Posts
An example of this is South Korean geneticists creating glow-in-the-dark puppies (Story Link) Sure I could spend the next 2 hours writing about how we're creeping closer to a steep precipice of scientific discovery. I could write about animal cruelty, and how this "success" actually cost two dogs their lives. However, I know that the random person who comes to this blog to read a story about glow-in-the-dark puppies will just think, "Ahhhh...that puppy is so cute!" So instead of thinking of all social ramifications to these experiments, we're left with half the population questioning how much it would cost to get their next dog to act as a roaming night light.
Alright, one more example for your contemplation is this riveting news story about Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania switching his stance.
Instead of batting right, looks like he was more of a lefty. (Link for your reference) I know you really don't care about this story for one of two reasons. The first is you probably don't care about politics and the only senator you know of is Palpatine and he caused you to distrust elected policitians and give up on democracy altogether. The second is you probably do care about politics, but you realize that one party controls both the Executive and Legislative branches of our government for the next two years, and Specter only entrenches this structure which leads to excellent one-sided debates about the proper direction of our country. Hurray! Needless to say, I would love to know what kind of kickbacks he's getting from the left side of the aisle.
Let's talk about spring cleaning. How does one accummulate so much crap on a regular basis? Obviously I have been inspired to write about this due to personal circumstances, mostly the move of residence to another, which many people can relate to. Let me list some of the more obscure things that made it into the UHaul only to be placed in a recycle bin, trash can, or the donation door at Goodwill:
-> The packaging boxes for an PS2, Motherboard, Digital Camera, and a few others
-> A Playstation. No, not a PS3 or PS2, a Playstation. Yet I also have the 2 & 3
-> A handheld black-and-white TV
-> Hard-backed posters of all 4 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from the first movie
-> 6 cans or bottles of tanning and sunblock. Personally ironic to say the least
-> A timing belt for the Toyota Tacoma that I sold almost a year ago
-> At least 50 pounds of cleaning chemicals and automotive chemicals
First, let me say that I am disgusted with myself and ashamed, because of all the waste that I generated. If you want a humbling experience as a consumer make sure you take at least one trip per year to your nearest landfill or garbage transfer station. Its something your kids should experience firsthand so they learn from the previous generations' mistakes.
While at the transfer station I disposed of my chemicals at the proper facility. The look on the employee's face when I handed the tubs of products to her was a direct reflection of the impact that I had created. She was annoyed and upset, and I don't blame her. Normally, this kind of reaction from an employee of any kind of organization would warrant countless complaints and insults from me, all in the comfort of my own car away from the situation. However, this situation was different, because I was being rightly judged for my crimes and hung my head in quiet shame. That's not to say that the employee didn't benefit from the situation. She got a couple of old stools out of the deal for her to sit on while sorting all the chemicals that came from my home. Basically a win-win. She gets comfort, and I get a lesson in managing consumer waste.
So I am asking you Mr. and Ms. American Consumer, please stop the wasteful consumption of products. I'm not asking you to go cold turkey on your addiction. I know I couldn't do it, but lets make it a 12 step process.
I propose Step 1: No more impulse items and grocery store magazines. This is not to say that you shouldn't buy gum, but only do so when you have a predetermined need for it. If you didn't recognize your need for gum or M&Ms before heading to Target, its probably a safe bet you didn't need it when you were placing your items on the checkout stand. Secondly, you don't need to buy tabloids. Aside from the problem that the content does far more damage to society than the actually wasted paper, you can get the same stories online; for FREE! Let's commit to this for 2 months. I'm in. Are you in? Come on, it'll be fun. You'll save money, and you'll feel better about yourself.
What about Steps 2-11? I don't know. I haven't got that far yet. Do you have any suggestions? Add a comment with where we should head in 2 months.
