I'm on a journey to find health and happiness through a more holistic and green lifestyle.

I find the world to be abrasive. =) That is to say, I feel the need to armor myself, physically and emotionally, in order to face life. Don't we all? Maybe. For whatever reason, it has become a priority in my life to rid my immediate environment of irritating things. And I'm sensitive! So there is much work to be done. But. I have thought for a long time that the things I come in contact with every day, and the stuff used to clean and maintain these things, need to be gentle and non-toxic. I have had eczema my entire life. For a long time I just dealt with it, and accepted that sometimes it's bad, and sometimes it's not, and that it will fluctuate a lot. Gradually over time I have come to find that certain things, fabrics, cleansers, materials, are more irritating to my skin than others. Stress can exacerbate it. In more recent times, I have realized that every aspect of my life improves when I improve conditions for my skin. Hah! What a concept! Thus my (long time) interest in going green, and my more recent desire to live a more holistic lifestyle. (I think I've felt a desire for a long time to live in a harmonious way with myself, my surroundings, and nature, but didn't have a name for it.) Anyhow, this blog is a journal of my trials and errors, and basic crooked path to find a balanced and peaceful existence for myself and my family. Thanks for your interest! I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas!
Showing posts with label waste. Show all posts
Showing posts with label waste. Show all posts

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Paper napkins

Sometimes I go to fast food restaurants. I know, I know. But I do. Sometimes. And every time, I receive a stack of napkins. It doesn't seem to matter how much food I order. I receive an obviously quickly grabbed stack of paper napkins-way more than I need. It's such an obvious waste of paper. What's worse is I have seen, and on more than one occasion, a person grab a handful of napkins to wipe his or her mouth! Or use what he/she needs, but toss the entire bunch away. Agh! I collect them. (My own, not others!) I have them in the glove compartment of my car, my husband's car, and in the house. I use them when we're driving and the kids are snacking. I use them for those in my life who have trouble adjusting to cloth, even while visiting my home. I use them when we run out of cloth napkins. (We've been without a functioning washing machine for a while now.) I remember a former co-worker of mine once talking to me and others about an article she read. It discussed how people use far more paper toweling to dry hands than is needed. She went on and on about it, about how she is being more conscientious about it as a result. At lunch time this same woman grabbed napkin after napkin after napkin to wipe her mouth and hands! (No, I didn't point this out to her, but chuckled and rolled my eyes internally) People are people after all! But geez. And it's not just fast food places of course. It's everywhere. I guess the answer is to appeal to the restaurants themselves, or in some way have a dispenser so people can take what they need (prob not very helpful, but maybe) or something. It just seems like such an easy way to reduce waste. Thoughts?