I have tried to do my part with being better to the environment. A smaller carbon footprint if you will. It seems with every good habit I've incorporated, I still have an old one to break. I've cut down on my plastics waste by using reusable grocery bags. They are very efficient and much easier to carry around since they hold about 3 plastic bags worth of product. I just put them in the trunk of my car or keep the collapsible ones in my purse so I have them on hand. And since my purse is the size of a piece of carry-on luggage, this is usually sufficient to carry any extra items. Although, my roommates have yet to adopt the same passion I have for reusable bags, I make sure we take any plastic bags back to the stores to recycle properly. At the urging of the Biggest Loser and the fact I moved to a 3rd floor apartment, I have stopped buying bottled water. A Brita water filter and a reusable bottle are the way to go...trust me. We also take advantage of the recycling bins that our apartment complex provide. I try so hard to reduce waste, but I still would rather buy food in individual containers instead of bulk for convenience sake ie. pre-cut fruit or 100 calorie packs. I'd rather spent a little more than have to cut or divide it up myself. I also have a hard time not using plastic produce bags. Just the thought of all the loose produce rolling around in my cart makes me uneasy.
Energy wise, I've saved by turning off lights when leaving a room, unplugging any appliances that are not being used, and using energy efficient light bulbs. All this effort though and I still leave the tv on at night to fall asleep and leave the bathroom fan on most of the time. I guess I just feel that this is an area that you need a little "white noise" if you catch my drift.
I'm a sucker for buying products if they are eco-friendly. I have a vast selection of pens and notebooks make from recycled materials. I just saw a commercial for sponges that are also eco-friendly. I'm sure I'll bring these into use at my home, but I don't see me getting rid of those lovely disposable clorox wipes I've come to love. While being as environmentally conscious as I try to be, I realize there are some definite ways I could improve. So for now I'll accept my strengths and weaknesses and embrace my wannabe environmentalist ways.
Check out this link for some recycling facts
2 comments:
We pay extra to have not one but two recycling bins (the blue ones), as provided by the city. My problem: they're only picked up every other week. Today's the off week; last Monday, both our blue cans were filled to overflowing, only to be immediately refilled, and we now have to wait another week to begin filling again while a pile of cardboard mounts in my garage. This is a year-round occurrence.
ps, Brita water is the best. My 8-year old asks for it by name: "Awesome Water".
Why do they make it so hard to recycle? West Jordan was by far my best recycling experience. It is mandatory that you use the provided bin for your recycling needs and...gulp...they picked it up weekly.
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