It wasn't the gas prices that really started changing things for me. It was watching the waste around me when I worked in a manufacturing environment. When they had scrap they disposed of it. Okay. By the truck load. Television and going green is the new craze. Taking up landfill space, using products that were convenient for me but causing a negative in the waste stream of the community. Some of it is so simple, this is not just spotted owl stuff, this is the area that we live, the environment.
The rest of this new focus I attribute to frugalness, or frugality, or frugalicious, (a word my kids would understand, if these are even words.) Turning off lights in closets, shutting off the video game when we are done, unplugging the chargers from the wall, using real plates instead of plastic or styrofoam. I could go on. Last night I saw the Ed Bagley show on TV followed by another show, Wa$Ted on Green Planet. I really wasn't paying attention then I heard a discussion about a family or home environmental footprint. They were referred to as Eco-criminals. Oh! You men, bad boys, bad boys, what you gonna do, Annabelle and Holter will get on to you. I was hooked.
Now, personally, I think of myself as somewhat environmentally aware. We recycled but our current community doesn't, I own an SUV, but we are driving it less, oh sure! But the environmental footprint or to be more exact, your eco footprint, a project of the Global Footprint Network. What a great concept. Reducing bills, that is financial and has a clear benefit, but it is not always understood or shared. Showing people the stuff they chucked out over a week. Now that was pure, gross, genius. There is was. Your garbage. How can you argue with that. My point is the family on the show started looking for ways to reduce waste items in the waste stream, energy consumption, and started to recycle.
The planning has started. Not only do I want to save money. I also want my kids to know their environmental footprint and establish habits that are part of their everyday lives. There is a whole new vocabulary we are having to learn and I'll share those words with them and you along the way.
Let the frugaliciousness begin!
4 comments:
Whatever the motivation, it's good to hear! If we could only convince the rest of the people that aren't interested!
As for recycling, even if your city doesn't do it, there are probably local recycling centers. Good father-kid activity, taking the recycling in!
Good for you...I hit that about a year ago. We live in The Big City, so I can go a week without driving (which I love). I am all about reducing our carbon footprint...Good luck to all of us!
Go Busy Dad!! Maybe you can pick up some more plastic tubs for the garage to sort all of our plastic, cans and cardboard.
When I watched Ed Begley on the HGTV channel, I was always fascinated by this whole global foot print business... living 10 years in Boulder, CO pretty much warped our whole sense of being globally irresponsible. Now we have lots of ideas for conversations with all our kids college age friends. Thanks to that big global footprint and climate change vs. global warming argument.
Thanks Al.
Yay!
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