’bout what goes on in the real world and such
Half of me is certain, the other isn’t sure
I have been thinking about my April resolution, which was to make small changes to go green. I have always been a science buff and it just seemed like a natural extension of that. The small changes that most greenies make were pretty simple. It took no time at all to add them into my routine. I drive a hybrid, use reusable shopping bags, recycle, use my very own nalgene bottle (check out http://www.filterforgood.com/ for a great cause), buy organic when I can, etc. Even trying to venture into organic clothing, already use organic yoga items, but that's a lil more difficult.
The source of my split decision is the fact that as the green side of me wants to be closer to nature, the science side of me really loves and thrives on the many advances that the world is witnessing right now. The problem is most of the scientific breakthroughs that I love to read about and hopefully experience firsthand are chemically based and potentially harmful in the end. Harmful does not have to mean direct destruction to the environment but could also mean harms from production process, animal testing, etc.
What is a girl to do? I have looked into companies in the area and have found one local company (but not small but any means, one of the leading in the industry actually) tries to offset any negatives but having their facilities sustainably designed. I suppose it makes me feel a lil better that companies are also taking the small steps necessary to make a bigger, better impact in the world.
Is the wool being pulled over my eyes though? I feel like this is something that I will struggle with for many moons to come. No to high fructose corn syrup but splenda as a low calorie option? Yes to locally grown, organic tomatoes and wild alaskan salmon that traveled thousands of miles? No to plastic bags while shopping but yes to disposable laboratory equipment?
It's a hard thing to wrap my head around because in our world of new technologies, science and medically related, new things come up so quickly that things become obsolete and this leads to more waste that is not as easily reused. Medical equipment evolves into things that we couldn't have imagined but medical tools must be discarded in order to keep things sanitary. Where does this cycle end and become something that I can really stand behind? I suppose I shall be a living contradiction until I can figure that out.
Blog Action Day - October 15, 2007
