Save the Earth - have a baby : ) Sound contradictory? Check out Maureen Wittman's article to find out why that may not be so crazy after all. The last Earth Day celebration our family attended was in the mid '90s. I had several young homeschoolers and was expecting another baby. It was free and educational so hey, we were there! Before attending this event I was not familiar with the term "zero population". I wandered past the Sierra Club table and saw literature with that phrase displayed. I stopped and read, bewildered. Did it really suggest that the solution to our environmental problems was the elimination of babies? Indeed.
The man behind the table was pacing and silently counting heads. He looked at my children like they were sucking his air. As the message his organization was presenting sank in I said, "My goodness! We must be your worst nightmare then, huh?" He didn't say no. In fact what he did say, looking at my belly, was, "It's not to late to stop!" I try not to think of what he was implying.
His solution to our environmental problems reminds me of those who are 'eliminating' birth defects by eliminating handicapped babies in utero. That doesnt solve a problem. We can do better than that. Maureen's article has lots of food for thought. I am guessing our clan of 11 is easily more planet friendly than most families of four. We eat out maybe once a year. We make most of our food or buy it as ingredients rather than as packaged products. I drive an ancient van - twice a week. I buy all our clothing second hand and have furnished our home with about 75% thrifted treasures and refurbished hand me downs. We are raising animals suited to foraging in undesirable conditions. We tread lightly on the Earth. Tiptoes even. ; )
I admittedly have little tolerance for Hollywood figures jetting around the world dispensing environmental directives while they sip designer coffee in styrofoam cups, replacing their wardrobes every season, building oversized heated and cooled homes. My feeling is that environmentalism, like charity, begins at home. It begins small. It begins with selfdenial and thriftiness. It begins with phrases like:
Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, Do without.
My best advice for saving the planet? Stay home. : ) You will use less, spend less, and want less.
Bravo! One of the best posts I've read in a long time. I am shocked at what that man said to you. And I totally agree on the Hollywood types - they are also fairly generous about handing out advice on marriage. :)
Posted by: Jennifer | April 22, 2007 at 06:25 PM
Reminds me of the scene in Cheaper by the Dozen with the Planned Parenthood person visiting their home?? Remember? Go, Kim!
Posted by: Jen | April 22, 2007 at 06:49 PM
I too, say, "Bravo!!!"
Posted by: Cheryl M. | April 22, 2007 at 07:39 PM
Great post!
Have you heard of Voluntary Human Extinction Movement (http://www.vhemt.org/)? They crack me up...I'm glad they're not reproducing. :)
Posted by: entropy | April 22, 2007 at 07:59 PM
BRAVO. Fabulous.
Oprah did a special this week on "going green" and my first thought was how "green" could her mega-million dollar home(s) be? Afterall it takes a lot of energy to heat 10,000 square feet or more.
I belive this is my first time by your blog and I enjoyed my stop here. God bless!
Posted by: Lindsey @ enjoythejourney | April 22, 2007 at 08:27 PM
Oh YES!!! I love that! I am right along side you with that one.
Posted by: Katie | April 22, 2007 at 09:59 PM
Fantastic points, Kim. I feel so much better about myself. I thought I wasn't a good environmentalist...I am, I am!!!
Posted by: Laura Guiang | April 22, 2007 at 10:45 PM
So true. Thanks for a great post.
Posted by: MaryM | April 23, 2007 at 12:14 AM
Another irony: the 'greenies' that insist that people should have two kids maximum (even though the replacement rate is 2.3!), then complain when they don't have enough volunteers for events, tree plantings, etc.
I tell people that I'm just doing my part to save Social Security with all my kids.
Posted by: Milehimama | April 23, 2007 at 05:16 AM
How much gas does it take the typical 2 workers/2child household just to drive to work and all the kid's afterschool functions? We are WAY more ecological by homeschooling and driving limited miles! It's like a mini car pool :)
Posted by: Barb McKillip | April 23, 2007 at 09:58 AM
What a great post. Thanks!
Posted by: Jennifer F. | April 23, 2007 at 11:16 AM
This is my fisrt visit to your site. I am so glad I did!:) I had a similar experience when my military OB/GYN told me it is selfish to have more than 2 children! She couldn't stand her Mormon neighbors because they had 9 children. There is so much "Hollywood" mentality out there. Thanks for boosting the self esteem of moms who stay at home and raise their own kids!!:)
Posted by: Amy Dabbs | April 23, 2007 at 05:05 PM
So well said!! I love your outlook, it's priceless!!!
Posted by: Meredith | April 23, 2007 at 05:41 PM
I really don't understand those OB/GYN attitudes - I get it from mine, too. But isn't that bad for business? You'd think they would want everyone to have 12 children!
Posted by: Milehimama | April 24, 2007 at 05:54 AM
Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, Do without. ~ Some wisdom is timeless!
Posted by: Jennifer | April 24, 2007 at 01:35 PM
This has to be the most bogus defense of self-indulgent over-breeding I've ever read. Come now! What about when your nine--or will it be ten soon?--chidlren grow up with cars and houses and nine or ten children of their own. And you actually have the audacity to suggest that that is less impact than a family that has one or two children? Lame! It's one thing to choose to live your life as you do--it's another to suggest it's an earth-friendly approach to preserving God's earth.
Posted by: Katie | April 25, 2007 at 11:03 AM
Oh, yes. We have lots of kids because we are selfish and don't think of anyone else.
Lucky for you (and all of us) I am teaching my multiple children that euthanasia is wrong and that they should pay their taxes. I'm sure you'll come to appreciate that in your dotage - and you'll be glad then that we outnumber the opposition (hopefully).
Funny how many families with 8-10 people I know that have one or two cars, and how many families I know with only two licensed drivers but 3 or even 4 cars/motorcycles/RVs.
Posted by: Milehimama | April 25, 2007 at 02:13 PM
My first visit to your blog. Delightful!
Happy Earth Day from one pair of self-indulgent over-breeders to another;-)
Posted by: Brad | April 25, 2007 at 02:53 PM
Beautiful! God DID say, didn't He, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it" ? -- I don't think we've fulfilled that very FIRST commandment He gave us yet.
Posted by: Kitty | April 28, 2007 at 11:14 AM
Wow! Very well said! =)
Posted by: Keeley | May 03, 2007 at 12:47 PM