Being a Good Human: Environment

• thetruth.com - smoking kills you and those near you, stains your teeth, costs a noticeable amount of money, can give your children asthma, and enslaves you to cravings for nicotine.  How's that cool again?
• Environmental Defense Web Site - a good general web site on recycling and what's being done now.
• Scienceinpolicy.org - a site put together by scientists worried about the misrepresentation of environmental science in Washington, DC.
• Recycling - the three R's:
  • Reduce
  • Re-use
  • Recycle

Recycling

You might ask me, "Hey, Michael, why should I recycle? I saw this article and this show; and, frankly it sounds like work." Well, you'll be happy to know that the article was pretty misleading, and the show, which made a number of simliar arguments, carefully picked and chose facts in an attempt to use sophistry to denounce recycling as a Good Thing. Here is a rebuttal to the above argument to get you started. I do encourage you to look around and try to find some good solid data. Form your own, well-informed opinion. I do ask that if you are ultimately unsure, then err on the side of recycling. It's usually as easy as throwing away your trash and once the market and government mechanisms fully mature, we will be better off than we were without it. I recommend you read all of the above links; it's good to occasionally reflect on our values and beliefs to make sure we are doing the right thing, and the show is at least entertaining at times.

Be warned, however, that some folks will have ulterior motives, e.g. a Libertarian will generally be against municipal/federal recycling because it means more unwanted governmental regulation, and they can often get carried away and throw out the baby with the bath water, much like the first two links above (for example, look up who CEI is). :)

Reduce

• Flushing: Guys, use urinals when possible. They consume less water in flushing.
• Cups: Use your own cup for coffee and sodas instead of using styrofoam or waxen paper.  Most convenience stores have a refillable insulated cup which not only helps you reduce waste, it usually gives you a better deal and keeps your drink at a desirable temperature.
• Tea
• Use loose tea instead of bags.  Less waste and if you have a nearby garden, shrubbery, or compost heap, you could always toss it on the dirt to be disposed of by nature (this could be problematic if you drink a lot of tea <grin>).
• Most tea pots do not need filters.  I personally use a "french press" design - loose tea, not filters, and it makes good tea.  Such designs are easier to find at more dedicated tea stores.
• Only buy bulk sugar (e.g. 5# bags) as opposed to packets.
• I try to only buy loose tea in metal cans, so that I can readily recycle them (of course, the cans are nice containers for other stuff . . .).
• Buy items with minimal packaging and, if forced to choose, go with the more recyclable packaging, almost always it's paper.
• Auto
• Drive less and try to carpool.  Even if a couple can share a car, it helps.
• Consumer reports tested oil change frequency using New York City taxi cabs.  They found that no difference between changing the oil every 6000 miles and changing the oil every 3000 miles, so you might want to consider doing it every 6000 miles.  DO change your filter every time if you do this, though.  Not only will you save money, you will reduce the oil used and the oil that needs to be recycled (a problem unto itself).
• If you do change your own oil, then before you start be certain that you know how and where to recycle it.  Dumping oil is VERY BAD.
• Eating Out
• When eating out, try to eat at places that use dishes (especially home) or minimal packaging of food.
• Eating at home has the added benefit that you are able to control the waste generated in food preparation.
• If you get food to-go and you have utensils and condiments where you are going, tell the restaurant not to give you them.
• Try to avoid getting take-out and delivery food that involves lots of unnecessary packaging.
• Grocery bags
• Buy some durable bags for grocery shopping to avoid using up paper/plastic bags.
• Don't individually bag your fruits & veggies unless absolutely necessary (and sometimes it is), they will be fine.  Use the little top basket to hold them until you get to the register.
• Ask for paper bags instead of plastic - you can recycle them.  Often times the contents of plastic bag "recycling bins" end up in the trash.
• Milk: If you can, purchase a brand of milk that comes in a sturdy glass bottle that requires a deposit which you recover upon return.  This approach is pretty much zero residue.  Re-using the bottles is the best and easiest way to recycle.
• Tissue: people use WAY too much of this usually, use it less and/or more efficiently, try cloth.
• Napkins: Try using cloth napkins exclusively, this helps reduce waste and it feels a lot nicer.
• Paper Towels: Stop using paper towels for all but the most hideous/vile spills, i.e. those that would permanently damage/stain a towel.  Towels work fine.  You could even designate a few towels for the nasty stuff.  My wife and I manage to use less than one roll a year.

Re-Use

• Everyone inevitably has somethings to get rid of that can still be useful, e.g. clothes that don't fit or have some cosmetic damage, etc.  Take such items to a local drop point or call to have them picked up.  To find such a place near you, look under "Social Service and Welfare Organizations" in the phone book, or preferably in an online directory so that you can readily obtain a location map to examine.  Examples are the Salvation , Goodwill, and any number of local community charities and community centers.
• Use "real" dishes, not paper plates and/or plastic forks.  Disposable plates are a real problem. Many folks are sold on the convenience and live in denial of the fact that they are generating a great deal of unrecyclable waste.
• Use durable, cloth bags for shopping.  Also, reuse store bags such as the large, sturdy bags from department stores.  As for final disposal, if some bags can't be recycled, use the attractive ones for gifts and the ugly ones for trash.
• In some cases it may be advisable to wash your dishes by hand. If you have a lot, don't use running water; rather, use a stopper and fill your sinks for washing and rinsing.  A double sink works best, but you can wash sink full of dishes, drain the sink and rinse them.  It is really not very hard, and you can swiftly become proficient enough that it is a minor task.  If you wash dishes by hand under running water, it usually only is a good idea if they have just been used and thus are quick to clean or you ahve so few that it would be a waste to fill the sinks.  Otherwise, letting them soak in a sink of hot, soapy water will save water, time, and energy. If you use a dishwasher, try to make sure it is full before you start it and use the air dry option to save energy (and money).
• Give clothes to charitable organizations (see above), don't throw them away.  If they are too tattered for anyone to use, make rags (assuming you need them).

Recycle

Note that many places still use #4 plastic, it is more supple, soft, and stretchable than the typical #2 plastic bag.  Last I knew, newspapers were still being delivered wrapped in #4.  If your grocery store uses #4 plastic bags, and you do not use your own bags, be sure to ask for paper so that you have the ability to recycle it.  If you end up with some unrecyclable bags, try to use them for trash.

Some specific topics:

• Household batteries: Often, local electronics places will recycle these.  Call around and ask.
• Electronics: Just about any area has some drop off point for electronics, try your county's solid waste department.
• How to Recycle Anything - This site has a lot of information on how to recycle a wide variety of things.