I realize that thinking about the environmental impact of your purchasing choices can be a gigantic headache, and this just demonstrates how complex and confusing the options can be. For most Americans, my best hope would be that they would think about the consequences of their choices at all, and take baby steps to reduce their waste and emissions. For people who want to go even further in lessening their negative impact on the Earth, I'm glad there are books coming out like this: Ecological Intelligence: How Knowing the Hidden Impacts of What We Buy Can Change Everything (on sale today).*
*Disclaimer: I haven't actually read this book yet, but it looks intriguing.Happy almost–Earth Day!
9 comments:
Crap! I just bought one of those little aluminum bottles yesterday. I shoulda looked on FPC first. I'm sticking by my decision, though, because now I'm not paying $1.75 for plastic water bottles that deprive me of the joy of drinking that delicious NYC tap water made readily available throughout my school. Additionally 1) it's single walled 2) the top is fastened to the bottle, so there's less chance of losing it 3) it's made of recycled aluminum. So, I guess it's green enough, right?
My head hurts trying to sort through all of this green/non-green stuff sometimes. It reminds me of the whole carcinogenic/non carcinogenic debate about foods. To me, the water bottle is just plain common sense. Until the Times lets me know otherwise. Sigh.
I know! It makes my head hurt, too. I am actually in the market for a reusable, BPA-free water bottle b/c I just reuse single-use seltzer bottles all the time and that will kill me eventually, they say. I say, go for a good water bottle, either metal or BPA-free plastic and reuse it often. That makes more sense than clogging landfills with plastic bottles that won't biodegrade, plus wasting all your dollahs on unnecessary packaging for fancy water.
Why not just reuse a glass jar for a water bottle, like a mason jar? They work just fine, don't pollute anything, and they're free. Lots of people do it.
Good point, and I would, except I teach in a public high school and having a glass container in the classroom is an invitation to become an accessory to shanking!
Dear sir/madam,
You are hereby invited to be an accessory to a shanking. Cleanup with be provided by the school janitor. Stain-resistant clothing optional.
Yours sincerely,
A mason jar
What is shanking?
What isn't a shanking?
I wikied it. Turning a piece of glass into a makeshift knife. Whoa! Is the school you teach at that rough?
A shanking is not a winter vegetable, I'm pretty sure.
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