So far, I’ve been enjoying all the information I’ve been gathering about sustainable living! Whether it’s discovering a fantastic new product, reading a story in the New York Times or comments from spirited women like you—I am inspired everyday to stay with my mission. But today I had a different kind of inspiration, one that brought overwhelming feelings of frustration, melancholy and a touch of anger.
I have been traveling for the past week, staying with friends and at hotels. I am bound to the lifestyles of others and even in an effort to be eco-conscious have limited options. For example, I am forced to use the toilet paper, paper towels and cleaning products my friends buy, at least for now. In some cases, I feel like I’ve taken a step backwards, the past ten days. But that will change for the next trip. I have already started pulling together a Top 10 Green Travel List!
My inspiration's name is: "Frigidaire." I was staying at a friends and got thirsty so I went into the kitchen for something to drink. As the refrigerator door swung open and my hand reached in, I froze, mouth wide open. There in front of me was a really disturbing image. A side door shelf and bottom shelf FILLED with plastic water bottles (about 30 of them in two sizes, 4 oz and 16 oz, approximately 15 soda cans and 10 plastic bottles of Gatorade. I felt totally lifeless and somehow personally insulted. I thought, who on earth would buy (with a clear conscious) all of that plastic? Has my friend been living in a bubble? Has her husband been living there with her? It just seemed so insane to me that someone was still making these kinds of choices. Do they watch TV? Do they read newspapers? Do they even read my blog?
I figure if they have not been able to adapt their lives to little or NO water bottles, it is obvious that the rest of their household is suffering as well—cleaning products, electricity…the list goes on and on. For me, water bottles are the first indicator of whether people are living eco-friendly or at the very least, trying to.
Clearly, there are other options in place of 30 plastic bottles. A water cooler would help cut down on more than half of those bottles and allow you to refill. A filtered water pitcher or faucet filtering system like BRITA could do all the filtering work, inexpensively! And a SIGG bottle (which I wrote about in my last post) would almost eliminate the plastic bottles completely. And if you’re going to drink soda, just buy a 2-liter rather than drink can by can.
So although completely frustrated and taken back, I am now even more inspired. It is important to remember how many people in our lives are not getting the message and that our jobs as teachers, friends and motivators, never stops. But sadly, I came to the grim realization that a few days isn’t enough time to convert someone into "green." Plus no one likes a know-it-all. So, in an effort to be invited back and not cause a confrontation, I kept my mouth shout. Hours later though, I conveniently told her children a fictitious story about Max, a spirited boy who saved the planet by helping his family give up water bottles. Oops.
- Elaine La Personerie - www.winkpr.com
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