Are You Eco-Conscious?

One of my favorite blogs is Work in Progress written by Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, a New York-based staff writer for TIME.

In yesterday’s blog, “At least my marriage is green,” Lisa talks about eco-consciousness, or her version, eco-anxiousness. In it, she introduces her readers to yet another blog, Green as a Thistle written by Canadian journalist Vanessa Farquharson.

Being the blog-stud that I am, I surfed over to Vanessa’s blog. Here is her story, in her own words:

“I decided to take on a bit of a challenge: Spend each day, for an entire calendar year, doing one thing that betters the environment. The idea is that everything I do, I keep doing (so if I switch brands, it's a permanent switch; if I turn down my thermostat, I keep it down), so that by day 365, I'll be living as green a lifestyle as it gets. I hope, in the end, this proves that being an environmentalist doesn't necessarily have to require massive change, compromise or Greenpeace levels of dedication — it can be simple, and inspiring.”

Now there’s a noble challenge. Reading Vanessa’s blog makes me even more aware that I am NOT an eco-conscious person. My wife and I recycle paper and aluminum cans, but other than that we may be guilty of not doing our share of making the planet any “greener.”

The only evidence that we even attempt to save our environment is in my cubicle at work. As you enter my cubicle something odd strikes you right away. The work table opposite my desk looks like it is about to be levitated by an enormous plastic bag bulging with multi-colored aluminum pop cans. A couple more cans and the table legs will lift right off the ground.

Now I’m not talking about one of the little garbage can bags we all use in our kitchen, or a recycled grocery bag. This plastic receptacle of precious recyclable metals is the size of a LARGE bean bag chair!

My dilemma is this, if I attempt to move it, I may incur a hernia or sustain major back injury. Then, if I am actually able to get it out from under the table, imagine the spectacle of me, dragging it down the hall, bouncing it down the stairs, and after getting it the quarter of a mile to my car, trying to stuff it into the back seat. Think about stuffing a gigantic sleeping bag into its stuff sack and you’ll get the picture.

The other option is to chicken out and tell the cleaning lady to haul it away, which will result in it being tossed out with all the other trash, eliminating the whole reason for hanging on to the cans in the first place.

We don’t usually redeem the cans ourselves. We find some youth in the neighborhood who wants to earn a few extra bucks and let them cash them in.

So, if you think about it, we ARE like Vanessa in our own humble way. Our motives actually ARE “green” and not driven by the urge to make a quick buck. Does that make us eco-SEMI-conscious?