Monday, October 15th was Blog Action Day. WMAG challenged me to think about one thing I could change to save the earth. Due to my earlier blog, I skipped the challenge because I didn't want to duplicate my entry.
I blogged earlier about the changes that I had planned on making in my life and my families life to help save the earth.
Some of my changes were to compost and bring my own bags to the grocery, which I have yet to do.
I have been looking at recommended websites and googled websites in order to find my own bags. In my search efforts I have been very disappointed. Not disappointed in what I have found, but in my realization that it is very hard to be green.
You really have to make a huge effort to change your behavior, and it is really an inconvenience. (you should see the eye rolls people get from the baggers for requesting paper bags). Aside from being hard, it is EXPENSIVE to be green.
The bags for the grocery run about $75 for a set, and my compost bin is around $100 not including supplies.
Do you think that most Americans are going to succumb to the inconvenience or pay out the nose to be green? NO. And do you think that everyone has that kind of money? NO.
I am going to find cheaper bags (for I don't need organic hemp bags.. whatever) and spend the money to compost.
I really think that stores and the government need to get on board with forcing people into becoming more green. Ban the plastic bags. Make people recycle by charging for "trash".
It is the same concept that eating healthy is expensive. It is cheaper to eat non perishable items. Chips, soda, canned vegetables, ect.
Things need to change, at the Federal and State levels or the earth will not be saved.
People are going to have to be forced.
Is this going to happen? Maybe after next years election.
For we have seen what this term is doing. If they aren't worried about SCHIP, then they won't be worried about saving the earth.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
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9 comments:
I agree - my bags were either free from trade shows, or I spent $1 on them at various places. The produce bags I did bite the bullet and just pay for - Keith didn't love that so much but he uses them now too.
I agree - you have to make a BIG effort to be green and it shouldn't be that way. Americans are way too lazy to do anything that isn't easy.
Geez Amie, where were you when I was working in NYC and dishing out leftover gift bags by the dozens! I betcha Tim and Angel still have a pile in a closet somewhere.
AMEN SISTER!!!! I was just telling Jason (when he came to nyc) that our building gets fined a hefty amount if our garbage isn't recycled. So you know not everyone in our building is a model tenant so our super has to do their dirty job! BUT it gets done.
Somewhere and somehow I think fines and encouragement from a top dog is going to have to happen sometime....hopefully sooner than later!!
NEWS FLASH:
Keith just told me that Walmart is going to start selling canvas bags for $1.
Granted they are an evil empire and I'm sure the bags are pesticide ridden things made by small children in China...they ARE only $1. Much better than the $70 set you were contemplating.
I say buy those instead!
Ok, so I must comment again. Maybe your initial goal should not be sudden transformation but to work on simply becoming greener. (I hope you appreciate my italicized and bolded "er" there. It took me 20 minutes to figure out how to do it). You don't have to become a freakin' tree huggin socks-with-sandals wearing organic hippie to start living a more conscious lifestyle. Who cares what the bags are made of to start with. Whatever they are made of, it's still less you end up throwing away later. The important thing is that you at least get started on some level and move forward from there.
Wow, I gotta tell you, I typically make fun of people that spout stuff like I just did, and trust me that I'm around more than my fair share on a daily basis.
How about a bit of irony to close things out...so you know I work for The Nature Conservancy. I still get a kick out of it every time I drive to work where our shop/office is located smack dab inbetween two oil companies, and always like seeing how long it takes visitors to notice the irony.
You are funny Jason.
Aren't you a tree hugging sandal wearer? Funny about the oil!
Just kidding!
Oh and yes, I will stop by the evil Walmart empire... (i was there yesterday) and buy some bags.
Thanks for the tip!
hehe...I'm about as far from the tree hugger stereotype as you can get, hence my remark about usually making fun of people for saying the stuff I said in that last comment! Funnily enough, when I got the job with TNC my whole family started making fun of me, telling me I was becoming like my hippie brother. My commnent was that I didn't take the job with TNC because I wanted to save the world, I took the job because they told me I could set the world on fire.
hehe...fire...fire...
I agree with you about it costing a bit "up front" to go green, something that some poeple could find detering.
If you are loking for bags, you might try places like Goodwill and St. Vincents. They always have canvas bags from the library, festivals, etc. over with the purses. It's a cheap alternative to buying new, and the money goes to a good cause.
You can even try reusing the bags that you aleady get at the grocery store (paper or plastic). I do that for now and it at least cuts down on some of the garbage.
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