The Ugandan Museum in Kampala is quite impressive with the number of artifacts displayed.They have also added a very modern up to date display on energy. I was impressed but not surprised with the very small size of Ugandan's carbon footprint while embarrassed but not surprisedby the very large footprint of the United States. Granted I am comparing a developed country to an undeveloped one and that may not seem fair. However I guess the point I’m trying to make is that the poorest in our world are the least responsible for climate change and are often the hardest hit. Disease, declining crop yields, shifting seasons and climbing temperatures, and natural disasters are just a few of the consequences that can devastate the most vulnerable of countries and communities. Sometimes feeling overwhelmed with the size of the problem can leave us paralyzed. But the smallest changes that we make in our everyday lives can make a significant difference.
I do think about all the carbon dioxide we are releasing into the atmosphere when using our car. Most folks here are walking or biking to their destinations. I read that for every mile walked or biked one pound of carbon is saved. The people of Gulu and the surrounding area are saving a lot of pounds of carbon every day.
Now that we are enjoying our new home, we are trying to do the little things that over time we hope will make a difference. We have solar panels on the roof top that heat the w
ater for our showers . Decadent I know but oh so nice! All the light bulbs are compact fluorescent and used only when necessary. We have a garden that we planted in June. We’ve been enjoying the lettuce for a couple of weeks and /but the radishes are gone. The radishes were either Super Seeds or I left them in too long. You’re right - they were in too long! But we did enjoy. The broccoli are struggling – we hope they make it. But we should have lots of carrots and tomatoes when it’s time. I’m a little leary about the green peppers but time will tell. And of course we buy locally with at least weekly trips to the market with our canvas bags.There is no such thing as recycling here, so we do the best we can. We try to use what we can and we burn what we can. At the other end of the garden we have dug trenches for trench composting and it’s working very well – nothing to attract the flies. It’s a great way to rid ourselves of the waste and to revitalize the soil.
ater for our showers . Decadent I know but oh so nice! All the light bulbs are compact fluorescent and used only when necessary. We have a garden that we planted in June. We’ve been enjoying the lettuce for a couple of weeks and /but the radishes are gone. The radishes were either Super Seeds or I left them in too long. You’re right - they were in too long! But we did enjoy. The broccoli are struggling – we hope they make it. But we should have lots of carrots and tomatoes when it’s time. I’m a little leary about the green peppers but time will tell. And of course we buy locally with at least weekly trips to the market with our canvas bags.There is no such thing as recycling here, so we do the best we can. We try to use what we can and we burn what we can. At the other end of the garden we have dug trenches for trench composting and it’s working very well – nothing to attract the flies. It’s a great way to rid ourselves of the waste and to revitalize the soil. In addition to our flower garden we have also planted both mango and papaya trees. So we are trying to do our part knowing that as these trees grow they will store carbon to help slow the pace of climate change. And in the meantime they will absorb carbon dioxide and use it as an energy source for producing the oxygen that we all depend on.
Something as simple as the plastic bags that the bread comes in can present a problem – how to recycle? I take them to the clinic! No health facility has charts – each person has a 5X8 Exercise Book that they carry around and bring to the clinic with them. This is what the health professional writes in and hands back to the patient. Well you can imagine the condition of some of these paper books – some I’m not even able to read. But the folks love the plastic bags that I leave out in the clinic for the taking.Believe me they are well used! Our hope is that we will not contribute in any way to enlarging Uganda’s footprint – during our stay in Gulu!
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