It is really...really hard to go green! When I opened up my trash service for the first time the very first thing I looked into was recycling options. You know what I found?
Nothing.
There are no recycling options! At least not in my area. Until recently when a new place opened up in September of last year, there was not a single recycling plant in my area. Not one! It is so frustrating to WANT to care about our environment and the planet and not even having the OPTION of doing the right thing, especially when you're of the mind that something like recycling should be mandatory in the first place...and there isn't even the option.
I read a post recently by Mike Rowe (yes, that guy from Dirty Jobs, who, by the way, if you are not following on Facebook, you absolutely should be) about recycling, and I am going to share just a small portion of his words here, because really, the man is totally elegant:
"A couple of weeks ago, I was stuck in traffic on Lombard Street, desperate to get across the Golden Gate Bridge for a meeting I was doomed to miss... the guy in front of me threw an empty Big Gulp out the passenger window. I watched the giant cup bounce around the street, roll into the curb, and come to rest on the grate of a storm drain. The guy was driving a Prius, and the irony was just too much to bear.
"I hopped out of my car, retrieved the trash, and approached his vehicle. Squatting on the pavement, I addressed the gentleman from the passenger side. “Hi there!” I said, grinning my best gameshow host grin. “I think the wind blew this giant cup out of your environmentally friendly vehicle. Here you go.”
"I dropped the Big Gulp on his seat and turned to leave, but the man stopped me.
“Hey...wait a minute,” he said. “You’re the dirty jobs guy! Holy crap! Are we on TV right now?” The man craned around, looking for a camera crew, ready for his close-up.
"For a moment, I wished we were on television...
"Here’s a question - How can we expect people to care about their “carbon footprint,” when they don’t even know what they’re walking on? How relevant is global warming to a people who still throw their crap out the window?
"I’m no expert, but it seems to me that most of the “big” environmental challenges in today's headlines are impacted to some degree by our strange tolerance for litter, and our stubborn refusal to punish litterbugs in a way that might actually discourage their decision to treat our country like a landfill. Doesn’t it make sense to do all we can to discourage littering, before we try to argue the merits of windmills and electric cars?"
Alright, I know that was long, the original post was even longer! But, well worth the read, and I definitely recommend the full read. While Mike is talking primarily about littering, he still makes the best argument: How could people possibly care about the environment on a large scale when most people don't even pay attention to how they personally contribute to garbage problem? How can I care about recycling my plastic so it doesn't end up in the ocean when there isn't even an option to do anything differently!
Blerg-
You know...I haven't been able to bring myself to throw away any plastic bags since I discovered how to make plarn! I haven't made any plarn in several months so they're just piling up...but I can't throw them away!
And you guys know I'm definitely not throwing out anything glass.
The one thing I have tried to start doing is setting aside my plastic to take to that new recycling place. I filled my bin up...loaded it into my trunk...and it's been sitting in there for about a week...still haven't taken it over to the recycling place. I shake my head at myself just thinking about it...
But that's my point. The most frustrating thing about wanting to care is how easy and convenient society has made not caring.
Till next time.
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