Environmental confessions

What's your secret eco-sin?

Posted by David Roberts at 9:39 AM on 19 Apr 2005

Read more about: green living | environmental movement

Environmentalists have a reputation for being self-righteous, holier-than-thou prigs. And yeah, well, they frequently are. So in the spirit of humanizing and soul cleansing and all that, we've asked a few greens, including writers Bill McKibben and Terry Tempest Williams, to confess their environmental sins. And we're asking you to do the same!

Leave your deepest, darkest environmental sins in comments. We promise, you'll feel better afterward.

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My deep, dark secret...

I don't recycle aluminum or plastic... there, I said it. I feel better already...

Jeff

Sustainablog: http://sustainablog.blogspot.com

by jmcstras at 10:19 AM on 19 Apr 2005

I like fast food

can't help myself.

by praktike at 11:00 AM on 19 Apr 2005

I have a weakness...

I bought a 2005 Ford Mustang GT and I love driving it (but I ride my bicycle as much as possible).

Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents. It was loaned to you by your children

by celenac at 11:10 AM on 19 Apr 2005

environmental confessions

There are still some things that require bleach. I use it as the last resort, but I love it.

by seg420 at 11:11 AM on 19 Apr 2005

environmental confessions

I throw away used computer parts instead of waiting for the computer recycling day. The problem is that I have to drive to the recycling day and I don't have a car, so the dumpster is my easiest option.

by eguertin at 11:19 AM on 19 Apr 2005

#5 please.....

that's right...I love "chicken" McNuggets. I don't go to McD's often (read: a pitiful disclaimer, I know), but when I do, I get the worst, most processed thing on the menu, and I smother them with non-organic honey. and I love it. So...how many environmental "Hail Mary's" is that, six?---one for each deliciously mysterious nugget?

by MesoM at 11:57 AM on 19 Apr 2005

Ugh. Just everything.

I have a compost, but hauling every little compostable scrap home to my beloved sh*t pile is just not something I do. Nonetheless, I feel guilty whenever I toss something perfectly biodegradable item into the sterile trash can. And last weekend in Claremont I looked all over for recycling receptacles and found none, so, after briefly considering taking my plastic and glass containers home on the plane with me back to recycling-friendly San Rafael, I gave up and threw my objects IN THE TRASH! Oh, and I take long shower too. And I eat dairy products and eggs...and I drive all the way home for lunch on a regular basis rather than packing it because all I have at work is a stupid microwave and it's in the conference room so it's not always available. And I secretly like fancy SUV's...I know I know....and I leave the water on during the final phase of teeth brushing. And I frequently turn on all of the lights in a room because I love lots of light. And when ants invade my kitchen I eventually break down and start killing them in massive outbreaks of hysterical ant hatred. And on and on and on...

Felicia Chavez

by FeliciaIChavez at 12:00 PM on 19 Apr 2005

Like a spastic...

I use plastic bags. New ones. The zip- and non-zip-close sandwich size, mostly. And I don't wash and reuse them (they just never seem clean enough to put food in again, especially after holding part of a cut onion or a hunk of cheese--I like extra sharp cheddar). And just as the flower lady could grow her own or buy organic (or at least local) and the paper lady could use the backs of envelopes and letters in her recycling bin, I'm sure there is a reasonable eco-friendly path beyond my plastic baggage. I'm just not ready for it. As St. Augustine prayed, "Lord, make me chaste--but not just yet."

by Bobbi Katsanis at 12:06 PM on 19 Apr 2005

Confess

I work in the Financials Trading software industry despite being vegan, anti-car, a cyclist and often overheard espousing subtly anti-capitalist sentiments.

Re: this person:

>I throw away used computer parts instead of
>waiting for the computer recycling day. The
>problem is that I have to drive to the recycling
>day and I don't have a car, so the dumpster is my
>easiest option.

That's what FreeCycle is for (http://freecycle.org/) - someone in your town (probably someone a lot like myself) would love those parts to put in the systems they're building from old junk at home! They'll even collect from you.

Your own and others' unwanted stuff offered for free at FreeCycle.org

by Slash at 12:27 PM on 19 Apr 2005

My anti-envrionmental love is...

...NASCAR.

I am seriously addicted to stock cars that race with leaded gasoline

by southernwatergirl at 12:46 PM on 19 Apr 2005

My car

I must confess - I love my car. I could theoretically take public transport to work, but I don't. I drove when I lived a half mile from work, and I could have walked there (except in, say, snow). I now live six miles away, and I drive every day. I just love my car (a mid-sized, fuel-efficient sedan, by the way).

Ok, that felt good.

by agtpop at 12:50 PM on 19 Apr 2005

Poor, old truck

I drive a truck. An old truck. A big, old truck. I can't do too much about it at this point in my life, because I simply don't have the income to replace it.

Of course, there's also the factor that I love the old heap. I'll miss her when she's gone.

by kristress at 12:56 PM on 19 Apr 2005

long hot showers

by odograph at 1:50 PM on 19 Apr 2005

Bleach

Bleach isn't essential. You can substitute Grapefruit seed extract if you're using it to disinfect...or lemon juice for whitening laundry...

Cannabis is an essential and unique food resource, beyond the rightful jurisdiction of any court.

by projectpeace at 2:05 PM on 19 Apr 2005
[ Parent ]

recycling plastic in france

I seperate and save plastic bottles, use them as mini-greenhouses in my biodynamic garden, and make funnels out of them, but still...Taking plastic to the recycling depot means burning fossil fuel to get there. So I throw a lot of bottles in the trash and feel guilty, fanatsizing that there is a plastics seperator somewhere in the garbage disposal system, though I seriously doubt there is...

Cannabis is an essential and unique food resource, beyond the rightful jurisdiction of any court.

by projectpeace at 2:13 PM on 19 Apr 2005

Cannabis plastics

One solution to the problem of plastics is to make them out of Cannabis resins. Biodegradeable, and stronger than petro plastics, this is another good reason to end prohibition of the world's most useful plant.

Cannabis is an essential and unique food resource, beyond the rightful jurisdiction of any court.

by projectpeace at 2:15 PM on 19 Apr 2005

Take-out lunches

Working full-time and attending school full-time (and being lazy full-time, as usual), I just don't cook for myself as much as I used to. I order lunch out nearly every day, and even take out dinner a couple days a week, too. That creates a LOT of packaging. What we need is biodegradable containers & 'plastic' bags! And, umm, more time and motivation to cook..

by accel2 at 2:30 PM on 19 Apr 2005

Not so orgainc gardener

I love to grow my own food and flowers. But lurking within my garden paradise are two plants that are so invasive and damaging to native plant populations (bind weed and some sort on non-native thistle, oh and there is the burdock too) and I have had no success getting rid of them except with Round Up, an effective but oh so toxic herbicide. The shame. I feel horrible.

I also feel bad about driving my car so much, since I live in a rural area with no public transportation. I bike when I can, but it isn't always feasible. I do however take my recycling to the nearest center, 70 miles away, when I am driving there!!!

by thag at 2:36 PM on 19 Apr 2005

Eco Sins

I wash the dishes under running water, thus having to use lots of soap. I've tried to do it in a basin, I just can't stand the feel of the dirty water. I have a dishwasher but don't have enough dishes to use it often, and don't really know if it's better. To make up for it, I try to flush the toilet as little as possible.

weed

by tolley at 2:42 PM on 19 Apr 2005

Mea Pulpa

Sometimes I fail to recycle the long, thin cardboard dispensers that 12-packs of soda are sold in. (I guess I shoulda started by saying I buy 12 packs of soda, made with insulin-spiking, carb-laden, high fructose corn syrup and caramel food coloring.) Anyway, those box dispensers,(which look so handy when filled with cans on the shelf but are useless when empty) are hard to fold flat. They ruin the whole Zenlike order of my recycling bin. So I make sure no one is looking, crush the cardboard into a ball and stuff it in a plastic garbage bag. (Oh yea. That's the other thing. I don't always use recycled plastic garbage bags). Then I quickly but deftly tie the bag shut, glance about nervously and, whistling nonchalantly, carry the contraband parcel to the curb.

Of course, being a good Catholic, it's a sure bet that the plastic bag will degrade long before my guilt will.

by malinjennings at 2:45 PM on 19 Apr 2005

whoa, there, bucky!

first: please, for the love of all that is good, refrain from offering your fellow bloggers suggestions for ceasing their eco-sins. let's keep this space for confessions only. environmentalists? holier-than-thou? never.

second: my eco-sins... here are my top three: (1) i like meat (yum, bessie, bambi, and thumper), (2) i like to go places but don't like travelling, which means i fly a lot, and (3) i am addicted to fabric---i sew (using new fabric, sometimes evil fibers like rayon and non-recycled polartec) and dye (which uses huge quantities of water and not-so-friendly chemicals).

by mihan at 2:58 PM on 19 Apr 2005

I confess - I'm an awful environmentalist.

The list is long, so this could take a while...
1)I drink takeout coffee every weekday. The coffee at work sucks, and all my travel mugs make my coffee taste funny.
2)I run the water when I do dishes, and use lots of soap. The person above who also does that is my new best friend, because it's nice to know another water-waster.
3)I use plastic baggies. I have a million plastic containers, but sometimes I run out, or sometimes baggies work better. And then I throw them away. We get plastic grocery bags, too, but I recycle those - which is surely a step up from just tossing them, but a few steps down from buying those cute little hemp bags or whatever.
4)I drive a lot. I can't help it, I live in a rural area with no public transportation. And if I could afford it, I'd get a hybrid or biodiesel, but I can't so I have an awful gas-guzzling (but smallish) car.
5)I work at a job where I have to a)waste paper by printing out useless paperwork to be briefly filed before tossing (and I don't think we recycle, even though I've protested), and b)have to often ship things 3-day air, or next-day air.

There. I'm glad to get it out. I really do feel better now. Thanks, Grist - now, how many hail marys is that?

by melanie at 3:32 PM on 19 Apr 2005

I drive really fast.

I consistently speed, not like 20 mph over the limit, but a good 5-15 over, but that's not the problem, I accelerate like a race car driver. I can practically see the gasoline pouring out of the fuel injectors. I still good decent mileage (28 mpg), but that's only because I drive a small 5-speed. The manual transmission should improve mileage, but I think that's part of why I drive so fast.
Also, like some others, I have a great composter, but can't always take my stuff out there. Sometimes, I just throw it away.

by metmerc at 3:38 PM on 19 Apr 2005

Muscle Cars

Ok, My vice is muscle cars. Yes the over weight behomoths that get little better that 0 miles to the gallon. My current one is even worse because I have not had the opportunity yet to finish tuning it so it belches black smoke while it races around. (and we won't even discuss the puff cans used during the body work process) Now I try to console myself with arguments like I only drive it a few thousand miles a year and I would destroy my other car driving on the dirt roads for which I made this purchase. (My other car was the smallest car I could fit my family into that got over 30 miles to the gallon.) Unfortunately, even the knowledge that buying this kept it from the scrap heap and me from cause a manufacturer to build another (causing pollution) doesn't full make the cut since I could have bought a VW or Toyota (very used) for the local dirt roads. Oh well I confess I really like the feeling and sound of engines with excessive cubic inches of gas guzzling power.

by kcrobison at 3:42 PM on 19 Apr 2005

Wander Lust

Something that seems to be uncurable is my desire to see new places and faces. I travel a considerable amount of miles in a given year. I utilize both car and planes for my adventures. I do drive fuel efficient vehicle though.

by Green9 at 4:08 PM on 19 Apr 2005

my not so secret sin

I'm with Bill McKibben, I have lots of pairs of skis. I love skiing, I really love it, but even telemark skiing (with its plastic boots, new skis made in china, 3 hour drive one way to lift serve area and with nightly grooming and artificially made snow) has a pretty big negative impact. For years I have blithely ignored this hypocracy, or at least pushed it back down into my subconscious. But I can't deny it any longer. Driving 6 hours to ski the lifts is BAD. I know it and I still do it. Driving 50 hours across the country or flying to ski back country is also BAD, but I've done that too and will do it again.

I skiied alot this winter. It felt good.

by soma at 4:16 PM on 19 Apr 2005

You know

I take hot bath's using biodegradable soap, but my bath is not hooked up to a greywater system. The faucet leakes, and I don't know how to fix it. We have a diesel powered car with a Bio diesel bumper sticker, but we haven't converted it to grease, and the biodiesel in our area is still too expensive, so we have been running it on diesel. I used cloth diapers for my son in the begining, but every chance I get I greedily snatch up the discustingly gel laden, disposable, dioxinfull diapers.

by Cheryl at 4:35 PM on 19 Apr 2005

human weakness

SINS: electricity; a septic system; lemons from California (I live in North Carolina); long hot showers; sometimes not washing out the peanutbutter-smeared plastic baggies to reuse; buying things I could make myself, and of course driving, daily. Kozy Shack Tapioca pudding in the plastic container: you know the stuff. I have also purchased, and read from cover to cover, Martha Stewart's LIVING. And right now despite other things I could be doing I am typing this confession. Yikes.

by rose at 4:36 PM on 19 Apr 2005

harmonic-ly challenged

i use the train and my bike to get to work, then i take impressively long showers.

i play in a bluegrass band and my mandolin is made with old-growth hardwoods.

by jedfish at 4:38 PM on 19 Apr 2005

I live in a dorm

I'm pretty sure college is one of the most eco-unfriendly places I could be. I have a roomate who leaves the light, stereo, tv, and her laptop on almost constantly. There's nowhere to recycle (I'm working on it though!) The washers and dryers are not energy efficient, and I waste lots of food with my assumption that it will be edible, only to discover after a bite it is disgusting. The lights are on in the hallway 24 hours a day. Basically, dorms are horrible for the environment. -lindsay

by lindsayloo92 at 4:43 PM on 19 Apr 2005

Poison Ivy

Having tried for years to weed the Poison Ivy (which is prolific - at a children's summer camp), and ending up with such huge cases of PI that I needed to take steroids - I've been using Roundup, and feel terrible because it doesn't get rid of it (though sure does knock it back)! I'd actually love to hear if anyone has some manner of ridding an area of this marvelously prolific plant!

And, gulp, I'm a tele skier too - and yup, I love to ski the groomers!

by catharsis at 4:45 PM on 19 Apr 2005

please forgive me ...

I plead guilty to the following:

I use harsh cleansers to scrub my bathroom -- baking soda and vinegar don't demolish nasty scum and mildew, and I'm not ready to paint my bathroom black!

I own too many pairs of cute, high-heeled, leather sandals. Bought new. At Nordstrom.

I drink Chai soy-lattes from Starbucks (mmm, no one tops their spicy-sweet blend ...)

Mea Culpa!

by Kristin McGuire at 4:48 PM on 19 Apr 2005

I'm not a morning person

My problem is getting up in the morning. On a good day, which is quite rare, I can get up to catch the last #16 bus that gets me to work on time. The 16 is great since it stops right by home. If I miss that, which is usually the case, I can be dropped off at the park 'n' ride not too far away and catch the speedy #76. But those days are hard to come by as well. So, I usually end up being, ahem, chauffeured to the office.

Ok, so now that I've confessed in this public forum, does this preclude me from getting an earful from the rest of the Grist staff? On the plus side, I do travel in a Honda Civic Hybrid and take the bus home.

by Chris Schults at 5:12 PM on 19 Apr 2005

i'm a sinner...

I smoke.
but if it makes it any better and it doesn't I ALWAYS throw my butts in the trash.

by clarissa at 6:07 PM on 19 Apr 2005

Long, hot showers.....

I can't get enough of them.

It felt really good to say that.

by raspberryswirl at 6:23 PM on 19 Apr 2005

ok ok.......

I really do the best that I can......but......I have a 4-wheeler (ATV) and I love it. I try to be aware of who I am offending with it(animals,nature and or people)......but I still love it......loads of fun......especially going through massive mud pits.

by ty5396 at 6:36 PM on 19 Apr 2005

The Orkin Man

I live in the deep South. We have lots of bugs here. Big ones. The Orkin Man is on speed-dial to fumigate the assorted gargantuan insects that invade the house on a regular basis. My backyard may be Audubon-approved, but my attic is a Superfund site.

by JenG at 6:58 PM on 19 Apr 2005

Felony Sin

Among these misdemeanors I will confess to the felony sin of breaking up with my vegan, earth-conscious girlfriend because her disciplined lifestyle and general good habits drove me crazy. My penance has been crushing self-awareness and the solitary pursuit of those same values. Forgive me Julianne.

by Caleb Ewing at 8:12 PM on 19 Apr 2005

driving there

OK, I feel guilty everytime I jump in my 18 mpg truck and drive to the woods to enjoy a little time with nature. But it is a guilt I get over again, and again, and again. Basically, I hold a little Ed Abbey quote in my head - something about fight the good fight but don't forget to go out there and enjoy what it is you're fighting for. And so I do both. I note, perhaps perversely, that George Bush does pretty much the same. Had enough of Washington and the folks like us he deals with (OK, not like us, but not like him either) he jumps in his 100 gal. per mile 747 and heads off to Crawford for a little communing with nature. He must have read Abbey too.

by rich domingue at 10:09 PM on 19 Apr 2005

My sins

I sometimes use new plastic bags.

I'm ovo-lacto vegetarian, which means that I still eat eggs and dairy (but only if they are part of a recipe, not on their own, and as little as possible).

I take public transportation 85% of the time, and the rest I try to drive very conservatively (I coast a lot and keep steady acceleration), but I feel that I should be doing more by getting a bike. It's just too bad because my city isn't very bike-friendly. I do try to walk more, though.

I try to use as little electricity as possible around the house, yet I leave my computer on all the time. I feel less guilty because the CPU is crunching climateprediction.net data, and because here the electricity comes from hydro, but still, I shouldn't do that.

That's all I can think of for now.

--
SUVs are squared-out minivans.

by MikeCapone at 10:20 PM on 19 Apr 2005

Oh, let me count the ways

When I lived in Canada I used to turn the shower off while shampooing and soaping and turn it on again only to rinse. I used to only clean with vinegar and baking soda. I recycled every scrap of paper, plastic and aluminum can. I started a recycling programme in the school I worked in and insisted on having them buy a double sided printer. I told anyone who would sit next to me how bad they were for not riding their bike and turning down their furnace (I wasn't very popular at parties). I drove a very old and well loved 83 Chevy Impala but kept it maintained and only drove when I had to and took my bike everywhere. There was more of that and I was absolutely miserable and lonely in my virtuous environmental masochism.

So, 6 years down the line I confess... I LOVE long showers, they ease the tension of having to wake up early in a cold stone cottage with draughty windows and an inefficient central heating system. I live in Scotland now where the damp encourages all sorts of beasties to grow in the crevices of my house so I use super-toxic mildew remover every now and again. When I'm tired from working and studying full-time I chuck my food tins in the rubbish bin and sometimes can't be arsed to walk across the room to put my carrot peels in the compost. And I buy bottled water from France because we have lead in our pipes. I don't have a car over here but I do have a bike which I often leave at home so I can take the bus in warmth and comfort with a good book, which I probably bought new from a multinational rather than an independent.

I still eat all organic whenever possible (although it's not so local and has tonnes of packaging) and wouldn't touch McRaunchies with a ten foot pole. I garden organically and encourage birds and insects on my patch. And I sneak all of my waste paper at work into the confidential bin because it is shredded and recycled.

by lovebee at 2:53 AM on 20 Apr 2005

when that turbo kicks in...

I sold the minivan when my 3 kids were out of the children seats. We chose to get a car instead of a van because of fuel consumption. But while I was a slow, conscientious driver in my gas hungry minivan, I became a Formula 1 wannabe in my beauuuuuuuuutiful Volvo-sports-car-disguised-as-a-green-family-wagon. I just floor it any time I get a chance.

by PeaceFrog at 5:23 AM on 20 Apr 2005

Vegan Leather

Although 90% vegan (occassional pizza), I still wear my leather belts that I've had from my pre-vegan days. I dont want to discard, thus wasting the material....so I still wear them. And my hiking boots too.

I just tell everyone who asks that they are synthetic!

by alaskaddict at 5:47 AM on 20 Apr 2005

conscience inheritance

I inherited Exxon stock and I've held on to it.

by jay at 6:06 AM on 20 Apr 2005

The big one

I probably drive way too much. That's the big one, I think.

Let the jaguars return!

by Storm Dragon at 7:58 AM on 20 Apr 2005

envtal sins

I sometimes throw out cans/jars if they're just too gross. I drive the 2 miles to work. I sleep w/ my bedroom window at least partially open even in winter. I leave the water running when I brush my teeth. I leave my computer on all the time (because it takes so long to boot up). I rarely save/reuse ziplocks. I DO have cloth grocery bags, but sometimes forget them and get plastic. I use SafePaws quick melt on my steps/driveway. I live alone but still use my dishwasher. I sometimes wash clothes in hot water. I had the chance to convert heat from oil to nat. gas when my furnace blew but I didn't because the salesperson ticked me off...
THere, that's all I can think of at the moment but I'm sure there's more....

by alfogg at 8:13 AM on 20 Apr 2005

I'm a hypocrite...

I think my greatest sin is that my husband and I moved to a rural area to have some nature around us. I now compost, have an organic garden, don't use an air conditioner, cook more and get less take out and do all the good nature stuff. But, in order to do this, we now drive 30 miles (in major traffic) each way, me to my office, him to his park and ride (another 15 miles on the bus for him). And to add insult to injury, his park and ride and my office are in the same town and we don't commute together because of schedules.

by ml524 at 8:37 AM on 20 Apr 2005

I had no idea I was such a sinner

I thought the worst I did was drive an SUV, but now I realize I have been very, very bad!

I don't re-use baggies. I do re-use grocery bags.
I don't recycle soda boxes. I do recycle all other cardboard.
I am not vegan, vegetarian or any other veg. I love meat. But, I very, very rarely eat fast food.
I have a septic system. Didn't even know that was a baddie. I always thought it was better than city water.
I have a lawn tractor. But, I don't use chemicals on my 3 acres of lawn or garden. And, I try to use only hand tools on all other jobs.
I do, however use pesticides...only on wasps, though..I am terrified of them.
I use bleach on my white laundry. And hot water...but, I will re-think that one.
I am starting a compost this summer and my new years resolution was to recycle..so, I am on the right track. Right?

by jrosef66 at 8:50 AM on 20 Apr 2005

Just in Time for the New Pope

Oh yay, a confessional booth for ardent enviros.

Bless me, Grist, for I have sinned:

I love meat. To salve my conscience, I aim for consistency and eat only those animals whose other parts I use as well (drum heads, leather shoes & jackets, anyone?), and apply the "there aren't enough carnivores left to deplete the supplies and Guernseys won't run wild" rationale.
I have an insatiable book fetish, and I try to offset this with buying them used whenever possible.
Only soft, quilted, cushiony bleached-white toilet paper lives in my bathroom, with no excuses tendered. :::blushes:::

Ah well, guess I lost my candidacy for enviro-martyrdom.

by TL Patten at 9:04 AM on 20 Apr 2005

confessions

I have a problem, I know it. But ... vegans drive me crazy.

Okay, only the proselytizing, self-righteous vegans inspire my irrational dislike, but how many unobtrusive vegans are there?

by amiash at 9:06 AM on 20 Apr 2005

Mea Culpa

Being raised a Catholic (though now an animist), I couldn't resist a bit of confession. I'm definitely not a holier-than-thou environmentalist because:
- I drive my car way too much. Living in a rural area with no transportation, it seems I'm in that

by SMLowry at 10:02 AM on 20 Apr 2005

re- mea culpa

Well, something shortened my post by about 500 words. I have no idea. I hit post and only four lines made it. But I don't have the energy to go through it all again. Sorry.

by SMLowry at 10:04 AM on 20 Apr 2005

Vegans

Amiash,

Sorry if this post isn't a confession, but I just want to point out something pretty obvious that many people don't think about; there are tons of unobstrusive vegans and vegetarians out there, the reason why you don't see them is because they are unobstrusive! If they weren't, you'd notice them!

That's the same with everything. When you think that all X are Y, then think that maybe it's just a distortion, and that you only notice those X out of the total of them, and the others just blend in the crowd.

--
SUVs are squared-out minivans.

by MikeCapone at 10:04 AM on 20 Apr 2005

Confession

I drive - a lot. My job has me driving all throughout the Midwest, and when I am not travelling there is the 20 mile one way commute. My only saving grace is unlike every other person I know in my field, I don't drive around in a 4x4.
I don't buy organic as much as I should. I live just outside Madison WI, so there is no excuse for that one.
I smoke - and I don't always properly dispose of the butts.
I use a lot of paper printing reports for my job. I'm talking reams here.

by wallrock at 10:21 AM on 20 Apr 2005

I'm learning, I swear

College student here. I have a fountain pen for note-taking which I can refill from recyclable glass jars (instead of throwing away dozens of empties every semester) but with that pen I fill at least five notebooks per semester and if there are blank pages at the back at the end of the term, I generally forget about them. Also, living in a dorm I don't pay my own electric bill which leads to all sorts of carelessness. Terrible, I know. We're all paying the big Environmental Bill... but sometimes I forget. :-(

by danacoop at 11:05 AM on 20 Apr 2005

Sins

I like eating meat, especially beef. I try to find grass fed and local, and avoid the harmone / antibiotic kind, but I grew up on a cattle farm and thoughts of vegetarianism give me cheeseburger cravings. Mostly, I feel guilty about the fact that I dont really feel guilty about it.
I drink water out of disposable bottles at work. The water here is terrible, there's nowhere to keep a Britta pitcher, and I forget to wash my reusable bottle every night.
I drink coffee out of paper cups - same problem as the water. I'm lazy about doing the dishes.

by amckibbin at 11:09 AM on 20 Apr 2005

Confessions--missing the point?

Hey, folks. I don't know if anyone is reading this at this point, what with all the posts, but I felt compelled to add my own two cents.

It is great that people care so much about the environment that they agonize about which cup to buy, what cleaner to use, whether or not to drive, fly bus or walk to various destinations.

And, yes our actions as consumers (in the economic and literal sense of the word) do and can make a difference. But, in my mind those actions only have a real impact if they are made strategically.

If we wait for everyone around us to just "wake up" and start doing things the right way, we're in for a long wait.

Time is short. Our own personal resources, as well as the planet's resources, are limited. We can achieve a lot more by working together collectively, systemically, and strategically.

So, while you are spending an hour agonizing whether or not you should by the chlorine free office paper, the 100% post-consumer content paper, the kenaf-based, hemp-based, or whatever based paper, consider instead spending that hour instead meeting with the store manager to ask why the store doesn't offer more green products; or, working with your office manager to institute a greener procurement policy at work; or, working with your city council member to adopt a greener purchasing policy for the city. Or, setting up a meeting with your state representative to discuss a sustainable forestry intiative in your state.

You can spend just 1 hour saving 1 tree, or 10,000; 1 lb. of carbon, or 1000 tons. You've only got 1 hour to kill--what's the best use of that time? (Blogging doesn't count). Time, your own most precious natural resource.

Now, doing those things won't provide instant gratification or guilt-remediation like buying the greener product on your own, but it is likely to have more of an impact if we all keep at it. And what is our effort to clean up the environment really about--real change, or avoiding guilt?

by greenmark at 11:36 AM on 20 Apr 2005

i kill trees

Though I work for an online environmental magazine, I don't like reading my news from a computer screen. I subscribe to a dead-tree newspaper and magazines, and when I run across interesting, lengthy pieces online, I (gasp!) print them out.

Oh, and though I don't drive much, when I do I'm speedy and aggressive.

by Lisa Hymas at 12:34 PM on 20 Apr 2005

Ok- - here goes

I like hot, semi-long showers. Sometimes (once or twice a week) I take two showers a day- one to wake me up in the morning and one to get all the bike-commuting related grime off of me at the end of the day.
Sometimes I use my car because I've mismanaged my time, or am feeling lazy. I also let friends borrow my car when they don't really "need" it, because I want to be a nice gal and I don't think they'd understand.
Sometimes I eat out and get to-go boxes that are stereo foam and I feel so guilty!
I eat more meat and packaged foods than I should.
I haven't figured out how to systematically use my money for positive change- i.e. how much to buy on organic food and (more) sustainable products, how much to donate to progressive causes, what organizations are strategically the best to donate to, where to put my money, etc. Right now my consumption habits are very ad hoc, guided mostly by feelings and not by personal policy. I mostly buy organic and I try to buy recycled products. However, when I'm trying to decide if I can afford something or not it's more like a "ah what the heck, just go for it" kind of a decision and I'm not always sure if I really can afford products or if I'm truly using my money in a long term, beneficial way (for myself and for the world). It would be better if I'd already thought through my budget and money-related goals and came up with a personal purchase policy so that I wouldn't feel guilty or uneasy making purchase-related decisions. It would be simple, easy, effective, and guilt-free: a purchase either fits into my well-thought-out, socially/ environmentally guided purchase policy or it doesn't. Bingo! I'm working on it...

by Emily Cunningham at 1:11 PM on 20 Apr 2005

Please Shoot Me

Oh my, enviromental confessions...this could take all day!
First, I breathe, and emit dangerous levels of CO2 contributing to global warming.
Second, (please say it ain't so) I procreate. Yes, it's true. And worse, I've procreated a lot. I've had five kids. And even worse, environmentaly speaking...five daughters, five potential child bearers...
Third, being the southerner that I am I eat lots of field peas, black eyed peas, and crowder peas, which all give me, well, you know, so I emit dangerous levels of methane...
Fourth, I go to church on Sundays when I could be, a) not driving, b) staying at home breathing very slowly reading my Rodale books.
Fifth, as I just alluded, I read books, the kind with paper...and I use paper for other things too...
Sixth, I use a gas lawn mower...the city makes me mow my grass and I'm too lazy to push a manual mower
Seventh, beign the southerner that I am I listen to southern bands like the Allman Brothers very loudly in my car....that's pollution, right?
Eighth, as I alluded above, I drive, an old Honda Civic with 225,00 miles, but I drive nonetheless...
Ninth, I have four cats, but only one is outdoors, though he likes birds, chipmunks, and rabbits very much...bad kitty
Tenth, to atone for many of the above sins (and more) I married a Canadian who despises field peas and hates the Allman Brothers, and she couldn't follow my lead in voting for Bush even if she wanted to.

Joel Gillespie Greensboro NC jsgillespie@mindspring.com

by joelgillespie at 1:37 PM on 20 Apr 2005

a crappy thing to do

all my confessions revolve around excrement...

a) I buy huge lots of inexpensive, bleached toilet paper at Costco.

b) I do not make the extra effort to take the spent toilet paper tubes and paper wrapping from the new roll to the recycling bin--I just toss 'em.

c) I use bleach to do my whites--which I justify by the fact that it removes the germs left in the washing machine by the load of poopy diaper covers I wash right before the whites. Also, most of my whites are rags that I use for cleaning up poop, snot, or food from my child or the places he's put them, so they need to be germ-free for the next round of excrement removal.

(Purists reading between the lines will note that I also drive a car--to big box stores, no less--and procreate, but there are some things I just refuse to feel guilty about.)

by gmama at 2:34 PM on 20 Apr 2005

Sounds like someone i know!

Is this my boyfriend Scott? You sound just like him!!!

by thag at 2:43 PM on 20 Apr 2005
[ Parent ]

Goats!

Since you asked (and since I am RoundUp guilty too)- there are people all over the country who will rent out goats to get rid weeds (including PI), and just about any other growing thing you don't want.
They set up a portable pen in the area needing the weed removal, and leave it there until the goats do there thing. Goats are very effective and often once is all you'll need.

by thag at 2:48 PM on 20 Apr 2005
[ Parent ]

culturally insensitive

My guilt is a little environmentally insensitive, but more culturally so. I live in a mountain town in Arizona (yes there is more than desert here) with a ski resort. Said ski resort has proposed snow making. I refrained from voting against it, because i just could not bring myself to be a part of limiting my winter recreation options. And anyway they will use recliamed water for the snow not groundwater, which as you can imagine is limited in Arizona. There are slight traces of phamaceuticals that cannot be removed from the reclaimed water, but this water would be pumped into a local watershed regardless. Anyway, the culturally insensitive aspect of it all is that the peaks where the ski resort is located are sacred to the Hopi and Navajo tribes, who, frankly, dont want shitwater on their mountain. To top off my dilemma, my wintertime employment depends on a good ski season, as i manage a ski and snowboard rental shop (which i hope to buy within the next year or two).

There it is, and i still feel torn and not too much better.

by mtngoat at 6:38 PM on 20 Apr 2005

wondering if it matters

I share many of the sins listed above. My biggest sin is probably wondering if all of my worrying is for naught. If I'm "environmentally concerned" and am a sinner (jet fuel and car fuel my biggest), what about all the people that aren't concerned? And then I hear that nuclear fuel may be the answer to our fuel crisis, heck that just makes me not care when I forget my canvas bags. Alas, I'll still worry and keep up the things that I do, perhaps add some bigger improvements, but its hard to keep the faith.

by perifrog at 6:45 PM on 20 Apr 2005

1977 Ford F250 Custom

I drive a pickup that gets 9 mpg. It's supposed to run on leaded gas.

On the upside of things, it's way more badass than a H2, it's bigger, more practical, and it's got a Kerry sticker.

As penance, I ride a bike and don't even have a car when I'm away at college.

by rimv at 7:07 PM on 20 Apr 2005

Oh dear

Sometimes, when I get obsessive-compulsive, I use poor tissue papers to open public restroom doors, and discard them after while getting the heebie-jeebies.

Still at other times, I like to feel like a princess and take hot baths, before my dates, wherein I allow my boyfriend to pass for me in his car, though my house is totally out of the way.

I love anything wooden (though I make sure it's sustainable, but who really knows anyway). And I love our ivory heirlooms.

Now I feel really bad.

by bvmisa at 8:30 PM on 20 Apr 2005

Confession Time

Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.

I refuse, utterly refuse, to put fluorescent lights into my house. I look yellow and wan all day long at work, I refuse to look like sh*t in my own house.

My city doesn't have recycling for "multi-family dwellings," i.e., apartments, but I do try to take my recycling to my aunt and uncle's house, although their city only accepts 1 and 2 plastics and the kitty litter comes in #3 plastics. I just found that out, so I'll be trying to switch next kitty litter purchase.

I walk to work every day, rain, snow or sun, but then spend the summer driving to Champ Car races (they use methanol, not gasoline).

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

by katm6 at 9:02 AM on 21 Apr 2005

Kinda keeps me up at night

I try, but there are several ways I fail.

I order way too make take out food in those disposable containers
I love take out coffee, but am too lazy to bring the personalized mug my girlfriend got me for my birthday and use those paper cups instead.
I travel (preferably by jet), but I don't own a car and am a huge fan of mass transit
I ski, but as time goes on, I enjoy it less and would rather hike.
when I do drive, I like to go fast. I just got back from the Autobahn and it was a rather guilty pleasure.
I prefer plastic garbage bags. They make disposal so much cleaner and easier, although I recyle and compost as much as I can.

As you can see, my sins are several, but I do recycle as much as I can, take the subway, and avoid newspapers; I prefer to read online publications such as Grist.

by russellp at 11:22 AM on 21 Apr 2005

live gracefully within the paradox

I struggle with this every waking moment of everday, and sometimes in my sleep. But at this moment in time all we can ask to do, as my friend Michelle repeatedly urges, is to "live gracefully within the paradox." It is not an excuse, but we are in an age when it is necessary to move about the planet and to use computers and eat food that isn't organic. This, of course is changing, and the best we can do is live gracefully.

I can enumerate every sin, as I have many of them written down as a reminder of what to avoid next time. But these are the ones I just need to get off my chest:

I kill fish for a living, as a commercial fisherman. Living in rural Alaska, I hunt and fish regularly, and don't have access to the beautiful recycling centers I have seen around the Lower 48, so I often just burn my trash. I've dumped oil, bleach, polyvinyl line, aluminum, steel and various other chemicals and materials in the ocean at some point in time. I have caught fish and other things that I didn't mean to catch. I sometimes catch other types of fish and eat them, without reporting them. I like driving fast in my boat. I take my cat to our cabin and she kills songbirds.

by iamalaska at 1:43 PM on 21 Apr 2005

This is hard

Sometimes I use and then throw out ZipLoc bags that are in good shape
I own a pickup truck.

There!

by phillucchino at 2:44 PM on 21 Apr 2005

on environmental guilt

To all of us out there who feel guilty about environmental sins, there is a condition we are suffering under, and Ivan Illich had a name for it: "Radical Monopoly", meaning that the society in which we are embedded creates conditions under which it is very difficult to choose alternative kinds of behavior (like not driving a car when everything is at a great distance, because we have been driving cars for so long). "Radical Monopoly" is at work in many of our guilty behaviours, and the conditions have to be attacked socially. Individual guilt doesn't cut it.

Here's the challenge: "Radical Monopoly" is a dumb name. We need a new one, one that people will understand, (so they can move on to feeling guilty about not taking social action, instead of thinking they have to be perfect as individuals). So does anybody have a good name for this important principle, one that would take off?

by Beedy Parker at 5:16 PM on 21 Apr 2005

laundry

OK-- I have decided that my biggest sin is not bringing home my wet washed clothes from the laundromat and stringing up a clothesline to dry them. I live in a rural area, but it seems so inconvenient to bring them home all wet!

2- I haven't harassed my landlord into replacing my circa 1980 fridge..

3- I don't try to help change things locally as much as I should be.

but, I quit smoking and eating meat and driving over 65mph this spring..and I've decided that one of the biggest things one can do is refuse to procreate (I'm 29)(I plan on taking a foster kid or adopting when I get settled) so i feel ok.

by VTsquash at 7:33 AM on 22 Apr 2005

Not Sanctimonious Enough

I sure ain't perfect (i can't get to my job with public transportation and it's too far to bike, for one thing, and often i buy my clothes from known sweat shop users), but i feel like everyday i am adopting more choices into my lifestyle that are good for the environment. I think my worst environmental sin is that I keep my desires to be earth-friendly mostly a secret. For fear of being seen as preachy, or for seeming too hippy-dippy, I allow many of my friends and family members to commit egregious wrongs against the environment, and i say nothing, even though what i really want is to get my mother to plant a vegetable garden and trade in her suv for a hybrid, and for my friends to stop going to starbucks and telling grocery checkers that "plastic is okay." Sometimes my boyfriend throws an aluminum can away and i wait until he leaves to put it in the recycle bin so that he doesn't think me obnoxious for wagging my finger and saying "uh uh uh, recycle, recyle". even more so, i secretly want to completely change my career path, right out of college, from english to environmental engineering, so that i can build self-sufficient houses out of earth-friendly materials. My mother wants me to be a lawyer. i think it's time i came out of the closet.

peebs

by peeblesl at 1:13 PM on 22 Apr 2005

I drive and fly

I live in an urban sprawl neighbourhood and drive across the city to work. Took 9 trips for work in the last year. And, sorry, Umbra, I reproduce.

Good things - compost, recycle, organic gardener (to sorrow of neighbourhoods), eat only organic beef (mad cow scare), obsessive about energy efficiency and turning off appliances, and have firm plans to buy the hybrid Smart Car when they get the car-seat airbag-turnoff doohickey that they have in European models.

by moremi at 2:42 PM on 22 Apr 2005

deep dark secrets

Ya know, I've loved cars, trains & motorcycles since I was a kid. I own several (well, not trains) and I really like them, though I drive them less & less. It's a guilty, guilty pleasure.

sustain - it's harder than you think.

by Saucerman at 5:09 PM on 22 Apr 2005

my boyfriend's darkest secret...

Imagine this... a man who wants a honda civic hybrid, vegan, animal loving treehugger that hates to see the earth getting f***ed up every day by selfish people around the world... works for a COAL FIRED ELECTRIC POWER PLANT.... Mine, well, I am a vegetarian on the sames lines as my boyfriend with everything else.. and I work at a bbq place.. yeck...

That's right, I'm a treehugger, so deal with it!

by enjoyantigravity at 9:16 PM on 22 Apr 2005

unconverted

Several months ago the feared 'check engine' light came on in my '97 Subaru. My mechanic diagnosed a bad catalytic converter, and I have not had it fixed since - Oh the greenhouse gases! The NOX! My bad.

by Ann Burruss at 4:12 AM on 24 Apr 2005

If only confession would make the retching stop...

The path in my (native plant, xeriscape, organic) garden puddles up in rainy weather so I dug a trench to make a drain. Then, I ordered 4 yards of gravel to put in the trench. The gravel came from the same quarry I use as an example, in classes I teach, of the destruction caused by the resource extraction industry. The hypocrisy is more nauseating than the enviro-crime.

by licheniche at 11:13 AM on 24 Apr 2005

Soooo American

This discussion is over the hill.

Did Oprah post this soul-searing question? What does it matter that we confess our eco sins. We don't have the luxury of time to waste on this cathartic moment. Folks, the bow is pointing down. Does the planet really care if we buy environmentally unfriendly copy paper.

CO2 is increasing almost 2 ppm/yr. Isn't that compelling enough to deserve a more meaningful discussion? We are such modern Americans!

by johnmcc793 at 10:51 AM on 25 Apr 2005

It all began in Sin City

johnmcc793:

The genesis for this discussion can be found here (if you're actually interested):

Sin City
So tell us ... what's your dirty little environmental secret?
By Lou Bendrick

by Chris Schults at 10:59 AM on 25 Apr 2005
[ Parent ]

eeps...my slightly-neurotic ways!

I am slightly neurotic about using the toilet if anyone is around (any place but at home, unless there are guests over at home)...so....
I turn on the tap and/or fan to "cover" any sounds I think people will hear. This started at my boyfriend's house where the upstairs washroom is right across from his dad's office. Even if I'm taking a quick pee! Sigh.

Other than that, I try to be good..
*I've been a vegetarian (no eggs/rennet-filled cheese/leather/etc) for a long time, but I've been trying to transition to being a vegan for at least 8 months. I struggle, what with ice cream, chocolate, pizza (with rennet-free cheese, of course), and the occassional baby bel and little ceasers crazy bread (oh, rennet-filled cheese, how good you are!)
*I have switched to a "nicer" laundry detergent, but I have yet to hand dry all of my stuff...when you have ten zillion undies and socks to dry, it's just easier to pop them in the drier!
*I have switched to washable menstrual products, but I wonder if the effectiveness of them is worn off since I have to rinse and soak them before I even wash them in the washing machine!
*I don't have my driving license, but I don't take public transportation nearly enough - my boyfriend or my parents/brother drive me.

I'm sure there's more...but these are the ones that bug me constantly.

nanu

by nanu at 11:03 AM on 26 Apr 2005

Self Righteous? How about way too serious...

This was supposed to be (I assume) something amusing. We probably shouldn't make more of it. That said, one could also perceive it as a relevant discussion because sometimes, when a person has a "why bother" attitude, it helps to remember that all the little things we do indeed count. Think about this: If the paper you buy, the food you eat, the time you spending thinking about this doesn't matter, then let's all stop. Let's stop recycling, stop thinking, stop caring. It would make my life easier. But no, that would be crazy talk. And while most of these confessions are not "sins" and they shouldn't be agonized over, it helps to know that when you toss that scummy jar of whatever was too nasty to wash in the trash, then feel guilty because you know that you COULD have washed it if you wanted to but you didn't, you are not alone. Even the best environmentalists, perhaps for some of us, our heroes in the movement, screw up every now and again. Yes, CO2, climate change, species extinction etc. are all MAJOR issues. Quite frankly, I have a job and it's not in one of these areas. I don't have TIME to stop climate change or do research or anything that would make a serious impact. So I do what I can. And if all of us who are not in a position to make major/significant change at least do what we can, then it's something. Let's not discourage anyone who is trying to help. And, finally, we have to be leaders. "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." (Ghandi) If you're not doing what you can, how can you expect anyone else to follow you?

by ml524 at 6:28 AM on 27 Apr 2005

rubbish

Since moving to Wales, I've had to put things in the bin (trash) that I never would have done. Namely, when items in my refrigerator get to a critical point, such as half-used containers that are beyond any recognition, I do toss them sometimes without washing and recycling. Also they do not recycle glass bottles used for oil (e.g. olive oil bottles) which means we have to put the bottles in the bin!!

Also sometimes I buy those potted herbs in Tesco which are meant to use and discard - since I don't have a garden I can't plant them and they usually don't survive long on the window-sill...

by reneerose at 4:51 AM on 30 Apr 2005

ADVERTISING POLICY

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