Tangible

So I forgot to blog that I broke down and ate pig. It was in Mexico and I was very hungry and the only thing brought on the picnic with protein was the ham sandwich so I decided to pretend it was turkey. As I was eating at not feeling at all guilty (though not really liking the taste at all), I realized my heart isn't in the no-pig-eating thing. My mind agrees with the concept, but my spirit doesn't seem to be as on board. I still don't see myself ordering pork chops by choice, or choosing to carve up a large chunk of ham (unless someone gave us said ham, in which case I think it's more offensive to throw away the ham than it is to eat it). Anyway, I have decided to call myself a pig flexitarian or maybe a pig minimalist. I've read on numerous blogs about people who call themselves flexitarians. It's mainly being a vegetarian, but making exceptions occasionally. The wikipedia definition gives more description. So there you go. My absolutely-no-pig days are over and my pig-flexitarian days have started.

This does get me to thinking, though. I feel very strongly that global warming is real and that cars contribute to global warming. I think it's reprehensible that the US government does next to nothing to prevent it, that US car companies have actually worked against creating a solution to the problem (see Who Killed the Electric Car to understand why I will never, ever have any sympathy for US automakers), and that most cities in America leave citizens little choice but to drive daily. All that said, I still drive a car that is terrible for the environment, as does D, and I doubt my next car will be any different. And I don't feel terribly guilty about it. Why is that? I also fly all over the place and don't feel guilty about that either, even though I now know how terrible that is for the environment. It's the equivalent of me and every single passenger driving our own Tahoe's to our destination.

I also feel strongly that all dogs deserved to be walked daily, even if they have a large yard to play in (exception: dogs that work on farm and get to drain their energy running free on the farm). I feel badly for dogs that don't get a daily walk and feel badly mine only get a once-a-day walk, instead of two. And I feel *immensely* guilty if I miss a day.

Why is it that I can feel so strongly about two important things - global warming and dog walking - yet am able to follow through responsibly on only one? I think it's tangibility. Not walking my dogs, I can see and feel a tangible difference. Whereas not driving my car does not yield any tangible results. I'm also a devoted recycler, but that is also very tangible.

And thus, in a single post, I have solved the problem of global warming. All the documentaries and information will do no good until a government/organization does something to make it more tangible. Show real-time statistics of the number of cars driving at any given time online and show the number of gallons burned per day. Graphs showing levels of CO2 released day by day to allow people to monitor it and see improvement when they stop driving or drive less. Things like that. Now, someone make that happen. I'm busy looking for a car big enough to drive to Mexico with two large dogs and a crap load of stuff. A Tahoe should work.