A while back, Cynical and I made a commitment, it was a simple commitment, but one that none-the-less brings me both pride and shame.
Let me explain. In our community, we don't have curbside recycling. That means, in a nutshell, if you wish to recycle, reduce and reuse, it's really up to you. We decided to take on the challenge and have been pretty diligent for several years now. What began as a bit of a hassle: rinsing, carrying to the basement collection center we established and then hauling them to the local recycling station, has become something systematic and second nature.
What amazed me most was that our lifestyle actually produced that many potentially recyclable items and that all along we'd been tossing those in the trash, where they eventually ended up in a landfill. If only we'd seen the light sooner.
Now I am wondering why we don't do more to maintain and improve the health of our environment. And on this Earth Day 2007, I am pondering what our next commitment should be.
We've moved to replacing all of our traditional light bulbs with compact fluorescent ones. We've decided to forgo any sort of chemical lawn treatment. And I am now researching the thought of environmentally friendly cleaning products. I have decided to end our dependence on paper towels, choosing washable versions tucked beneath our sink.
And that mental list begins to grow and I try to incorporate environmental consideration into each of my decisions. It's a bit overwhelming, when you consider all of the alternatives, but it's also exhiliarating to see how you and your life can fit into the big picture that is our world.
But these are baby steps, and I realize that. And I do know that overall lifestyle changes begin with these tiny actions, but it makes me want to do more. Do you?
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Earth Day: Making A Commitment
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3 comments:
I was never so happy when my apt. complex got recycling bins. Before that I took everything to work or to Madretz's to recycle.
You so need to get "Clean & Green, the complete guide to nontoxic and environmentally safe housekeeping," by Annie Berthold-Bond. Its the best book for human and environmentally safe cleaning products you make yourself.
There are several sites on the Internet that give you lots of environmentally safe products to buy, as well as many that you make yourself with safe, common household products such as vinegar, baking soda, etc.
I'm not as green as I'd like to be, but I'm working on it. KC had curbside recycling; I don't have that here, and I miss it. However, there is a kind of recycling that takes place and has for decades. Don't throw anything away ... eventually you'll figure out a way to use it again!! I'll use that method sparingly, but there are some things that I will keep a while. Uhmm, is that "passive recycling" or "hoarding"?
We don't have curbside recycling either...probably 'cause we don't have a curb!
We take the recyclables to the center. But I can't find out what to do with batteries!!! I've got a huge bag of dead batteries that I refuse to throw in the trash, but I can't find out what to do with them.
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