Tuesday, July 22, 2014

20 reasons why caring about the environment sucks

I'll admit, some days I wish I could turn off my brain, and not think about the environmental impact I an having. I wish I could just turn away when I see people doing wasteful things. 

I decided to start a list of reasons why caring about the environmental can be frustrating, and often leads to downright anger. 



Here is what I have so far. Please add more to the list in the comments area...
  1. Waiting for public transportation to arrive
  2. Scanning labels and reading the ingredients to see how many organic or vegan items are in the product
  3. Riding your bike in bad weather
  4. Carrying your recyclables around with you for hours until you find a place to recycle them
  5. Feeling guilty for throwing anything away
  6. Spending time breaking down items down to their smallest possible piece, so some of it can be recycled
  7. Spending time analyzing the pros and cons of products you have to buy, based on: materials, packaging, country of origin, distance from manufacturer, company background, certification, labor practices, etc.
  8. Repairing and mending clothing to get a few more uses out of them
  9. Searching for places that will recycle unique items that you can't bear to throw away
  10. Carrying your coffee mug and water bottle around with you all the time
  11. Making sure you don't forget your reusable bag when you leave the house
  12. Being cold in the winter with the heat low or off, and hot in the summer with the air conditioning low or off
  13. Feeling guilty about buying anything new
  14. Constantly turning down napkins, bags, papers/handouts, receipts, and other freebies
  15. Figuring out how to make a vegetarian meal at a restaurant, something other than a salad
  16. Sending special request for vegetarian/vegan meals for every event you attend
  17. Storing items in your house because you don't know how to properly recycle it
  18. Getting frustrated at the stupidity of people, especially politicians and your close friends
  19. Having to constantly explain the difference between carnivores, vegetarians, and vegans
  20. Explaining to people why they need to care, and getting a blank stare
Did I list your "green" frustrations? If not, please list them in the comments below. Go ahead, it can make you feel better, even if it doesn't solve the problem...