The more I travel down my own path of steps to be more environmentally conscious, the more annoyed I get with others and have to restrain myself from commenting. Because being all righteous doesn't help.
For example, in town the other day I watched a woman stub out her cigarette and flick it into a drain - one marked with a clear environmental message.
I wanted to bring it to her attention, a lecture on the damage from chemicals in cigarette butts to our marine life - but didn't. Would you have?
The supermarket is another challenge. As they pack my cloth bags, I always look along the row of checkout counters to see if I can spot anyone else not using plastic bags. Sometimes there are one or two. At the moment at the supermarket that I frequent there is a promotion where they give little plastic "kitchen" treats away. When I declined them, the checkout operator asked if I would be happy to give them to someone else. I would have said "please don't, I am trying to reduce plastic waste" except right behind me was a little girl looking at me with hope, so I mumbled "sure - go ahead".
And Daffodil Day (NZ Cancer Society) - every donor gets a plastic/synthetic flower pin. Now for that one I will write them a little email, requesting they go back to real flowers or biodegradable stickers. Of course we can just refuse them - but most people don't.
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| Cancer Society's daffodil pin |
Then there is wanting to correct everyone's spelling mistakes.You would think I am perfect to feel like this, but no, I make spelling mistakes myself, as some of you will probably have noticed. And there is still some plastic in my shopping trolley...
Fortunately there are enough fabulous green and creative innovations going on in the world that keep me from feeling overwhelmed and depressed. I love getting feeds of Treehugger.com, Trash is for Tossers, Global Slow Movement, Colossal (an art design and visual culture website), Make Do and Mend.org, Green Ideas.co.nz
If you are not a Facebook fan these links will take you to their homepages anyway. Go on - if there is something new to you there, go give yourself a treat with your coffee break.
Yes...Yes...Yes and Yeessss!!!
ReplyDeleteThat is ME!
...and no I wouldn't have said anything to "Butt Woman" either, sometimes you just have to pick your battles.
I'm not perfect I still use plastic (but I do take my own shopping bags) and I struggled with enviro guilt recently when I purchased plastic plant guards, but on balance, I must remind myself that I do more than most, and that counts for something.
I am so glad to know I'm not the only person who has these thoughts, and that is exactly why I love my little cyber community, we are our own little mob!
I am not alone :-)
DeleteI would definitely not say anything although I would be thinking plenty to say! I'm a big chicken when it comes to confronting anyone. Where I am living now (South Carolina, U.S.) people throw trash everywhere and it drives me nuts. I just can't understand what makes them do it, why they would want to spoil the beautiful scenery with their McDonalds wrappers, sofas, mattresses, styrofoam cups, and on and on.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it would have achieved anything to speak up anyway, and I probably would have copped a less than apologetic response. Agreed, it's hard to understand how people can litter...I wonder what it would take to get through to them.
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