Waste

Our family has gone pretty "green" the last few years in many ways.  We did it gradually, so that it doesn't seem like we made any drastic changes, just a bunch of small ones that hopefully add up to alot.  I decided that I really wanted to share some of the changes we made, and felt like our Neighborhood Association monthly newsletter was a good place to do this.  I think we have a great newsletter with tons of info in it each month, but there was nothing about environmental tips.  So I've been writing a column for 5 months now called "Going Green".  I think my articles are getting better and better each month, but I'm actually having to do a little research now each time.  This is a good thing because it really has made me wake up about some things we still need to improve upon in our household.  

My last article was about purchasing habits.  I covered bottled water, over-packaged items and food (specifically food that's traveled a long way to get to your table).  Ever since I wrote this one, I've noticed myself really paying attention to what I'm buying.  And I've come to the conclusion that we live in a terribly wasteful country, where advertisers of "convenient" products or crap to supposedly beautify your home have gotten completely out of control.  

The first place this theory smacked me in the face was while walking through a Pottery Barn recently.  I had been given a gift card to purchase some dinnerware, but found that it was too expensive for us.  So I decided to use my gift card to buy other people birthday presents.    I found myself wondering why most of the stuff in that store is necessary to any one's life.  Do you really need a glass bowl with autumn colored beads sitting in the middle of your dining room table?  How about just using a wooden salad bowl filled with oranges?  What about those little special pillows to pile up on your bed that look really pretty but get cast aside at night because they are not comfortable to sleep on?  And how many candles and candle holders does one really need?  I know I've got a drawer full with some new, some half burned that are gathering dust right now.  I think your house smells good if you cook on a regular basis.  I don't need an overly scented candle that will probably mess with my allergies anyway.

I am guilty of wasteful spending when it comes to Gabriel.  Not on clothes or books, but on things like Halloween decorations for the yard.  I already had some, purchased way before I even thought I'd ever have a child.  But I catch myself wanting to go hog wild just so he'll get a kick out it, when in reality he gets a kick out of having a pumpkin on the porch.  I also have a tendency to just grab things without really thinking about what they're made out of.  I bought these really cool faux iron fence pieces, but when I got home I realized that we really didn't need them and God knows what they are made out of.  It's not like we can recycle them - only hope that someone else wants them when they start to fall apart (or worse, when we get tired of them).  I had them in the car to return and realized my receipt says All Sales Are Final, and I spent the trip home cursing myself for ever buying them in the first place.  

We need to realize that so much of what we see on TV or in magazines is stuff we don't really need.  I'm not advocating living like monks or anything.  I can appreciate beautiful things and comfortable living as much as the next person.  I'm just saying maybe we all need to stop and think before we throw another item in the cart, and think about where it could end up when we are through with it.  And maybe our perception of "beautiful" and "comfortable" needs to be downscaled a little.  At least I know mine does.

Maybe I'm changing because of economic necessity, but regardless of the reason, I'm glad the change is happening and I don't think I'll ever go back to wasteful spending no matter how much money we have.