Traveling and trash

One of the things that has smacked me in the face quite a bit over the last few weeks was how tough it is to travel with a light impact. Forget the problem of carbon footprints from an airplane for a moment, the simple act of entering an airport means you either need to think ahead, go without, or simply accept that you're going to create a fair amount of waste. Here are a few things that I learned from my little jaunt last week.

I always carry a water bottle and coffee mug with me in the side pockets of my bag. It's interesting to see when and if they are inspected upon going through the security area, but once on the other side, the can save you a fair amount of waste....most of the time. The water bottle is obvious, drink it down before you hit security, and fill it back up from a water fountain (yes, water fountain water in almost every state is fine to drink contrary to popular belief) on the other side. Same goes for the coffee cup but with the following potential for conflict. I have run into several starbucks in several airports over the years who say that "for security reasons" they cannot fill my mug, but will be glad to fill a cup, I can pour that cup into my mug, and they will dispose of the cup for me. I've asked many times what the security breach involved with them handling my mug is and apparently this is on a need to know basis. That said, in almost every one of those cases, including last weeks, I have found an independent company in the same terminal that has not had a problem with it. Perhaps they are terrorists in disguise waiting for the moment to fling coffee mugs at unsuspecting passersby.

In the airport, you're pretty much stumped on food unless it's a $5 piece of mealy fruit. Everything else is going to be either packaged or come with plastic eating utensils. Mmmm, doesn't plastic make everything better?

On the plane you really only have one choice and that's to think ahead. Anything you are going to get to eat is going to be so shockingly packaged that you really have no option but to waste. That said, i have found most flight attendants to be fairly eager to fill my mug or water bottle, but of course the water is coming from a plastic bottle to begin with, so I always try to fly with mine full.

As far as hotel staying, it seems like the big trip up I found was soap and shampoo. I totally forgot to think about these and had to use the little tiny bottles that they had there (coming to a basement near you soon). That said, I used the shampoo for washing myself as well as my hair, so at least I cut down on the soap packaging. Had we been in a metropolitan area I guess I probably would have bought large sizes of each and then brought them home to use normally which would have cut down somewhat. Another thing I've gotten used to is specifically asking them not to give me a straw with drinks. It seems that these come even with water these days and I've forgotten several times but am getting better.

Anyone have any other good travel/waste eradication suggestions?

Dave

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Old Hair Bugging You?

Why not collect it up and send it off to Matter of Trust so they can use it to make mats that help naturally clean up oil spills.

Yep, you read that right, your hair can clean up oil spills. Beth at Fake Plastic Fish left this in the comments section and i thought it was worth posting about. Now I know in the grand scheme of things, cut hair is not one of the larger problems out there. On the other hand, if this stuff is a free and abundant resource, and it can be used to do something as good as cleaning up toxic oil spills, why not jump on board? It seems like they are interested in hooking up more with salons than with single individuals which makes sense, and sign up is free, but for $10 they will send them some posters etc to announce what they are doing. Why not pass this info along to your local haircutter and let them know that this is an option? I know if I was cutting hair for a living this would be a no brainer.

Folically Yours

Dave

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Day 3 : Haircuts and cheating

I went to get my haircut today and my dad, who is visiting and seems to find this whole thing quite interesting if not a bit odd, looked at me with a little smile and said "What are you going to do with your hair?" which I honestly hadn't thought about. So I explained my "situation" to Billy my coiffure connoisseur (who gives great $10 haircuts by the way) and he was so into it that he actually spent about ten extra minutes making sure none of my hair hit the floor. I brought it home in a bag, and spread it out on the lawn to help with birdies nests or biodegrade, whichever comes first.

Over the past two days I have found myself wanting to "cheat" several times, especially when it comes to food...well, junk food really....ok candy bars, just stop brow beating me will ya!

Anyhoo, the funny thing is that as I eye something, I weigh the "costs" of eating it (do I really want that in the basement for a year) and then I think "well maybe just one thrown out won't be such a bad thing" and then I realize that I'm the guy watching me and I'd be cheating on myself. So I sulk away and wonder why my wife keeps looking at me that way.

I fear it may be a long year.

dave

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