Now They're Just Trying to Piss Me Off

It seriously is like we're not even trying anymore. Unless the trying that we are doing is the trying to make my head explode. It's as if we have no problem whatsoever with plastic on this planet. None. Like we aren't saying anything over here about the 5 Gyres, like Dr. Marcus Eriksen isn't out there beating a drum about it. (Don't know him? Here: http://www.marcuseriksen.com/ ) It's as if we've given up completely and just announced we'll go ahead and trash the planet instead of trying to move to being better stewards of this Earth, because there is really no going back.

What now, GGW? you say with a sigh. Just this:

I almost have nothing more to say. Almost. It's from our good friends over there at Nestle, of course. Because you know how much they care about the environment. Darn it, I can't even eat one of my favorite candy bars anymore because it's made by Them. But I digress.

3 fluid ounces so as to be attractive to frequent flyers, I suppose. Easy to just toss in your purse or laptop bag. Convenient.

Look, I don't care that you are tossing it in the recycling bin. That means nothing. Nothing. The water of this planet is filled with plastic. Islands where man has never set foot are found to be covered with plastic. Birds who live their lives at sea are found with stomachs full of plastic. When is it enough? When do we get a clue? When do we get the hint? When do we stop?

Obviously  not anytime soon, because every day all I see are more new stupid products like this one coming out for purchase. We do not need these things. We need a healthy environment. The two are not compatible.

Just. Stop.

Doggie-Bag Dilemma

We eat out. It happens. Portions are very generous these days. Remember back in the '80s when it was all the rage to have stupidly tiny portions for insane prices? That sure went away. I can rarely finish my meal when I go out to eat. If it's a sandwich then I ask for a piece of foil rather than a container which is inevitably and will for some future time in my area be Styrofoam.

That leaves the other times when I have something slightly messier. You'd think that I - of all people - could remember to bring something from home to take my food home, instead of using that offensive piece of garbage they bring out to me.  Why can't I remember this one simple thing? 

Styrofoam is getting banned in a lot of towns and will be in more to come. I should not be waiting for that. Tossing them in the recycling bin isn't a solution. Not using them in the first place is. It's mind-blowing to me to think how much garbage we would save if everyone refused this stuff for just a week. But we don't even think about it. I think about it and still forget when it comes down to it. Would restaurants frown upon the practice of our bringing our own containers? I get weird reactions when I ask for foil, but they come around quickly enough. We can point out that by bringing our own containers, we are saving them money.

It's not like I'm talking about bringing them to a buffet. But for a meal for which we have paid, this shouldn't be questionable at all. Is it inconvenient? Probably to those who refuse to bring reusable bags to the grocery store. If you take food home you will be carrying a bag anyway. Why not carry one in? 

And while on that point, you can refuse that plastic bag they give you, as well. If it's something that's going to spill, either be careful or make sure you have something in the car for such an occurrence. It's not difficult, once you get in the habit. 

Let's all start this habit. We'll save a ton of trash. Literally. I promise, next time I go out, to friggin' remember this at last! Embarrassing? Hell no! What's embarrassing about trying to save this place for the next generation? We can at least try.