Going Green

My roommate sold me on the use of aluminum water bottles (aka the Sigg) only to find out recently that the liner in the bottles contains traces of BPA that leach into the liquid inside the water bottles. Aluminum water bottles are supposed to replace the ever popular plastic Nalgene bottles because... they contained traces of BPA that leached into the water. Ironic, isn't it?

So I continued to think about the concept of "going green" and thought of the following notions to ponder.

1. Plastic grocery store bags. Is it bad to use them if you recycle them for various other home projects, not excluding my favorite use as dog poopy bags.... ? Canvas bags are better for the environment? It's a conspiracy. Somewhere "Ralph" or Mr. Trader "Joe" is sitting at his desk made of rich mahogany thinking that he could save X amount of dollars if he could stop giving grocery bags away for free. After all, the best way to convince someone to do something is to make them think it is their own idea, and is based on some philanthropic cause.

2. Recyclables, paper, glass, and plastic. Ok, you recycle them, a portion of them is reused ... the "post consumer waste" label you see on your Starbucks cup? Ya. Great. High five. But then you are just placing values on resources. Did you not waste a quart to a gallon of water cleaning/washing out the jar of jelly before you threw it in your bin? Of course you did, you don't want that funky smell or pesky little ants. Just think of how much water is spent on that peanut butter jar...

Random thought: why aren't yogurt containers recyclable?

Just some things to get you thinking. Not to be negative, but there is always a downside to everything. Think about what you're doing from all angles before you make a decision. Not everything that other people are doing always makes sense.