Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
My father recycles cans, bottles and glasses because when they lived in New Orleans, the city gave them one of those blue bins with the recycle symbol on it with a list of things to put in it every week and strict rules about the condition of those things. He also keeps the temperature on the water heater so low that no more than one person can have more than a lukewarm shower within an hour every morning. He’s also big on sticking tissue paper between windows and walls to plug where cold air might be coming in.
However, he waves me off when I try to talk to him about the ridiculousness that it costs more to download some software applications as opposed to purchasing the CD in a store, when a CD does not breakdown in a landfill and the packaging is wasted energy and resource to create and most likely not recyclable depending on the treatment; not to mention the waste of car fuel to drive to the store to purchase the CD. As a CPA, all he sees is the bottom line in dollar signs in his checkbook, not the cost to the environment now or in the future.
For the most part, he believes that there really isn’t anything anyone can really do to save the planet. He does the recycling thing because that’s what you’re supposed to do for the community, because it’s the accepted — expected — thing to do but when it comes down to it, he assumes that he’s done his part and the problem is so big that anything anyone else does extra is just a small drop in an ocean, not even important enough to cause a ripple.
Disheartening and, yet, I think, so common.
For years, I’ve made my small efforts to try to make better choices. I know that some people may be able to do everything green and I’ve felt a bit like an underachiever when I can’t seem to keep up or can’t remember to do all the right things. Often when I feel overwhelmed in feeling that there’s just too much that needs to be done (as my father thinks) and I don’t know where to begin, I simply become immobile, unsure of what to do and how to do it. Though the ending effect might be similar to my father’s, at least my head is not stuck in the sand. I still recognize the issue and that something can be done and that it can be done by a hundred thousand million drops rippling across the world.
I want to be more than a small drop in the ocean. I want to positively affect my environment.
Coming up in 2009, one of my personal improvement goals is to learn more about green living and to make some achievable changes to my home, habits, lifestyle, or whatever throughout the year. If you’d like to join me on my road less traveled, grab a copy of The Green Year: 365 Small Things You Can Do to Make a Big Difference and pick and choose your own small achievable things to make your own big difference; be your own drop, make your own ripple.
{ 5 comments }
I feel your pain! My daughter and I wrote a book, Celebrate Green! about the importance of making an effort to make holidays and celebrations eco-friendly because there are so many of them! Our own husbands lean in your dad’s direction although both of us try hard not to put any pressure on them. It does have to come from the individual. It also takes time.
One thing you might check out if you enjoy reading, is http://www.EcoLibris.net. You can plant a book for each book you read. When people buy our book, not only can they also purchase an eco-libris sticker, but the book is printed on 100% recycled paper and a portion of the proceeds support two non-profits.
Being green extends to all areas of our lives, but really is so simple. And if you look at the statistics, one person can make a difference by STARTING!
Hope you enjoy a very, green year.
Speaking of printing books…I’ve been considering buying the Kindle from Amazon. Basically, I’ve been comparing how many of the books on my current reading list are available as e-books or digitally. What I find extremely disturbing is that all of the eco/green books I’ve looked at and/or bought are not available in that kind of format. I would have thought that eco-friendly books might have jumped on that bandwagon right away.
But I will check out your link, thanks.
Eventually almost all books will be digitized, but there are still reasons for printing right now, among them, that relatively few people are buying the devices. Our book will be available in digital form sometime this year. We did a digital version (PDF) for reviewers. That was interesting in that quite a number refused to review it in this format (in which case we mostly declined to have them review it). But for me, if you’re going to print a book with an “eco” theme, at the very least, it should be printed on recycled/FSC certified paper with vegetable inks etc. But again, I think we’re moving in this direction and it’s great to see. Not there yet though.
At least you are making an effort! Some times it does seem overwhelming. One thing I did in 2008 was to begin making my own cleaning products. I’ve been very happy with the result, it has saved money, AND helps the environment. And my husband had a great time cooking the liquid laundry soap!
necas last blog post..
I’d love your recipe for liquid laundry soap.
I started using basic vinegar and water for cleaning just about everything — counters, windows, toilets, etc. I love it and it’s so much better for my nails! I had to go with water and baking soda for the bathtub though; it just needed more oomph.
I tried making shampoo but the recipe I used was too watery and I found too much of it was wasted and I need to find the right combination of oils and ingredients for my winter scalp which is different from my summer scalp. Oh, but I did make this skin moisturizer that I like with aloe and something else — if only I could remember to use it every day!
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