At the back of the Cesar Chavez Student Center between the Fine Arts building and Burk Hall at SF State, near the man-made water fall which flows in to a pond with live fish, cherry blossom trees are in full bloom. The wind blows them, dusting the walkway with small white and light pink flower petals. Nature is presenting another side of its beauty to enjoy and appreciate.

In a time when everyone has somewhere to be and the faster they get there the better, we neglect to realize how much our way of life impacts the world that cradles us. It’s the little things in life we can do that are often overlooked, like using a handkerchief instead of disposable tissue, using a glass, or Sigg aluminum bottle instead of plastic, and trying an alternative form of transportation that can slowly lead to a healthier environment.

“[Actions that negatively impact our environment] are all forms of profound ignorance,” says Andy Peri, a geography and environmental studies lecturer at SF State, about possibilities leading to environmental degradation. “People are unaware of their actions, or the consequences of their actions, and will continue to have harm and destruction of life systems that support human, animal, and plant life.”

Peri, who also works as the advocacy outreach coordinator at the Marin County Bicycle Coalition in Fairfax, feels that the remedy for all environmental problems, whether it is driving a gas guzzler just because you can afford it, living a wasteful lifestyle, eating food that isn’t good for you, or buying into consumerism, is wisdom and understanding.

“Healing will also come from technical innovations, lifestyle change, and political and economic change, but none will succeed if the heart of understanding about a connection to each other and all of Earth's life support systems are understood,” says Peri.

While some might feel that certain changes to their lives are too extreme and hinder their happiness or ways of life, natives have been living with their traditions of keeping the Earth in mind for thousands of years.
“Love for humanity and an intimate connection with the Earth in American culture is considered radical, but in indigenous cultures, it’s as obvious as water quenching thirst,” Peri says. “If awareness and respect for life is a radical act, then we should all be radicals, because time is running out.”

3degrees, a firm based in the Presidio, provides climate change solutions to business, utilities, and institutions, sees fear as a bigger hurdle to overcome than time.

“Some companies are afraid that change would lead to bankruptcy,” says 3Degrees Executive Vice President Steve McDougal, who also doubles as the marketing and business developer and co-founder. “The fear is greater than the reality and companies should see this as an opportunity and look at past examples to see how much has been achieved when overcoming fear.”

Sitting next to a long wooden table and an antique fireplace in a large converted conference room built in 1862, McDougal mentions that bigger companies will get used to running things a certain way and tend to overlook the impact they might be having on the environment.

“They figure that’s the way things are done. It’s hard to change the direction of a large ship, but they will be rewarded in the long run with new consumers, new products, and new opportunities. American companies can take advantage and become leaders or sit back and let other industries or countries do it, making us buyers and not sellers.”

McDougal also feels that businesses should not take the entire blame for their consequences.

“Consumers need to let companies know we care,” he says. “It’s unreasonable to expect the boardroom to care if we don’t show we care.”

For more information on helping the environment you can visit the National Resources Defense Council (nrdc.org), Friends of the Earth (foe.org), and Global Exchange (globalexchange.org), which are non-profit organizations that lobby for better environmental regulation and educate through periodical newsletters. And to learn what kind of impact you’re leaving on the earth, visit Redefining Progress (rprogress.org) and take the ecological footprint quiz.