My Green Glasses

Green Yourself

Going green should not be a trend under any circumstances. It should be a routine and a lifestyle, otherwise what is the point? If you only recycled one plastic bottle ever, what good will that do?

You are asking yourself, why should I care? Well, to be honest, I can’t give you that answer. I can tell you why I care and maybe that will related to you or impact you in some way. If not, you will have to find that answer on your own.

The 5 Reasons I Care About Being Green:

1) FUTURE - I have a child. I want a better world for my daughter and hope that it will still be as green and natural for her when she is older.

2) TRASHY - I work at a county landfill and every year, I see more than 200,000 tons of trash being buried. Nobody is required to recycle or reduce their waste in our county. The reason, according to the officials in our state, is because South Carolina has space for landfills. That is probably the most contradicting reason ever! You would hope that before you fill up that space with a landfill, you would want to find an alternative.

3) EXTINCTION - Non-renewable resources (and wildlife) have the potential to go extinct. Have you ever heard of Bauxite, Arkansas? Probably not. It was a small town that mined Bauxite Ore – the natural resource for making aluminum – starting in the late 1800s and continued until the 1950s or so. It is no longer mined there because it is no longer found in large quantities there. Once its gone, its gone. And you wonder why metal is so valuable – because it all originates from natural resources – rocks! Can you make rocks? No. Think about it. What should we do instead? Duh, recycle! Most of the bauxite ore in the world is mined in Australia, so I can see some pricey import fees.

4) ROUTINE - It is a habit now. I started recycling in Annandale, VA – my hometown – where it is a law. Oh yes, it was a shell-shocker to learn that you didn’t have to recycle in South Carolina. What? (See Reason #2) But that didn’t stop me. I found a Recycling Center and started collecting and hauling from home. You have to WANT to recycle here. There is no automatic trash can / recycle bin combo when you move here. You really have to figure it out on your own. If I were you, start with your city or county sanitation department.

5) MONEY - Yes, it will save me money! If I use CFL lightbulbs, low-flow toilets and showerheads, seal all the cracks in my house…yes, I will save money on my utility bills. Our water bill was $9 one month, as opposed to $45 a month from our old house. Our old house was more than 20 years old, had a pool that leaked water, two water heaters, and no low-flow toilets or showerheads. Hmm…$9 vs. $45 – you do the math!

If you have a question or concern about any of these, please comment! I do like to help the ungreen people in the world!