I’m starting a new feature that will run once or twice a month; it’s called Fess-up Friday and the whole point will be to (I’ll bet you’ll never guess!) get something off your chest that maybe is not so great.
Today’s theme is
Non-Green
As in “what is one of the most ecologically irresponsible things you do?”
I’m going to fess up by admitting that we almost always eat breakfast on paper dishes. There are just too many people and too many dishes to do otherwise. The Earth isn’t the only one with finite resources, you know. My supplies of energy and patience are used up very quickly. I can’t squander them on every dirty dish that comes along.
How about you? Especially all of you lurkers! Come on, fess up!
Hi – I'm Christy – a new lurker. Love your blog! You're hysterical!
Lots of my friends cloth diaper, but I don't…I keep saying I might, but I know I never will. Does that count?!
We also use paper plates on the weekends sometimes…and we're just a family of four!
Hi there, this is Shelly from Nama Halacy's Comfy Cottage and I have to admit that we use water bottles, I know it is so bad but there are times I would drink no water at all if I couldn't just grab a bottle and go!
I refuse to use energy efficient light bulbs. I'll pay more for decent light in my house.
I have a 1994 Suburban that I hope never dies. The fumes will knock you over flat if you are around while it's idling.
It's a beast and I love it.
We too use paper plates regularly (like lunch time every day) I will state to anyone who cares, that paper plates are a key part of my sanity! (We have 6 kids.)
Shane majored in renewable energy…we're very green in our house! Ha! Ha! I drive a suburban that's 11 years old and my washer and dryer is 15 years old…not very energy efficient! Plus I take a LONG hot shower with an electric water heater!
Totally off the subject of green but…I am a total pig. I am sitting here eating chips straight from the costco-sized bag, and have already consumed two lovely truffles. And I wonder why I am not losing my baby weight!
Everything.
I think the whole green thing is a bunch of bull.
I drive an SUV, I have 6 kids, we use paper plates and bottled water, I have ZERO "green" lightbulbs, I only use the recycling bin to throw in things that wouldn't fit in my trash can. (Don't seize anyone, I make sure they are actually recyclable before tossing them in- I do have some sort of conscience)
I don't worship at the altar of Al Gore, and if God wants there to be global warming, it probably has more to do with the ten commandments in the Bible we aren't keeping than the type of lightbulbs we use.
Ready for my hate mail now.
Andrea–Ha! I wish I were there with you!
Tiffany–I lived in Oregon too long to blow off recycling. But I draw the line at crummy showers and flourescent lights.
OK, I go with the 45 minute showers, but I consider it a medical emergency when my ADHD and depression overwhelm me. (And also when I just feel like it.)
But maybe I make up for it a teeny bit when a baby treats me to a firm poopy diaper. I drop the blob in the toilet, and THEN drop the disposable diaper it in the trash.
How energy-efficient are Cloth diapers? It takes a huge factory energy and water to process, make and ship them. You have to rinse them out twice in the toilet, wash them in hot water and bleach, double rinse them, and dry them in a drier. I have hung out 4 billion diapers on the line in my lifetime, (11 younger siblings) and I can do a lot better things with my time to save the world.
Being non-eco-friendly drives me nuts. I hate it when people let the water run or print excessive pieces of paper or drive Hummers. I even save all my paper products in a bag so I can drive them to my in-laws house to recycle, since they apparently don't do recycling in Murray.
/arrogance
That being said, I just found out there's an aluminum can recycling box at work, and all this time I've been throwing them away. The guilt is palpable.
Water bottles. I drink 4 a day. I just can't do tap water and haven't gotten around to getting a water filter. Maybe some day.
I'm confused. I thought I commented earlier, but it didn't go through somehow. I confess that the most non-green thing I do is to sometimes borrow someone's car to go somewhere. And I hate that. Why can't it be easier to get around, like in Europe?
I'm praying for global warming this week. Does that count?
I'm a big user of non-green light bulbs. I just can't stomach to cost or the awful florescent glow they cast.
I wish, wish, wish we didn't have low flow toilets either. I miss the good old water wasting toilets of my youth.
I would have to say laundry!!! I think I should be more green and stop doing it all together!
I use paper towels.
AND I FEEL GUILTY EVERY TIME.
And since our house was built 30 years ago, we have the massive toilet tanks that waste a ridiculous amount of water and it makes me uncomfortable EVERY TIME I GO.
As for all of you all non-CF light bulbers, I have to say, the huge money savings make me happy to use the new bulbs. I'm cheap.
My biggies are long showers and using too many paper towels. I also use plastic baggies to store everything, esp food and leftovers, etc. in the kitchen. I use my Tupperware, too, but I don't have much of that and the bags are just sooo handy. :/
I have loved reading all of these. Let's just say my favorite color is yellow, not green. 🙂 I wish I was more green, but I'm not and I've learned to accept defeat. We love nasty foam plates and the only green bulbs in my house are the ones my mom puts in. I do try really hard to fill my blue bin and it gets filled much faster than the garbage. I love my diapers and would love to say they are cloth, but they aren't. I will admit I don't get a long shower, so I am a bit jealous of those that do. But 4 under 5, just doesn't leave much ME time.
I live in uber-eco-friendly land where "green" isn't a gimic (nor a word often heard), it's a natural way of life. I almost forgot it still annoys most of the country to do most of these things.
BTW I don't find paper plates evil. They biodegrate faster than I usually get around to washing real plates.
Can't believe I'm about to admit this, but I often wash the same load 2 or 3 times before transferring it over to the dryer to buy time because I'm too lazy and don't feel like folding it at the moment. Then there are the times I rewash perfectly clean clothes that have cooled in the dryer because they're so completely wrinkled they have no hope. (And by now, after these confessions, you've probably figured out that I'm not one to pull out an iron either!)
~ Suzanne
I would consider myself eco-friendly…I try at least.
But my confession would be that I don't do as big of a laundry load as I could for the simple fact that I want my fabric softener to be more evenly distributed.
But I do use cold water….
I try to be very green. I have a lot of personal affection for Mother Earth and I want to treat her like a friend as much as I can. I don't consider it a chore, but a gift.
HOWEVER, I hate those stupid low-energy light bulbs. And I will NOT use a hand dryer to dry my hands if paper towels are available. Those stupid things take forever and are so ineffective! (Besides, I'm sure the bio-waste produced by the coal plants that supply the electricity for them is way worse on the environment than a piece of biodegradable paper towel produced from renewanble trees.)
This post comes at a perfect time for me. Our town just delivered REQUIRED recycle waste bins to each home and tacked on a nice fat fee to our utilities. I called to see if I could opt out of the program because they only come every other week…the lady on the phone made me feel like a complete planet hater.
We use disposable diaper and I have nothing against a paper plate. I do have "green" light bulbs throughout our home, but I am secretly cursing them all the time because they seriously lack in the bright department.
So it turns out that even if you don't consider yourself "green" your town or city will soon force it on you anyway.