While I like to think that the decision to procreate is an act of faith in the positive qualities of living, I can't ignore the turn of page reality--that human existence is taking a dramatic toll on the environment...and it's possible that we see here today, may not be the same as what we see here tomorrow...
My paper towel story: Every time friends, relations, housekeepers, babysitters etc enter my home, there is an inevitable mad scramble/search--Where Are the Paper Towels? Assuming they are hiding, they look under the hanging cabinets for a dispenser, on counter tops, on top of the fridge...under the sink, in the cabinets...before I direct them to a drawer--filled not with an endlessly convenient supply of disposable paper towels--but a various assortment of cloth towels--all used for the same purpose. Usually after an initial distasteful look at my admittedly, unappetizing drawer of rags, something is said along the lines of, "I guess it is less wasteful."
Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of disposable items in my home--I do have two toddlers afterall--and the paper towels thing is merely my small attempt to reduce our household waste...I have not forayed into the zone of reusable diapers and wipes, or even gone so far as to fork out the $$$ for G-Diapers, and I do own and use Swiffer...but, every time a put something in the trash I have some form of internal reckoning...
Chalk it up to being raised in the Pacific Northwest or growing up on an uncertain supply of well water--I seem unable to put anything in the trash, flush the toilet, turn on the faucet, adjust the heat/cool, or turn on the car without an anxious mind game...
Add in the small toddling consumers and you have a daily battle...
So, I don't use paper towels...
This blog is an attempt to record the things I worry about, the actions I take, and things I question about the daily consumption inherent in family living...
I welcome comments, ideas, and exchange--JRH
