Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Not Waste Not Want, v.1
About a week ago, I posted the resolution that I would be more conscious of and responsible for the waste I make. I was to report back weekly with charts and graphs and stories that could serve witness to my trash habits, and highlight actionable trends in waste reduction.
The charts and graphs will not be present this week. I'm not even sure if I'll ever need them. Still, I will tell the story of the accounting process, and the trends that immediately stuck out.
My "holiday gift" from Monticello High School was this black faux-leather notepad and pen holder. It's a bit more than anybody would want to carry around, I expect, for just the ability to make notes on a steno-pad. I acquired it on Friday, though, and it was exactly the thing I needed for the job...for this week anyway. Today I'll start using a tiny flip pad that I can stash in my pocket.
So I only kept up with my trash for the weekend (Friday-Sunday). Still, this was enough to establish some basic trends. I'll transcribe what I wrote for each of these days, and comment on them as needed.
Friday, 1/7/2011--I threw away a teabag (but recycled the wrapper), banana peel, plastic knife, and apple core.
This could have easily been a no-waste day. I know peels and cores can be composted, and I'm pretty sure teabags can be too. The plastic knife was used to put cream cheese on a bagel (there was a plethora of free food at school on Friday). I already have a "to-go" kit of reusable silverware--I just need to make sure I carry it around with me.
Saturday, 1/8/2011--I threw away an orange peel, and the plastic top to a cream cheese container. I reused some napkins that had been taken from school on Friday to wrap up some leftover bagels and things.
I also cleaned up my car trunk today, as well as a bit inside my room. The rules I posted on the last blog entry still apply here.
I heard somewhere that citrus peels could not be composted. I need to confirm this. "Tops to things" is a category of waste that might be one of the trickiest--while beer bottles, soda bottles, and plastic containers are often able to be recycled, the things that seal them up are not. If I were to seek to cut out these types of waste, I would need to look into recyclable tops, buying in bulk, or making my own.
Sunday, 1/9/2011--I threw away 2 orange peels and 1 tissue. At a friend's house, my contribution to dinner was the salad. The veggies that I bought, cut up, and threw away pieces of included tomato, cucumber, and lettuce. I also bought some halibut which was in a plastic wrapper which got tossed. Additionally, the little plastic pull-off tab on a milk carton was thrown away, as well as the top to a tub of gelato.
The halibut was pre-packaged and frozen--the fresh seafood cuts at Harris Teeter did not include this fish, which was needed for my friend's recipe. While dinner was being cooked, I realized that there is a fine line between throwing away food scraps that you have purchased, and being involved with a dinner and the food scraps that others have purchased and are throwing away. Sure, I didn't pay for that food, but I pitched in both money and time to making the dinner, so I participated in all of that waste (it was a delicious and lovely evening, though, and I would still hesitate to change a thing).
* * * * *
Here are the take home lessons:
The charts and graphs will not be present this week. I'm not even sure if I'll ever need them. Still, I will tell the story of the accounting process, and the trends that immediately stuck out.
My "holiday gift" from Monticello High School was this black faux-leather notepad and pen holder. It's a bit more than anybody would want to carry around, I expect, for just the ability to make notes on a steno-pad. I acquired it on Friday, though, and it was exactly the thing I needed for the job...for this week anyway. Today I'll start using a tiny flip pad that I can stash in my pocket.
So I only kept up with my trash for the weekend (Friday-Sunday). Still, this was enough to establish some basic trends. I'll transcribe what I wrote for each of these days, and comment on them as needed.
Friday, 1/7/2011--I threw away a teabag (but recycled the wrapper), banana peel, plastic knife, and apple core.
This could have easily been a no-waste day. I know peels and cores can be composted, and I'm pretty sure teabags can be too. The plastic knife was used to put cream cheese on a bagel (there was a plethora of free food at school on Friday). I already have a "to-go" kit of reusable silverware--I just need to make sure I carry it around with me.
Saturday, 1/8/2011--I threw away an orange peel, and the plastic top to a cream cheese container. I reused some napkins that had been taken from school on Friday to wrap up some leftover bagels and things.
I also cleaned up my car trunk today, as well as a bit inside my room. The rules I posted on the last blog entry still apply here.
I heard somewhere that citrus peels could not be composted. I need to confirm this. "Tops to things" is a category of waste that might be one of the trickiest--while beer bottles, soda bottles, and plastic containers are often able to be recycled, the things that seal them up are not. If I were to seek to cut out these types of waste, I would need to look into recyclable tops, buying in bulk, or making my own.
Sunday, 1/9/2011--I threw away 2 orange peels and 1 tissue. At a friend's house, my contribution to dinner was the salad. The veggies that I bought, cut up, and threw away pieces of included tomato, cucumber, and lettuce. I also bought some halibut which was in a plastic wrapper which got tossed. Additionally, the little plastic pull-off tab on a milk carton was thrown away, as well as the top to a tub of gelato.
The halibut was pre-packaged and frozen--the fresh seafood cuts at Harris Teeter did not include this fish, which was needed for my friend's recipe. While dinner was being cooked, I realized that there is a fine line between throwing away food scraps that you have purchased, and being involved with a dinner and the food scraps that others have purchased and are throwing away. Sure, I didn't pay for that food, but I pitched in both money and time to making the dinner, so I participated in all of that waste (it was a delicious and lovely evening, though, and I would still hesitate to change a thing).
* * * * *
Here are the take home lessons:
- start a compost pile (for personal reasons, I won't benefit from the compost pile, but that's not the point)
- be prepared with ways to eat and carry food when on the road or on the go
- I need to know whether our local recycling still only does #1 and #2 plastic types, or others (especially #5). Many plastic containers and tops are #5
- Frozen items are often boxed, but also shrink-wrapped in some way (like the halibut, and frozen pizzas, and lots of things)--can these types of plastics be recycled?
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
It's the Religion Stupid, Stupid
Falling into the category of things that make perfect sense, but that should be considered by all those who consider themselves rational persons, are the results from this Pew Survey (non-rational persons, please be sure to alert those around you).
Back in 2010, a survey asked Americans 32 questions about the basic history, geography, and practice of the major religious traditions. On average, Americans answer half of them correctly. Who knows the most about the most religions? Agnostics and atheists (followed by Jews, and more surprisingly, Mormons). This shouldn't be surprising, really, but it should serve as one more indication that...well, that either everybody is right, or nobody is right. Based on this survey, it can probably be said that being an atheist/agnostic makes you more knowledgeable about all religions; it can't really be said that knowing more about all religions causes atheism, which would be a bit more damning. But I don't think we even have to go that far to get to ask one more time: how can any one (or two, or 10) religious paths be right?
Back in 2010, a survey asked Americans 32 questions about the basic history, geography, and practice of the major religious traditions. On average, Americans answer half of them correctly. Who knows the most about the most religions? Agnostics and atheists (followed by Jews, and more surprisingly, Mormons). This shouldn't be surprising, really, but it should serve as one more indication that...well, that either everybody is right, or nobody is right. Based on this survey, it can probably be said that being an atheist/agnostic makes you more knowledgeable about all religions; it can't really be said that knowing more about all religions causes atheism, which would be a bit more damning. But I don't think we even have to go that far to get to ask one more time: how can any one (or two, or 10) religious paths be right?
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Not Waste Not Want, v.0
Here's my resolution: no more casual trash.
You might credit the nice story about Rose Brown in the Hook, because it feels like I've been scrutinizing my habits more since reading it (I hope a lot of people have). Though I have to admit, I think I've just been getting worse about it--like throwing away too much, and not seeking to control the acquisition of things that I'll have to throw away. I can do much better than using my own bags at the grocery store, and recycling the things I buy. It will involve doing things that I've been too lazy to do (compost pile) and things that may not be typical ways to act in public (reusable silverware, anyone?). Soon I'll be traveling, and ownership and thrift and waste will have a new relationship, but the important thing is to be conscious of it wherever you are a guest (which is everywhere, until the future arrives).
So now, it's time to cut back, and I'm going to use this place to help me do my best. I'll post my trash totals (the things I throw away) every week. My first week will start tomorrow morning, Thursday, January 6th. Here are the rules:
-JG
You might credit the nice story about Rose Brown in the Hook, because it feels like I've been scrutinizing my habits more since reading it (I hope a lot of people have). Though I have to admit, I think I've just been getting worse about it--like throwing away too much, and not seeking to control the acquisition of things that I'll have to throw away. I can do much better than using my own bags at the grocery store, and recycling the things I buy. It will involve doing things that I've been too lazy to do (compost pile) and things that may not be typical ways to act in public (reusable silverware, anyone?). Soon I'll be traveling, and ownership and thrift and waste will have a new relationship, but the important thing is to be conscious of it wherever you are a guest (which is everywhere, until the future arrives).
So now, it's time to cut back, and I'm going to use this place to help me do my best. I'll post my trash totals (the things I throw away) every week. My first week will start tomorrow morning, Thursday, January 6th. Here are the rules:
- I will tally only items that I purchase or otherwise acquire on my own volition. I will report as needed on the refined definition of "own volition."
- I will not tally anything that I have acquired before the tallying starts, on January 6th.
- This tally will be scrutinized for both trends and outliers, and will be used constructively.
- I will try to report on changes I make or practices I adopt, and how well they work.
-JG
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