At least I’m doing some things right

One of my favorite jobs I had was when I was 19. I worked with a bunch of self-professed “weed-smoking hippies” – Okay not everyone was a weed smoker, but some of my closest friends were. We canvassed door-to-door about all kinds of environmental issues. My time employed there in 1993 was before Wisconsin implemented the recycling laws that the organization, Citizens for a Better Environment, helped passed.

Excuses that Stop Us from Caring

I remember learning how to ask for donations. This included training that prepared us for all the excuses people would give while we were out on the field for not giving to our organization’s cause.

Some of the most common I heard when collecting donations door to door included these:

“I recycle.”

“It’s not in my back yard, so why should I care?”

“I don’t have any money. Come back when my wife’s home.”

That third excuse came from a famous football player whose name I will not reveal, especially since he used to preach at one of the churches I used to attend and is no longer living.

I’m not Asking for Donations – Just Trying to Make a Point

That organization is obsolete now in my area, so it’s not about me guilt-tripping you into giving money. Besides, it’s been pushing 30 years since I worked there. I’m just recalling so many excuses people have for remaining in their comfort zones. I’m not immune to this.

I first learned about the importance of "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle" when working at that non-profit environmental group. I swore then that I would always uphold the 3 R’s policy, but I had fallen short many times.

I haven’t given up on caring about my carbon footprint, but I am the first to tell you that committing to protecting the environment and reducing our carbon footprint requires discipline levels I haven’t yet mastered.

My Own Failures to Reduce my Carbon Footprint

My worse offenses of not abiding by the “RRRs” that would reduce my carbon footprint included when I had only so much time to relocate. I didn’t always abide. That’s not the only time, either. Some days, when cleaning out my refrigerator, for instance, I would say “screw it” and throw glass jars filled with food into the trash instead of emptying the contents and throwing the jars in the recyclable bin.

I even committed the most cardinal sin of all:

I ordered too much delivery food instead of groceries from a store, and I’ve used too many single-serving plastics.

What I am Doing Right

In 2018, I lost a member of the two-bedroom bottom floor where I used to live. I didn’t see much point in staying there just with my dog and me.

I downsized to what I could fit into my midsized, four-door car. The rest I placed out to the curb to allow anyone to grab if they wished.

I had no control over the remaining items that the city picked up on during bulk collection week, but I at least tried. About least half of the items collected over a seven-year period at my place went to someone else who reused it.

I no longer have my dog because she passed away in 2019, and this is a four-unit home. The space is just large enough for me. All I feel I need is a place to sleep.

For most of the winter, my thermostat was set on 68 degrees, and I hadn’t even had my heat on for most of March. If I get cold, I put my bathrobe on over my clothes or pajamas. Most of the time, I cook in my toaster ovens because it emits less heat than the stove. In the summer, I can make most of my meals without turning my entire apartment into a sauna, and that will prevent me from needing an air conditioner.

I’m also one of those people who doesn’t even run an A/C until it’s at least 85 degrees. In fact, I remember during the heat wave of 90 degrees or more in 2012. We went more than a week before we caved and used it when living at my old place.

I’ve also experimented with other forms of cooling for warmer months. Fans blowing ice around a room is one option, and another is cooling pads or vests.

Most importantly, I rarely buy new furniture – if I even pay for furniture at all. In fact, my favorite activity to save not only money but reduce the amount added to landfills is to junk-pick furniture. `

I have a long way to go before I care about the environment as much as I did when I was 19, but at least I’m doing some things right. `