Plodding into a 'greener' future

Commentary

Inez Russell |

4/27/2008 - 4/27/08

My attempts to become more eco-friendly haven't fared nearly as well as my renewed efforts at following the city law banning cell phones.

I've been successful at turning off my phone in the car, but I can't seem to remember to take my re-usable bags out of the car.

Last fall, I read a story about the evils of plastic bags, especially about what a plague the throwaways have been in Africa — damming up streams, choking cows to death and littering the countryside. The 2002 bag tax in Ireland — and its subsequent reduction in plastic bag use (down 94 percent) — inspired me to do my part.

I bought hemp bags, plus a bigger, insulated reusable bag for my frozen foods. I even bought sandwich wraps — no more baggies for me! And, before I even knew that plastic was leaching into my system, I bought a metal water bottle. For more than a year, our family had been cutting back on our use of recyclable plastic water bottles. With my (cute) silver metal bottle, I was set to go cold turkey.

That has gone pretty well. Our family no longer recycles dozens of plastic bottles a week because we seldom buy water that way any more — saving both the planet and our pocketbooks.

The shopping bags, so far, have defeated me. For one thing, life took a crazy turn in November as we dealt with a family illness. I never opened my package of bags. When our crisis was over, I still couldn't remember the bags, and when I finally put them in the car, I kept leaving them — in the car.

Lately, my solution has been simple. In the store, I just buy new, reusable bags. I'm not using plastic, but I'm not sure buying new bags is the answer. On the other hand, I now have enough bags to handle the biggest shopping trip imaginable. Plus, I'll share with my relatives.

Santa Fe's possible tax on plastic bags — proposed by City Councilor Chris Calvert — leaves me with mixed emotions. On one hand, knowing I had to pay a tax might help jog my memory. I have the bags. They're in the car. I just need to take them with me. Paying extra at the checkout line would help remind me.

Still, with economic times getting tougher, it's hard to support any new tax, especially one that would hit working families hardest. Instead, I hope the city tries a carrot approach before bringing out the hammer of a tax — hand out reusable bags at Community Day, for example. If the city can supply trash bags, it shouldn't have a problem coming up with reusable bags.

Then, get lots of those bags in people's hands before considering any kind of tax, or even a ban on plastic bags — the route they are considering in Taos.

It's clear we all need to move toward making the green life a way of life, but changing habits is never easy.

Perhaps like me, we take baby steps. I've long re-used my shower water for my flowers. I'm not a big consumer, at least compared with much of affluent America. I have my clothesline out and will start hanging out clothes now that the weather's warm. I carpool most days.

My inspiration? No, not green mega-celebrities such as Julia Roberts or Al Gore or Sheryl Crowe.

Instead, I think of my grandmother's house, where the bottles of lotion were turned upside down and drained, and finally, sliced open to grab every bit. Where empty glass jars were washed out and reused, where the lights were turned off when you left the room. I think of my mother, still saving scraps of soap to mold into a new bar, or taking old jeans and decorating them with fabric, giving them additional wear and fashion savvy.

We weren't green, we were frugal — with habits formed during the Depression, and before that, on the New Mexico frontier. You grew vegetables and made your own bread. You walked where you needed to go, and you made what you needed rather than buying new. You made do, period.

And making do looks evergreen today.

Send comments, criticisms, to inezrussell@msn.com.