environmental health Archives - Tony Funderburk

You can’t recycle away stupid. And today I’m gonna share a story you might’ve seen elsewhere. But it bears repeating. Because it shows the increased ignorance in younger people today. And it shows how, typically, the people who shout “don’t judge” the loudest are the most judgmental.

A young cashier told an older woman that she should bring her grocery bags because plastic bags weren’t good for the environment.

The  woman apologized to him, “We didn’t have this green thing back in my day.” 

The young clerk said, “Your generation didn’t care enough to save our environment for future generations.”

So, the woman gave him a firm stare and a hard grin and said, “Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles, and beer bottles. And the store sent them back to the plant to be washed sterilized and refilled. That way they could use the same bottles over. Then, they were recycled.

Grocery stores bagged our groceries in brown paper bags. And we reused them for numerous things. We walked upstairs because we didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. And we walked to the grocery store. Plus, we didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower  machine every time we had to go two blocks. 

Back then, we washed the baby’s diapers. Because we didn’t have the throwaway kind. We dried clothes on a line in the sunshine. Not in an energy-gobbling machine burning up 220 volts. So, wind and solar power did dry our clothes back in our day. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters. Not always brand-new clothing. 

Not a TV in every room.  By the way, the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief. And not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand. Because we didn’t have electric machines to do everything for us.

When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded-up old newspapers to cushion it. And not styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

Back then, we didn’t fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. And we exercised by working. So, we didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. 

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. And we refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen. We also replaced the razor blades with a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. 

And kids rode their bikes instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. Usually, we had one electrical outlet in a room. Not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 23,000 miles in space to find the nearest burger joint.

But the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn’t have “the green thing.”

The cashier stood there still and quiet as the old lady found her wallet to pay. Then lady turned to leave but stepped back and turned toward the cashier.  She said “You have a world of knowledge in that little device in your hand. Pity you just use it to gossip, take pictures, and waste time. It would do you good to search a bit of history before you embarrass yourself like this again.

I think that’s a slam-dunk. How about you? Did your family recycle away. Or were you part of the use-it-up-and-get-a-new-one group? In my parents’ and grandparents’ house, it was pretty much as the older woman described.

By the way, I’m gonna recycle away my recommendation that you head to this link to subscribe to Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional. Make me send you some complimentary (and downright hospitable) stuff.

Stay tuned,

The post Recycle away, but not like back in the day appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

There’s always tomorrow. Which is weird. Because tomorrow never comes. In the big picture, those two sentences aren’t mutually exclusive. So, “ride the wind” when it’s windy. Drink up when it rains. Sunbathe when others complain of the heat. Your days here on earth are very, very short. Don’t take yourself so seriously that you can’t sieze the moment with the enthusiasm of kids.

So, kids know how to laugh at things no one else can even see. They know how to be goofy and not care that mud got on the knees of their pants. And kids know how to love uncontrollably, hug unabashedly, and give undeniably.

If you’re not a kid, you were once one. So, if you concentrate and think back, you might remember what it was like to anticipate the newness of the next day. And the next. And the days after that. Especially when you knew your imagination could turn you into anything and take you anywhere.

Yesterday, in large sections of the middle of America, there were warnings of severe weather. And the messages included tornado warnings and watches. We saw messages on the electronic highway signs. And on the TV news. And in the weather apps on our phones.

As you might have seen, this past week, the town of Sulphur, Oklahoma was demolished by a tornado. And that’s a town I have a lot connection with. Because my Dad used to take us to that area to visit grandparents. We used to camp out nearby. And a couple of times we stopped by there, either on our way to have a blast at Turner Falls or on our way back home.

Anyway…

I only brought this up because of how out-of-control winds can sometimes make sure tomorrow never comes for some people. Tornadoes are kind of like rattlesnakes. Both can strike fast and be deadly. But neither one can erase the future. Nothing can.

So, while you prepare your food and water and supplies for natural disasters, be sure you’re also prepared for the supernatural. If not, a tornado could spin you down to a mighty awful place. A place even kids’ imaginations don’t want to conjure up.

Avoid that at all cost. Fortunately the total cost, to avoid it, has already been paid. So, you can put your trust in Jesus. And when you do, a tornado would just be a whirling vehicle. And you could…

Monday morning put your wings on tight.

Check the weather. Is the blue sky blue?

Nothing better than to fly up high

© 2013

Stay tuned,

Make me send you some complimentary fun stuff. subscribe to Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional

The post Tomorrow never comes. Sound this message on the drums. appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

I’ve talked about the Holland–Dozier–Holland songwriting and producing team before when I shared some info about The Supremes and their hit song, “I Hear A Symphony.” And they had another hit, 60 years ago this month, with the song, “Heat Wave,” performed by Martha and the Vandellas. Martha’s version was a number 1 hit. Then, Linda Rondstat had a number 5 hit with the same song 12 years later. Even Phil Collins had a hit with it.

Some critics might say it’s “infectious.” Reviews might call it a “danceable rock-a-twister.” But the main thing is, it’s an upbeat dance song about some of the effects of love.

But here we are 60 years later. And now a heat wave is an ominous and potentially world-changing (maybe even world-ending) event.

Sometimes I open my digital tablet and then open the “News” app. I don’t do it ALL the time. Because the basic news, weather, and sports are so predictable and mostly non-believable. But today I saw a headline that read: “Heat Wave Spanning From Florida To California Prompts Urgent Warnings.”

In case you didn’t already know this Florida is on the Eastern edge of America. And California is all the way on the opposite, Western, edge of America. So, right away, (if that info is familiar to you) you understand this truly IS an urgent matter. Because we’re talking about our entire country here.

And it follows up the headline with plenty of information to get your antennae up and your heart racing. The opening sentence says: “An expanding, intensifying heat wave prompted the National Weather Service to issue heat alerts for 115 million people on Friday in 15 states, with no letup in sight for some areas.”

Oh no!

115 million people! That’s a third of all the citizens in America. And the point is, it’s HOT! With no “letup in sight.” (uh, hang on, there’s still gonna be a September, October, etc. this year) But let’s not muddy the fear waters with actual provable facts. Because we’ve got a populace to control. And fear is the best tool for that.

So, let’s talk about the “public health dangers.” And the “scope, intensity, and endurance” of this hot weather. Plus, we need to get the “alerts” about where the “longest-lasting impacts” of this “heat dome” will occur.

But maybe I’m not being fair.

Maybe the weather services just have our best interests at heart.

So, maybe they just want you to have all the facts so you can make good decisions while your brain is frying. And maybe that’s why they say things like: “Heat waves can be extremely deadly.” And “Heat waves are quiet killers, with deaths often going uncounted until well after an extreme weather event has subsided.”

But so can aging, boating, camping, driving, gambling, gardening, hiking, recreational marijuana, a sedentary lifestyle, and sports. Yeah, pretty much all you have to do, in order to one day die, is exist in the first place.

Here’s the kicker to the “weather report” I read.

They had to toss this in: “…using peer-reviewed methods, from Climate Central shows climate change is likely boosting the odds for the upcoming extreme heat.”

And they add these guilt-loaded bullet points to make sure you’re aware that YOU are the problem:

I hope you realize there’s no such thing as “fossil fuels.” And I also hope you realize that volcanos spew more into the atmosphere than all the “human-caused emissions.”

But if those reports truly care about your safety, then it shouldn’t be long before they warn everyone to stop growing pot. Yeah, according to some estimates, growing an ounce of pot indoors can emit as much carbon as burning a full tank of gas. “Hey, somebody shut this guy up. He’s trying to take away our natural medicine.”

And you probably realize that a “spirit of fear” comes from a dark place. Because God gives a “spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

So, you probably know that when it’s extra hot outside, you reduce your energetic outdoor activities. And you wait till Autumn before you ramp things up again. The same is true for the cold, dark winters. Wait for Spring.

And the next time someone tells you Earth is heating up, just ask, “Since when?” Don’t buy the lie of climate change. Because it’s YOU “they” truly want to reduce.

When the Truth is revealed, it transforms

Stay tuned,

The post Heat wave slave just can’t behave appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

God? Or environmentalists? Where is your trust? Let’s say God told you something like, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.”Would you believe Him? Or do you put your faith in those who’ve been incorrectly predicting “the end” of humanity for decades?

*buzzer sound* Ooh, sorry. Wrong answer.

Because God actually DID say everyday life will continue, normally, for as long as the earth remains. And the earth will remain until God gets rid of it. And He WILL get rid of it one day.

Now, of course, I know, when a heathen…aka, an unbeliever…comes across an article like this, he or she will scoff. Because it’s not the hip, trendy thing to believe in God. Especially when you can become like a god practically overnight on YouTube or Instagram. (psst…you can lose that status overnight, too)

But it’s not a good idea (translate: it’s stupid) to disagree with God.

Everyone, who ever did, lost that debate. And everyone who ever does, will, too.

But who cares? Right? Why does it matter whether I’m right for saying the earth is gonna be OK, or you’re right for saying the sky is falling as we speak?

Ideas have consequences. Wrong ideas lead to bad science. And bad science leads to bad ideologies. And surely you can see the vicious circle forming here. Sort of like the definition of insanity.

But good ideas lead to good science. And good science can find cures for cancer. Or the discovery of information encoded into your DNA. Those kinds of discoveries point to a Designer. Because the incredibly complex design found in one human cell could not have happened accidentally.

Sure, accidents happen.

But you’re not one of them.

So, I hope you’ll learn to see

Stay tuned,

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