Soap Box

I apologize but I'm going to have to hop up on a soap box for a minute...

Many of us, myself included, have gone to the theatre to view the Simpson's movie. Embedded in the typical Simpson's humor are a lot of messages to us. As usual, Lisa (and her new boy Colin) have made an attempt to bring out the environmentalists within us. Lisa's character is one which I look up too for many reasons; she's intelligent, short, has blond hair, and tries her best to educate those around her.

The day after seeing the movie I arrived at the airport to board my flights to England. My lay-over in Dallas lasted 3.5hrs longer than expected so I had plenty of time to hear the daily news stories repeated on the television near the gate. One of Tuesday's key stories mentioned a possible tax on bottled water in some cities like Chicago. It gave estimates that 1 liter of water actually takes 3 liters of water to produce. When you sit and think about the filtration, the gas used to transport the bottles, and the waste they create, it is quite remarkable. We Americans are often very selfish. While thinking we're being good to our bodies, drinking filtered water, we are actually hurting ourselves by creating such waste.

When I was leaving Idaho in June I saw a girl with a water bottle inside the terminal. At first I was confused, wondering how she'd gotten it past security. I quickly realized my ignorance... empty water bottles are fine to carry through. So today I brought my empty bike bottle and filled it at the drinking fountain past security. I saved some $ and felt a whole lot better about myself when I sat in Dallas realizing how much waste each bottle creates. Of course, the gilt was reaching high levels as airplane food was served and I ate only one thing off the plate.

So... my point is this... we will all create a lot of waste in our lives but taking a quick minute to think about ways to reduce it a little can help a lot. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - the best thing I learned from elementary school.