It's the little things...

I have to admit, since I started reading this book I have not been able to put it down. I know we only had to read Chapter One and another of our own choosing, but I have kept on going =) But since I might end up writing ‘til the cows come home, I’ll restrict myself to the first chapter and chapter seven, “Shopping”. Chapter “Home”: Most of these things are already being done in my home, and can be easily continued. 1 (being the easiest) - 5 1. “Trash Bags” ~ This is by far the easiest because I don’t even think about it. When I bring home something in a plastic bag, I immediately store it away to be reused as a trash can liner. I do not remember the last time my parents used or bought a black trash bag inside our home. 2. “Brushing Your Teeth”~ This is also something I do in the mornings. Why can’t we be more considerate and turn off the tap if we’re not using it? Its so easy, and I don’t see why I have to remind my little brother to do it all the time. 3. “Toilet”~ Yes, flushing the toilet once takes about the amount water that a person can survive on for two days. I used to flush tissues, cotton swabs, and even fish tank water, like nothing. But about a less than a year ago I saw a documentary about toilets on National Geographic and I have never been the same. Flushing the toilet less conserves water, so I just disposed of the things in the trash and used all of the water from my tank to water plants, which I learned about on a farm.(but it happens to be in teh book too =)! ) The only problem is that the other members of the household don’t do the same. 4. “Food Waste”~ This concept points out that we often buy or make more food than we consume. Yes, I agree, but this may pose some difficulty for me because 1. I am not the one purchasing the food, at the moment and my mom’s belief is “Better to have more, than less.” 2. In a household, you cannot always accurately predict how much food is needed. Either you come up short, or you have leftovers. 3. We buy in large quantities to supply food for the week, so trying to further calculate how much each meal would take up seems a bit much at the moment. Although we do save leftovers, my mother tends to make a new dish everyday, often leading to those leftovers being thrown out. 5. “Storage Containers”~ This would have to be the most difficult at the moment. The chapter asserts that these containers may leak harmful chemicals into the food we store in them, therefore glass containers should be preferred. 1. My kitchen cabinet houses what seems about one-hundred plastic containers, ranging from all shapes and sizes. 2. The cost of replacing all of these containers kind of makes me flinch. 3. I wonder how many of the containers I dispose of would be able to be recycled? 4,5, and 6. Glass breaks, hurts, and I’m clumsy. ( I just thought I would add that, because its true.) I didn’t chose anything involving a lawn, washer/dryer, drycleaners, or a dishwasher because I live in an apartment and/or do not use these things. Chapter Seven: “Shopping”: 1. “Bread-Dinner”~ Easy! We always get fresh bread from the corner bakery and recycle the paper bag it comes in. It's less packaging, and yum, it tastes great. Made right in the store, and only a short walk away. 2. “Bulk”~ My dad is a member at BJ’s. He always prefers to buy in bulk; the bigger bottles the better; bigger bags and bigger boxes. Another way in which we avoid large amounts of packaging and hey, we get more for less. 3. “Paper Towels”~ Okay, I put this in the middle, because its difficult to stop using them at the moment, but compromise is always an option lolz See, I never realized how many paper towels we use in our home. We use rags, and dish towels, but paper towels always seem so available and easy to just use, dump and hey, it saves us the time of having to rinse out a rag. Buying rolls with smaller sized sheets will be a great way to limit their waste. 4. “Toys- Plastic”~ Although this is supposed to be safer for children, I doubt they will understand the urgency, or why I am giving them a wooden toy instead of the new Batman with the high-kick action. I have two little brothers, and if I were to give them something that was “alternative” and not mainstream, they might never speak to me again. Unless big toy companies are already using other materials that don’t include plastic to fabricate their toys, then this may pose some difficulty come birthdays and Christmas. 5. “Homeopathic vs. Manufactured Pharmaceuticals”~ this would have to be the biggest problem for me, because I suffer from many ailments that require medication. I have cocktails of pills every morning and night, to pretty much ensure that I will be able to get up the next morning. For example, I have bleeding ulcers, severe back strain, a ’depressed’ shoulder, and suffer from migraines. These all call for different pain relievers, or medications. While, I use homeopathic eye drops and eardrops, I don’t know if there would be any alternatives to deal with these issues, as well as my many others. Umm, let’s see: I make a public commitment to recycle all junk mail and call the Mail Preference Service to see what I can do about limiting its flow into my mailbox. I will rid myself of the evil that is junk mail! =) Jocelyn =) One “Little Thing” at a time! P.S. Professor, I'm so anxious to hear any news about my paper! Anything?! Have u gotten to it yet?