Be The Change The World Needs:

People feel helpless, confused and over whelmed, they think “there is nothing one person can do” when in fact change has to start with one person at a time. You hold the power and authority to bring about change. 

Purchasing power dictates what will be produced, simply by making the write choices in what we eat cloth ourselves with, what we drive and what kind of home we build and live in sets the stage for a make or break world. 

Picking choices at the grocery stores affects both our health and the health of the world. Eating natural foods instead of processed foods, artificial sugars and plastic containers and cooking utensils. Forever chemicals are in most of our food as a result of plastic containers and cooking in plastic. I try to purchase foods that are unprocessed, traditional, and packaged in glass or paper. I refuse to purchase foods wrapped in plastic, fruits peeled only to be packaged in plastic. 

Clothing has changed in a huge way, natural fabrics have been rejected by manufacturers in favor of cheap plastic. Majority of clothing is now made from plastic, with the little fibres contaminating the air in our homes, leaching into our skin as we wear then in heat, contaminating our bodies. Our children are now born with large amounts of contamination and chemicals in their bodies, so then the immune systems fight this contamination which is causing huge numbers of children to have eczema and asthma.

Simply by reading labels of our food and clothing, making an effort to NOT buy the plastic and chemical laden products, to purchase natural foods and clothing makes a huge difference and sends a message to corporations. Writing manufacture’s and politicians, letting them know that you know right from wrong, and that you demand they do the right thing is very powerful. 

What car or truck do you drive; why? What pressured you to purchase what you drive? “its cool, its fast, its loud, I like the sound, I like the smell of diesel, my neighbour has this one” 

The fumes from the tailpipes are not pixy dust, the world is not so huge that what you do doesn’t affect it, everything affects everything, for every action there is an equal reaction. What you and your community does affects the health of everyone, especially children with each generation compounded. I’m sure you never gave what you eat wear drive and live a second thought have you? What if your actions are contributing to the slow destruction and decline in health of the people in your community, wouldn’t you want to change? 

I worked in a auto machinist shop as one of my first jobs, my dream job building engines. My first station was stripping the old engines that were to be rebuilt. I remember pulling the engines apart and finding huge globs of dark mud, handfuls of it, by-product of oil heating and being mixed with blow-by gases from combustion of gas and diesel. We would scope the worse of it into the trash can, then put the engine in a giant washer like a dishwasher. All the sludge and carbon would go down the drains and into the land fill like nothing ever happened. Multiply that by thousands, millions of other rebuilding shops around the world, guess how much toxic shit went into the water and ground? 

Back then propane was very common, during the 70’s and 80’s the majority of cars and commercial vehicles like taxis tow trucks and delivery vehicles were converted to propane. When I tor down a propane engine, the inside was clean, very clean, like the day it was built, bc propane, being a gas, burns very very clean. 

Gasoline and diesel is a liquid, and before it can combust it has to change from a liquid to gas, vaporize, though only about half of it burns, the rest is carbon that goes into the engine and out the tailpipe. That carbon is what wears the engine out, breaking the oil down, rubbing against he metal. 

Propane existing as a gas burns much much cleaner, with almost all of it being consumed in combustion, as a result engines would run forever. It wasn’t uncommon for a taxi or tow truck to get a million kms before needing to be rebuilt. There was NO smog from the tailpipes, propane forklifts are used indoors in warehouses bc of this fact. Propane is also a garbage gas, its a by-product of boiling crude oil down to get the other fuels. Capitalists thought they would profit from the garbage propane, so instead of just burning it of, flaring it, they bottled it and got everyone burning propane. But, there was a problem; bc propane burnt so clean, engines didn’t wear out, even oil stayed clean, so people didn’t need tune ups, oil changes or new cars. This was a problem, bc if no one was buying new cars engines or needing tune ups, the profits of corporations suffered greatly. So “They” lobbied government to quietly do away with propane vehicles. Just like they did away with Electric cars trucks and trolleys in late 1800’s.

 “They” did one more thing, they introduced diesel into light duty vehicles. Diesels are designed for heavy hauling, smoking, huge toxic plumes, they produce the heaviest toxins in the exhaust and oil. Diesels are unregulated, sold to people who want to feel and sound like they are driving big commercial 18 wheelers, stroking their ego’s, ignorant to how horrible they are to the world. The infatuation with diesel has also driven up demand of diesel fuel, driven up prices, not just of fuel, but of everything delivered by trains and trucks, helping to manipulate the price of everything we buy. Why would you drive a diesel? 

Finally EV’s are becoming a reality in todays modern world. I bought one of the first SUV EV’s, a Volvo XC-40. Great vehicle, faster and handled better than my 1978 TA. Zero emissions, Zero oil and filter changes, I was surprised there is NO servicing ever needed. The money I saved on fuel servicing filters and such paid for the vehilce.

These were the first versions of EV’s, they had issues such as limited range, charging speeds, and cold weather limitations. Though like the first of anything, there are growing pains; but the world is now witnessing EV’s with 1000km range, fast 10 minute charging, and cold weather no longer being an issue.

Its troubling there is this huge push-back from government and corporations who have manipulated the facts, demonized EV’s, spread negative propaganda while limiting development of EV’s and the infrastructure needed. Billions spent on a propaganda campaign that has convinced the masses to violently defend gas and diesel while demoralizing EV’s. Ev’s have always been a threat to capitalists and the people who only care about profits and control. Back in 1996 chevy produced the first EV’s only to be decommissioned and cancelled under pressure from capitalists pushing oil and war. 

The choice is yours, do you understand the issues, do you see how your choices of what you buy and what you drive has a dramatic affect on the world. 

What kind of home do you live in, did you build it, renovate it? Did you put any thought into what materials you used? 

Most people don’t think things through, they usually follow trends, use whatever the status quo is. Fact is today’s homes have more plastic in them than houses built 50 years ago. And just like wearing plastic cloths, living in a plastic home has far reaching consequences for you and for the environment. 

Vinyl flooring is all the rage, vinyl siding was all the rage 20 years ago, tarmac roofs are made from the worst left over by-product from refining crude oil, plastic walls and cupboards, furniture and carpets, and so on. All these things produce micro particles that they you and your family breathe and ingest, yet bc you can’t see or measure it you deny it. 

Natural gas cooking stoves and furnaces contaminate the air and release huge amounts of toxic gases and acids. Besides gassing people to death in their sleep and blowing up, residential natural gas [LNG] is one of the largest drivers of climate change, people think it burns clean bc they don’t see the exhaust and its toxins and acids. Contractors taught by government and corporate education and certifying bodies program these people to push gas gas gas.

But how about thinking outside of the box, think for yourselves, put some thought into how you build or renovate your home. Use natural products, such as stucco for the outside, the best insulator and fire retardant possible. Most of the old world uses tile for roofs, they last forever and are fire retardant, though hard to get in North America bc of capitalism limiting supply, metal roofs are common. Again, most of the world uses tile and marble flooring, hardwood, [though as the worlds forest have been decimated, hard wood is hard to find]. Using traditional wood for cabinets and walls goes along way.

Solar and wind technology is slowly progressing against the pressure of fossil fuel capitalists, though it its advancing to a point where they are a real alternative and reliable. When doing renovations think of removing gas cook stoves fire places and furnaces for alternative electric versions. Convection cook stoves are common in which they boil water in 2 minutes, and heat pumps heat and cool the home without the emissions.

So you see, YOU can make a difference in the world, and if more people realized this, thought about things and made better choices, the world can be better. EV’s are already improving air quality, reducing smog. Be the change the world needs.