tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70508188568717300002024-03-21T14:28:50.044-07:00Cousin Yellowstone's Recital of RecyclablesCousin Yellowstonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15738922942945629088noreply@blogger.comBlogger198125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050818856871730000.post-73654357003237914402010-01-03T19:42:00.000-08:002010-01-03T19:57:53.385-08:00New Year's ResolutionsLast year I <a href="http://cousinyellowstone.blogspot.com/2008/12/new-years-resolutions.html">made four New Year's resolutions</a>. I did a reasonable job of keeping the resolution to <strong>eat at least one potato every day</strong>. I ended up modifying that resolution to include pumpkins or any other vegetables I could buy locally without packaging. I also did a good job of <strong>planning elevator trips wisely</strong> and <strong>writing more letters</strong>. (Most letters aren't posted here, because they were written under my legal name.) I'm afraid I did an abysmal job of keeping the resolution to <strong>wake up earlier.</strong><br /><br />For this year, I resolve to:<br /><br /><strong>Continue with last year's resolutions,</strong> focusing especially on waking up earlier.<br /><br /><strong>Discuss local issues with other environmentalists in my city.</strong> Local environmentalists still face the insanity of stores with bulk bins insisting that we use plastic bags to package our bulk items. We are also facing cutbacks in public transit. Furthermore, there's little enforcement of safe driving regulations, which discourages walking and bicycling. Individuals aren't able to fix these problems, but a group of dedicated environmentalists, banded together, might be able to achieve something.<br /><br /><strong>Be more open about picking up other people's litter.</strong> I have allowed <a href="http://cousinyellowstone.blogspot.com/2008/11/embarrassment-vs-pride-at-acting.html">embarrassment</a> to deter me from picking up stinky beer cans on many occasions. I resolve to go ahead and pick up whatever needs picking up, and explain why I am doing it to anyone who looks disgustedly at me. As an interim step, I resolve to <strong>look for soundbites</strong> on the benefits of recycling. It would help if I could tell people that recycling ___ aluminum cans prevented ___ square feet of land from being strip mined for bauxite, or that the energy saved was enough to power a CFL for ___ minutes.Cousin Yellowstonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15738922942945629088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050818856871730000.post-16911503180655684402010-01-03T19:41:00.000-08:002010-01-03T19:51:58.182-08:00Why stories on No Impact Man annoy meWhen I first came across an interview with No Impact Man, I was delighted. Most of us who are trying to live eco-friendly lifestyles aren't visible to the public, and here was someone who was getting in newspapers and on TV talking about the benefits of bicycling, buying books used instead of new, etc.<br /><br />Then, as I read more and more features on No Impact Man, I became increasingly annoyed. Story after story made it sound as if Colin Beavan was a revolutionary who was the only person on the planet living environmentally. Writers gaped at the notion of someone getting around town on foot or bicycle. Even those writers who self-identified as green seemed stunned by the thought of washing clothes by hand and hanging them up to dry.<br /><br />I don't understand these reactions, and am annoyed by them. So many of the "radical" things Colin Beavan did have been a part of my life, or the lives of people I know, for years, even decades.<br /><br />Let's take clothes drying as an example. When I was a child, I knew <strong>one</strong> family who owned an electric clothes dryer. <strong>Every</strong> other family hung clothes to dry on a line in the back yard. Line drying clothes wasn't the act of an eco-radical. It was simply what people did. I confess that after moving to my current home, I used a dryer, but eventually I realized how idiotic that was and now always hang my clothes indoors to dry.<br /><br />Another thing we did when I was little was compost our food scraps. This wasn't something everyone did, but frugal gardeners did it. It wasn't difficult, and we didn't consider ourselves special for doing it.<br /><br />As for walking and bicycling, almost everyone I know does one or the other of them, and has since early childhood. The only close friend I have who owns a car has bad knees and can't walk well. Other locals with cars are regarded as lazy idiots who could save a fortune if they stopped driving. (I should mention that I live in a densely populated area. Driving may well be a near necessity in some places, but this isn't one of them.)<br /><br />I can't honestly say I've ever attempted to go without toilet paper, but that, too, is something that's common among certain populations, generally those living in warmer climates where washing with water doesn't lead to frostbite. It's certainly not unheard of, even here.<br /><br />No Impact Man isn't even that much of an environmentalist, now that No Impact year is over. His family was ready to <a href="http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1921703,00.html">hop on board airplanes as soon as their one year commitment to planet-friendly living was up.</a> Couldn't they at least have traveled by train instead? Sure, it would have taken longer, but a point Colin made again and again in his writing was that slow travel gives people time to stop and smell the roses. Air travel is <strong>horrible</strong> for the environment, and many other environmentalists have chosen to walk the walk and avoid flying.<br /><br />So, why, oh why, is No Impact Man afforded accolades for doing things like bicycling to work that <strong>millions</strong> have done before him? Is the media really that oblivious to all the other environmentalists that could be featured in news stories? Can't we please move beyond being wowed by someone whose lifestyle would have seemed unremarkable to my grandparents?Cousin Yellowstonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15738922942945629088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050818856871730000.post-8964181559035211472010-01-03T19:40:00.000-08:002010-01-03T19:40:00.067-08:00New brands, varieties, or packaging types found September-December, 2009I've continued picking up other people's discarded recyclables, but have stopped keeping tallies. At first, it was because concern over swine flu meant that I was tossing recyclables in whatever recycling bin I first came across instead of taking them home for logging. Then, things became really, really crazy at work, and I just didn't have the time or energy to deal with blogging. Now, I find myself itching to use my precious personal time for other things, including reading and commenting on other people's blogs. I may go back to entering tallies again in the future if I have more time on my hands.<br /><br />Meanwhile, here is a tally of <strong>new brands, varieties, or packaging types</strong> found over the last few months:<br /><br /><ul><br /><li>glass bottles: Howl beer, Paul Masson Grande Amber Brandy<br /><li>aluminum cans: Sprite Zero, Watermelon Four Loko Premium Malt Beverage (found outside an elementary school)<br /><li>plastic bottle: Sobe Fuji Apple Pear Lifewater<br /><li><strong>metal bottle</strong> (really!): Bud Light beer (not sure where/how to recycle)<br /></ul><br /><br />The metal Bud Light bottle was completely new to me. I went to <a href="http://www.budlight.com/">www.budlight.com</a> to see if there was any information on where to recycle it, and was shown this message:<br /><br /><blockquote>Our site requires Flash 9 in order to present you with the highest level of interactivity available.<br />Please click here to visit the Macromedia site and download the free Flash player for your Web browser, then return to our site to experience our site at its best.</blockquote><br /><br />Messages like that annoy me no end. I'm using an old computer that can't handle Flash, and don't appreciate being kept out of the site just because I can't view flashy animations.<br /><br />Anyway, I'm not sure what to do with the bottle. The local recycling contractor separates ferrous metals from other recyclables by using magnets, then sorts the remaining materials by shape and weight. The Bud Light bottle isn't attracted to magnets, and is light enough that I fear it could end up being sorted into a load of plastic bottles, which it would contaminate. What should I do with it?Cousin Yellowstonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15738922942945629088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050818856871730000.post-60747237448534200062009-09-13T10:40:00.000-07:002009-09-13T10:43:55.304-07:00Items collected during August 2009Recyclables:<br /><ul><li>16 plastic bottles (1 Lemon-Lime Gatorade, 1 Tropicana Strawberry Orange, 1 Sprite, 1 Paul Masson VSOP brandy, 5 Deer Park water, 1 roadkilled Nestle Pure Life water, 1 Great Value water, 1 Safeway Refreshe water, 1 Kirkland spring water, 1 roadkilled Sam's Choice water, 1 water bottle without a label, 1 bottle of unknown contents without a label)<br /><li>7 aluminum cans (2 Heineken, 1 Coors Light, 1 Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, 1 Hurricane High Gravity Lager, 1 Miller Lite, 1 Schlitz Red Bull Xtra Long Malt Liquor)<br /><li>5 glass bottles (1 Mistic Orange Carrot Juice Drink, 1 Sprite, 1 Heineken, 1 Budweiser, 1 Smirnoff Ice Malt Beverage)</ul><br /><br />Reusables:<br /><ul><li>3 plastic carrier bags<br /><li>1 black pen</ul><br /><br />Trash:<br /><ul><li>Lots! Individual items weren't logged. Included were many cigarette butts.</ul><br /><br />The "Great Value" brand is new to me. The label says it's bottled by Niagara Bottling and distributed by Wal-Mart.Cousin Yellowstonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15738922942945629088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050818856871730000.post-34981355069031054922009-08-19T20:10:00.000-07:002009-08-19T20:39:03.933-07:00Items collected during July 2009I'm still avoiding bringing home other people's recyclables, out of concern I'll bring home H1N1 flu. Instead, I've spent quite a bit of time picking up non-recyclable trash, which seems preferable at this time because the bags of trash can be tossed straight into a trash can without having to enter my home. (Recyclables almost always need rinsing.) I didn't even attempt to keep a list of the trash I picked up during the month of July. I did note, however, that it included an unusual quantity of foam packaging, much of it broken into pieces.<br /><br />When I picked up recyclable bottles and cans that didn't have visible contaminants, I sometimes threw them into a recycling bin at work without bringing them home for logging, so I can't provide a complete list of recyclables collected. However, the following list should be fairly complete.<br /><br />Recyclables:<br /><ul><li>12 aluminum cans (1 Natural Light beer, 2 Diet Pepsi, 2 Heineken, 1 Miller Lite, 1 roadkilled Coors Light, 1 round Coors Light, 2 Miller High Life, 2 roadkilled Diet Coke)<br /><li>20 plastic water bottles (7 Deer Park, 2 Aquafina, 6 Kirkland, 1 water bottle without a label, 1 VASA, 2 Poland Spring, 1 Dasani)<br /><li>1 torn plastic bag</ul><br /><br />Reusables:<br /><ul><li>2 black pens<br /><li>5 plastic carrier bags<br /><li>1 small plastic bag<br /><li>1 very long, very narrow plastic bag</ul><br /><br />One odd thing about the July tally is that it doesn't include any glass bottles. It's possible I picked some up and threw them in a recycling bin at work without logging them, but it's still odd that there would be such a discrepancy between the number of glass bottles and the number of aluminum cans. I can't explain it.<br /><br />I have largely given up on picking up plastic bottles, because I find the environmental benefits of recycling plastic less clear than the benefits of recycling aluminum or glass. However, one day I felt compelled to pick up numerous plastic bottles. I was participating in a group walk for a cause I believe in, and was dismayed to find my fellow participants tossing their used water bottles onto the ground. I always find it disconcerting when people who are activists for one of the causes I believe in turn out not to care about one of my other causes, in this case the environment. I wanted to say something, but settled for whipping out a bag and filling it with discarded bottles. I wish I could also have collected the hundreds of bottles that were "properly" disposed of in overflowing trash cans, but I lacked the time and bag space to do anything about those. I'm already thinking ahead to the next walk, and am wondering how to raise the issue of plastic pollution with the organizers and participants. Any suggestions?Cousin Yellowstonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15738922942945629088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050818856871730000.post-1962356717040654582009-08-09T19:49:00.000-07:002009-08-09T20:04:09.306-07:00Buying Recycled-Content Products for OthersI've pretty much run out of ways to green my own life. I avoid packaging as much as practical, buy local foods at a farmer's market, buy paper products only when they are made of post-consumer recycled fiber, buy clothes only from yard sales, do not use a clothes drier, do not own a car, and never, ever travel by plane. There are several things I'm not yet doing, e.g., powering my home with solar energy and composting food scraps, but these are unfortunately not practical where I live at the moment.<br /><br />Having reached a plateau in my efforts to green my own life, I've turned my attention to other people's lives. I don't mean that I harass people who drive hummers, or lecture friends whose toilet paper is made by Kimberly-Clark. That isn't my way. Instead, what I've been doing is helping people who want to live a green lifestyle but are constrained by their finances. In particular, I make bulk purchases of toilet paper, facial tissues, and office paper made of post-consumer recycled fiber, and give a portion of each purchase to eco-minded people of limited means who would otherwise be stuck buying whatever brand was cheapest.<br /><br />This has proven very popular with environmentalists whose earnings are at the minimum wage level or below. They are happy to be able to live in accordance with their green values without going broke, and I'm happy to have a way of helping both my neighbors and the planet at the same time. So far, I'm giving supplies to only a handful of people, but I'm willing to give to more people if requested. I like <strong>knowing</strong> my money is doing some good for the environment, which is something I've lacked confidence in when donating to environmental groups.<br /><br />I'm thinking about expanding the range of eco-friendly products I offer to people in need. One thing I'm uncertain about is what type of product brings the most benefit per dollar. I would welcome feedback from my readers. If you could spend $50 on eco-friendly products for low-income people, what would you buy? Organic produce? Rechargeable batteries and a battery charger? Other ideas? Keep in mind that these are low-income people, therefore renters, so they (like me) are unable to install solar water heaters or make other changes to their homes.Cousin Yellowstonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15738922942945629088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050818856871730000.post-40447577173935933532009-08-09T12:08:00.000-07:002009-08-09T12:25:12.007-07:00Driven crazy by blog softwareI've been having a number of problems with blogging lately:<br /><br /><ul><li>Blogger/Blogspot no longer shows me formatting buttons when I create blog entries. If I want to use bold text, bulleted lists, or any other formatting, I have to enter the HTML code myself. Another thing I can't do is preview my entries before posting them, which I used to be able to do.<br /><br /><li>I cannot find a way to make the URL for a blog entry anything other than the full title of the entry. For example, the blog entry titled "Hassle-Free Junk Mail Reduction" has the long URL "http://cousinyellowstone.blogspot.com/2009/08/hassle-free-junk-mail-reduction.html". I would like to be able to create shorter URLs, e.g., "http://cousinyellowstone.blogspot.com/2009/08/junkmail.html". Is there any way to do this?<br /><br /><li>I am unable to leave comments on one of my favorite blogs, <a href="http://awakeanew.blogspot.com/">Awake Anew</a>. The "Comment as:" drop-down menu doesn't display any items, and without an identity (not even "Anonymous") I can't leave a comment. I had the same problem at <a href="http://www.fakeplasticfish.com/">Fake Plastic Fish</a>, another favorite green blog, but was able to get around it there by clicking on Preview, which seemingly made Blogger wake up and realize that I had to be allowed to enter an identity. This technique isn't working at Awake Anew. Danielle, if you're reading this, please know that I'm reading your blog, I just can't comment on it.<br /><br /><li>When I try to view pages at <a href="http://www.fakeplasticfish.com/">Fake Plastic Fish</a>, my browser often displays the banner at the top and the advertisements at the side but doesn't show the actual text of the blog entry for <strong>ages</strong>. I've sometimes had to give up and shut down the computer because half an hour has passed, I've finished everything else I needed to do on the computer, and there's still no text visible. I've tried to get around this by using Yahoo's and Google's translation programs, hoping they would translate just the text and ignore the graphics, but, again, just saw lots of graphics and had to wait and wait for the text. Is there any web site out there where I can enter the URL of the page I would like to read and be shown only the text?</ul><br /><br />Please, no suggestions that I upgrade my computer. The last thing the planet needs is for me to buy more electronics. And, ironically, my computer works 100% perfectly for everything <strong>except</strong> blogging about environmental matters. I can access every other web page I want to read, including several blogs, just not the ones about the environment.Cousin Yellowstonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15738922942945629088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050818856871730000.post-8494763106536594642009-08-06T18:37:00.000-07:002009-08-06T18:37:00.611-07:00Hassle-Free Junk Mail ReductionI receive much less junk mail than most people I know, probably because I'm diligent about contacting companies that send me unwanted mail and telling them to desist. However, it's a chore I dread, and lately I just haven't wanted to deal with phoning junk mailers.<br /><br />Meanwhile, I've been trying to think of a way to help a man I know who is unemployed and has little to occupy his time. I wanted to get him a part-time job where I work, but the only vacancy involves contact with the public, and this man is completely unsuited to dealing with the public due to his disordered thinking and occasional delusional statements. We simply can't afford to have our office represented by someone who may blurt out inappropriate statements.<br /><br />Although this man is unsuitable for making calls to companies his employer <strong>wants</strong> to do business with, it occurred to me that he would be perfectly capable of placing calls to companies an employer <strong>doesn't</strong> want anything to do with. After all, if he makes a bad impression, there's no harm done. So, I asked him if he would be interested in working for me occasionally, placing calls to companies that send me junk mail and asking them to stop. He readily agreed. I'm delighted with the outcome. It's great not having to phone the companies that send me unwanted catalogs or solicitations, and, as a bonus, I'm giving a little work to a man who would otherwise have none.<br /><br />It would be interesting to calculate the environmental damage caused by junk mail. There are so many factors to consider, including the paper, the plastic windows in some envelopes, and the fuel used delivering the mail to its recipient then taking it away to a landfill or recycling center. Anyway, I'm just happy I'll now be getting a little less junk mail.Cousin Yellowstonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15738922942945629088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050818856871730000.post-54552543577295093172009-07-19T21:05:00.000-07:002009-07-19T21:06:48.017-07:00Show Us Your (Plastic) Trash ChallengeFrom June 8 until June 14, I participated in a modified version of the <a href="http://www.showyourplastic.fakeplasticfish.com/">Show Us Your (Plastic) Trash Challenge,</a> and recorded all the plastic trash I threw out. I couldn't comply with the requirement to take a photograph of my plastic trash at the end of the week, because there was no way I was going to ask the long-suffering people I live with to put up with Yet Another Pile of Trash. They already deal with two categories of trash that would go straight in the trash can in any normal household. In the living room, there's a mountain of Tetra Pak cartons that get saved until I visit a friend whose municipality accepts them for recycling, and in the bathroom, there are three large containers filled with plastic caps that are being saved indefinitely until they can be recycled. Aveda stores in certain other cities accept plastic caps for recycling, so I've been saving all the caps I've come across to take to Aveda when either the store in my city starts participating in the recycling program or someone I know visits a city where the recycling program is already active. Anyway, the point is that I didn't think it appropriate to announce that in addition to Tetra Pak cartons and bottle caps I would also be saving chocolate wrappers and other plastic trash.<br /><br />Here's what I threw out:<br /><br /><strong>Definitely not recyclable:</strong><br /><ul><br /><li>2 paper sleeves with plastic lining from Weetabix breakfast cereal<br /><li>1 plastic bag from a different brand of cereal<br /><li>3 plastic wrappers from Fair Trade, organic chocolate<br /><li>1 bag of vegetarian burgers<br /><li>1 plastic clamshell containing blueberries (#6)<br /><li>3 bags of dried fruit<br /><li>1 plastic/cardboard container of dried fruit<br /><li>6 energy bar wrappers<br /></ul><br /><br /><strong>Plastic portion probably not recyclable:</strong><br /><ul><br /><li>2 aluminum cans<br /><li>4 Tetra Pak cartons<br /></ul><br /><br /><strong>Recyclable/Downcyclable:</strong><br /><ul><br /><li>none<br /></ul><br /><br />Total: 24<br /><br />The instructions for the Show Us Your (Plastic) Trash Challenge said to include the recycling number at the bottom of each item, but only the blueberry container had a number. It's frustrating not having more information on what type of plastic is used. Each and every piece of plastic trash I threw out during the challenge week was packaging for food or beverages, and I'm astonished that there isn't a requirement that plastic in contact with food be labeled as to its type.<br /><br />I wish I could say that recording my plastic trash for a week led to thoughts on how to reduce my consumption of plastic, but it didn't. There's no longer any store in the area that allows shoppers to bring their own containers for bulk foods, and I've got to eat <strong>something</strong> other than the potatoes, carrots and apples I buy at the farmer's market. I keep hoping that one of the local stores with bulk bins will abandon the ridiculous requirement that shoppers place bulk foods in plastic bags. I find it so ironic that Whole Foods, which brags about not offering plastic carrier bags at its check outs, still has rolls of plastic bags next to the bulk bins.Cousin Yellowstonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15738922942945629088noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050818856871730000.post-12015933463715951762009-07-19T20:20:00.000-07:002009-07-19T20:42:06.835-07:00Items collected during June 2009I'm still avoiding handling other people's trash, out of concern I'll bring home H1N1 flu. However, there have been times when I couldn't resist picking up recyclables or reusables, usually because they were within 10 feet of the river and I knew that picking them up was a now-or-never thing.<br /><br />Recyclables:<br /><ul><br /><li>4 glass bottles (1 Everfresh Grape Strawberry, 1 Elephant Malt Liquor, 1 Corona Extra, 1 S. Pellegrino mineral water)</li><br /><li>4 aluminum cans (1 Steel Reserve lager, 1 Yuengling lager, 1 roadkilled Diet Pepsi, 1 Heineken)</li><br /><li>3 plastic bottles (1 Dr Pepper, 1 Dasani water, 1 Strawberry Powerade Zero)</li><br /></ul><br /><br />Reusables:<br /><ul><br /><li>1 trash bag</li><br /><li>1 plastic produce bag</li><br /><li>1 newspaper bag</li><br /><li>3 plastic carrier bags</li><br /><li>1 black Sharpie marker</li><br /></ul><br /><br />The trash bag and produce bag had never been used, and were still folded tightly in the way plastic bags are only when they're brand new. I've never figured out why unused bags are so commonly found in the environment. It's especially hard to understand when it comes to bags like trash bags that actually cost money to the people who lose them.Cousin Yellowstonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15738922942945629088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050818856871730000.post-67194493756045388572009-05-25T16:51:00.000-07:002009-05-25T16:53:12.249-07:00No-Waste Festival FunA few days ago, I went to a festival where food and beverages abounded. I've been to the same festival in the past, and knew there would be endless paper plates, plastic forks, and plastic cups. This time, I came prepared! I brought my telescoping cup, which was a no brainer as I carry it pretty much everywhere during the summer. I was less sure what plate to bring, being daunted by the prospect of carrying home a dirty plate at the end of the day. Then, I realized that one of the carryout containers I take with me to restaurants for leftovers would be ideal. The lid meant I wouldn't have to worry about hygiene going to or from the festival, and, as a bonus, I could carry a metal spork inside the container. The container I used is similar to the one in this picture: <img src="http://www.webstaurantstore.com/newspring-nc-888-b-black-38-oz-versatainer-6-x-8-1-2-x-2-rectangular-microwavable-container-with-lid-150-cs/newspring-nc-888-b-black-38-oz-versatainer-6-x-8-1-2-x-2-rectangular-microwavable-container-with-lid-150-cs.jpg" width="300" height="300" /><br /><br />Everything went very well. I felt self conscious about my dish, surrounded as I was by people with paper plates. However, the only person who commented on my gear was positive about it. Having my own plate also benefited me right at the end of the festival, when I went to a food stand where there was still a lot of food available that wasn't being served because the stand had run out of plates. As the only nearby customer who still had possession of a plate, I was served a much greater portion of food than I would otherwise have been given.<br /><br />I'm aware, of course, that there was disposable packaging "upstream" from me. This was brought home to me when a mouthful of food I ate turned out to have a strip of plastic wrap mixed in with it. However, I'm delighted finally to have found a convenient way to avoid paper plates and plastic forks at festivals. I love food-centric events, and anticipate bringing the carryout container and spork with me to numerous events.Cousin Yellowstonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15738922942945629088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050818856871730000.post-66814598490783435112009-05-25T16:50:00.000-07:002009-05-28T19:00:01.696-07:00Items collected during May 2009I'm still avoiding picking up recyclables and reusables due to the presence of swine flu in my community. However, I've made a few exceptions:<br /><br />Recyclables:<br /><ul><li>2 plastic bottles (1 Tropicana Strawberry Melon Juice Drink, 1 Deer Park water)</li><li>2 glass bottles (1 Starbucks Coffee Frappuccino Coffee Drink, 1 Jim Beam Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey)</li><li>1 aluminum can (Bud Ice)</li><li>1 instruction manual for a Nokia 6205 phone</li></ul><br />Reusables:<br /><ul><li>2 small plastic bags</li><li>1 plastic carrier bag</li></ul><br />Trash:<br /><ul><li>1 polystyrene cup with a plastic lid and straw (McDonald's)</li></ul><br />Most of the items were picked up only because of special circumstances. The Tropicana bottle rolled up and down the bus I was riding for a good 10 minutes, finally reaching the steps and rolling off the bus when the doors opened to let me off. As the only passenger disembarking at that stop, I felt responsible for it. The glass Starbucks bottle was on the road directly in front of a parked car's wheel, and would likely have been smashed when the car was next used, causing a hazard to bicycle riders on that street. The small plastic bags were picked up while I was walking the dog and knew I would likely get to use the bags within minutes. The plastic carrier bag was picked up when I made an impromptu trip to the grocery store and, realizing I didn't have enough shopping bags with me, grabbed a bag from the sidewalk near the grocery store.<br /><br />The whiskey bottle, beer can, water bottle, Nokia manual, and McDonald's cup were collected after being on the ground for so long that I concluded that any flu viruses clinging to them would have expired days or even weeks ago from exposure to the heat. I've started making a note of the other recyclables I pass so I can pick up those that have been lying around for a day or longer.<br /><br />I wish the Nokia manual had been picked up by whoever owns the Nokia phone. The manual lay in the street for a long time, and I left it there until rain was imminent.Cousin Yellowstonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15738922942945629088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050818856871730000.post-44145363509662637942009-05-09T19:09:00.000-07:002009-05-09T20:01:30.531-07:00Recyclables collected Monday, April 27, 2009<ul><li>3 plastic bottles (1 Deer Park water, 1 Powerade Zero, 1 roadkilled Snapple Fruit Punch)</li><li>1 plastic dry cleaning bag</li></ul><br /><hr /><br /><br />The recyclables listed above are the last I will be collecting for a while. My community is one of those affected by the new flu virus, and there's a chance that some of the recyclables littering the neighborhood will be contaminated with the virus. The chance is very, very low, and if I lived alone, I would continue to pick up other people's discarded recyclables. However, I don't live alone. I live with my family in a home with a single bathroom, and the sink where I rinse recyclables is shared by everyone. I hope the flu panic will be over soon so I can return to picking up recyclables. There have been so many in the days since April 27.Cousin Yellowstonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15738922942945629088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050818856871730000.post-70348271183521396172009-04-27T18:57:00.000-07:002009-04-27T18:57:00.620-07:00Why Privacy Advocates Should Act Environmentally NOWWhen I act environmentally, my concern is usually the welfare of people and animals. For example, I avoid wasting electricity because the electricity in my city is produced by burning coal, and the emissions from the power plant cause respiratory problems for vulnerable residents. Another example is collecting discarded plastic bags that may otherwise be ingested by animals living in the ocean.<br /><br />However, another motivation is wishing to stave off the draconian government measures that will some day have to be implemented if people don't voluntarily act more environmentally. We are fast approaching a point at which national governments will enact laws to force citizens to pollute less, and I'm concerned with the form those laws will take.<br /><br />One option already being discussed is the introduction of a carbon tax. There is also the potential for a plastic tax, pesticide tax, and so forth. Although these taxes have much to recommend them, they would have a disproportionate impact on poorer people. Think, for example, of the impact on a tax on electricity. For a poor family, this could mean being unable to use heating or air conditioning even in extreme weather. Meanwhile, a wealthy person like Al Gore could continue to air condition his mansion despite the tax. This clearly would not be fair.<br /><br />A more just approach to stopping pollution would be rationing. Each person would have the right to cause a certain amount of carbon-equivalent pollution and could buy a certain quantity of plastic and pesticide per year. Rationing would affect everyone equally, regardless of income level.<br /><br />If rationing was done through paper ration coupons, as was the case in the past, I would support it 100%. Unfortunately, it's extremely unlikely that paper coupons would be used, at least in industrialized countries. Instead, electronic cards similar to debit cards would be used. <a href="http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/">Such cards are already used for the United States' food stamps program</a> and other government programs.<br /><br />The implications for privacy are staggering. If there is a carbon tax, it will apply to <strong>every</strong> item transported by a gasoline-powered vehicle. (Items transported by electric vehicles will also be affected if the source of electricity is coal or natural gas.) The ration card will therefore be used for almost every purchase a person makes, from food to books to furnishings. Even with privacy measures in place, it is likely that, sooner or later, a subpoena or hacker will cause a person's expenditures to become public knowledge. Think back to Monica Lewinsky's book purchases, which became public knowledge because she paid with a credit card. If every purchase involves swiping a ration card, we could all find our reading lists made public.<br /><br />I find this prospect very disturbing. Most of us will, at one time or another, purchase something we don't want the world to know about. It may be something indicative of a medical problem, like a package of adult diapers or a book on dealing with the aftereffects of prostate surgery. It may be something indicative of our religious beliefs, which we feel the need to keep from family members or employers. It may simply be something we're irrationally embarrassed to have "normal" people know we buy, such as a DVD of a TV show we're supposed to be too sophisticated to enjoy.<br /><br />Rationing would address the pollution caused by products' manufacture and shipping to the point of sale, but would not address the problems caused by products being dumped illegally when they are no longer wanted. To deter illegal dumping, it's possible that many products will one day be sold with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rfid">RFID chips</a> embedded in them. This would be very effective at stopping the practice of people dumping fishing nets, refrigerators, mattresses, and other large items. Unfortunately, RFID chips, like electronic ration cards, would have serious privacy implications.<br /><br />I want to preserve my right to buy and use products anonymously, and I want to see poor people able to afford necessities like heating. My faint hope is that if a critical mass of people <strong>voluntarily</strong> practice rationing of gasoline, electricity, plastic, pesticides, water, et cetera, we can stave off the introduction of laws that will either erode our privacy or impose undue hardship on the poor. Voluntarily adhering to environmental standards today is much more palatable to me than waiting for national governments to enact draconian environmental protection laws.Cousin Yellowstonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15738922942945629088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050818856871730000.post-19876444697914690092009-04-27T18:56:00.000-07:002009-04-27T18:56:01.076-07:00Items collected Saturday, April 25, 2009Recyclables:<br /><ul><li>2 aluminum cans (1 Budweiser, 1 roadkilled AriZona Green Tea)</li><li>2 plastic bottles (1 Deer Park water, 1 Sprite)</li><li>1 newspaper section</li></ul><br />Reusable:<br /><ul><li>1 plastic carrier bag</li></ul>Cousin Yellowstonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15738922942945629088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050818856871730000.post-38456430929964234952009-04-27T18:55:00.000-07:002009-04-27T18:55:00.292-07:00Recyclable collected Friday, April 24, 2009<ul><li>1 plastic bottle (Powerade Mountain Berry Blast)</li></ul>Cousin Yellowstonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15738922942945629088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050818856871730000.post-65344207049016359822009-04-27T18:54:00.000-07:002009-04-27T18:54:00.723-07:00Recyclable collected Thursday, April 23, 2009<ul><li>1 plastic bottle (Coca-Cola Zero)</li></ul>Cousin Yellowstonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15738922942945629088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050818856871730000.post-64792397712162339192009-04-27T18:53:00.001-07:002009-04-27T18:53:00.207-07:00Recyclables collected Tuesday, April 21, 2009<ul><li>2 plastic bottles (1 Velicoff Vodka, 1 Lemon-Lime Gatorade G)</li><li>1 glass bottle (Conundrum California white table wine)</li></ul><br />I came across the wine bottle while on my way to a grocery store that sells wine, and was faced with a dilemma. Having a big wine bottle sticking out of my bag while I was in the store would have made me look like a shop lifter, but leaving the bottle where it was would have meant needing to backtrack to pick it up before going home with my groceries. The solution I hit on was to take the bottle to a small store just down the street from the grocery store. The cashier there is aware of my habit of picking up recyclables and thinks it's great, so I was confident he wouldn't mind holding onto the bottle for me while I did my shopping. Things turned out even better than I had planned when he said he had a load of recyclables of his own that he needed to take to the big bin at the back of the building and would take my bottle with his recyclables if I watched the store until he returned.Cousin Yellowstonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15738922942945629088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050818856871730000.post-25768038766719010012009-04-27T18:52:00.000-07:002009-04-27T18:52:01.098-07:00Items collected Monday, April 20, 2009Recyclables:<br /><ul><li>2 plastic bottles (1 Minute Maid orange juice, 1 Gatorade)</li><li>1 aluminum can (Busch Light beer)</li></ul><br />Reusable:<br /><ul><li>1 small plastic bag</li></ul>Cousin Yellowstonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15738922942945629088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050818856871730000.post-63254008761618264672009-04-27T18:51:00.000-07:002009-04-27T18:51:00.740-07:00Trash collected Sunday, April 19, 2009<ul><li>1 plastic bottle containing trash (bottle labeled Welch's Strawberry Mango Splash)</li></ul><br />I should have pulled out the trash and put the bottle in the recycling bin, but I was in no mood to handle wet, disgusting trash with my bare hands.Cousin Yellowstonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15738922942945629088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050818856871730000.post-4513296236562857592009-04-27T18:50:00.000-07:002009-04-27T18:50:01.036-07:00Items collected Friday, April 17, 2009Recyclables:<br /><ul><li>2 plastic bottles (1 Lipton Green Tea, 1 Gatorade Rain)</li></ul><br />Reusable:<br /><ul><li>1 plastic carrier bag</li></ul>Cousin Yellowstonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15738922942945629088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050818856871730000.post-84014229047323703032009-04-27T18:49:00.000-07:002009-04-27T18:49:00.897-07:00Recyclable collected Thursday, April 16, 2009<ul><li>1 glass bottle (brown bottle without a label)</li></ul>Cousin Yellowstonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15738922942945629088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050818856871730000.post-27655818207157831342009-04-27T18:48:00.000-07:002009-04-27T18:48:01.333-07:00Recyclables collected Wednesday, April 15, 2009<ul><li>1 plastic bottle (Odesse Vodka)</li><li>2 aluminum cans (1 Big K Diet Cola, 1 roadkilled Miller Lite)</li></ul>Cousin Yellowstonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15738922942945629088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050818856871730000.post-18745925419052799482009-04-27T18:47:00.001-07:002009-04-27T18:47:00.465-07:00Items collected Monday, April 13, 2009Recyclables:<br /><ul><li>1 thick newspaper section</li><li>4 plastic bottles (1 Lipton Brisk Lemon Iced Tea, 1 Glaceau Orange-Orange Vitamin Water, 1 roadkilled bottle without a label, 1 Purex laundry detergent)</li><li>1 glass bottle (Corona Extra)</li></ul><br />Reusable:<br /><ul><li>2 plastic bags</li><li>approximately half a cup of Purex laundry detergent</li></ul><br />The laundry detergent bottle was broken, which is probably why it was abandoned by its previous owner. However, by carrying it with the broken end up, I was able to bring it home and pour the remaining detergent into an empty shampoo bottle. I detest the smell of Purex and won't use it myself, but a friend uses it so I'll give the detergent to him.Cousin Yellowstonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15738922942945629088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050818856871730000.post-68380086124064209412009-04-27T18:46:00.000-07:002009-04-27T18:46:01.271-07:00Recyclables collected April 8-10, 2009I didn't get a chance to use the computer for several days, and left the recyclables I found those days in three neat little piles. Unfortunately, I ended up knocking them over, and can't say with certainty which recyclables were picked up which day. This is a compilation of all the recyclables picked up over the course of three days:<br /><br /><ul><li>2 aluminum cans (both Steel Reserve High Gravity Lager)</li><li>8 plastic bottles (3 Dasani waters, 1 Aquafina water, 1 Deer Park water, 1 Camelot water, 1 Tropicana orange juice, 1 Tropicana apple juice)</li></ul>Cousin Yellowstonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15738922942945629088noreply@blogger.com0