Going green

Quote for the day

Sandra Cisneros: "I write because the world we live in is a house on fire,

and the people we love are burning.”

The destruction of our environment through climate change and human footprint is a major concern for me—and one big reason I am so vehemently opposed to our current president. But today I read about Inkwood Books, a New Jersey store that has taken big steps to be more sustainable, and it struck me we could all follow some of these ideas. So I want to share. The bookstore is certified as sustainable under both a municipal and a state-wide program. I don’t know for sure, but I doubt Texas has such a program.

The effort at Inkwood includes LED lights and environmentally friendly appliances such as refrigerators and the HVAC system. Business cards and gift certificates come from a local printer, and food for events comes from local sources. Single-use plastics have been eliminated, which means that the store owners bought reusable water bottles for the staff and uses re-usable plastic wine glass for events. Toilet paper and tissue come from a company called Who Gives a Crap and are made entirely from bamboo. The staff cleans with a solution of vinegar and water in a spray bottle—no it won’t make your house smell like vinegar. Bags for customers’ books come from Ellerkamp, a company specializing in recycled bags and gift wrap.

We could each apply some of these ideas to our own homes. I already use LED bulbs, but today I made a note to buy a huge jug of white vinegar and a supply of old-fashioned brown paper lunch bags. Not everything  needs to go in a plastic baggie. I firmly believe the day is coming when single-use plastic bags will be universally forbidden, and I admire the states that have already banned them. I try to take recycled bags to the grocery, but sometimes—with curbside pickup—it’s not practical, and then I always ask for paper grocery bags. I buy almost no prepared food and little processed food.

I am so impressed with what many countries—some of them so-called undeveloped—are doing to save the universe. Many countries have extensive tree planting programs; others are inventing ways to re-use plastic and to clean the oceans. The United States not only lags behind, but our government has reversed regulations meant to protect the environment and us—regulations that assured us of clean air and water. They have released protected lands, even lands sacred to native Americans, for mining. I read today they have released vast wetlands in the Chesapeake Bay area for development, without any consideration of what that will do to the ecology. Mother Nature will not be ignored, and I only hope we can change administrations in time to reverse this damage.

It is curious to me that this administration doesn’t realize that if they kill us all with pollution and climate change, they will also kill themselves and their children and grandchildren. Do they not feel mortal? Our president will, I suspect, be among the first to succumb because he is in such poor physical condition. The power of the almighty dollar amazes me.

I expected tonight to feel like the most pampered woman in America—I would have a new haircut, my dog would have had a spa day with bath and haircut, and my house would be clean. Well, I got two out of three: my dog is soft and clean and smells good. And I swear she lost five lbs. I had been worrying about her weight, and I guess it was all fuzzy coat. And my house is clean, my laundry done. But the wonderful young woman who comes to the cottage to cut my hair forgot me. When I called, she said, “You’re going to kill me.” I told her I doubted that. We made another appointment for Friday. I’ll still feel pampered.