How I Became an Eco Convert

cherry blossomHappy Earth Day!

I am a little embarrassed to admit, but I was never passionate about environmental issues until very recently.  Don’t get me wrong, I do love nature. Growing up in a small town of Katano, in Osaka, Japan, I used to catch crabs in the river and chase dragonflies in the mountains.

But when it came to environmental issues, or being eco-friendly myself, I wasn’t very interested.  In retrospect, I believe the disconnect came from apathy.  I thought I was just one of billions of people on this planet, and my personal actions did not matter.  Reading articles about how much water we waste daily did not strike a chord in me.  Sure, I can be conscious, but there are so many others wasting more than I do, I thought.  It just felt like trying to put away fire with a few drops of water.

Continue reading