I am not a fruitcake.

But I am also not an ostrich. Clearly, our environment is in trouble–the polar bears’ population is diminishing, global warming is a reality, and we are not taking care of our resources.

I am a casual environmentalist: I turn lights off, I turn the water off while doing the tooth-brushing thing, I recycle, I do all the things a well-meaning person should. We don’t own a car or a microwave. I know there is more I can do, and I have been trying lately: I set my computer to “sleep” when not using it, I am replacing lightbulbs with CFLs, I trade and donate books, and I have many plans for when we move into our new (to us) house.

Probably one of the most important things I can do is vote for the environment in the coming election; not that I will become a one-issue voter, that just isn’t me, but I will look more carefully at what the candidates are saying about helping our earth survive.

Blog Action Day is pretty amazing–there are over 15,000 blogs participating, and that’s cool. I hope it makes a noise, a la Horton Hears A Who!. It has inspired me to look to see what more I can do.

Thanks for letting me hop on the soapbox.

Besides the fact that I love polar bears almost as much as the Delightful Phone Friend loves panda bears is that this is so totally our fault!

Two-thirds of the world’s polar bears will be gone by the middle of the century.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) says parts of the Arctic are losing summer ice so fast that no bears will be able to live there within several decades. Scientists believe Arctic ice will hit a record low this year.