I just read a blog post about recycling entitled: We Can’t Go On Like This. It talks a particular event arising at the recycling depot in Oak Bay. The writer goes on about some people who came to return 100’s of coffee lids that are not recyclable via the Municipal Recycling Program. The inference was they did the right thing to recycle, but they really should have thought about buying a Go Mug.
I couldn’t agree more, we can’t keep going the rate we’re going. It prompted me to leave the following comment:
That is brutal.. Something Timmy’s could do is to push and promote the use of a Go Mug for a discount at the till on their coffee. Many coffee shops offer discounts if you bring in your own mug – but I have yet to find one that advertises this.
The failure not only resides in our thoughtless consuming of goods, but the ones selling us those goods are not exactly helping the issue either! Has a grocery store ever suggested you buy a re-usable bag? Thrifty’s even gives you $0.03 rebate per re-suable bag you bring in at the till, but they don’t even advertise that either.
There is one exception, Superstore. They ARE the superstore, they do not give out plastic bags or anything. You must bring in your own transport. Not only have these guys taken the lead on this particular bag problem, but they’ve absolutely crushed it! When will others follow?
Varied reports suggest that 4% of the world’s oil consumption is for making plastic bags. I find that astounding. What are you doing to be green?
Well said.
The plastic bag thing is one that really gets to me – I HATE plastic bags. They’re everywhere. I kick myself whenever I forget my reuseable shopping bags and have to accept a plastic one because I just can’t juggle what I’ve got otherwise. I’ve taken to wearing a backpack just so I can avoid plastic bags. I look very college-student but since becoming a parent, my vanity quotient’s been zero anyways.
Aside from that, I go green by leaving my car at home and using the bus to get to/from work. I take Simon (my toddler) to daycare on the bus, and when the weather gets warmer I think we’ll even try biking. I find it so much more relaxing to be on the bus than driving. ‘Course it’s only this good because I happen to be right on the #6 bus route – in the ol’ Gordon Head days I loathed taking the bus because the 27/28 was so damn inconvenient.
You know what really makes us look bad? Edmonton, AB has one of the best recycling programs in the world. Edmonton, for god’s sake – The home of many head offices for oil digging, oil sands, and one of the largest redneck populations in Canada. It’s humiliating to look at Victoria and realize how really behind our eco-practices are.
How hard could it be for every Canadian city to use a successful model from an accessible city and implement it?