I Sometimes Have To Wonder What Just Happened
I'm aware that people don't fundamentally change.
People may become more knowledgeable or feel motivated to decide to change a habit to a degree, or even turn their life around. If they do it, It's something to be celebrated. But don't hold your breathe for it either. At the same time, people should have the opportunity to be better and do better and be aware of what their choices mean...for good or ill. It's on them. They have to be who they are.
Today, I looked back over the past year and a half...Something very slow has been happening. My boyfriend made some changes. I'm under no illusion that he has done this for himself. He does it to make me happy. If I were out of his life, he'd probably be back to how he used to do things. Regardless, I'm very very proud of him..because he basically did this slowly on his own. I tried very hard not to be pushy or nag. Basically...He's a bit better at reusing things and recycling. He always used to sort aluminum and cardboard but basically tossed everything else (including recyclable plastic bottles) in the trash. Now he sorts plastic bottles and he stores his plastic bags in a bag in his car and when he stops at the grocery store he puts it in the plastic bag blue bin. He uses reuseable shopping bags, and he uses reuseable silicone bags and no longer constantly buys and throws ziploc bags in the trash. He also seems to be doing it more naturally. He used to say he felt a little stupid being more green. I just told him it doesn't make him stupid-it makes him a better person.
He 's still a little annoyed by how I turn off the water if a shared shower turns into shower sex...though he's used to it now... I want the sex...I just don't want to waste the water. I'll happily turn it back on afterwards. lol
See I've always been a bit of a recycling nerd/hippy (Though I'm probably average by Californian, Maine, or European or other standards) ever since I was 6 and found out what really happens with trash and plastics, and how disposal services really works, and how much waste there is, and how much change needs to happen in how recycling works, and how trash works to make it more effective and efficient and green, and keep costs down from an individual level to big corporate levels. As a kid, I pestered a worker at the recycling/garbage depot for an information sheet and soon started pointing out the mistakes my parents made. Subsequently they quickly put me in full charge of garbage and recycling to shut me up. I even kept track of special days to recycle old medications and electronics and oil, etc. I was shocked by the volume and time it took to do everything properly. No wonder many families get lazy and just toss whatever in any bin. I also begged my mom to let us have a composting area-which sort of worked but could have done alot more with. I asked the shoe store, what they did with all the empty boxes? Did they reuse them or just throw them out? I asked fastfood restaurants why they use so much wrapping and bags? When Aldis stores hit big in America, the 12 year old me told my mom, that for my birthday I nothing or to go that store. And my mom's been shopping there ever since. Fist she'd save plastic bags to use there until I bought her reuseable bags. Though it took her 15 years to actually use them for shopping.
Then I spent a couple summers with my grandparents and was happy to discover that my grandfather while on his daily morning walks would always bring a garbage bag along and puck up any litter he saw and then bring it back and sort it out into various recyclable bins or trash. If they could resuse, they did. If they could compost they did. So I did the same thing. To this day, when I go on a walk, I carry a little backpack with a large silicone reusable bag to put the litter in. And I try to keep the storm drains clear of debris and leaves when I can-just like him. Not because of him, but because he inspired me to do it simply because its a good thing to do.
I recycle to the full extent that I'm allowed even if I have to drive a little bit, and try to buy products that don't have alot of packaging, or come in a material that is more easily and fully recyclable. Mostly I shop at a farmer's market, which means I don't have much trash or recyclables at all.
I try to encourage others...whether it's nicely, or by yelling at someone who tosses their aluminum can in the trash bin instead of the recyclable container right next to it.
When I recently moved to my new apartment, which has a few recycling bins for the complex by their dumpsters (I was very excited about this) and inquired some more about it, I ended up making a better informational flyer for them to email out to tenants. I made sure to include places and a website to search for their own for the grocery stores in which they could take their plastic bags...and which plastic bags were ok or not. We will also soon get one of those containers for donating lightly used clothing out there.
I enjoy using my under the sink worm composter. Which alot of people I find are afraid to use, or worry it will be smelly. Honestly, if you don't overfeed the worms it won't get stinky. And if you have a day in which you do have too many scraps just put it in a container in the freezer to keep and feed the scraps to the worms another day.
Now some people would say I go overboard. I suppose in comparison the the average american, I go further then many. I want things to be more like California (Where many Californians happily joke around that everything is recyclable) and Europe in recycling. Why not ban plastic bags and straws? Why not ban plastic water bottles unless specially ordered and as more of an emergency supply of water for those that actually need clean water and can't easily get it. Why not recycle in stores? Why not bring your own straw or containers if need be...Why not have a recycling tax that you can get back by actually recycling. Why not make companies cut back on unneccesary waste and packaging and make sure they use proper disposal services. Why not promote reuseable materials or even composting certain food scraps for every household even for apartments? Or helping educate people to properly sort materials and why it needs to happen. And what the effect of recycling even one aluminum can has. And why self discipline in recycling is important. And if you don't have the discipline to properly sort your trash...honestly...can you be responsible and disciplined to do anything? I think not.
But people don't want to hear about how it could be done. Or how changing things WILL benefit them and ecosystems.
Change is hard. Even if its little by little.
Mottainai! As my cousin would say.
However many just complain about the old system's flaws...and say recycling cost more money ...or if it's not fully recyclable or sustainable, you should toss it in a landfill or how more recently that the quality of what is recyclable that can be sold has gone down and so their is less of a market and less money for recyclable materials. So the costs just go up. And enthusiasm goes down. Part of the problem is that people don't sort properly or clean recyclables and things get jammed in the machines or contaminate the recyclables and make it ALL unusable...which costs your city millions of extra dollars to deal with. But an even bigger problem is that there is little legistration in place to make companies responsible for the waste they produce or for any big change. Challenge them to make a more sustainable product or reduce the energy cost and global impact. Many companies are trying, while others have little incentive for them to cutback on waste. Just as there is little incentive for individual people to recycle. Alot of people have given up on being green. Just as alot of people don't believe in climate change or the effects of pollutions and dismiss it as something unimportant. Or as something unable to be changed.
But I say every little step on the way to more responsible ways to handle waste is a victory. And with every new generation, it's going to get better and better. And hopefully we can watch out that each step is wise along the way. And when I hear about someone taking the extra step to recycle or reuse something or just pick up litter, or acknowledging a problem they see needing to be fixed... I have the biggest grin. Keep educating yourself. Keep trying to make the world a better place then how you left it. It is appreciated.
If you have any questions about recycling, I'd love to help out, even if I don't have the answer, I don't mind googling and emailing people who might know the answer to your question. Because I'd want to know too. :)
If you have any information you want to share here, go for it. Same with comments or discussions or arguments you'd like to start.
People may become more knowledgeable or feel motivated to decide to change a habit to a degree, or even turn their life around. If they do it, It's something to be celebrated. But don't hold your breathe for it either. At the same time, people should have the opportunity to be better and do better and be aware of what their choices mean...for good or ill. It's on them. They have to be who they are.
Today, I looked back over the past year and a half...Something very slow has been happening. My boyfriend made some changes. I'm under no illusion that he has done this for himself. He does it to make me happy. If I were out of his life, he'd probably be back to how he used to do things. Regardless, I'm very very proud of him..because he basically did this slowly on his own. I tried very hard not to be pushy or nag. Basically...He's a bit better at reusing things and recycling. He always used to sort aluminum and cardboard but basically tossed everything else (including recyclable plastic bottles) in the trash. Now he sorts plastic bottles and he stores his plastic bags in a bag in his car and when he stops at the grocery store he puts it in the plastic bag blue bin. He uses reuseable shopping bags, and he uses reuseable silicone bags and no longer constantly buys and throws ziploc bags in the trash. He also seems to be doing it more naturally. He used to say he felt a little stupid being more green. I just told him it doesn't make him stupid-it makes him a better person.
He 's still a little annoyed by how I turn off the water if a shared shower turns into shower sex...though he's used to it now... I want the sex...I just don't want to waste the water. I'll happily turn it back on afterwards. lol
See I've always been a bit of a recycling nerd/hippy (Though I'm probably average by Californian, Maine, or European or other standards) ever since I was 6 and found out what really happens with trash and plastics, and how disposal services really works, and how much waste there is, and how much change needs to happen in how recycling works, and how trash works to make it more effective and efficient and green, and keep costs down from an individual level to big corporate levels. As a kid, I pestered a worker at the recycling/garbage depot for an information sheet and soon started pointing out the mistakes my parents made. Subsequently they quickly put me in full charge of garbage and recycling to shut me up. I even kept track of special days to recycle old medications and electronics and oil, etc. I was shocked by the volume and time it took to do everything properly. No wonder many families get lazy and just toss whatever in any bin. I also begged my mom to let us have a composting area-which sort of worked but could have done alot more with. I asked the shoe store, what they did with all the empty boxes? Did they reuse them or just throw them out? I asked fastfood restaurants why they use so much wrapping and bags? When Aldis stores hit big in America, the 12 year old me told my mom, that for my birthday I nothing or to go that store. And my mom's been shopping there ever since. Fist she'd save plastic bags to use there until I bought her reuseable bags. Though it took her 15 years to actually use them for shopping.
Then I spent a couple summers with my grandparents and was happy to discover that my grandfather while on his daily morning walks would always bring a garbage bag along and puck up any litter he saw and then bring it back and sort it out into various recyclable bins or trash. If they could resuse, they did. If they could compost they did. So I did the same thing. To this day, when I go on a walk, I carry a little backpack with a large silicone reusable bag to put the litter in. And I try to keep the storm drains clear of debris and leaves when I can-just like him. Not because of him, but because he inspired me to do it simply because its a good thing to do.
I recycle to the full extent that I'm allowed even if I have to drive a little bit, and try to buy products that don't have alot of packaging, or come in a material that is more easily and fully recyclable. Mostly I shop at a farmer's market, which means I don't have much trash or recyclables at all.
I try to encourage others...whether it's nicely, or by yelling at someone who tosses their aluminum can in the trash bin instead of the recyclable container right next to it.
When I recently moved to my new apartment, which has a few recycling bins for the complex by their dumpsters (I was very excited about this) and inquired some more about it, I ended up making a better informational flyer for them to email out to tenants. I made sure to include places and a website to search for their own for the grocery stores in which they could take their plastic bags...and which plastic bags were ok or not. We will also soon get one of those containers for donating lightly used clothing out there.
I enjoy using my under the sink worm composter. Which alot of people I find are afraid to use, or worry it will be smelly. Honestly, if you don't overfeed the worms it won't get stinky. And if you have a day in which you do have too many scraps just put it in a container in the freezer to keep and feed the scraps to the worms another day.
Now some people would say I go overboard. I suppose in comparison the the average american, I go further then many. I want things to be more like California (Where many Californians happily joke around that everything is recyclable) and Europe in recycling. Why not ban plastic bags and straws? Why not ban plastic water bottles unless specially ordered and as more of an emergency supply of water for those that actually need clean water and can't easily get it. Why not recycle in stores? Why not bring your own straw or containers if need be...Why not have a recycling tax that you can get back by actually recycling. Why not make companies cut back on unneccesary waste and packaging and make sure they use proper disposal services. Why not promote reuseable materials or even composting certain food scraps for every household even for apartments? Or helping educate people to properly sort materials and why it needs to happen. And what the effect of recycling even one aluminum can has. And why self discipline in recycling is important. And if you don't have the discipline to properly sort your trash...honestly...can you be responsible and disciplined to do anything? I think not.
But people don't want to hear about how it could be done. Or how changing things WILL benefit them and ecosystems.
Change is hard. Even if its little by little.
Mottainai! As my cousin would say.
However many just complain about the old system's flaws...and say recycling cost more money ...or if it's not fully recyclable or sustainable, you should toss it in a landfill or how more recently that the quality of what is recyclable that can be sold has gone down and so their is less of a market and less money for recyclable materials. So the costs just go up. And enthusiasm goes down. Part of the problem is that people don't sort properly or clean recyclables and things get jammed in the machines or contaminate the recyclables and make it ALL unusable...which costs your city millions of extra dollars to deal with. But an even bigger problem is that there is little legistration in place to make companies responsible for the waste they produce or for any big change. Challenge them to make a more sustainable product or reduce the energy cost and global impact. Many companies are trying, while others have little incentive for them to cutback on waste. Just as there is little incentive for individual people to recycle. Alot of people have given up on being green. Just as alot of people don't believe in climate change or the effects of pollutions and dismiss it as something unimportant. Or as something unable to be changed.
But I say every little step on the way to more responsible ways to handle waste is a victory. And with every new generation, it's going to get better and better. And hopefully we can watch out that each step is wise along the way. And when I hear about someone taking the extra step to recycle or reuse something or just pick up litter, or acknowledging a problem they see needing to be fixed... I have the biggest grin. Keep educating yourself. Keep trying to make the world a better place then how you left it. It is appreciated.
If you have any questions about recycling, I'd love to help out, even if I don't have the answer, I don't mind googling and emailing people who might know the answer to your question. Because I'd want to know too. :)
If you have any information you want to share here, go for it. Same with comments or discussions or arguments you'd like to start.
