Every two weeks I go to the Laundromat to wash my unmentionables. Why the hell am I calling them unmentionables? My panties…I go to wash my panties…and my socks…and my…well you get the picture. Anyway, unlike some people who detest having to schlep their dirty clothes a few blocks away from home, I actually don’t mind. Doing on average three to five loads in the space of two hours gives me ample opportunity to improve my people watching skills…not to be confused with my stalking skills.
Here’s a mostly harmless yarn for you: While I was doing my laundry this past Sunday, a very pretty lady walked into the room with a few bags of her own grimy garments. I took the time to observe her…again…OBSERVE…not STALK. During my “observation”, this woman did something that absolutely horrified me. No, she didn’t mix her whites with her colours, though that would have been terrible too; it was worse…she threw her empty plastic detergent bottle in the garbage. I’ll give you a minute to be just as scandalized as I was.
I have a few deal-breakers when it comes to having a girlfriend…her being environmentally unfriendly is one of them…as well as cutting her toenails and spitting them across the room…but that’s another column for another time.
I’m not saying I want to date a hardcore vegan who composts her own poop and only washes in rainwater once a week…that’s perhaps a bit too friendly even for me…but someone who is at least practicing the three Rs: reduce, reuse, and recycle is definitely my kind of gal.
I’m not going to lie to you; I wasn’t always an environmentalist. There were times when I’d clean out the refrigerator and just chuck everything in the garbage…sometimes out of sheer laziness…and sometimes because I was too afraid to open the containers and peek inside. You might be too if you actually saw one of them move.
There were also times where I’d eat at my workplace’s cafeteria practically every day, knowing full well my food was going to be served on a non-biodegradable plate. And speaking of non-biodegradable, let’s not mention all the plastic bags I’d amass while doing my groceries. Feel free to boo me. I insist.
My green salvation came almost 8 years ago, in the form of my twin goddaughters. Twenty four hours after they were born, I held the two of them in my arms and realized I needed to be a better person. I decided I would start with making the world a healthier place for them to grow old in. At the time, it seemed a lot easier to concentrate on Mother Earth than to actually work on myself…but hey! I had to start somewhere.
Over the years this is what I’ve incorporated into my life on a daily basis:
1. I bring my own bags when I shop and do the groceries.
2. If it’s yellow I let it mellow; if it’s brown I flush it down.
3. I use 100% recycled toilet paper.
4. I only use 100% recycled paper for printing. The scraps I use for notepaper.
5. I’m a professional pedestrian and commuter. I say professional because I don’t have a driver’s license.
6. I turn off my computer every night at work, as well as all the lights in every room of my apartment when not needed.
7. I use fluorescent light bulbs.
8. As soon as it gets cold, I insulate my windows and doors with plastic wrap in order to prevent the heat from leaking out.
9. I rinse all my recyclables: milk cartons, cans, plastic containers (when I can’t reuse them of course, and when they’re not moving).
10. I bring my own plate and fork to the cafeteria when I buy my lunch.
However, over the past few years, with everyone being very doom and gloom about the shape our planet is in, I acknowledge that while I’ve been doing some good, I could be doing a hell of a lot better. When I came upon http://www.greenasathistle.com, I knew I had found my inspiration thanks to a young lady by the name of Vanessa. This is a gal who for 365 days challenged herself to do one green friendly thing per day and stick to it. She wanted to prove that “being an environmentalist doesn’t necessarily have to require massive change, compromise or Greenpeace levels of dedication — it can be simple, and inspiring.”
One of the biggest changes I’ve undertaken recently is giving up using pads and tampons. My friend Carly has been encouraging me to do so for over 10 years now by insisting I should use a menstrual cup. Well, I finally caved in and bought one. It’s called the Diva. Before you comment on this, it’s a complete coincidence that my nickname for my vagina and this product share the same name.
For more information on the Diva you can visit: http://www.divacup.com.
There’s this old Navajo saying: “We do not inherit the earth, we borrow it from our children.” I agree and while I readily admit that I can’t see myself ever composting my own poop and washing in rainwater…I know there are so many other things I can do to ensure that my goddaughters actually have a healthy planet to live on. After all, if I’m indeed borrowing the planet from them, I can make damn sure to return it…maybe in even better condition than it was before.
Thank you! It makes me happy to hear that there are other environmentally-friendly people out there. Sometimes it’s just so depressing (in the way that makes me wanna use the phrase ‘impending doom’ with just bit of panic in my eyes) to listen to everyone who doesn’t care…
We have trash cans and recycling blue containers at work… I’ve been careful to use it and break apart my kleenex boxes for almost a year now… Only to find out, on a late overtime night, that the janitors just stacked everything in a big black plastic bag.
I have to follow up on that..