CONVERSATION STARTER: To Trash, or Not To Trash: Confessions of a Wannabe Eco Chic
Lately I’ve been suffering from full-blown eco-guilt. Every wrapper, newspaper, bottle, can, and food scrap nags at me, to the point that’s practically bordering on obsession.
This is nothing new—since I was a kid the environment has always been a concern to me (yes, Mom, all those years at summer camp backpacking through the Adirondacks did leave an impression!)—and over the years I’ve guiltily skulked through life often doing all the things I know are bad: leaving too many lights on, or my computer on Sleep overnight; using a paper towel instead of a terrycloth one; wrapping half an onion that I know I’ll forget about at the bottom of the veggie bin and end up throwing out, dried and decrepit, anyway. There are so many things we all could do differently every day, so many small things that totaled up can make a huge difference.
You see, if you break down all the things we do every day, there isn’t a single thing we can’t simply choose a better way of doing. So why do we keep doing it? Throwing away the plastic yogurt container into the regular trash instead of the recycle bin? Tossing out piles of circulars with the rest of the daily mail’s discarded envelopes instead of putting it into the recycle pile? Buying a cup of coffee (or tea, in my case) at the deli instead of brewing one at home? Driving to the gym and walking the treadmill for 15 minutes before starting the weight circuit instead of walking to the gym in the fresh air. Using foil instead of a reusable plastic container to wrap up leftovers (or is it worse having to wash the container—does it use too much water—and hot water at that? And is the soap in the wastewater further wreaking havoc?!?!?!).
Have I made my point?
Yes, I’m guilty. I admit it. I know better but too often succumb to all these same nasty habits, even though that little voice is screaming inside my head, shouting “STOP! WAIT! DON’T DO IT!”
But the good news is that voice gets louder every day, and each day I find myself stopping and thinking before tossing. And making small changes. Like saving the plastic containers from flats of annuals and starting new seeds in them. Signing up to be removed from junk mail lists. Composting kitchen scraps instead of tossing them. Not printing out anything that I really don’t need a hard copy of that I know I’ll end of throwing out later. Remembering to put the yogurt container in the recycle bin instead of the trash. The list is getting bigger every day, so I guess that little voice is beginning to get through.
What are some of the things you’re doing, or changes you’ve made to put a dent in the amount of trash we as a society collectively accumulate? We wanna know! Please share your comments below.
—Diana Murphy, Editor in Chief of canvas Magazine
3 comments
Diana, I really appreciate your honesty. Very happy to hear that small quiet voice is beginning to become more powerful! For me personally, its important to remember that I don’t have to save the Earth all at once! When I remember that each small act such as turning lights off or not ordering something at a restaurant because they will use styrofoam, picking up a piece of garbage on the street or the Stillwell biking trail or opting to bring my own canvas bags to the grocery store that one thing has a grand, long lasting, effect on the planet. Of course this works conversely but I try to focus my attention on the positive of what I AM doing and try to grow those aspects and invite in new ones to expand my energy, focus, and attention to being kind and having a reverence to Gaia, our Grandmother Earth. Thinking of the planet as a Grandmother has always helped me consider her more deeply and reverently.
Great blog entry! I completely relate to every single thought that goes through your mind because they go through mine too. I’ve been conscious about a whole bunch of my activities; here are some to pass along:
My mom inspired me to save old pots and pans and make planters out of them. Just put some pebbles at the bottom before filling with soil & your plant of choice, and they’re good to go. Also, I’ve cleaned out some glass oil bottles & sauce jars (which normally I would have thrown in the recylcling bin) and plan to use them a vases over the summer when I have blooms out on the patio table.
I regularly remind myself to bring reusable bags when I go shopping or I just opt to walk out with my 1 or 2 purchases in my hand; no bag. Lastly, I’m thinking of switching to bio-degradable dryer sheets or some relevant alternative.
I’ve spent some time thinking about this post in two parts. One the amount of guilt aspect. We all live with in a predominantly Judeo Christian culture. I had a professor in school who talked about the guilt - we need to break free of it.
You’re actually not guilty, in my opinion, of anything other then trying to create a new sustainable habit and break old ones that weren’t as sustainable. Most of us have grown up not in the in the “throw away years.” Keep in mind billions of dollars are spent every year to convince you to get in your car and drive to the gym to get on a treadmill. Actually in a gym that hopes most of their members don’t come. This creates the push and pull you describe.
I keep telling my self - “keep trying you’ll remeber to bring the canvas bag into home depot” - I generally remember it at the supermarket but not other places.
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