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April 10, 2003
Conservation is a slow victory
In a previous entry from not-so-long ago, I mentioned a resolution I made involving being less wasteful and being generally more conscious of what I use and throw away. I have to report that, while I am conserving more and wasting less, I am becoming more and more frustrated with all the crap I STILL throw away. Example: I went to the grocery store last night. Everything comes in bags in boxes in bags. Everything is wrapped in plastic. Everything has a hard outer casing which is, of course, disposable and not reusable at all. I want to buy in bulk, but without a car, it's too time consuming to make a trek to Whole Foods (and to make it worthwhile), buy 3lbs of museli, 2lbs of instant oatmeal, granola bars (because all of those come wrapped in plastic), candy, whatever and then take it on the train (imagine!). Perhaps that's something I should get over, or just not complain about. It's just a frustrating process. And travelling? Forget it. The water in Arizona is not drinkable and I had to bottled-water it all the way. Portable food, portable drinks, airlines throw everything away. Ugh. But the thing is, I want to keep trying. I feel like each time I wash a ziploc bag instead of throwing it away I'm doing something right. I was actually considering hankerchiefs today instead of kleenex, as gross as that could potentially be. I'm thinking about buying things in glass jars so I can reuse the jars instead of having to buy new tupperware. And the coffee thing appears to be working. So perhaps it's a slow victory. If anyone has any suggestions or interesting ideas, I would love to hear them. Please feel free to post them in the comments section. Posted by Lacey at April 10, 2003 02:50 PMComments
Eat less? Posted by: ez on April 10, 2003 05:05 PMWell there's one. :) Posted by: lacey on April 10, 2003 05:48 PMOh my, I DID make an impression on you. I never thought anyone in the family would quit laughing at me for collecting cans, bottle, and paper for recycling. And this year, I am enjoying using composted leaves in the garden. The compost made from the kitchen veggie scraps is another favorite. Posted by: Mom on April 10, 2003 05:58 PMalthough i agree that everything comes in way too much packaging, there's a reason for at least some of it, that being sanitation... yeah, and just to make it worse, you wouldn't believe the excess packaging products come in that needs to be removed just so they can be put on the shelves. but i digress. i use the plastic bags from the grocery store, target, etc as liners for my smaller trash cans. buy yourself one nice water bottle and refill it. cardboard can be broken down and recycled (the trick is finding some place that wil accept it). Posted by: maura on April 10, 2003 10:39 PMI am consistently amazed by the amount of packaging is available at the store, and how much waste it makes. I have been using the same water bottle at work since August; works fine with daily washings, and given how much water I drink there I can't imagine having new bottles every time. Posted by: Paul on April 11, 2003 07:38 AMYeah I still haven't purchased the Nalgene, but I plan on doing so soon. And I also reuse water bottles (I buy big ones so it's worth it) and recycle old ones. Sanitation is a big thing, Maura, and it's something that I've also been thinking about. Again, I've got to pick and choose my grievances here. I think I'm going to recycle the cardboard sleeve on my coffee...or reuse it. It's not dirty. Posted by: lacey on April 11, 2003 09:07 AMI am all about my Nalgene. Plus, they never, ever break. Posted by: Shylo on April 11, 2003 11:11 AMthe hankie thing reminds me of Six Feet Under - do you watch that show, lacey? hankies were brought up last episode; how the younger generation finds it "gross" but the mother thought it was such a nice tradition. my dad uses one, i couldn't imagine him without one ;) i still haven't brought any of my overflowing plastic bags back to osco. i have a note to myself, but keep forgetting. it'll happen, though.... Posted by: miss ellen on April 11, 2003 03:20 PMGOod on ya Lacey- how about saving all your extra packaging - the cardboard and paper, at least, and using it to create some kind of sculpture-collage-ish thing? a good coat of gesso will make it paintable, and altho it might not be archival - those same materials would definitely outlive you in a landfill ... Posted by: anonymous on April 13, 2003 02:48 PMJaz--the Co-Op is definetly something my roomates and I are considering. It would be cheaper than going to the store, too, and more convenient as well. If they are organic, even better. Thanks for reminding me. Anonymous--also a good call. I did so much of that in college I'm afraid that if I did it again I would start having spasms or reliving bad past critiques...or worse, having a nightmare that I forgot to do some such assignment and it's due tomorrow and it's already midnight and do you think that walmart has laquer-red spraypaint with a sheen at this hour because I'm thinking about making it a representation of the dehumanization of the marketplace and I need something that looks like blood? But I'll think about it.. :) Posted by: lacey on April 14, 2003 09:37 AMOne way to cut back on a lot of the packaging is to go to the farmer's markets. http://www.ci.chi.il.us/ConsumerServices/northsidemarkets.html Posted by: brian on April 14, 2003 10:10 AMPost a comment
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