WIAR: The Imperfect Environmentalist

sassypants527

This book is really informative.  I won it from Goodreads, and it's by the actress Sara Gilbert (she was on Roseanne as Darlene, and the Fanilow on the Barry Manilow episode of Will and Grace).  It's set up like a Cliff's Notes manual for being environmentally conscious, and each page addresses a topic, and has subheaders that break it into basics, more informative, and specifics.  I recommend it to anyone who feels overwhelmed with all there is to be green.

I love the headings for these.
1. Cut to the Chase, Hippie: What's the Least I Need to Know?
2. Intriguing...I Can Handle a Little More
3. I Need Some Facts to Bore My Friends With

AshleyT121

She's also Leslie Winkle on BBT!

I'm adding this to my TBR pile now!

SusieBW

That sounds like a great book.  I'm going to check it out.

RiverPlate

As an environmental professional, it blows my mind how people completely disregard the most basic of sustainable habits.  Gives me hives.  Hives.

Just because you use cloth bags and find alternatives to bleach (bad for you AND groundwater!) doesn't mean that you are committed to being a locovore organic-only vegan, cloth diapering, and only showering with vinegar and olive oil.

AshleyT121

RiverPlate said:

As an environmental professional, it blows my mind how people completely disregard the most basic of sustainable habits.  Gives me hives.  Hives.

Just because you use cloth bags and find alternatives to bleach (bad for you AND groundwater!) doesn't mean that you are committed to being a locovore organic-only vegan, cloth diapering, and only showering with vinegar and olive oil.

Amen

SusieBW

I judge folks who walk out of stores with carts piled high with plastic bags.  I just don't get it.  I saw an older couple walking out of Target yesterday with all of their stuff packed into a plastic storage bin they had just bought - but the stuff was in about 3 plastic bags inside the storage bin!  If you were just going to carry it out in the bin, what are you doing with those bags?!

@RiverPlate, what do you do?  I'm an environmental attorney.  Have we had this conversation before?

SusieBW

Dupe, sorry.  I'm still learning how to delete, I guess. . . .

RiverPlate

@SusieBW you're higher up on the food chain than I am -- I am an environmental planner with a specialty in NEPA, but have been on EMS/P2E2/sustainability advisory boards and implementation groups as a gov't consultant. 

I do try to walk the walk, but there are rational limits, and they're different for everyone.  It's amazing that people think you go to one farmer's market and pretty soon you're replacing your lawn mower with goats and creating all your electricity from a windmill on top of your house.  It's a slippery slope!

SusieBW

Cool.  I work for the state, and I mostly work for the agency's waste - Solid waste, RCRA, Brownfields - and Agriculture divisions, so I've become pretty passionate about supporting local farms, and about creating as little waste as possible.  I guess doing it for a living makes a difference, but . . .

What I hate is when people say they don't have time to recycle, or that eco-friendly behavior is too expensive somehow.  I have trouble abiding environmental apathy, I guess. 

RI has a total of ONE landfill where the whole state's trash goes.  One.  And it has a current lifespan of 21 more years (which actually went up from the 17 years they were projecting 3 years ago, thanks to an upgraded recycling facility).  I want every single RI resident to go and tour the place and actually see all of their trash, and see how small the remaining area is.  21 years is not very long.

Jen748

I'm giggling because since we've gotten a lot more green as a family, Brett keeps bringing up goats and a windmill. he's totally gone in deep.