go green.

Apr 16, 2008 19:43


It seems to me that some people are confused about going green.  I understand everyone is really getting into it, which is great because I love how so much attention is being drawn to this concept in hopes that people will become less wasteful and the earth will become more beautiful.  Perhaps some of our problems dealing with excessive garbage will lessen.  But the other day when I was walking through Barnes and Noble and there was an ENTIRE table set up with books on how to be green.

Now, before I continue, I must admit that I own a few books about being green and I also own a lot of books in general.  In my defense, most of these were purchased prior to my awareness about different ways to conserve.

Anyways, I will now continue with my observations and thoughts.  I understand it is important for people to be informed of real-life issues dealing with the environment because if they are uninformed they cannot be held accountable for anything they do that may be harmful.  In that sense, I think these books are really great.  But did it ever occur to them how un-green the mass-production of these books and the selling of them in bookstores nation-wide and world-wide really is?  The books I have that relate to being green are An Inconvenient Truth and It's Easy Being Green.  Granted both are made of 35% post consumer waste, it still seems a little unnecessary.  Wouldn't someone promoting the concept of going green want to enforce the idea of borrowing books from the library?  By having their books in Barnes and Noble they are encouraging people to continue shopping at bookstores instead of going to the library.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy bookstores and occassionally enjoy buying a book or two.  Also, I have plenty of books on my bookshelf.  I do try to lend these books to people as often as possible, however.  But all in all, I would say most aspects of consumerism are ungreen.  If you think about all the books about greenness being printed constantly, it is quite wasteful.  Also, it is likely that every book bought goes into a shopping bag.   While some people recycle shopping bags, plenty don't (especially the ones from Barnes and Noble which are two small and awkward to use over and over and people rarely take these bags to recycling drop-off zones).  Also, a receipt is printed for every book bought.

How about these green people set up booths outside bookstores encouraging people to utilize the library. Especially with all this linkage between libraries now. You can get any book you want at the library. Movies, too. But renting is better than buying in this area as well.

Here is another really big idea: don't buy bottled water! How about saving your money and reduce the risk of bottles not being recycled (and also the health risk of drinking out of cheap plastic all the time with water that is actually less monitored and filtered than tap water) and reuse a Nalgene bottle or the like.

"Green" light bulbs seem to be all the rage, but their light is abnormally bright and harsh (not really appropriate for the intimate setting of a living room). These lights seem to be more expensive as well. Also, when they break, there are hazardous materials inside the light bulbs which require specific cleaning procedures. I feel like it is a good rule of thumb to say that if something is hazardous to us in something that is produced (i.e. not natural poisons like poisonous mushrooms or something), it is probably harmful toward the environment. I think it would be more practical to simply turn off the lights when not being used and use your lights as sparingly as possible. I feel like this could apply to water, also. But producing toilets that use less water seems like a good idea to me. I even have heard about this grass that requires less water, but how about this one: don't water your grass. I am pretty sure that rain can suffice. But people actually do water their grass. We don't and it looks good to me.

So I guess reusing things and conserving other things should be the main focus of this green movement. And I am trying my hardest to be as green as possible.
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