Self-Made Mom

I am not sure if has anything to do with the Live Earth concert (which I’ll agree was unbelieveably dull) or the recent things I’ve seen being hauled off to garbage dumps, but for some reason in the last month I’m trying to make a concerted effort to live a little greener. (I bet it was the Jewish guilt that did me in.) I’m on a quest to try to reduce the waste we output in our house (short of cloth diapers, because I really can’t handle that) and conserve electricity.

But as our friend Kermit likes to say, “it’s not easy.” Especially if you live in Chicago. Oh, and have a kid.

A short list of what I’m trying to do (remember, I just started on this mission):

• Unplug the chargers. When I think about it, I’m charging things all the time. And as my husband reminded me, leaving a charger in with no gadget attached to it is like leaving a light bulb on. All day.
• Using sponges instead of paper towel. My go-to clean up the spill tool is a wad of paper towel. Sometimes I could go through a whole roll in a day. Not cool for the environment. I find that sponges work just as well.
• Cooking more often. All those carry-out containers (while delicious) add at least one bag of garbage to our trash. When I cook? No trash and I save money. 
• Not using the A/C unless I really really really need it. (Like I’m having hot flashes. I’m too young to have hot flashes.)
• Re-using water bottles. I like water bottles because they’re convenient, not because the water tastes better. I’ll drink good-old Chicago tap water all day long. And out of the same crappy old plastic bottle. And when I’m through with the plastic? I’ll pour the water into my Nalgene.

That’s the start of my list.  I know it’s meager, but I’m having a tough time adding to my list at the moment. This is compounded by the fact that I have a child who seems to tear through 3 outfits a day and doesn’t understand how to use the potty yet. Also, I’m perplexed by the fact that I can’t seem to figure out a good process for recycling anything in this city.  Why is so freaking hard to recycle anything in the city of Chicago?

He said look on the internet for my options.  So I did. The third link in my search? This: “The Awful Truth About Recycling In Chicago” (thanks to the Chicago Reader). I read on only to find that:

According to city data compiled by the Chicago Recycling Coalition, last year less than 9 percent of the trash Streets and Sanitation crews picked up was recycled. The figure could have been 30 percent if the city took recycling seriously.

But most Chicagoans can’t even participate in the Blue Bag program. Over three quarters of the city’s trash is generated by large residential buildings, offices, stores, restaurants, and other nonindustrial businesses, none of which are served by city garbage crews. The city does require the owners of these buildings to develop recycling plans with the private waste haulers that pick up their garbage, but few do—and the city almost never checks. City officials don’t have complete numbers, but they estimate that less than 5 percent of the trash from large residential buildings is recycled.

I know this is an old story, but it’s new to me and my new-found environmentally-conscious energy.  When we moved into our house, the Blue Bag program wasn’t even an option, I don’t think. I don’t remember anyone asking me if I wanted to participate when I called 3-1-1 (non emergency number) to get trash service. And I even looked into recycling things myself which is a bigger joke. You have to take your goods to a “drop off” center.  How does it make sense to drive the 4+ miles in Chicago traffic to one of these centers? I think the gas I would use up just driving to do this would offset the meager recyclables I could bring. And don’t even talk to me about what a time-waster this looks to be.

So I’m left asking my friends if they have any more ideas how I can be a better enviro-friendly citizen without breaking my neck and ruining my kid’s sleep schedule in the process.  Any ideas?

Tags: green, Kermit, environmentally friendly, Chicago, recycling programs, Live Earth
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Cross-posted at Chicago Moms Blog

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