It’s not that hard. There is no excuse.
With the exception of a few, we all want to do our part to help the environmental movement. Not everyone has the same level of commitment or concern, and that’s okay. Participation in any worthy cause will lead to greater involvement. It just takes time to form the good habit. Let’s face facts: It’s no day at the park to cull out salvageable materials, but recycling shouldn’t be a big deal considering the result - it will leave a better place for future generations. No where is the impact of recycling (good and bad) felt MORE directly than our Oceans and coral reefs.
1. To emulate Shakespeare’s words about the rose; Junk is junk, is junk. But it doesn’t start as junk. Your JUNK MAIL begins its long, nasty, dirty journey to the landfill along with 100-Million trees, sacrificed for promotional materials. STOP JUNK MAIL altogether! Several web sites act as “anti-clearinghouses”. They contact solicitors on your behalf and ask to cease and desist. Put the post office out of business. I will post a few web links in part 2 for one click service to stop your junk mail.
2. What is/ isn’t recyclable? This is the big question for most of us. Styrofoam coffee cups: some styrofoam types are while the twizzler sticks are not. Plastic milk containers are while the plastic cap is not. Wax-paper juice containers are not recyclable, but so many people put them in that the cost of reprocessing goes up. HELP! This is getting silly and confusing so let’s recycle the basics first. If you want to do more contact your local community’s program.
Start with the big three. PLASTICS are petrolium based products and with crude oil reaching $90. per barrel… do the math. PAPER is energy-intensive to produce from trees. Basically reducing the tree to sawdust to begin. How sad a fate when each ton of recycled paper saves enough energy to power a three bedroom home for three months. ALUMINUM from recycled material takes 95% less energy. Again, 95% less. If that isn’t reason enough to recycle your can off, the mining of new bauxite is expensive, dangerous to rivers, and degrades the land. The very manly exercise of crushing soda and beer cans with a slight twist uses 1/3 the space at home and inside the collection truck resulting in less fuel overall.
3. USE LESS STUFF (in the first place). This is the real secret to a self-sustainable society. Start with the easiest; grocery bags. Bring your own cloth bags to the store. Plastic store bags should be banned from seacoast communities. Do you really NEED a bag for that pack of gum? Carelessly handled bags fill with water and set adrift could be mistaken for food causing a horrible death to an unsuspecting animal. That cannot be fair.
The ‘very classy‘ human being in all of us wants to be ‘exceptionally hip’. Start your personal hippness by bringing your own grocery bags to the store. Believe me, you will stand out and you will be respected for doing it. My wife gets a nickel for each bag. People grasp the concept. How many times have I heard myself say, “I could do more, and perhaps one day I shall.” Today I did do more. I wrote this article!
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Tags: Categorized, Ocean Fun Facts, RANT, SCUBA
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