From the Files of the Utterly Ridiculous

Surfing the 'net one day, I felt the need to look at one of those "Cool Things" you-didn't-know-you-needed can't-live-without how-did-we-survive-without or what's-its-nuts. I don't know specifically. Too many of them. Gadgets. OMG moments where you think yes I must have that!!! Or not.

Some of those things are good and just plain cool. Most of them are things we have lived without because we really do not need them. At all. And yes we can live without them. For instance, I bring you in all its I-need-that-now glory ... the One-Click Butter Cutter.

I guess they'll use the butter knife right there to stir the tea?

Back in the Olden Days, when we were less enlightened, used to be a simple butter knife handled this task just fine and dandy. I mean, hello, it has butter right in its name. Plus, looking at this contraption, I am thinking you still need the butter knife anyway to spread the butter. So you can't argue you are saving a utensil from being washed. So let's look into why I must have this piece of plastic crap. From their site:

- Holds and slices Butter with a squeeze
- Safe for children to use! Slices can be cut and dispensed with one or two hands
- Uses less refrigerator shelf space
- Keeps Butter Clean
- Keeps Hands Clean
- Seldom Needs Washing
- Easily cleaned in a dishwasher or in warm water
- Cut slices individually as wanted or cut an entire stick of butter into slices in less than one minute!
- Tastefully replaces the ever-greasy butter dish

Well I'm sold! Wait. No I am not. Safe for children? Because a butter knife is so sharp? I can just see a child getting their hands on one of theses - there would be butter slices all over the table. Perhaps if your child is too delicate to operate a butter knife, they shouldn't be in charge of buttering their own toast anyway. Again, you still have to use the knife unless you are going to sit there until the cold pat maybe melts into part of the rest of the toast. Keeps hands clean? Oh, yeah, I hate when I have to actually hold the butter, it's so messy. Because that happens. Not. I can cut an entire stick in less than one minute? Well now there's something, because I swear it took me an hour to cut that last stick I had. Sign me up! How about that ever-greasy butter dish. Um, why? Don't you ever wash it? I think a pretty ceramic butter dish is worlds more tasteful than cheap plastic, but that's just me.

The site has the following page (this is priceless):

Do you need a Butter Cutter? Of course not.

It’s pure convenience and pleasure. That’s why they get such good reviews by people who use them. It’s like having a clothes dryer or hanging your clothes on a Clothes line. You don’t need a clothes dryer but it’s a convenience that people enjoy and use often even though they cost hundreds of dollars and electricity to use! The Butter Cutters don’t cost hundreds of dollars or require any electricity to use! They do give pleasure and convenience every day they are used. This is why I'm often thanked for having invented them.

"Pure convenience." That screams to me as the number 1 reason to not buy this. Comparing this plastic trifle with a clothes dryer seems a wee bit of a stretch, but that might just be me. They give pleasure? If this is a pleasure-giving device, then some people have really pathetic lives. Just sayin'.

Yes, I overdid it with the dashes here. Get over it.

Supply and Debate

We have a small downtown area. It's not thriving. We're trying to get it there, but it's struggling right now. A brave little bakery opened down there, and they actually are staying pretty busy, I think. We go in there quite a bit, they must put something addictive in their cupcakes.

Sometimes they run out of cupcakes. On Sundays, they say they are open til 4pm or until they have no more cupcakes. Seems fair. My husband at first thought this was a little uncool, that they run out of product, that you run the risk of not having what you want there. We talked about it a little more. Is it? Is it a bad thing to sell out, or worse to have to throw stuff out at the end of the day? Obvious answer.

At a small bakery like this, you can't always predict how a day will go. Maybe there's a run on cupcakes, but then maybe it's a slow day, so how do you gauge? Make WAY too many, stock like all the big stores do with way way too much... that's a waste of resources. Let's think about it. What IS better?

Some people will look at it from the opposite way, of course, you know they will. Because, they want what they want and they want it now. Heaven forbid the store be out of what they want when they took the time and bother to stop in. Such an inconvenience. There was a time where you couldn't have everything right at your fingertips all of the time. You learned to be the early bird, or to be smart (well THAT changed), or to do without until you got it the next time. Or planned ahead. Go figure. But some people will say, "They ran out and I went through all the trouble to be here? I'm never coming here again if they can't have enough for ME!" And the store will have lost that person's business forever. So make too much and throw it out? Or because we are in a small town and we realize that sometimes running out can happen because it's a small business, and we play the odds and forgive them, say, "Hah, I'll catch you next time!" and realize that if that's the worst thing that happens to you, your shop ran out of your favorite cupcakes, that you're doing OK.

Did we value things more when there was a risk of missing out on things? When there wasn't so much excess? When we had to think, when we had to plan, when everything wasn't so easy and accessible? I ask this over and over, I know. Because we're still doing it.

I applaud that tiny little place for running out, even if it's just 11am and WOW how many did they make anyway? I hope their business steadily grows so that if they end up making more and more, they still sell out every day. I hope we can learn to value things again.

I don't really see it happening, but I can hope. I mean, it happens to me here and there... hoping. Sometimes it hits me. Of course, then I come to my senses again.

We Can't Make Our Own Damn Meatballs??

Here's the story from 7/8/12 on msnbc.com:

Meatball company recalls 300,000 pounds of meat over listeria risk -By Lily Kuo

(Reuters) - A New Jersey meatball manufacturer is recalling more than 300,000 pounds (136,000 kg) of meat products due to possible listeria contamination, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service said on Saturday.

Bridgeton, New Jersey-based Buona Vita Inc was recalling about 324,770 pounds of frozen, ready-to-eat meat and poultry products produced in May, including meatballs, chicken and beef patties, and loafs of chicken and beef, the agency said in a written statement.

The FSIS described the health risk related to the recall as "high," according to the statement.

Representatives for Buona Vita, which says on its website that it produces 200,000 pounds (90,000 kg) of meatballs a day, could not immediately be reached for comment.

The possible contamination was discovered through testing by FSIS and the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the FSIS statement said. There have been no reports of illness related to the company's products, it added.

Listeria bacteria thrive in low temperatures. Outbreaks are usually associated with deli meats, unpasteurized cheeses and smoked refrigerated seafood products. Listeriosis has a long incubation period, with symptoms sometimes not showing up until two months after people consume tainted foods. Symptoms include fever and muscle aches, sometimes preceded by diarrhea and other gastric problems.

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012

Here's my first thought: quit buying pre-made meatballs. Mom used to make a whole big batch of meatballs at once from scratch, cooking them then freezing them, so they were ready to use any time. It didn't take long. It was surely more economical to buy bulk ground meat. It was very surely better because we knew every ingredient that went in there. How many preservatives and other crap are in these frozen foods, besides the Listeria of course?

200,000 pounds of meatballs a day??? How lazy are we? And STOP with the "I don't have time, frozen is more convenient" crap. I don't buy it. LOOK at what happens when we rely on our conveniences. We get Listeria outbreaks. Was it worth it? Was the 30 minutes every few weeks you saved worth it? NOPE.

These problems go away when we grow our own food, make our own food, buy locally, and cook once in a damn while. Make your own meatballs, people.

Who the @#*&*$^ Serves Pasta on Paper????

Do YOU serve spaghetti on paper plates? I know I don't. Because THAT would be STUPID. 


Dixie Ultra... "No Soak Through." "Look, mom, no mess, Even with extra sauce." You know what else has no soak-through? Real plates. Who sets their mother-flippin' SUPPER table with all paper/disposable products? Here's the thing: I KNOW there are people that do. I will just never ever ever ever ever understand why. Look: there is NO reason for that. At all. Throw any "reason" at me; I will refute it. 


"Set an attractive table with a full line of coordinating products including plates strong enough for even your heaviest, messiest meals, soft and absorbent napkins and fun, festive cups. All available in a variety of counts." They forgot to mention the plastic forks and spoons and knives. How is a table full of land-fill-fodder an attractive table? Because it has pretty colors on the plates and napkins? 

Can we just get back to Sense? I know it's asking a lot, but really, it is time. Can we get out of this mentality that disposable is OK, because it is not. It is not necessary, it is not OK, it is merely a little convenient, and where has that gotten us? Can we wake up? Will we? Ever? Before it's too late?

This is about more than the stupid enduring paper plates. This is about attitudes toward the world and toward life in general. It's about what we teach our kids. Values. Respect. Respect for the Earth, respect for each other. THAT is sorely lacking in today's society. Is it because we have becomes more concerned about ease and convenience than with actual concern for our surroundings? 

With this pervading attitude, PEOPLE have become disposable. We should all be very, very concerned about that. And we should look around. And we should SEE for a change.  

SO Last Century

Per Swiffer, broom and dustpan are SO last century. Yes, that is an ad I caught for them one day on TV. Broom and dustpan. Old technology. We've progressed beyond such old-fashioned things. Brooms. Mops. Snort. We can't possibly expect to get our hands near water or have to bend over or work in any way, shape, or form. Swiffer and its ilk are easy. Convenient. And the chemicals in the cleaner do the tough stuff for you.

You know what else is so last century?? Lower rates of obesity. Lower occurrence of childhood cancer. Less plastic in the ocean. Less trash in the landfills.

But by all means, let us choose the method of cleaning that keeps us lazy and fat, and puts chemicals in the environment, and plastic into the oceans. Get those newfangled wet-jet disposable things for every aspect of your cleaning regimen, and gleefully throw away cleaning pads that last for one small room before you need to get a new cleaning-product-soaked plastic-backed thing for the next room. Never mind that steam cleans great, no chemicals needed. Don't give it a second thought that sometimes a good "old-fashioned" hands-and-knees cleaning is just what was needed. Pay no attention to the fact that these things really do not clean all that well, and you find you get crap building up in corners that you have to hit on hands and knees anyway, and that your pets and children get that chemical assault right in their faces all day long after you "cleaned".

Don't worry about that. Convenience is key. You go ahead and be easy like Sunday Morning.

I like my steam clean and I don't mind the hands and knees method (works a LOT better) and I don't mind getting my hands wet or dirty. Heck, I use cleaning as core exercises. Ever throw your core into vacuuming? It's amazing. Beats paying for a gym membership any day. We used to be thinner when housework was not so easy and convenient.

Coincidence?

Whose Healthy Choice?

ConAgra does it again. Yummy, delicious, natural, and most importantly, convenient!!! Healthy Choice has a great healthy choice for you for lunch! Healthy Choice 100% Natural No Preservatives frozen meal. Vegetarian. Pumpkin Squash Ravioli. All natural, pronounceable ingredients. Only 310 calories. What a great meal. So healthy.

For... whom? Well, for us, to eat, of course. What can be bad about this? Surely, nothing! No weird bad chemicals. No artificial flavors or colors or preservatives. Must be great... except... except for the lovely crap from the plastic tray leaching into your food as it steams in the microwave. We quite frankly have NO idea what could be coming outta that tray and into your food. Remember when we didn't know what BPA was? (Of course, there are plenty who STILL don't know... SIGH) To think it's fine, perfectly safe... I find that short-sighted.

Seriously. Can we stop pretending and believing that anything that comes packaged in plastic and frozen and conveniently prepares in the microwave so we never have to step away from our cubicles for lunch is ANYTHING but RIDICULOUS? I know, I know, we are SO busy that this really is the best way to handle lunch. I know, I know, we can't be bothered to actually MAKE something over the weekend to freeze and package and take to lunch all week. That would require... well, time. It's really SO LITTLE plastic that surely, we can give it a pass, right? And after all, we'll recycle it!

(No matter that it still takes OIL to produce the plastic in the first place...)

Will we? The un-Healthy-er Choice regular black trays are a #1 or #2. I cannot recall, and since I don't buy them, I can't look. These white trays in the super healthy natural "meal" are a #5. Not many municipalities do anything with this type of plastic yet. Again, my old tired recording, just because you throw it in the bin doesn't mean it gets recycled. If there is not enough money in recycling a particular plastic - if it is more costly to recycle it than it is worth afterwards, it is NOT getting recycled. That is currently the case with anything over #2, so far as I know right now.

So, I inquire: How is this a healthy choice? Healthy for us? Healthy for the planet? Who?

Doesn't matter. These will still be out there, they will still be bought, we are not going stop. It's really getting to the point where we truly deserve what we get.

Just wish the rest of us weren't getting dragged down, too.

Drink WAT-AAH Part 2

Yeah. I did it. I was at the Natural Products Expo West, and, walking about, I spied a company I had previously pretty much trashed in a blog entry 2 years ago. (http://goodgreenwitch.blogspot.com/2010/07/trick-kids-into-drinking-more-water.html) Sure, I had a moment when I thought I would just sneer and walk past, but then something came over me, and I walked right up to the lady there at the big colorful booth for WAT-AAH and flat-out stated, "Hi. I trashed your product in my blog." She exclaimed, "WHY would you do that??" We laughed (because I really actually AM a nice person), and had a very nice talk for the next 10 minutes or so.

I told her that I did not think bottled water aimed at kids was necessary, and that it set a dangerous example for later in life. She pointed out how their company attempts to get kids to get excited about drinking healthy water over soda or sugary juices and sports drinks. Valid. Going back to my original post, I did actually give them credit for that. (Shocking - I DID research before writing. Ha!) She pointed out their Healthy Hydration Program. I went to their site to read more about it, but the immediate noises that come up when you get there sets me off every time. And then my computer hung up anyway. Seems Google Chrome wasn't fond of the site either. It's a valid program. Good ideas. Kids SHOULD drink water instead of crappy sugary high-fructose-corn-syrupy things. I agree. She said their product has no flavor, sugar, or color, and they rely on fun colors on the bottles and fun to attract kids. She told me a bit about their Juvenile Diabetes Event. OK, they are a pretty into-it company, for sure. Good stuff.

They have great intentions. And the woman I spoke with, Carol (the owner, it turns out), was a very nice very lovely lady. Do they get a pass?

Mmmmm.... no. Sorry, Carol. I know you tried.

I cannot get behind any single-use plastic bottle usage. Are there situations when they are a necessity? Probably. But the 'fridge at home is not one of them. Running around with the kids is NOT one of them, much as parents like to say it is. Sporting events? No, not really. Why don't kids have reusable bottles with their names on them on the sidelines? How many half-empty bottles of this stuff gets picked up at the end of the game, how many kids grabbed another and half-drank it because they lost track of their original one? How much waste??? "Well, we recycle them." Um, no, we don't. We throw them in a bin and feel great about ourselves, but in reality, it is a giant crap-shoot that any of them actually get recycled, or really, down-cycled. More likely, they are contributing to the Giant Plastic Problem we have. Should we be avoiding plastic bottles as much as possible instead? Heck yah. Just because bottles no longer have BPA in them, does that mean there are not still unknown chemicals leeching out into that water that your precious angels are drinking? Mmm hmm. Remember a few years ago when we were ignorant of BPA? Think that can't happen again with another chemical? Mmm hmmm. It is seriously short-sighted to not think about that.

I also went back to read the comments from that earlier post. Apparently, bottled water strikes a nerve when it hits parents in the Big Convenience. I'm including here most of what a Dad said (not edited):

"I read you're blog because Im a Dad with a child that drinks WAT-AAH! all the time. I also make sure to re-use the bottles we buy whenever we can - and of course, we also recycle them.
Im as environmentally conscious as the next guy but I gotta say, reading this blog, Im betting you dont have kids. Nieces and nephews maybe, but not your own. I dont say that as a dig, but when you're running around town and your kids really thirsty and he or she can pick from one of the 400 bottles (plastic bottles) of sugary syrup or this water brand, I'm more than happy to throw down to encourage that decision."

I replied very nicely and with a conciliatory tone, but you know what? I've changed my mind. I already covered the part where throwing them in a bin does not recycling assure. And when you are "running around town," did you NOT think ahead that perhaps at some point your little joys would perhaps, oh, I don't know, get thirsty and plan accordingly? Or do you find yourself having to BUY stuff, because you couldn't be bothered to plan ahead? How about getting your kids in the habit to grab their own reusable bottles as you all head out to go buy stuff? (Wow, Green Witch, what a good idea!) No, I don't have kids. And hey there! Your having kids, by the way, is NOT an excuse to trash the planet I also happen to enjoy. If anything, you should be even more careful and more responsible. Heck, I should be the one gleefully trashing it. But lookit that: I am not.

I pointed out to Carol (who really IS a great lady, I felt good about meeting her, and I really did digest all the things she took the time to tell me) that perhaps giving young kids these throw-aways was setting them up for bad habits into adulthood. She disagreed, feeling that kids who drank WAT-AAH grew up to be more responsible. Meh... I have to think I might be closer to the mark. Yes, WAT-AAH is a better choice than the other things in this picture here, but we SURE as heck do NOT need bottled water in the fridge or cupboards at home. There are no Earth-shattering emergencies that come along every random day that require this. A typical Summer day does NOT need the child running into the kitchen and grabbing a bottle like this. Run in and grab your personal bottle, great. But not this. Not the regular size, not the cute little size, no, this is not remotely necessary. While "running around" is not necessary. It really just isn't. Period.

Plus, they were downing them at the booth during the Expo. I know, it's all about showing how you use your own product... but yeah. Not so much. How many empty bottles after a weekend... and for what?

For what?

Convenience.

Yup.

I'm pretty sure we had sports and run-around days way back before the plastic bottle craze. And, funny, we're still here. We didn't die of thirst. Oh - and how funny, we didn't have nearly the obesity and diabetes that we have in kids now. How ever did we manage, you know, with Life being SO darned... inconvenient?

Your Right to Convenience

You have the right to have convenience. You have the right to make garbage. You have the right to waste water. You can do whatever you gull-durn please. If you want to triple-plastic-bag your leaky chicken at the grocery store, by good-goddamn it is your right to do so. You want to have a baby, and gosh-darn it, you are going to use plastic diapers, because gosh-darn it, you are going to be tired, and you know what? Shit stinks. And YOU do not want to have to deal with that.

Umm... yuck.

Yeah, I heard that from my own step-daughter. She NEVER planned to use cotton diapers, and now she IS pregnant. Even though the "disposable" ones (quotes on that, because they are NOT disposable, they are just moved away from YOU to another place) are bad for the planet, bad for the kid, bad for... well, ME. Yeah. They are getting added in to MY world. Why don't I have a say in that? Because YOU must have your convenience? Even though you KNOW babies poop and it smells bad, but you are going to have one anyway, but the rest of us have to revolve around that? What about OUR rights to a clean planet? No? Nuthin'? Not so much?

So you have the right to use plastic. And you don't think the government should step in and ban plastic bags, because that is an infringement of your rights, and, after all, where will it end?? You know - smokers as the same thing... no smoking on the beaches, public places, what's next? You're own home? Yes, actually, in some towns you cannot even smoke in your own back yard. Because smoking hurts people other than the smokers. Well, guess what - your water waste is hurting those who DON'T waste. Because, just like we share the air, and you don't want to smell their cigarette smoke, we share the water, and I want to have mine around to use when I want, and since I use it responsibly, YOU should too. But you don't. So we have to put bans and limits on water usage sometimes. But guess what? I have to follow the same bans and limits, even though I wasn't the problem.

Likewise, because YOU can't be bothered to ease up on the plastic, MY Earth is polluted, even though I have been enjoying it responsibly. Your gross dirty diapers are in my environment, even though I had nothing to do with them. But there they are.

So, I ask again: where does your right for convenience end, and my right for a healthy planet begin? It doesn't seem to matter, so long as things are easy for the masses.

Man, I would LOVE an answer to that one...

Pure Chicken-y Goodness, Individually.

"Perdue Introduces Chicken That's Perfect For Everyone"

Really? How so? Perfect, because your chickens are mass-farmed? Given growth hormones for more attractive breasts? Given antibiotics? Is that what makes this chicken perfect?

"Each piece of chicken breast cooks quickly and evenly, in only 10 minutes. Additionally, each portion is individually wrapped making it extra convenient to cook the desired amount and easily store the remainder in a reclosable bag for later use."

Ooooohh.... THAT'S why it's perfect. Look - right up there - my favorite word. "Convenient." So... chicken, wrapped in plastic, wrapped in MORE plastic. Um, why, exactly? Let me guess: so we don't have to break them apart. Because we don't have time to mess with separating stuff. Because there's no good reason to prepare more food to have leftovers for lunches or another dinner. Um... wait, I'm still trying... Oh, because everyone is so picky that we have to fix different things. Because, umm... because.... I got this, I swear I do... nope. I got nuthin'. I can really truly seriously not think of one really good really valid reason that we "need" this and what makes it perfect and why anyone would buy it. Admittedly, I avoid Perdue. I eat chicken, I love chicken, chicken yummy. But I prefer mine from small, local, sustainable farms. (It tastes far better, too.) I'm pretty sure most everyone should avoid Perdue. But definitely really, REALLY avoid this. There is no reason for this. The best thing is to get this out of the marketplace as soon as possible. In fact, feel free to express your displeasure directly:

By Phone:	1-800-4-PERDUE® (1-800-473-7383) Monday - Friday, 9:30 am to 6 pm EST
By Post:	Perdue Farms P.O. Box 1656 Horsham, PA 19044-6656

Better Than An Apple

Here I go again. Trashing an otherwise perfectly respectable, pretty much good-for-you product. What is WITH me?

I recently attended the Natural Products Expo. It is a super cool event, filled (really filled, that event is HUGE!) with so much natural stuff one hardly knows where to turn. However, from the first second hitting the floor, I had to remind myself this was a "natural products" gig and NOT a green event, per se. The two ought to go hand in hand, yes I agree, but this is not the case. And that's that... you can't quite call it greenwashing here... Oh I wanted to... but you can't quite.

Case in point: the first display I saw. VitaTops. Apparently these things are great for losing weight and are wonderfully healthy and oh so delicious. Everyone loves them, they have all kinds of seals of approval... GREAT. Super. Wonderful. What stopped me dead in my tracks was this huge sign on their display that said, "Better than an apple!" Dead serious. My immediate reaction was, "In what world??? Plasticland???" While these delicious little morsels are the perfect size and calorie count, they are all perfectly wrapped in individual perfect plastic pouches. Yes, that IS much better than an apple. Not. What's the dead giveaway? What's the phrase that jumps out in a warning? The very first thing they say under the VitaTop's product page is: "VitaTops. Deliciously Convenient."

"No time for your vitamin-fortified cereal this morning? Tired of chewing yet another nutritional bar, but still want your vitamins and minerals and 4-9g fiber with very little fat?" Really? This is what we've come to? Yeah, I know, I'm not really surprised either. (Nutritional bars are hard to chew??) How lazy are we. No, that is not a question. I know we are. Chewing is hard work. So is exercise and eating right. Hard hard work. Convenience is definitely the key to losing weight.

So, anyway, this is a good and quality product. I'm sure it is. I'm totally overreacting. Come on. Is there no other way to package it? None? No? Then it has to go in the "reject" pile. Because this is not cool. You cannot recycle these wrappers. They just end up in the ocean. And why? What for? Because eating right is just too plain hard and inconvenient, and we are all too fat and have to lose weight, and damn the consequences to our children's children?

That's what I thought.

You Got Your Garbage in My Almond Butter!

Just one more example of sliding backwards. One step forward, two steps back. I would be wholeheartedly for this product. In fact, I'm sure it's an awesome healthy thing. Almond butter instead of peanut butter. Yum, good, fine, wonderful. Whatev's. But please sell it in a wonderful glass jar, you know, the way peanut butter used to be sold before greed and convenience really caught hold?

But, alas, no. We need even more convenience than plastic jars. We need on-the-go, super-spiffy wonderfully convenient, single-serve SQUEEZE packs. I wish I was kidding. Can someone please explain this to me? Can someone let me know why this is even a product we "need" in our lives? Is it so much to have to think ahead and pack a little cup of this stuff from the larger jar at home? Are we so far gone we can't think around THIS? Do we really need to add this kind of trash to the mounds out there? Do we need to applaud the amount of resources it takes to manufacture and fill these stupid little things? Do we have to be able to whip our almond butter out of a cute little pocket? Do we need to teach our kids to get used to these things?

Apparently.

I got nuthin' for this one. Just... and I know, I am the one introducing them to y'all... boo for me, I really did wrestle with that one, but I feel the evils of the world need to be seen so we can recognize them for what they are. "It's just a little thing.. no big deal, G-Dub." (my new nick-name!) But, these are ALL little things that add up in a big way. But back to the "just..." Just DON'T buy them. And when you see these things, maybe take some names and maybe spend a few minutes a week tossing off an e-mail to these companies, saying, "We don't care for these irresponsible products." It could help.

Maybe not. Sometimes, I think we are too far gone. Give me some hope, someone. I'm fresh out and they don't put that in a super-slick squeezee-pouch.

Why Don't We?

In thinking about the things we use that are disposable, and the things we use that have perfectly good non-throw-away alternatives, I am forced to ask, "Why don't we use those alternatives?"

Are we just used to the disposable lifestyle? If that's the case, can't we re-accustom ourselves to the alternative? Being the Good Green Witch, I am naturally exposed to many other people who embrace a green, sustainable lifestyle. Are they "better" people? Are they more crafty, more organized, have more time than anyone else? No, I don't think so. Do they care or think a little more? Maybe... but I like to think more people care than do not.

I don't have the answers. I'm just feeling my own way around out here. If I had all the answers, I'm sure I would disappear from the face of the Earth. So when I ask, "Why don't we?", I got nuthin'. I know, I know for sure in my heart I just know that we CAN. But we don't. We need to.

We CAN stop using plastic utensils. That's easy. Even if one finds one cannot avoid them altogether, cutting back is REALLY easy. One just has to put one's mind to it. (Aye, there's the rub?) And paper napkins. Surely, this one is just a matter of convenience. Cloth napkins are so much better. I can't even stand the bleach-chemical smell of some paper napkins anymore. Cloth napkins don't have to be fancy and don't have to be for special use and are very easy to have around. Same thing with hankies. We adjusted VERY quickly to hankies in our home. Now we don't even dream of using a Kleenex. I carry a hankie in my purse, which will nicely double as a napkin if I am caught in a napkin-pinch situation. (Use your imagination on that one if you wish. I'll wait.)

I truly believe that is is just a simple matter of setting our minds to it and doing it. We're a smart group. We can do this. We can form new habits and end bad ones. I know we can.

We have to.

But it's so CONVENIENT!!

I would like to get rid of that word altogether. Why does everything have to be SO convenient? What are we doing with all this extra time we have from everything being so convenient? Are we planting more trees? Are we cleaning more beaches? Are we curing cancer, AIDS, the common cold? Are we combating world hunger? Winning the war on drugs? Stopping teen pregnancy or suicides? Ending depression? Fixing the economy???

Um... nope. Notta one.

Ah, I know. We're working more. We're watching more TV. Both of which cause us to want/buy more convenient stuff so we have more time to work and watch TV.

Can't some stuff still be a challenge, or maybe a wee bit more time-consuming, so that the end result is maybe more worth it or more treasured or ANYTHING? I continue to maintain that the almightly search for convenience has led us down the primrose path. I say to you, whenever you see the word "convenient", be suspicious. Avoid. Run the other way. Some things are still worth DOING. I worry about a world in which everything is so darn convenient that we don't actually DO anything. Why read a book; it's so much more convenient to see the movie they made from it. No movie? Book probably not worth my time then. Why clean something? It's so much more convenient to throw away and buy new. Why use Pyrex or glass? Plastic is so much more convenient. Reusable water bottle? The single-use plastic ones are so much more convenient.

See what I mean? Let's begin treating that word with a little contempt. And spread it around. Teach kids the value of things, not convenience.