I've been traveling across the country on a Tractor Trailer 18 wheeler with my husband (Danny) since April 13, 2010, I am working with my partner, friend and the founder of Sustainable 1000 Eco-Road Trip, Shane Snipes.
When I agreed to go on this journey, it was with great turpitude, I could not imagine what it would be like sleeping on the truck, taking a shower in public places and trying to maintain my healthy diet, however, I am still hanging in here for the sake of educating me and you about what is sustainable and the impact on our environment.
I hope you read my last post on Agribusiness in the Delta (Mississippi and Arkansas), that was disheartening to see.
We continued on our journey through one maze of truck stops after the other, bathroom breaks, a quick bite here and there. One day it dawned on me as I cleaned off the truck for the 20 millionth time that day, where are the recycle bins ? I had placed all recycle items in a bag to dispose at the next stop. Imagine my response when I asked "where to place the items for recycling?", pardon me ,you said "you ain't got nothing like that here !" Then it hit me, how are we really reaching the masses, the people that go to work everyday in the factories that we are hauling freight to and from, they are the glue that holds it all together in a good and bad economy. Like the farmers were years ago, they are the new stewards of the land (Mother Earth) .
How are we going to approach them and recruit them to join the efforts to create sustainable
practices, what will we say about placing recycle bins at truck stops, where millions of bags of trash with recyclable items are sent to the landfills everyday. Truck Stops are a multi-million dollar operation, shouldn't they be held accountable for not providing the opportunity for those that would, could and should recycle.
How will blue collars turn green, how can we advocate being better stewards of the planet. As we approach the 40th anniversary of earth day, we should list ways we can become a dedicated steward, we must respect the earth, the provider of life. When we hurt the environment, we hurt someone else. List your ten ways to honor Mother Earth, share them with me on this blog. Stay Green!!!!
Hey Mother Green Ilene,
ReplyDeleteThis is so true. As a road warrior who regularly conquers the stretch of 95 between NYC and Charleston, recycling is always a challenge. We normally end our journey with an extra bag of "stuff" that is destined for our own recycling bin.
But, we do try to make our trips (and our lives) more green. The boys (7 and 3) and I are working collaboratively to try to save Mama Earth. And when I'm slipping - they are quick to remind me.
Our strategies:
When traveling:
Pack lunch and snacks for our road trips. At least as much as possible. But sometimes you gotta give in and pick up some ice cream in exchange for 100 miles "he touched me!!" free travel.
Purchase non-excessively packaged products. So instead of a carton of juice boxes, we will get a bottle of juice and pour it into travel cups. We do this at home too. No Capri Sun packages in our daily lunches!
No extra napkins or paper towels from the rest area. We take just what we need. Otherwise the extras end up unused and in the trash when we clean out the car anyway.
No washing of the car! The people love us where we're going whether or not we have bug carcasses on it. If its totally offensive we try to visit a place that uses grey water. But we usually just wait until we get home.
At home:
We have our own organic garden. Our goal this year is to grow 3/4 of what we eat in terms of vegetables and herbs. Last year we had a great time. The boys learned where food came from (I'm a NYC kid - born and raised. I had no idea what a real cow looked like until I was grown); how to distinguish different vegetables by the leaf shapes; and how having our own garden saves fuel, packaging, and money.
We use a clothesline. The youngest gets in on this action. He hands it to me, I hang it. Its fun and using passive energy to dry our clothes. I also use cold or warm water only when washing.
We actively recycle - we are only one of two families on our block who put out our bins. Hopefully people will see that we continue to do it on a regular basis and try it out.
AND when I say we RECYCLE, WE RECYCLE. Our planting beds are made of found cinderblocks and wood. Only one of 4 beds were constructed with purchased wood. We compost both in a tumbler and in a ditch. We purchase really great furniture second hand. And I am about to make a composter for puppy poop. No more bagging stuff in the yard and tossing it out.
I bake all of our bread. Its fun and it keeps us from accumulating and throwing out all of those plastic bread bags.
No weed and feed! Much to the chagrin of some of my neighbors. Hell, when you cut it down it looks like grass to me. The bees like the clover.
And last but not least - we love our bikes! I have a trailer for Elias and Manny is wicked on two wheels. While its not safe to ride everywhere (I wish Charleston would get on some bike lanes!) we are able to ride to the store or to visit friends. The car gets to stay put, and we all get exercise while running errands.
Love you!
jj