The Inconvenience of Going Slightly Green

So by now we all now associate the word Green for the term being ecologically responsible. I remember when there was this whole ecology push with cute and interesting docufilms showing us how to protect Mother Earth. I learned how to grow a pea plant in a Styrofoam cup, I learned how that we consume a lot of paper product and that we must plant trees to replace the ones we are knocking down. I also learned the not so cute side of ecology, that very tree that was knocked down so I could clearly practice my cursive manuscript for writing class was once a home for a squirrel, bird, various insects and it supplied oxygen. I remember laying in bed thinking that if we continue to chop down trees and not replace them, how will we be able to breathe. I contemplated this issue along with other things as an elementary aged student, eager to learn more about ecology and more eager to impress adults with my profound logic.

Well as time passed by so did the ecology push and so did my interest in it. Fast forward to now, I am an adult haven’t thought much about by personal impact on the environment until I took a Community Health course and I figured, I can do this “Green” thing. Although I highly dislike using a creative term to get people to jump on board any new task that should be required and not voluntary. I just do not see the great impact if we all do not make changes and unfortunately in order for that to happen, nowadays, it has to become a mandatory, a law.

So, I decide I could end most of my paper mail by getting online billing and putting my name on a do not send me trash mailing list. That cut back on my monthly dumping of unnecessary paper. I also purchased those reusable and made from recycled bottles grocery bags. This is great because I can get a lot of groceries in two bags, What would take seven plastic bags only requires two reusable bags. This cuts down on clutter and my own personal plastic consumption. I am also a huge consumer of plastic water, soda, milk and cleaning agent bottles; so I decided to save these after use and take them to the recycle bin. This is where the truth of going green becomes an Inconveince.

First, my household drinks a lot of bottled water, even with the water filter device, we are movers and shakers. We do all kinds of stuff outside and around town so a bottle of water comes in handy. These things add up quickly. I find myself driving more than twice a week to recycle the bottles. Then I start thinking about the other materials that I should go ahead and take to the recycle bin. Like the stack of newspapers, soda cans, cardboard boxes ( diaper boxes), glass bottles and so on. I start taking these things also and I am not only burning up more gas but I am spending more time that I rather spend doing something else like gardening on recycling.

So I get to thinking that this so inconvenient but it is now a habit . It is to the point that I do not have to remind myself to not throw away that soda can or plastic jug; I just put them aside for recycling. My take on this whole Green thing is why not have the waste disposal departments make separating trash mandatory. That way recycle materials can be taken care of and more of an environmental impact for the better will occur. I honestly believe that we all should make strides to decrease our consumption of materials or take proper actions such as recycling to counteract the consumption rate. However, this Green thing seems strangely enough like that Ecology thing, its good for the young ( because when you are young you see that all ideas are attainable) and the wealthy ( because they can afford by organic, volunteer and promote Green related concerns and changes, purchase 40,000 battery dependant vehicle and so on).

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that lower income and middled classed individual are not capable of making adjustments to Go Green, but these adjustments cost money. How do we expect a lower income or even middle class income family of four to purchase a 40,000 hybrid or by organic vegetables that cost triple the amount that canned vegetables do? How do we expect everyone as a whole to make such drastic changes when we live in a disposable society. Where electronics do not last past a year, either there are obsolete or the just do not function properly. The clothing we purchase ( not high end designer) loses its shape, color and /or the material develops torn to the point that a mending will not repair it? How do we require everyone to Go Green when we do not regulate the housing market so that the living and financial aspects of home ownership is acceptable in 2008? How do we expect change when we have not adjusted the cost of living to meet the current cost of food, shelter, healthcare and childcare.

By all means, I hope someday we are Going Green or doing the Ecology thing, but more importantly I hope we are making the proper adjustments to our society in this day.