The Difficulties and Frustrations of Becoming Eco-Friendly

I would never admit to being an activist--of anything.  To me, activist is a dirty word.  Only recently have I asked myself why I feel this way.  I suspect that to some degree that it was a prejudice that I was ingrained with before I had any ability to think for myself.  

At best--so this prejudice has influenced me to think--activists are people who mean well but are ultimately ineffective.  At worst, they are people who are transferring their own emotions and anger into a cause, but in the end it has nothing to do with the cause...and that results in them being ineffective.  They are actually upset about their uncle molesting them, but they choose to deny it and put their anger into making people aware about all the homeless kitties instead.

It isn't that the messages of activism are wrong or terrible.  I think you would be pretty hard pressed to find someone who approves of hurting animals, throwing toxins intentionally into the environment, etc.  Even things like abortion--I'm certain most people (even pro-choice) would prefer it if everyone got pregnant when they were ready to have a child.  In most cases, people are ignorant about many social problems.  If they are aware, they may not like it but don't know what to do about them.

This is where I do get frustrated with many activists.  I see many things that make me aware of problems like disgusting pictures on Facebook, but I never hear about solutions.  I hear about statistics about how many people are killed by guns, but I don't hear about what "gun control" would do.  All I ever hear is that "gun control" means they want to get rid of guns period.

I also dislike the fact that people can never calmly present arguments, and there is always a lot of nastiness and drama.  Why can't people ever debate a point without being preachy, hostile, or smug?  My mother believes that the government distracts us with issues so we are too hot and bothered to notice what is really going on (mom is a bit of a conspiracy theorist at heart).  Whether she is right or not, what I do know is that when confronted with no solutions and a bunch of negativity, I just tune things out and ignore them.

It is frustrating, though, when I notice there is a problem...but I can't find solutions.  Recently, I have become aware of just how much garbage I do put out.  Our area recycles--though only containers with 1s or 2s in the triangle...I wish they would take 5s.  We get one gray can for regular garbage and a blue can for recyclables.  I was so excited when we got the garbage cans.  For years, we were able to fit everything in the two cans.  They were HUGE.  Most of the time we only filled up the recyclables halfway.

Lately, though, we are starting to run out of room.  My mom actually stole a blue garbage can when a neighbor moved away, and yet even with two cans we are filling them before trash day.  We wind up throwing away recyclables because we have no more room.  Then our gray garbage gets filled to capacity.  Why is this happening?  Our online business is growing, and so we are ordering more inventory online.  However, I really noticed we started throwing more out after we started ordering our groceries to be delivered.  My mom is disabled, and our car's air conditioner and windows are broken.  I normally bike to the grocery store, but the summer heat and bad weather interferes with this now.  I'm hoping come autumn that the garbage will go down to a reasonable level when I can go to the grocery store without risking heat stroke.

However, it did make me aware of how much we throw out...and it made me wonder how much of it is biodegradable.  Though I've tried to recycle as much as possible, I also started having doubts about whether it really was the best solution.  For one thing, I find that recycled products are often inferior...which usually results in them being thrown away anyway.  I also worry about what resources we are using to recycle...and does that do damage to the environment too?  I'm supposed to rinse out my recyclable containers, but am I polluting the water or wasting it when I do?  Which is worse?  If things are being melted down (that is what I assume happens), do we produce more air pollution?  Are we using non-renewable resources to recycle?

The problem is that I don't really understand any of it.  I try to learn more about garbage and recycling, and I wind up feeling more confused and frustrated than before.  I never really know which action is worse for the environment.  Okay...if plastic is bad for the environment, then I would think the best solution is to go back to using glass containers.  However, I just recently read that a glass container actually makes more of an environmental imprint than a plastic bottle.  If glass breaks, which it frequently does, it can't be recycled.  It gets put into the landfill.  Oh-kay...so does that mean that it is better to drink from a plastic bottle than a glass one?  I always assumed glass would be better because at least it isn't toxic (as far as I know).  So even when I do recycle, I still feel like I'm doing the wrong thing--and I don't like that feeling.  It makes me angry.

I don't use plastic because I'm a super villain that wants to poison the earth because I'm angry that the kids didn't give me Valentine cards in third grade.  I use plastic because it's there, and I don't know of any other options.  When I think of reducing my reliance on plastic, I get stumped because I have no idea of what I would use to replace it.  What is an alternative to trash bags?  I found compostable trash bags, but then environmentalists claimed those weren't good because they were still made with toxins, and all they did was compost into smaller pieces of plastic.  Can you even buy things in glass containers anymore? (And then I'm still confused about whether glass is worse than plastic).  I know our ancestors didn't use plastic, but what did they use?

  

I also go nuts these days because on one hand we hear about the environment more, but at the same time we are making more things throw away.  When I was a kid, televisions could be repaired.  You could buy tubes when they burnt out at the local dime store and replace them.  Our appliances used to last at least ten years, if not twenty.  It used to be a joke with Maytag appliances that repair men never had anything to do because they didn't break.  We actually did reuse things.  Paper bags were used at the grocery store, and I remember how often our school projects required us to use them.  If they weren't wet, we'd save them for that reason.  If you didn't want to spend money on Xmas wrapping paper, you could wrap gifts in cut up paper bags instead.

Now, even if I try to keep things a long time, I sometimes can't.  I've replaced two computers--not because they stopped working--but because they didn't have things that I needed as technology upgraded.  One computer only took floppy disks.  When it was made, there was no such thing as USB ports--and so I couldn't connect a printer to it.  I have a television that is so old it still has a VHS player.  It has better sound than my slim television, and I actually like the picture better.  I have to get up to use the controls because the remote broke a long time ago, and universal remotes don't work with it.  However, my being able to use this television depends on how long my old Wii will last.  The latest consoles can't plug into it because it lacks the type of ports they use. 

To me, it seems to make more sense that we would produce less waste if we made things to last.  Yes, eventually they would be thrown out, but at a slower rate--and if made of recyclable parts, maybe we wouldn't use as much resources to break them down.  Scavenging used to be a very respectable hobby.  My happiest memories were going to the junk yard with my grandpa to scavenge for treasures.  My grandpa said I had an eye, and I used to proudly proclaim that my favorite toys came from the dump.  I've tried finding other uses for things rather than throwing them out--like using the plastic holders of my clarinet reeds to wind my needlepoint floss around.  However, many things are made so poorly that you can't really reuse them, and you risk turning your house into something that looks like it was on that show Hoarders--because I just can't find alternate uses for things or convert them fast enough to keep up with how often I go through them.

Recently, I've become aware of the Zero Waste Movement.  Though I was a bit skeptical that anyone could get to the point where they only produce garbage that could fit into a mason jar (after a year), I approved of the basic idea.  Zero Waste is about using things that are more durable so they don't get thrown away after use, and what does get tossed can be composted.  It is about relying less on plastic.  I'm currently reading a book that thankfully isn't preachy, smug, or hostile.  The author admitted that while they are working on solutions, they don't have the answers to everything.  I appreciated the honesty and was more open to hearing her advice.

On a different post, I will talk about the things I have done that have proven to be practical solutions to cutting down waste (I'm aiming at reducing waste...I have a hard time believing I will ever achieve the ultimate goal of being totally zero waste).  There are some very good ideas that can not only reduce the amount of garbage you produce but also save you money on your grocery bill.

I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer, but this post is about some of the problems I've encountered with trying to go eco-friendly (so far).  I don't mean to be discouraging, only to address problems that exist and might discourage people from changing their lifestyles.

1)  One of the biggest problems I've encountered is that many services that were suggested are just not available in my area.  The book suggested buying things in bulk from stores that have containers that you pour from (or shovel from).  You bring your own bags, and you fill them from these dispensers.  She also mentioned refill stations where you can refill your shampoo bottles--another service not available in my area.  One critic of the zero waste movement also pointed out that while a person may not produce their own garbage by throwing away a shampoo bottle...how did the store receive their products?  It is to be assumed it was shipped to them in some sort of throw-away container.  Are you actually producing less garbage by transferring it to someone else?

2) Another problem is that the zero waste philosophy is not really friendly to certain types of lifestyles.  I sometimes think we became a throwaway society because we became much busier.  Zero waste often requires quite a bit of effort that some people may not have time for.  You produce less waste, for instance, when you make your meals, juices, and snacks.  Some solutions are not possible for people who live in apartments.  For instance, instead of buying eggs in cartons, raise your own chickens.  I'm pretty certain many landlords would get upset if people raised chickens in their apartments--and I'm not even sure there aren't laws about livestock not being allowed in certain areas.  Again, it may not be a good solution for people who work long hours...and I doubt about how much it saves money when you consider the cost of feed and vet bills.  Some solutions may not be practical because a person just may not be good at them.  For instance, growing your own food can cut down on waste--but not every one has a green thumb.  Believe me, I've spent nearly $400 on gardening--and as of yet, I have very little to show for it.  Between the weather and particularly the bugs--which drink eco-friendly pesticides like orange juice--I've found gardening to be a difficult endeavor.

3)  The Zero Waste Movement really promotes a lot of appliances.  While I understand that you may not throw away as much if you make your own food, the problem is that appliances eventually break too and have to be thrown away.  How many of them are biodegradable?  The book I read--and these are just the ones I remember--suggested getting a juicer, a Yonana, a bread maker, a rice maker, a popcorn maker, a mini-freezer, a Soda Stream, and many others I've forgotten.  I felt like I was watching late night infomercials.  I wouldn't have enough room on my shelves or counters to store all these appliances.  Some of them really are just not that necessary either.  A good set of metal pots are all you need to make rice, popcorn, and soda.  My family has had our pots for nearly forty years.  The handles fell off of some of them, but they are great! My mom even set some meals on fire, and the pots withstood it.

4)  It is amazing what problems can come up.  When our Publix started selling re-usable bags, I was the first one on the wagon.  I bought thirty of them so they could cover our entire grocery order.  Most of the time, we didn't need that many.  I loved them! I would have kept using them if only they didn't traumatize the bag boys so much and caused me a lot of stress as a result.  The problem was that--despite my having tons of bags--the bag boys seemed to feel they had to fill up the bags until the food reached the top.  Now, with lighter weight stuff--this wasn't a problem.  However, one time a bag boy stuffed a bag with a half gallon of juice, a half gallon of milk, and six 15 ounce cans.  Do you have any idea how heavy it was?  It was too heavy for me to lift--and I had to rebag the items in the parking lot, which I don't like doing because I don't feel safe.  It also ripped the bags.  We also started having problems with food getting damaged.  They would put the eggs on the bottom and put cans on top of them.  They would put glass on top of bread, and when we set the bags on the floor, the heavier items on top would slide and crack.  I'd tell them, "We have plenty of bags--please don't fill them to the top."  However, they got stressed out if they only filled them halfway.  I also had a problem when I made my own bags.  They were clean, and they were sturdy--but the bag boys seemed unnerved by them.  One bag I made from leftover Brocade I had.  I figured it would be perfect to put our eggs in or our cheesecake.  The bag boys didn't want to use it because it was too pretty.  They spent their time feeling up the bag (oooh, silky!), but they wouldn't use it.  Another bag was made up from a pair of pants, and I don't know what the issue was there.  Maybe they didn't want to put food into something that used to be up against an arse.  I thought I had been clever to convert them.  I tried packing my own food, but then the manager got upset.  Bagging is a service that Publix offers, and it just didn't look good to have a customer doing their own bagging.  So, we stopped bringing our bags and started using plastic.  By then, everyone was using the bags, and we were considered terrible people...for about two weeks.  Then I noticed other people stopped bringing their bags too--and I wonder how many of them suffered the same problems we did.

5)  There are some things I'm too nervous to switch to.  I don't mess around when it comes to my teeth.  When it came to genetics, I didn't win out with teeth.  My teeth have always been sensitive--and at 42, I'm one of the few people in my family to still have my teeth.  I credit my brushing and flossing after every meal and using fluoride once a day.  Getting to the dentist can be difficult because of my chronic sinus infections, but I try to go at least once a year.  Zero waste movement promotes making your own toothpaste and mouthwash.  I was worried, particularly when I read the ingredients.  One recipe called for coconut oil, peppermint oil, baking soda, and salt.  I admit I have no idea what the ingredients for commercial toothpaste is--and for all I know they use oils too.  Baking soda hurts my teeth when used in its raw form, though I figured maybe the oils were used to make it gentler.  The one thing that worried me is that while many people praised how much better homemade toothpaste is, none of them said that it cut down on cavities at the dentist--and many of them had closed-mouth smiles.  What are they hiding?  If it is truly superior to commercial brands, let me see those pearly whites of yours! Out of curiosity, I did try making my own toothpaste...and I can't say I'm a fan. My teeth did gleam and looked cleaner, but the oily residue felt gross, and I had a hard time getting it off.  I think it would also destroy your toothbrushes and cause you to throw them out more.  I also wonder whether it is really that great for your plumbing spitting out oily paste.

6)  Some solutions may not be very hygienic or might spread disease.  I think that is one reason why handkerchiefs went out of vogue.  Homemade toothpaste--unless you make everyone their individual containers--you would spread germs having everyone dip their brushes into the same container.  The healthcare system uses many disposable products because of disease.

Sometimes the old ways we used to do things seemed better, but our lifestyles were different then.  I'm not sure doing things the old way is always the solution because it just may not work for how our lives are now.  I suspect, when it comes to reducing waste though, that we are going to have to alter our lifestyles.  Society may have to slow down so people have the much needed time it takes to do things in a way that reduces waste.  I don't think it would be a terrible sacrifice either.  We may find that our lives improve with these alterations as well as reduce our garbage.