Going Green Ain’t Easy

Kermit the Frog got it right back in the ’70s when he sang, “It’s not easy being green.” Little did he know how prophetic his sweet voice was, and how citizens of Mother Earth would come to obsess, worry and wonder about the whole Going Green concept in the decades to come.

It’s true, most of us try to do our best. I know I’ve faithfully recycled paper, glass and plastic since 1996. And I’ve been known to step up on my soap box now and then when I learn from perfect strangers that they don’t recycle. I try to control the inevitable gasp that squeaks out of my mouth when that kind of news is broken, and I attempt to mask my disdain with a simple eyebrow raise. But bottom line, if you’re not recycling at this point, well…..it’s time to start.

But here’s the thing. I’ll add to Kermit’s lines by saying, “Saving Mother Earth is complicated!” Oh, it’s easy to save recyclables, although I have to wonder about the people that designed the little recycle logo…. You know, the three little arrows that form a triangle, protecting a miniscule identification number?

For those of us putting off the inevitable purchase of bifocals, those little numbers are killer. You should see my husband and I try to identify a number on the bottom of yogurt containers. “Is it a two or a five? Hmmm, what do you think? If you turn the container just right, stick out your tongue and blink 20 times, I think you can read it!” Can’t anyone out there in recycling school design something easier to read?

And then there’s the whole toilet flushing issue. I know that you can save water by reducing flushes, but is it sanitary? An acquaintance once told me of a rhyme she was taught as a teenager. “If it’s yellow, let it mellow; if it’s brown, flush it down.” I must have grown up in a blissfully ignorant family, because I have never been given a green light to ignore the flush. Don’t you end up growing foreign bacteria-laced specimens in the toilet bowl by “letting it simmer?” Gross to talk about, but it makes you think, doesn’t it?

The next goal in our family is to reduce the amount of plastic we actually use. In theory, this means using all the canvas totes I have piled in the closet when I go grocery shopping, instead of bringing home all those annoying plastic sacks (which I do recycle, thank you). The problem with this goal is that I always forget the canvas totes. I’ve tried keeping them in my car, but I never remember them until I’m in the checkout line. On the occasion that I actually remember to take the totes in with me, I shove them in my purse, only to forget about them until I get back into the car!

We are getting better at turning off the lights in our house when we’re not in the room, and we don’t leave our electronics running unnecessarily. Although I’m finding out just how hard it is to resist the urge to buy plastic water bottles, simply because they’re so convenient. But I’m getting there.

I’m quite sure I’m using too many chemicals on the rare occasion that I clean, although I’ve discovered a few natural cleansers that seem to work well. I’m certainly no expert, but there are hundreds of authorities out there who can tell me what to do and help me along the way.

I can honestly say that my family is trying hard to be more green. I guess you could classify me right now as just a pale shade of lime, but I’m working on it.

So I guess the main question is this: What shade of green are you?