If one knew me, they might consider me conservative. And yet, I haven’t voted for a Republican presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan. I’d add “I can’t stand Donald Trump” to my credentials, but since Donald Trump isn’t a conservative, that doesn’t say much at all. It actually pegs me more as a thinking human being who prefers my president to have some kind of character (how would Hee-Haw say it? “If he didn’t have bad character, he’d have no character at all”?).
So one might be surprised, too, at my views on the environment. I’d say my skepticism of climate change isn’t so much directed at the problem itself — I’m all in favor of caring very much for the environment — it comes more from knowing human nature and understanding the power-plays and fear-mongering in which some of the more extreme alarmists are engaging.
But to me, there really is no harm in actually caring for the environment. For everyone, I see it as a civic duty. As a Christian, I see it as one’s Christian duty. I would say, just off the top of my head, that the Bible leans more toward that than it does to rampant capitalistic rapings of one’s environment, especially as it impoverishes and exploits hundreds-of-millions of humans whom we believe are as much created in God’s image as we.
So, although my biking to work every day is as much directed to the practicality of it (never have to fight for a parking spot for example), there’s also a bit of an “I would like to do something nice for the place I live, like, not clog it up with cars and their emissions. And maybe if I make my own lunch more often (I’ve been slacking on the smoothies lately), I’ll produce less garbage. All of this makes me think, and it makes me want to do more.
So when I see my old friend (well, only in that I watch him on the YouTubes), Ryan Van Duzer (about whom I’ve written a few times), and he tells me how he goes “plastic-free grocery shopping,” it kind of gets me wanting to do more there too. One of my first investments when I bought my commuter bike was to put a rack and folding grocery panniers on the back. They’re great — although they’re getting a little beat up now. They fold right up when I’m not using them, and when I swing by the store on the way home from work every so often, I just unsnap them, fold them down, and I can usually fit everything I’ve purchased.
At least I’ve got that going for me — just like Duzer. But I don’t have the “plastic-free” part down. We just don’t have any of those kinds of stores around. But it does get me of the mind to start paying attention and finding ways to cut back on my plastic consumption. We would all do well to do that. Yet, while I’m not a fan of the plastic straw banishments, I really wish a state like California would stop piddling around with the small stuff and have the balls to ban plastic water bottles altogether. I can’t help but think of my youth, when we didn’t have bottled water, and I wonder where we went wrong. Sure, there’s some pretty weird-tasting water out there. We Omro-ites generally couldn’t stand Oshkosh’s water. But it was all drinkable. I mean, not everyone lives in Flint. And there are better ways to get your drinking water than by bottling it in flimsy and nearly future-worthless plastic.
Anyway, please watch this video. And think. What can you do. I’d really appreciate it if you did something. I think, in the long run, we all would.
Yes! Quibbling about straws and bags is divisive. Step 1 is just noticing and then thinking about sways to reduce plastic use. I was disappointed to see Aldi switch their soy sauce from glass bottles to plastic. I buy Lamers milk because it comes in reusable glass bottles. (OK, it is locally produced and tastes better, too)
I wonder how they do bread