I knit. And I cook, write, take pictures. All for one low price.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

reply

Dear Jody,
Thank you for your comment on my last post.
My parents have 3 different trash cans where they are in Bavaria. One is for compost. One is for recyclable materials. One is for "regular" trash. That one gets emptied only once a month.
Can you imagine? Having your trash emptied once a month?
They also take all the glass, cans, and paper to recycling containers which are conveniently located near grocery stores. The remaining recyclable trash, like plastic, goes into the trash can they have from the town.

A few years ago, there was a new law enacted in Germany that told manufacturers to reduce packaging. For example, toothpaste tubes no longer get packaged in a box.

My mother rarely uses plastic wrap, she has all plastic containers like Tupperware that lasts a long time. Nobody has their groceries packed in plastic bags over there. They all bring their own bags, or collapsible crates (which I have seen at places like Bed Bath and Beyond). The scanned groceries get put right in the crate. Pop the crate in the car, and then carry the groceries in the house.

I know that there is no perfect solution, that there are no perfect people, and that this world will eventually come to an end.

But to bring it to an end so deliberately....when we could be doing so much to save it for future generations.

Thanks for listening!

Karin

1 comment:

melanie said...

Amen.

And you can always mix intelligent thought with knitting...if you think about it - it's a natural fit.

How about the fact that the US now ranks 41st in life span longevity? We are so "rich" we can actually make choices around lifestyle and food that are killing us...the cracker aisle is the tip of the iceberg.