Blog Post #4

The last time I was really bothered about something important and real was actually quite recently, it involved the environment and the global ‘green’ movement. The older I have gotten, the more aware I have become of the environmental issues the planet and the living creatures residing on it are facing. I have become increasingly more ‘green’ in the way I live my life. I now recycle every possible recyclable material I utilize, I reuse, I drive a low emissions low fuel consumption vehicle, and I try top get others involved in recycling and reusing as well.
Recently, I overheard a woman at school talking about global warming and how she and many people she knows feels like the whole thing is just not true, how the planet goes through cycles and humans are not in any way contributing to the environmental issues of our planet. Although this bothered me a little, the statement that really set me off was when this woman explained that she doesn’t bother recycling or reusing because she doesn’t feel that doing so would cause any positive environmental impact or really even make a difference.
In my opinion, this was such an incredibly naïve and blatantly unintelligent comment to make. I was thoroughly bothered by the fact that this woman, and so many of her acquaintances apparently, felt the global green movement was not only unnecessary but also completely a waste of time. Regardless of a person’s viewpoints on global warming, the planet is changing and people can make a positive impact by recycling, reusing, and being a little more conscious about things like fuel consumption and water conservation. How can people truly justify not recycling, not making the good faith effort to be more ‘green’? It is such an easy thing to do; instead of throwing away your plastic in a trashcan, put it in a recycling bin!
Although I didn’t say anything to this particular woman about my reaction to her comments and thoughts on the subject of the environment, I did tell my co-worker about the conversation I had overheard and my opinion on the subject. I didn’t feel comfortable expressing my strong opinions to a total stranger, but was completely okay to do so to my friend and co-worker. At the conclusion of the conversation I had persuaded my co-worker to try recycling by the things I had said; I told her how easy it was and how many items are thrown away everyday that could so easily be recycled. My coworker began recycling and once she saw the immense amount of materials she had been throwing away that were now being recycled, she cancelled her trash service altogether and is recycling more and more everyday.
I probably wouldn’t have persuaded the woman at school to change her opinion or to begin recycling, but I still feel telling the story to another made an impact in another person’s life. Who knows, maybe she will tell the story to another and one more person will join in the global green movement.