"Why Should I Care?"

In my previous blog post, I vowed to make more of an effort to reduce, reuse and recycle. What I didn't talk about, in depth, was what can be recycled and why it should be done. Recycling is an easy step that most everyone can take in going green, this past weekend I decided to do some research on what exactly can be recycled, and what can't. It is important to know what you can put in your blue bin and more knowledge on the subject will only increase the likely hood that you will actually recycle.

In the city of Tampa there is a long list of things you can recycle, I found this information on Tampagov.net and was shocked by the amount of items on the list.


What can be recycled curbside in the blue recycling bin?

• Phone Books
• Paperback books
• Junk mail
• Cereal boxes
• 6-Pack soda boxes
• Office paper
• Cardboard*
• Magazines
• Newspapers & inserts
• Catalogs
• Plastic bottles (numbers 1 and 2 only)
• Aluminum and steel cans (including empty aerosol cans)
• Gable-top beverage containers (juice & milk containers)
• Glass bottles & jars (all colors)

So, now that I have armed you with this knowledge, get out there and recycle! But why, you ask? In my last post I touched on a few reasons why such as, using our resources in a smarter way, being less wasteful and trying to reduce the size and amount of landfills being created. This is an important topic to be discussed because not everyone realizes where our trash actually goes, and for how long it sits there.

In an article I found on ehow.com, "How Does Recycling Help the Environment" the author, Julia Fuller, gives a pretty convincing argument for why we should recycle. Fuller states, "According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there are over 3,000 active landfills in the United States and over 10,000 old municipal landfills. Papers, including newspapers, are a major filler of modern landfills. If individuals would recycle all of their newspapers, they could significantly prolong the use of each landfill, not to mention save many trees from being cut down." Fuller seems to believe that newspaper is a major contributor to the size and the amount of landfills being created in the United States, this problem most likely stems from the fact that a lot of people don't even realize newspaper can be recycled. It takes no extra effort to put your newspaper in a recycling bin rather than a trash bin. So, as my motto suggests, start small and the next time you take out your trash, be sure to put at least the newspaper in the blue bin and, while you're at it, take a look at the rest of the list and see what else you have been leaving out.

I know this whole reduce, reuse and recycle thing is much easier said than done, and I also vowed in my first post to be as honest and up front about my journey in going green as possible. So I can easily admit that it's not always easy making the change and I have been thinking long and hard of ways I can reduce my consumption of materials. I have recently come to the realization that I have a tendency to overestimate exactly how much of a product I really need. For instance, when grocery shopping I tend to give in to the marketing schemes and buy way to much of a product that I will most likely not be able to consume before it expires. Next time you find yourself in this situation, think about how often you eat, or use the product and whether you will actually be saving money by buying more now, or wasting resources by throwing it out when it expires. After all, it is hard to waste resources when we learn to make smarter decisions about how much we need to buy in the first place!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Resources such as water, energy, and even food are constantly taken for granted in the United States. Many people have forgotten what it takes to have these resources readily available on a day to day basis. The way of life we have grown accustomed to requires these luxuries that so many people have learned to live without. As an American citizen I have come to this realization many times, understanding that I am lucky to live the life that I do. I know that not everyone has the luxuries that I have grown accustomed to such as running water and access to food and water whenever I need it. I don't ever have to worry about going hungry while millions of people all over the globe spend their entire day wondering where their next meal will come from. So what can we do about this? One of the most helpful things we can immediately do is learn how to use our resources wisely. Reducing the amount that we use, reusing things that do not need to be thrown out and recycling resources that we do use is an easy step that everyone can take.

In an article I found on Treehugger.com, these simple steps are just one recommendation on a list of their top ten easiest ways to go green. In the article reducing, reusing and recycling our resources are number six on the list, today I am asking you to make them number one on yours. This is what the article has to say about reducing, reusing and recycling.

Nature Recycles Everything. So Should People. Making proper use of the blue recycling bin has become an iconic action. Reducing the amount of stuff we consume is the first step (and the first word in the mantra reduce-reuse-recycle), finding constructive uses for "waste" materials is the second. Why? Nothing is ever really thrown "away" -- it all has to go somewhere. By recycling and reusing, we reduce the amount of waste that sits in landfills (where even biodegradable products often can?t break due to lack or oxygen and sunlight). Recycling materials also saves energy compared to using virgin materials to create new products. Some materials, like aluminum and glass, can even be recycled without being "downcycled," or turned into a product of lesser quality.

After reading the article I felt that this was one of the easiest steps to take. Although recycling will be easy for me, finding a way to reduce and reuse my resources will be a challenge for me. I vow to make this my mission this week, and I hope that you will do the same.

Green = Jobs?

It's no secret that unemployment in America is a major problem, many politicians have even based their entire campaign on this issue. There is no disagreement on either side of the political fence that the job situation in America could be improved. The debate lies in deciding how to solve the problem. So, what should or should not be done?

According to James Pethokoukis, a political journalist and major contributor for CNBC, going green falls in the "should not be done" category. In one of his previous blog posts Pethokoukis says, "In fact, as evident in Spain, Germany and even Denmark, over-tough green legislation can destroy the productive capacity of the most enlightened industries." Pethokoukis feels that the strict regulations being placed on businesses in an attempt to reduce harmful pollution is detrimental to the economy and creation of jobs. In fact, Pethokoukis feels that we should steer clear of green legislation as much as possible, and not doing so will destroy many thriving industries. He makes his point clear from the very beginning when he states, "Now the question is whether the president can refocus on jobs. This will take, among other things, backing off the economically ruinous climate change agenda."

This view on the issue may have some merit, this is a legitimate concern but, who is to say that the new industry that may be created by the change in legislation will be any less successful than the current one? We are facing a record high unemployment rate, in part, because for many years these "thriving industries" have been sending jobs overseas in search of cheaper labor. If Americans as a whole can set our sites on a cleaner more prosperous future, jobs will naturally be created. This claim is supported in an article published by the Associated Press, found on MSNBC.com called, "Poll: Fighting Global Warming Good For Economy" the article states, "By increasing the cost of doing business, the cap-and-trade bill and the regulations backed by the White House may mean there would be fewer jobs in coal mining, oil refining and other industries that emit greenhouse gases. But many jobs would probably be replaced by "green jobs" such as making wind turbines, installing solar panels and insulating homes."

Jobs and the economy, although extremely important, are not the only reasons green legislation needs to be enacted. What it ultimately comes down to is what kind of a nation we believe we can be. Do we want to create a cleaner, healthier earth for ourselves and our children or do we want to continue exploiting the earth's non-renewable resources with no concern for the harm we are creating? The fact is that America is a nation full of resilience and perseverance. Throughout history, when faced with adversity, our nation has succeeded and become stronger because of it, we should not be afraid of change, but instead embrace it as a way of becoming an even greater nation.

I for one believe that sustainable living (going green) should become an important goal that Americans should strive to reach. I am not in a position to enact laws and regulations to make this a reality, all I can do is start small and hope that the little bit I can do as an individual will help make a change!




Sources:
http://blogs.reuters.com/james-pethokoukis/2010/04/06/create-jobs-dont-go-green/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34431546/ns/business-going_green/t/poll-fighting-global-warming-good-economy/

It's getting hot in here!

O.K. my choice in video for this blog may be a bit extreme, I admit it, but I promise I didn't purposely search for a video from Fox News... I promise, kind of.
O.K. maybe not, but unfortunately, it's not just Fox News who feels this way. For some, this video is not too extreme and is a completely rational way of thinking about all those "liberals" trying to "greenify" America. For others their skepticism is wrapped in a less, shall I say, insanely absurd package and is slightly more rational. Either way, there are still people out there that just don't believe in climate change/global warming/going green and aren't afraid to share their very colorful opinions on those that do believe.

I distinctly remember a day a few months ago, mid December to be exact, when my boyfriend and I had to make a quick stop at our local Walmart to pick up some chips-and-dip for a football party we were heading to. We were in a hurry and went straight back to the chip isle for the tortilla chips. When it took me more than .05 seconds to find the salsa I asked an employee where I could find it. He pointed me in the right direction and as the kind, hardworking and caring employee that he was, decided to strike up a conversation about where I was heading with my chips-and-dip. The conversation quickly turned to football, obviously and soon after to the collapse of the dome on the Minnesota Vikings stadium that had occurred earlier that morning. We talked about how crazy it was, and agreed that it was nothing short of a miracle that it happened while no one was inside. Then, the conversation turned to the weather, it's been almost six months now and it may be hard to remember but this past winter was one of the coldest, hardest winters on the globe in a long time. With record amounts of snowfall across the northern half of the country the destruction was not limited to just the Metrodome in Minnesota. As we were discussing this recent phenomenon he began to shake his head looking down, then, he looked up at me and with a slight laugh said "ya know, I would really like to ask Mr. Gore where his 'global warming' is now." As my body temperature began to rise, and my face started turning red it was all I could do to keep myself from getting into it with a Walmart employee. I took a deep breath and said, as calmly as possible, "well, that's actually not what global warming is, but we wont get into that now." and proceeded to walk away, quickly, dragging my boyfriend along with me.

I was in shock, surely people don't still believe that global warming was a name given with the intent of being literally translated. How could they? There's been enough talk on the issue in recent years that most people should be able to understand that what global warming is referring to is a slight increase in the earth's temperature as a whole, resulting in changes to our climate and weather conditions. As a college student, who was currently enrolled in an environment class for the second semester in a row, this definition of global warming was perfectly clear to me. I guess it wasn't fair for me to assume that a middle aged man, working at Walmart would have the same amount of knowledge, or even the same views as me. After all, he probably went home in his Chevy Suburban, cranked up his heat and flipped on Fox News, all the while still wondering where that danged global warming is.



Global Warming at its finest!



Where do I begin?

Going green... ok? What the heck does that mean? We've all heard that phrase before, but what does it mean to you? Does it mean selling everything you own, leaving your everyday life as you know it and living off of nature in a forest somewhere? Well it could... if you're that, umm, dedicated. But I am willing to bet, judging by the fact that you are reading this blog on a computer right now, that you have no intention of wiping your bum with leaves and sleeping in a tree somewhere anytime soon. Neither do I, but what I do want to know is what I can do to go green without giving up my life as I know it.

So, where do I begin? Where does the average twenty-something, with many other things besides saving the envirnment on her mind, begin? Small. I'll start small and incase you haven't noticed that's exactly what this blog will be about. I want to learn what someone such as myself can do to make a difference, however small it may be, and share what I learn with you each week. I want to know what can be done in everyday life and what can be learned about how to live a green lifestyle.

I am anticipating that this journey that I am setting out on will not be as easy as it looks and I am willing to bet that I am not the only one that struggles with the inconvience of living a green lifestyle. I plan on documenting the steps that I take to change my ways and I promise to be as honest as possible in sharing my experiences. This blog will be an honest account of what it is like going green in 2011.