In France, everyone recycles. And everyone should - for our future generation. As it is global warming is causing havoc on earth - winters are exceptionally cold with lots of snow this year and where it is tropical the heat and humidity is scorching! All this is caused by pollution and by not recycling we are contributing to the destruction of mother earth. I don’t know everything about recycling and I certainly cannot do everything, but I try to do my part. Even when I was in Malaysia, I made sure that my maid put aside glass and plastic items separately for recycling. No matter how little we do, small things do add up and they CAN make a difference.
I am not trying to be an expert on living green - I’m not sure I want to become a vegan and ride my bicycle everywhere, wearing clothes made out of hemp, and relying on solar powered lights and heating. I have not changed all my lightbulbs to energy saving ones but here are a couple things that I do for recycling:
I drink tap water instead of buying all those plastic water bottles
I recycle vegetable bags from the grocer to bag and freeze my meats in the freezer.
I use reusable bags when I go to the grocery, market and even when I am shopping. "pas de poche, SVP" is my mantra...
I use reusable children’s plates/bowls/cups instead of paper/plastic
I try to take short showers and turn the water off when I am brushing my teeth
I turn off the lights when I am not in the room and the heater when we go off for the day
I donate clothes and toys to the Secours Populaire
I recycle my cans, paper, glass and plastic
I recycle day old bread by feeding it to the birds
I use old cartons/ cardboard for Lucas' art paper
I wash only full loads in the washing machine - in cold water
Whenever possible, we try not to use the car and walk instead or take public transport
I use biodegradable plastic bags for the garbage
I bring my used batteries to the shopping mall for recycling
I close all the shutters to conserve heat in the apartment by 6 pm every night
I boil only as much water as needed
The only biggie for me now is Lucas' disposable diaper - did you know that a disposable diaper takes 500 years to decompose? We are trying to potty train Lucas now and while he tells us when he wants to "pee" or "kaka" he refuses to sit on the potty... so for now most days he goes without the diaper when he is at home. And YES, accidents do happen, and the cleaning up sucks but is a small price to pay for mother nature.
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Hi Roni,
ReplyDeleteLike you said, we can't possibly do everything to save our beloved planet but to do 'our bit' is what is important and counts. I guess many people are aware at least of what they COULD do to contribute their part but are usually healf-hearted and give up after a few weeks. And I'm sure a lot also thinks that their little act of recyling wouldn't 'do much' to change the world! That's sad. In Malaysia, the green attitude is slowly becoming popular, but our government are not doing enough to ensure participation. For example, they could allocate a recyling garbage can at all houses where they will also pick-up. It's all about changing our lifestyle, a change of mindset and I must admit that this could be difficult, especially in our society back home. Here in France, sorting your garbage at home and bringing your own bag when you do your groceries are just second nature, a norm. Since I've lived here, I've also been amazed at the 'decheteries' each town provides - a place when you can bring any recyclable wastes, especially those that don't come under plastics and metals. There, you can throw virtually anything safely, like fridges, microwaves, batteries, light bulbs and your garden wastes like branches and leaves! My thinking has definitely changed ever since I moved here, for the better, and I'm glad.
Let's all do our littlest part, if for no one else, for the sake of our children, who will inherit the earth from us, with all its malady.
Ooh and about the potty training... it's boring isn't it, during the beginning, when we have to clean up all the time? But believe me, when the day comes that he actually makes his first 'deposit' in the pot, he will soon after understand what it's all about!
Great post!
Thanks Dida :) I really should blog about Lucas' potty training. Sigh... Potty training is damn hard!!!!!
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