I'm being manipulated by the media into rational behavior

I know that there's all kinds of Earth Day stuff going on. It borders on the Hallmark holiday...we can all return to our bad behavior when it's over, so it seems. One thing I should tell you is that I have pretty intense recycling guilt. I recycle my paper, aluminum, glass, and plastic. I save my coffee grounds for my garden. I'll carry an empty bottle around with me until I can get it into the appropriate recycling container (for anyone wondering what those empty water bottles are doing in my office). My neighbors across the street just bought a hybrid and I can't wait to tell them "good for you". I worked for 2 different environmental groups when I was in college to raise money for lobbying for bills like the Superfund Act. It's not a political issue for me. It just is how it is.

My perspective on things have less to do with what Al Gore talks about and more to do with a humble desire to leave things how I found them. I AM that person that wipes down the sink basin in the airplane bathroom. My aunt, whom I adore, requested that I look at both sides of the global warming issue and I still love her. That's called compartmentalizing and I am very good at it.

My recycling guilt reached a peak recently. Part of it was spring cleaning, part of it was just spending some time thinking about it since I just bought a high efficiency washer and dryer and part of it was Oprah. I know how incredibly uncool it is to admit that. Last week, Oprah had a show on going green. As much as I pride myself on avid recycling, the reduce and reuse aspects of the equation have escaped my attention. I'm going to feel much better about myself when I fix that.

So I am not going to link to a bunch of stuff, because the intent of this blog post is not to be all preachy. It's really more one of those "if I say it out loud, I have to do it" things. But if you perhaps find something on here that you could easily make work in your life, that's all the better:

The paper plates I have in my possession are the last paper plates I will have in my possession (make them last, girl)

I will use one paper dinner napkin a day, at most. The cloth ones feel kind of posh anyway

I will phase out my use of bottled water and utilize filtered water and a washable drink bottle

I will carry my cloth grocery bags into the store with me and use them.

I will use up my current cleaning supplies and then choose from the numerous green options when I need to replace them.

No more paper towels

When choosing between two products, all other things being equal, I will choose the one with the lighter packaging, even if it's more expensive

I will stop falling asleep on the couch with the TV on all night

I'll set my thermostat to 65 degrees when I go to bed

When seasons/availability permit, I will buy fruit and vegetables produced locally and/or organically (there's a place a few miles away that has vegetable that are ridiculously good)

That is about it. I'm going to see how I fit these into my life. It's not perfect...I am doing other things that have a negative impact but this is a start. And I just said it out loud.

Comments

• Anonymous
  April 23, 2007
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• Anonymous
  April 24, 2007
  There you go : ) Seriously, there are aspects of my life where I am frustrated by my ability to make greener choices. Giving up my laptop? Never! Turning it off instead of locking it when I leave? Absolutely. Baby steps I guess. If I have the opportunity to weigh in on greener software packaging internally here, I will.

• Anonymous
  April 24, 2007
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• Anonymous
  April 24, 2007
  That's good!

• Anonymous
  April 24, 2007
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• Anonymous
  April 24, 2007
  Barrett - sounds like some of my relatives (but for different reasons....we can be a thrifty bunch). I intentionally stayed away from bathroom habits in my list. Those I'll have to track mentally. It would truly be a case of TMI if I addressed those here!

• Anonymous
  April 24, 2007
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• Anonymous
  April 25, 2007
  I like Sheryl Crow's suggestion about limiting toilet paper use to a single square.  Actually, when I was in Europe a couple years ago, that's how the public restrooms were - you paid to use it, and they gave you a square of toilet paper about two inches by two inches.  If we REALLY wanted to go "green", we would do away with toilets altogether and simply construct large public composting bins where we could all do our business.  It could be a real community building thing.  Every so often, a public employee would come around and collect the compost and use it as fertilizer.  Back to nature, baby!

• Anonymous
  April 25, 2007
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• Anonymous
  May 22, 2007
  "Manipulated by the media" I will agree with.... rational, not so sure.  What do you mean, you still love your aunt? How could you, you must be torn about it. She actually thought you might look at both sides of the issue, instead of just following what His Holy Al Goreness hath spoke? You mean, there might even be another side to this issue? Be careful, you might end up doubting! (GASP!!)   All kidding aside, read this sentence again: "My aunt, whom I adore, requested that I look at both sides of the global warming issue and I still love her. " Is it only because you adore her that you allow her to have a contrary opinion? Manipulated by the media, indeed!

• Anonymous
  May 22, 2007
  Yeah, perhaps you need to consider employing your sense of humor when reading that sentence. Of course, you are approaching this from a completely unbiased perspective, right? Um , yeah. I can tell by what you wrote. And anonymous, yet. Charming!