It's not easy being green

Kermit would be so en vogue.

So many gadgets, so many diapers, so many Cup O' Noodle Soup cups - we really are a country of disposable consumption. At least my household is. And the older I get, the more I'm aware of what comes in and out of my hands, my house, my trash can (I'm not talking about the neighborhood dog). Oh, and my wallet, of course.

I want to vomit every time I hear campaigns done in the name of "global warming". Despite that bodily rejection, the outcome of reducing crap we pump into the air, using less energy, slowing our growth of the trash heaps, can't be all bad. In fact, they are things [the royal] we should have been taking more seriously all along. As consumers, we have lost our sense of responsibility and indulged. What's sadder, is it's that need to consume, to live outside your means, that makes you unhappy. Particularly adults. You satisfy your desire, only for that purchase to become a band-aid that falls off in the shower and no longer fixes anything. In fact, now it's a nuisance because you will pick it up and set it in the soap dish (that is if you don't just let it set and clog the drain), where it will become slimy and gross and then throwing it away turns into this big burden. [None of this applies to kids of course, who are insatiable when it comes to "stuff" and "things", and have no ability to appreciate what they have until they are older. Myself not excluded.]

Mom has told many stories of growing up on the ranch. She pretended, she played, she read books from the library, she ate wonderful food and lived a rich (and self-proclaimed sheltered) childhood. I had many upon many toys, watched too much forgettable TV, and was often bored. But aside from a few cool acquisitions (can you say "video games"?), my fondest memories are of playing house, riding bikes, hiking the trails, building forts, singing, playing sports. Well, you get the picture. How much of that is lost on today's youth in snooty suburbia? Do kids pretend anymore? Or do they text (something that used to be just a noun). Or do they squat in front of 400 channels like a slug?


Eh, whatever.


With four kids trampling in and out of this house, I'm not prioritizing "going green" over keeping my sanity. And that's the trade-off really. How much do I freak out about using a roll of paper towels in a week vs. an extra three loads of laundry to wash towels? Ok, I'm exaggerating. But not by a whole bunch. It's amazing, really, how many towels get dirty around here.

I almost always take my travel mug in to Starbuck's. I met my friend for coffee and she asked if I'm "totally green". I laughed at the ridiculous notion. It's just something I've done since college when I picked up the filthy habit of drinking foo-foo coffee. Travel mugs don't get your crotch nearly as spilled on while driving to school with your coffee between your legs. I made darned sure my next car had cup holders...

All that said, I will be adding links to my new "green" section with recycling tips and other good citizen items I come across. Who knew you could recycle tennis shoes?