It's Called "Lazy Environmentalism" for a Reason

Okay, so I did complete my Things-a-Day. I swear. I just kept putting off blogging about them. I'm really bad at that kind of thing. And by "that kind of thing" I mean "having focus of any kind."

I was even keeping a list of the things that I was doing so that I could post-date some bloggery.

That fell through, too.

I'm going to try to put some up though, because some of the stuff I discovered was super exciting and I want the 3 people that read this to know about them!

Although, I guess I could just call those 3 people and tell them.

But I'm REALLY bad at remembering to call people.

Ugh. Being this lazy is a LOT of work.

#22: Bag Lady.

Around a month ago, the Student Union on my college campus caught on fire.

I'm not going to pretend that this isn't funny.

The point is that I couldn't buy my lunch on campus even if I wanted to. Which I don't. And even though I use a washable, reusable container for my sandwiches, I still use plastic baggies for snacks. And despite the fact that I use them until I start to get a little uncomfortable, I do have to toss them eventually.

So, today, I got myself some unbleached, natural waxed paper bags that are "non-toxic when incinerated, landfill safe and will not contaminate ground water" (says the box)(...by 'Natural Value').

Also, they make all of my food look like gourmet treats, even though I got them at Costco. Hooray!

AND, at around $2 for a box of 60 bags, it's not some big expenditure. It might even be a better deal. I guess we'll never know.

#21: Door...Whore.

Okay, I like the handicapped. I like things that help the handicapped. But it really chaps my ass when perfectly able-bodied human-beings push the Handicapped Door Button so that they don't have to exert the teensiest amount of effort to push open a door.

Anyway, I have noticed as of late that many of these doors now open electrically even if you're not a jackass. Even if you're trying to simply push the thing open yourself! So, I am doing my damndest to avoid** these and other automatic doors to save even the smallest amount of electricity. Because, seriously, how lazy are we?

**I do acknowledge that sometimes this is unavoidable, like at Safeway, if I want to enter a building. Also, sometimes I accidentally push on the wrong door and it turns out to be the auto-door and then I get SUUUUPER pissed. But I internalize it, so that's good.

#20: College. Online.

(Thanksgiving made for a busy week. I may not have had time to blog, but I definitely had time for some Shenanigans...This is one of a week's worth of catch-ups)

College creates a lot of paper waste. Also, brain waste. But, back to the paper:

I discussed before some ways that I cut back on paper waste, but, then, a teacher of mine and I were talking about a review I needed to turn in and it dawned on me that I could try to eliminate paper all together!! Hooray!!

Instead of printing out a huge-ass paper, I just emailed it straight to the professor and she read it and marked my grade without it ever needing to be printed out! Admittedly, this is a Shenanigan that wouldn't work with every professor, but from now on I'll be checking it out and utilizing this process whenever possible. Good for me.

By the way, I got an A. Good for me some more.

#19: Dial 'R' for 'Recycle'.

(Thanksgiving made for a busy week. I may not have had time to blog, but I definitely had time for some Shenanigans...This is one of a week's worth of catch-ups)

Whooooo hates phonebooks?!?

"I do, I do!"

For serious, has the phone company never heard of the internet? And what happened to the days of only one phone book? And why in the hell do I have an entire section of my linen closet dedicated to these bastards?

I collected all of those ridiculous phone books and recycled the hell out of them. Almost 700,000 tons worth of phone numbers every year. I know it's tempting to light them on fire, right there on your front porch, but, until some kind of legislation is passed to make the horror stop, recycling is your best option.

Sorry.

#18: Razor's Edge.

(Thanksgiving made for a busy week. I may not have had time to blog, but I definitely had time for some Shenanigans...This is one of a week's worth of catch-ups)

Yes, yes, hairy legs are gross. Especially on Women. Whatever. Why is it that some things are okay for men, but are abhorrent for women? Ugh.

Well, this isn't going to seem like a very big Shenanigan to some, but let's all remember that I'm CRAZY, so this one's a huge deal for me. I am only shaving my legs every other day--sometimes longer--to cut down on not only water waste in the shower, but material waste due to constant razor use. I'm a little freaked out just thinking about it. I hate stubble. I'll get over it.

There ARE recyclable razors, as well as razors that can be sharpened when they get dull. Unfortunately, I haven't found any that are terribly realistic for me yet, but I am on the hunt and will blog it on up when I do.

#16: Fizz, Fizz, Clean, Clean,

(Thanksgiving made for a busy week. I may not have had time to blog, but I definitely had time for some Shenanigans...This is one of a week's worth of catch-ups)

This was a Thanksgiving Shenanigan...Thanksgiving makes for food which requires pots and pans. Here's the thing: Remember the clove boiling? Yeah, we have a new rule in our house...

I'm not allowed to do that alone. Because I leave the room. And forget about it. And then it burns. And the burnt clove water doesn't come off so well, I don't care how long I soak the damn thing. Fortunately for us, our gravy pan was saved by forgoing usual chemical laden cleaners and using a safe mixture of vinegar and baking soda to clean with.

A-mazing!