it's a long way to fall when your horse is so ridiculously high, yo.
#3 on my list IN A PERFECT WORLD---->
"get plastic out of our lives as much as possible"
Recently Amber over at strocel.com did a post about how much plastic her family of 4 generates in a given week. In my comment on the post I said,
"I should really save ours for a week and see what happens. I think I’d be a bit gob-smacked by how much it really is. In fact, I’m doing this next week. I’ve had it on my life-to-do-list for awhile that I want to reduce the amount of plastic in our lives… how can I do that if I don’t know what our starting point is."
I really truly, in my heart of hearts believed that I'd be generating SO MUCH LESS than the average family, whoever they are. I was impressed by how low Amber was able to keep her output with two small kids in the house. I figured, I've only got one kid... we take our own bags to the store and when we forget we usually ask for paper (we use them to sort our recycling by the back door), we don't eat out often, and we try to buy foods with better packaging...
These are the items we can recycle.
The items that can't be recycled and I know we won't reuse...
3 bulk bags from the dried-herbs I buy at The Food Co-Op and a few grocery bags from the store that we will reuse in the 3 trashcans in the house that fit that size bags.
Not as astronomically impressive as I was hoping. I don't know why I strive for smugness and superiority in some things... I hate these qualities in other people, but here I am, trying to prove a point or something. We're all human, we all produce waste, we all do what we can, and we're either in this together or in some silly competition for moral superiority in our green-ness. I'm glad I fell off my high horse - into my giant pile of plastic.
8 comments:
Some of my favorite topics! Green living, and superiority issues.
I actually think doing an AUDIT like this is one of the most amazing things, ever. It puts us in reality, it can "cure" superiority issues (if one has them), and it gives one a starting place to do something about it, if they choose. I also love reading audits like this too, especially with pictures. I think it's cool you did one!
I'll bet my family's worst "sin" - or at least, the one that's bugging me most - is take-out containers from going out to eat... we're thinking about dragging our bento containers around to eliminate these.
My next thing to tackle is disposable paper products. Bleh. And I have no plans to save them and document them... I know I'm starting in a horrific place and I don't plan on saving my used toilet paper to prove it. ;)
Though I will be posting about some other dorky green things veddy veddy soon.
I thought smugness and superiority were virtues?
Do you crochet? Or know someone who does? You could use those plastic bags to crochet with. Google "plarn" or you can see my plarn project here: http://theorganicsister.com/2009/03/crocheting-with-plarn/
I'm also making another bag and a bag for my yoga mat. But I had the stupid idea to use only yellow bags for that one and two years later it's not quite done. (doh!)
I, on the other hand, am NOT doing this challenege lest I ruin my own image of smug superiority.
~Tara
Tara - I saw the post about your crocheting a bag out of bags... and I'm speechless and in awe. It looks awesome and in the spirit of smugness and superiority, would send such a great message when taken to the store for groceries. ;)
If only I knew how to crochet. So many things I need to learn immediately!
Oy. I think if I did this I would be horrified. I try very hard to bring my own bags to the grocery store, but I forget often enough. At least you don't have one of those "This is not a plastic bag" bags. Call me a bad greenie, but I'd rather use 100 plastic bag and then use one to strangle a penguin with my bare hands than see those bags bouncing on the shoulder of an emaciated L.A. pilates whore/waitress/actress.
Ooh, that was nasty. Sorry. I don't really mean it (I love penguins). Is it beer o'clock yet? Apparently Mama needs a pick me up.
What mama does not need is a murder charge brought over her head and PETA after her ass. ;)
Yeah, man. That was super cranky of me. I regret it. I promise I would never harm a penguin or even a pilates whore. Sometimes L.A. just gets to me. I'm not sure why I live here.
Oh, and as soon as I posted this my husband came home with groceries in plastic bags and we discovered that all the food and breastmilk in our freezer had to be thrown out. It's a good think I'm not being audited this week because I would be HOR-RIF-FIED at the amount of plastic in the can right now.
And at the rate he's going, possibly your husband would be stuffed in there too!
I kid.
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