Apathy

Me. It's me, I'm the one with the apathy today.

I was looking over some articles on the green sites... "10 Ways to be Green"... "5 Ways to Go Green Without Spending Money"... "20 Things to Do to be Green".... and on and on ad nauseum. I say ad nauseum because they are pretty much all blathering on about the same old thing. And if in 2013, they are still blathering on about the same old things that SOME of us have been saying for YEARS, then we have a problem.

Here are some suggestions from these *new* articles, posted this month, March, 2013...

• "Stop Buying Water." Really??? No shit???? And, wait, I would actually SAVE money by not buying bottled water, too??? YOU DON'T SAY!
• "Refuse to Waste Gas." So glad you say, I never thought of more gas efficiency before.
• "Put and End to Paper Towels." Damn, I wish I'D said something like that before now!
• "Lighten You Laundry's Load." Don't use warm or hot water? WOW! I could have sworn that has been said for, oh, 10 years at least, but thanks for the amazing information!

And from an article about how to go green in 2013....

If you want to be kinder to the planet and save some money at the same time, here are 20 ways to go green in 2013.

1. Buy fresh, local food this summer
2. Bring your own bags when you shop for groceries. You can often buy reusable bags at the stores you buy groceries. 
3. Shop at consignment stores
4. Rip up some lawn and create new garden beds this spring, and then grow your own food this summer.
5. Ditch those dreaded plastic sandwich bags and get some washable containers or bags.
6. Cut down on car trips and run your errands on your bike or on foot.
7. Pack cloth napkins instead of paper towels in school lunches.
8. Plant a tree. 
9. Dump your bottled water costs. You could save hundreds of dollars by buying snazzy metal water bottles for everyone in the family and a personal filter for your kitchen faucet.
10. Organize a Halloween costume swap in September.
11. Replace your old light bulbs with LED bulbs. They last 15 times longer and use 75 percent less energy.
12. Expand your hand-me-down circle. Organize a clothing swap for your kids’ preschool or a group of friends. Everyone brings gently used and clean kids’ clothes to your garage and parents can take as many items as they donated. The rest goes to charity. You can also swap toys and books.
13. Replace your showerheads with low-flow models. Low-flow showerheads can save you up to 15 percent on water heating costs and reduce your water usage by as much as 20,000 gallons a year.
14. Save up to 30 percent on your monthly heating bills by having a home energy audit done by a professional.
15. Give service and experience gifts this year instead of stuff. Make homemade gift certificates for services and experiences that could include tech support, dinner and a movie, yard work, pet walking or babysitting, or a day of organizing support for the clutter challenged.

And now you are asking, "Why the ire, Rhonda? These are good things! Things you yourself recommend!" Yup. Been sayin' 'em. For... years? And people been sayin' 'em for years before me. Good stuff. Damn fine ideas. What I want to know is,

WHY ARE WE STILL HAVING TO SUGGEST THEM?????

Reusable bags as a suggestion in 2013? Why do we even have to say that AGAIN? Don't most people who aren't living under rocks realize that they should be bringing their own goddam bags by now?  And if not, if we have to keep saying it, what's it going to take? If people haven't gotten it yet, are they ever going to? What's the point of it all? Avoid bottled water. This is not new news. It's not even sort of new news. It's old news. Very old news. Yet, how many millions haven't gotten around to it?

So, why the ire? Maybe it's just my mood today. Maybe I'm sick of being nice. Maybe I've never liked to have to repeat myself, so realizing that there are so many deaf ears out there really gets to me. Just, just get it, people. Quit making us repeat ourselves.

It's enough to make me give up and leave everyone to their own hell. I'm having an apathetic day. Hopefully, it is fleeting. Sometimes, I do wonder why the hell I care. Days like today... maybe I just don't.

Envirosax - Some Good Words for a Change!

Let me begin by saying no, they are not paying me or bribing me. I love my Envirosax bag all on my own.

What do I love the most? (How do I love thee? Let me count the ways! LOL) Is it that it rolls up so small (They say on their site, the size of a piece of sushi!) that I can carry THREE of them in my admittedly huge purse and still have room for everything else, so that I am never without a reusable bag? Is it that it is SO strong that I have to make sure it's not too heavy for me when I pack it full of stuff? Is it that the handles are big enough to sling over my shoulder? Is it the flourish with which I unsnap and unroll it, with the beautiful colors causing people to notice, so I can look at them with a "Yeah I bring my own bags, you should too" look? Is it the admiration of the cashiers, who almost always comment on it?

I think it's the flourish. That's the part I love the most.

Envirosax (http://www.envirosax.com/faq) is a strong, sturdy, pretty bag that is HUGE but folds up SO nice and small. It's waterproof. It's made out of polyester.

Wait, what??? Yeah I know. Polyester bad. Why am I carrying this bag, then? Because I know it is going to last for YEARS. Literally, years. That's a lot of plastic bags I won't be using. It's a much more sustainable thing. And the company itself is a very environmental gig. They have other products that aren't made of polyester, and that's a good thing too. But I'm OK with my bag. It's very durable. It's easy to hand-wash it and it dries quickly. It is a move in the right direction, as they say in the FAQ's. I agree. The material is good for the bright designs and colors that make them attractive to people, so maybe they WILL use them more. The inks and dyes are eco-friendly. And if your bag has gotten past its prime, you can send it back to them and they will recycle it.

So, yeah, it's made from polyester. And I will continue to use it. And I will gift them to people. This is one of those times when convenience isn't an evil word. It is VERY convenient to toss this bag in my purse, in your backpack, your messenger bag, laptop bag, etc... it is easy to roll up, people notice and and maybe think about getting one too. I totally love the look people get on their face when such a small little thing becomes this huge bag that holds everything. I love that my husband is OK with carrying it because it isn't too girly. And I love that this company is trying to do things right.

Holidays are coming. This is a Good Green Gift alert. The company started in Australia and yes the bags are made in China... PLEASE go to their FAQ page to find out how those are good things. The link is above. Not everything made in China is completely evil, either. Expand your knowledge. It is your best arrow in your quiver.

And start your holiday shopping at Envirosax. Sure, I'm a big fan of the bags, but they have other cool stuff to check out as well. If enough of us use things like this, then we are teaching by example. When we whip out these bright bags, people will be curious and maybe even ask. If we gift them to people, they will use them instead of plastic throw-aways. (Well, we hope.)

These guys and this company and this product CAN help. So, yeah, I have some good things to say for a change. Nothing but good. And my Yuletide gifts? Guess!

Green Gifts: Day 11

Repeat after me: re-gifting is not a sin. Just don't make the mistake of giving it back to the person that gave it to you.

So you got a perfectly nice gift from your Aunt Mynra, but it's just... not you. You can't return it. What do you do? Throw it away? ACK! Put it in the closet or attic or basement and forget about it? That's pointless. It's OK if you know someone who would just love the scent of that perfume that isn't right on you, or really could use that small appliance, seeing as you already have one of you own, or would go nuts over that sweater that's a little too pink for you... It's a beautiful scarf, but you don't wear scarves. They are precious earrings, but you prefer gold over silver... we have all been giving something that would be... well... better for someone ELSE.

Re-gifting is the ultimate form of re-using. If you can't use that gift, but someone else can, what's the problem? Again, use common sense: were they there when you opened the gift in the first place? Might want to skip it. Is it something unique that might get worn around the person that gave it to you originally? Well... better not.  But while you're thinking about shopping, try shopping for a few minutes at home. Say someone gave YOU a spa gift basket, but lavendar makes you sneeze. Make some nice little adjustments, maybe add some other little items, and give that lavendar treat a new home with a better purpose. By all means, GIVE it to someone who will USE it. Otherwise, you're just going to stare at whatever it is for a few years, then get disgusted and throw it away in a fit of Spring Cleaning. 'Tis better to give, much better, than to throw away!

Say it again, out loud, for all to hear: re-gifting is not a sin. Now go shop in your closets.