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Do you want to do your part lessen mankind’s carbon footprint on the planet? Really? It’s harder to do than it may seem at first glance.
My suggestion to you is to take nothing at face value and do your homework.
First of all, in order to “be green†you have to believe that you, as a one person, can make a difference. You can. Of course, your efforts make seem like a drop in the bucket, and, indeed, they are when taken individually However, nothing on in this universe is isolated. Nothing. We don’t live in bubbles. We are social beings, and our decisions and movements are observed, and often mimicked by others.
Instead of an action of ours being viewed as a “single drop,†we should see it as “the first drop†with many more to follow. Many drops become a storm.
. As an active participant in the very first Earth Day, I remember the slogan, “Think globally; act locally.â€
With that established, our next step must be to educate ourselves so that our actions that we want others to copy are, indeed, correct ones. Things are not always as they seem at first glance.
Let me ask you a question that you are asked every week at the Piggly Wiggly: “Paper or plastic?†If you want to “be green†you will choose paper, right?
Think again.
The manufacture of paper bags leaves a MUCH LARGER carbon footprint behind than does the manufacture of plastic bags.
While it is true that plastic is a petroleum product, far less energy is used and far less pollution is generated to produce a plastic bag than a paper one.
Chainsaws, skidders, bull dozers and many other forms of VERY LARGEand emission-spewing equipment are used to fell trees and cut them into manageable lengths. Gigantic log-binder trucks then move the tree-length timber to the paper processing plants.
Ever live by a paper processing plant? I have in Maine. Actually, I lived twenty miles south of a Scott Paper Company processing facility near Waterville, Maine. When the wind was blowing from the North, I could smell the pollution from that plant while standing in my pastures.
If you think that the paper industry is eco-friendly, you should go to a place called Lincoln, Maine. In Lincoln, the main industry is paper processing. The air actually has an orange tinge to it, the water sources are soured, and the odor that permeates everything is one that you will never forget. They actually sell bumper stickers in town that read “Kiss me where it stinks – LINCOLN, MAINEâ€.
It takes between two-and-a-half to three times the energy to produce a paper bag as it does to produce a plastic one.
Why doesn’t it surprise me that our Connecticut State officials are now attempting to push a bill through our legislature banning the use of plastic bags in our state? They are doing it because it is generally accepted by the uneducated public that paper is better for the environment, and these officials want to look good to Joe Average Voter so that they will get re-elected.
If our state senators were really concerned about the environment, wouldn’t it be better to take a little time to educate the public, and then push for legislation that is actually eco-friendly?? Nope! That takes too much effort and time.
Of course, it is better to use the plastic bags over and over again, and the more bio-degradable they are, the better. Maybe THAT would be a better bill to pass. Maybe if consumers were charged a dime for each plastic bag, they would reuse the damned things a few times before chucking them!
Here are a few other questions for you that I’m presenting for the sole purpose of shaking your core beliefs:
1. What is better to eat if you’re watching you cholesterol and calorie intake – 1 sesame seed bagel with cream cheese or two jelly donuts?
2. What water is better for you – 90% of the bottled waters sold on the market, or New York City tap water?
3. Are juices with their natural fructose better for you than drinks that are sweetened with processed sugar?
Answers: 1. The jelly donuts. 2. NYC tap water 3. To most of our systems, there is no difference between “natural sugar†and “processed sugarâ€.
The best things that we can do for ourselves and our environment is educate ourselves and take nothing for granted.
Make yourself a calico bag and take it shopping.
