This weeks TIaRT theme is running green. While I'm guilty of running on the treadmill a lot and wasting that energy, I do make any attempt I can at being green. For one, I HATE the thought of using a disposable water bottle. I carry a reusable water bottle at work, when I'm on the go, when I run...always. Not only is it ridiculously wasteful, why pay for water that is less regulated than our free tap water? I just don't it. If you agree, check out www.tappening.com
In general, I try to do what I can to be green. I try to purchase only #1 and #2 containers and I separate our recyclables at home. I won't use Styrofoam and carry my own mug for coffee. I use reusable grocery bags, I use all reusable containers for my lunch, and I reuse the same Ziploc bag all week for my snacks. Any trash I generate along a run, I never drop. I will carry my empty gel packets for miles if I have to until I find a trash can. It drives me crazy when I see all the empty packets along the trail!! I opted out of receiving a phone book due to the number of trees that are killed to make them and use rags for cleaning instead of paper towels. Geesh, if I only use a paper towel to dry my hands, I hang it to dry and will reuse it again the next time! While I recognize there are a lot of other ways I could improve, I do know that every little bit helps. Why people don't recycle is beyond me. It really drives me crazy. It takes only a second, yet makes a huge difference.
And lastly, because this should be related to running, I came across an article in Shape magazine called "Take it to the streets for a cleaner town." It talks about a runner who was frustrated with all the trash he saw while running and how he started carrying a BioBag with him to collect trash and bottles along the way. Something to think about...
4 comments:
Dear hub usually looks at me in disgust after a long run & I start pulling empty sticky squished gel packets from my pockets, but like you, I just can't toss them!
PS - Johnson's popcorn containers make EXCELLENT storage for left over soup :)
i completely agree. i see so much trash it kills me-- WHY do people just throw trash on the ground. do they honestly think that's ok?! and how far away can you be from a trashcan at any given time?! i actually wrote a post about this for one of my monday blogs: http://objectsandevents.blogspot.com/2008/10/sidewalk-sleuthing-for-monday-habit.html
I think its great that you're doing all you can in your everyday efforts to be mindful of the environment! And the detail you gave with reusing ziplocs and paper towels was hilarious cuz i thought no one else did that kind of thing but me and my mother. And not only are phone books a waste of trees but they are also bulky and annoying. Truly, who needs 3 ginormous phone books that come to your doorstep every 6 months?!
I think the idea of reusing / recycling items definitely used to be seen as somewhat of a negative image to reuse disposable items, indicating that someone was too frugal or cheap. However, with the more recent movements of environmentalism and green living have also brought with it the awareness that we should all be doing those little things and making small differences where we can. I think it's definitely great that there are starting to be more and more people that are making little differences because like you said, "every little bit helps"!
You should check out www.aladdin-pmi.com if you're ever looking for some classic and clean looking water bottles or even lunch containers that are environmentally conscious. There is a new line of items by Aladdin called Sustain that is made of recycled materials and is also recyclable! I thought that was really cool. There's also some very cute BPA free water bottles also.
I have cut back on GU, because of the packaging, but if I do create garbage on a run, I definitely hold onto it until I can dispose of it properly. I think if I tried to pick up garbage along the route, I might not get much running done, but I like the idea of walking the route and collecting litter on a cross-training or rest day.
Post a Comment