A simplistic Look at What "Going Green" Really Means

We hear it all the time - Green this, Green that. So let’s face it, green is the newest black and everybody loves to feel like they’re taking part. It’s the latest trend. It’s marketable. And it’s not slowing down. Trust me, if Corporate America can make money on “green efforts,” you can count on them digging in. So what does “going green” really mean?

Too often people feel like they have to make drastic changes in their lives to go green. When usually, the opposite is true. You don’t have to become a liberal-hippy-vegan-bike-rider to make an impact. The whole green movement is based on the idea of making conscious decisions. Also, going green shouldn’t cost a grip of money. You don’t have to go buy a new car (or sell the one your driving now). You don’t have to restock your frig with organic foods and you certainly don’t have to ride your bike wherever you go (although, the KGG crew does recommend pulling out the bike and taking a spin from time to time”¦riding bikes is a pretty tight thing to do). The idea is to think before you act.


When you consider what’s being said, it really is a simple idea. Do you need to turn that light on? Do you really need to print? Do you have to take another shower? By asking questions BEFORE you make decisions, you’re already going green. It’s not about going out and replacing your floors with bamboo wood. It shouldn’t be about that - spending more money”¦ it should be about spending less. Doesn’t it seem ironic that the more our society gets involved with going green, the more man-made products we make, market and try to sell by the masses? Something about that just seems wrong.

There’s no secret formula and no hidden rituals. Going green is simply thinking about your life. It’s taking the time to consider what you’re doing, whom you’re buying from and how you’re impacting the future of this planet. It’s not meant to sound daunting- it’s meant to be thought provoking. The idea of going green starts with small steps. It means changing a few everyday habits (yea, the ones you’ve had for the past 20 years) to something a little different. It’s a 3-minute shower instead of 7. It’s a walk to the store instead of a drive. The beauty of it all is it starts right now. Take one thing (come on, we know you can think of just one) and change that habit. Think it over and start today. No excuses, no complex theories. Just start today and consider yourself a part of the green movement”¦ because when it’s all said and done, going green is a very simplistic idea. Stay conscious and stay green.



By Bryan A. McCarty
Keep Going Green

 

Here's the first thing I'd like to see: a universal recycleing program. In other words - I take ALL my non-food trash and put it in the big green container. The happy trash collectors take that to the big happy recycle plant where it is separated and properly rendered for re-use.

But I'm an idealist.

Oh, and roof shingles that are actually solar panels plugged into a grid.

 

That option is available now! But no incentives in Virginia, as you know.

 

Simple instructions are given on recycling or reusing bicycles, computer floppy discs, computers, cellular telephones, eyeglasses, smoke detectors, styrofoam packing, compact discs, cameras, holiday cards, batteries, lightbulbs, household goods, sneakers and synthetic carpets.

http://www.obviously.com/recycle/guides/hard.html

 

Now I'm on a roll:

The plastic types were defined by the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI):
* Type 1 - PETE Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)
Soda & water containers, some waterproof packaging.
* Type 2 - HDPE High-Density Polyethylene
Milk, detergent & oil bottles. Toys and plastic bags.
* Type 3 - V Vinyl/Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
Food wrap, vegetable oil bottles, blister packages.
* Type 4 - LDPE Low-Density Polyethylene
Many plastic bags. Shrink wrap, garment bags.
* Type 5 - PP Polypropylene
Refrigerated containers, some bags, most bottle tops,
some carpets, some food wrap.
* Type 6 - PS Polystyrene
Throwaway utensils, meat packing, protective packing.
* Type 7 - OTHER Usually layered or mixed plastic.
No recycling potential - must be landfilled.

Types 1 and 2 are commonly recycled. Type 4 is less commonly recycled. The other types are generally not recycled, except perhaps in small test programs. Common plastics polycarbonate (PC) and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) do not have recycling numbers.

The code must be molded into the plastic item. The symbol should be easily visible for sorting purposes. The best symbols are large with a different surface finish than the surrounding plastic. If the container has a matte surface (rough), then the symbol should be smooth, a smooth container should have a rough recycling symbol.

Understand that plastic recycling is really in infancy. The process is messy and inefficient. Numerous problems exist. For example plastic from a "blow mold" (the neck of the bottle is narrower than the body) has a slightly different structure from the exact same plastic used in an "injection mold" (where the opening is the widest part of the product). Because of low processing temperatures plastic is highly vulnerable to contamination by food, labels and different plastics.
Much recycled plastic ends up as low grade plastic lumber.

 

question: Can you recycle cups, paper napkins and stuff already made from recycled products?

 

I think so but I am not sure.

 

The real question is should you use them? I know it's not much, but my wife and I no longer buy coffee in paper cups, we bring our cups to starbucks (we bought them there) and use those. It's not much but it's something. and when I can avoid it I don't use paper napkins.

 

I noticed our family going through a lot of paper napkins and decided to replace the paper napkins with cloth ones. I looked around but cloth ones were kind of fancy and so I bought some small dishcloths about the size of washcloths to use instead. When they get icky we throw them in the wash. It's working out pretty well and we use far less paper products.

 

Yeah, I have a couple of friends that do that too. I use a bunch of dish towels like that. That's a great idea!