Eager Greenie Seeking Helpful Tips On How To Stay The Course

Hi there. My name is Eager Greenie -- just call me EG for short. Don't let the name fool you, though. I'm a lot like everyone else out there, just trying to earn a living while still finding a little bit of time here and there to enjoy my life. Lately, work has been pretty crazy, but when I can find some spare time, I love listening to music, catching a flick, touching paint to canvas, or just hanging out with my loved ones -- you know, the standard stuff. The thing is, that's where the similarities between me and everyone else in my life end. The majority of the choices that I make are pretty different than what everyone else in my circle does. Let's just put it this way -- I go well beyond the standard recycling song and dance. In fact, all told, I spend an awful lot of time trying to help the environment. I've gotta admit, though...lately, I've been wondering why I bother doing what I do. I'm not really sure anymore how all of my effort is really contributing to a better world.

For every metal can that I rinse out and recycle, or for every paper label, receipt and cardboard tag that I place in my newspaper bin, there are 20+ recyclable items that someone else has thrown into my community's garbage dumpster. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd guess that 85% of what's in there at any given time is fully recyclable. I've been busted on many occasions fishing out Tide detergent containers, flattened cardboard and tons of newspapers (still in their delivery bags), as if I'm some sort of underhanded criminal. All I'm doing is adding them to my recyclables and driving them to the local grocery store where they have a massive single stream public recycling container. Fortunately, I've adapted to this dumpster diving "embarassment" by ducking behind my community's garbage container until disapproving bystanders pass, but still, it's a little ridiculous, isn't it? To heap insult upon injury, I could fish 1500 recyclable items out of that dumpster in the span of a week and no matter what, I am 100% certain that there will always be a new supply waiting in the wings.

You really don't want to hear the rest of my sob story, do you? Is it enough that I go above and beyond the call of duty to use all of the resources around me rather than automatically just buying new ones? By choice, I've become a do-it-yourself maven, always willing and able to turn something old into something new again. That includes transforming leftovers into bloody works of art! The people that I know think I'm a little crazy, though, asking:"Why don't you just get a new one?" or the ever-popular: "You're actually going to eat THAT??" while they accidentally-on-purpose toss their outdated but usable stuff du jour into the closest garbage pail. Ditto for their excess party food, leftovers...pretty much anything that they deem slightly less than fresh is given the heave-ho. Dogs don't get it, and neither do squirrels or foxes. Their non-existent compost piles certainly don't get it, either. Lord knows that they'd never offer it to the annoying greenie in the room. Perhaps they find it far more enjoyable to watch my eyes turn into dishplates as they dump sides of perfectly edible beef and platters of fresh cut fruit unceremoniously into the closest receptacle. This is just another tale in a long list of experiences that has begun to jade this Eager Greenie. So, I ask all Greenwalas who have read this far....what is it all for? How do we maintain the warm-and-fuzzy greenie momentum when everyone else around us is dumping on Mother Nature?