Blog Action Day: The Environment
What can you do to promote sustainability? What can you do to help our planet?
Some people sit in trees to preserve them. Some people pay to have trees planted to offset the amount of greenhouse gasses used to fly from one location to another. Some architects look at building 'green' buildings (Tucson has its first 'green' school now). Some people have contests to help raise awareness.
My thing? I like to recycle. It's so easy. I keep a paper grocery bag next to my trash bin, and throw anything and everything I can into the recycle bin. I find that I empty my recycling more than I empty my garbage! Now that helps me feel like I'm making a difference.
How do you 'think green'?
Comments
I'm a mad crazy recycler - I recycle all paper, cans and plastic that I possibly can. My parents come from an older generation (my dad's family were ranchers and farmers) so they know more about composting, which we've done my whole life. And now I'm also using those crazy curlicue lightbulbs. Next I need solar energy (my good ol' parents' house is totally solar!) and an electric car.
We've all gotta do it.
Posted by: Tanya | October 15, 2007 03:40 PM
I recycle too.
When I was in a Chicago a couple months ago running along the lake shore, I discovered all these globes or earth balls that had been decorated by different groups with GREEN messages about saving the earth. It was really cool. I think this is when I figured out how big of a deal this has become. I'm not sure where I've been. :D
Posted by: Nancy | October 15, 2007 06:33 PM
I'm lucky in Portland because we have awesome curbside recycling. Like you, we put more in the recycling (or compost bin) than the garbage can. I also bike or walk to work when I can (ie not running late!). We also try to consume less, re-use when possible and buy used for a lot of our purchases. Every little bit helps! : )
Posted by: Sarah | October 15, 2007 07:51 PM
In addition to recycling I like to reuse!!
Posted by: Javamom | October 15, 2007 08:50 PM
We recycle too. Paper, glass (by color), plastic bottles, batteries... and so on.
Posted by: Gabrielle | October 16, 2007 02:55 AM
Recycle, recycle...we have these bins all lines up next to each other; plastic, paper(cardboard), clear glass, colored glass, aluminum, garbage at the end. I bought these bins from The Container Store a couple years ago and they are the best. I'm big into carpooling too, to work, events, etc. And we replaced all of our lights with eco lightings.
Posted by: PNW Runner | October 16, 2007 07:45 AM
Recycling produces gargantuan amounts of extremely toxic waste products -- more than producing from scratch. The only recycling that does not require more energy & resources to recycle than to produce from scratch is aluminum. All government recycling programs are inefficient -- half of what you put in the recycling bin ends up at the dump. Imagine all the pollutants produced by those trucks driving around for no reason! You are better off throwing your waste away.
If you want to save the environment from destruction then support the free market. Only free/capitalist countries have relatively low pollution and due to the free market are the most efficient consumers of natural resources as well as protectors of valuable land. This is a plain fact. By the way, only a small fraction of the paper that is produced in the US comes from virgin forests. There is more forest cover in the US today than 50 years ago. Be careful what "green" activities you get into. Don't believe the hype.
Posted by: Marnee | October 16, 2007 10:05 AM
we have 8 reusable bags we take to the grocery store. Therefore, we seldom need to use the plastic bags that just get tossed.
Posted by: Pat | October 16, 2007 03:33 PM