attention from superficial temporary appearances and move it to making the air easier to breathe and the water easier to swallow!