I’d like to think that I’m an environmentally conscious individual. I recycle…everything. I leave my car at home for most of my errands. I have removed nearly all hazardous, commercial, chemical-laden cleaning products from my home (the lysol wipes are the last to go…I just don’t know how to get through my daily bathroom wipe-down without them…boys can really make a mess). I buy local produce. I try to get my children to understand the meaning behind one of their favorite Jack Johnson tunes “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.” I do all of this, but I have never given much thought to the environmental impact of going out drinking.
Yesterday, a friend of mine scoffed at my beverage choice of bottled beer and said, “Hey, I thought you prided yourself on being green? That bottled beer is going to the landfill. You need to order draft instead.” I just assumed the bar recycled the bottles and cans. Seriously, what else would they do with the endless bags of waste? She pointed to the trash cans and said “those aren’t blue bags.” I felt like an idiot. You know what they say when you assume…
She smiled at me as I ordered my draft beer and said, “Hey, we’re saving the earth one drink at a time.” I hope there’s no environmental impact from throwing up in the toilet, though, because that’s exactly what draft beer makes me do. Yuck.
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David and I were out awhile ago and I thought the exact same thing. We were watching them as they were throwing bottle after bottle in the garbage. I couldn’t help but wonder, “Are they going to recycle those?” but then noticed they started throwing “normal” trash in the can. Bummer.
I know…it totally sucks because from a restaurant standpoint because the finacial cost of recycling that much waste is way more than putting it into the regular trash for Waste Management or another large trash company. When I worked for the Ritz, we were starting a Going Green Group and we looked into the prices of having such a service and it required more equipment, storage (which was impossible to find!), separate containers, retraining, etc. It is really a shame that something that helps the enivironment so much (just think of all of the waste from every hotel or restaurant in the world) is mostly unattainable because it would make a serious deduction from the bottom line.
if you have a moment, i’d like to know what products and/or ingredient mixtures you’re using. i’ve done some research but any insight would be helpful
Heidi – I have to admit that I take the easy way out and buy Method products (at Target) and Seventh Generation products. I’ve converted to their bathroom cleaner, window/glass cleaner, all-purpose cleaner, and dusting products. I even use Method’s biodegradable floor wipes on my wood floors. I’ve stopped using paper towels to clean and switched to sponges and microfiber cloths. I wish I made my own baking soda/vinegar/you-name-it mixtures, but I’m trying…