Hippy Freak Rampage
Even in San Francisco, practicing environmentalism can be unpopular. The disposable culture has a firm grip on the mindset of most people, and even in the most liberal city in America, I find myself deep in a swamp of ignorance.
One day at work I was washing out my “Tupperware” after eating lunch. It was actually one of those plastic, black bowls with the clear lids that you get from Indian take-out restaurants. Someone walked by the sink and gave me a double look. “What are you doing!? You’re washing THAT!? Restaurants give you that to throw that away, you know?” he said, with a laugh. I explained that each time I wash and reuse this container I don’t have to buy new Tupperware, so I am saving money. The conversation ended when he said, “You have an answer for everything” and walked away. HUH? I didn’t even bother getting into the landfill argument, because I already felt like a freakish trash-washer.
On my desk, I have a cup of pens, pencils and highlighters. I also keep silverware in that cup, a fork and a spoon, to use each day that I bring my lunch. For a while, I kept a plastic knife in the mix, until it got too scratched up and faded and dirty-looking. A few times, people have noticed the utensils and were shocked and baffled by their presence. “Why don’t you just use the plastic forks and spoons in the kitchen?!?” they’d ask. I explained that keeping my own utensils was one way of making sure that I always had something to eat with. Sometimes the supply in the kitchen runs out. While that’s true, the real reason is because I choose not to use disposable utensils whenever possible because they are wasteful and ultimately end up in landfill or burned into toxic gases. I figure the full explanation isn’t worth enduring further shock, horrified facial expressions and laughter.
I feel like a foreigner sometimes, adjusting to a new culture. Okay, washing dishes is 'weird'. Got it. Throw away plastic dishware and then buy more at the store.
"Wash dishes privately so that no one thinks you are strange."
Yesterday, I was in a meeting with a new hire. He was talking about how he spent the previous day, riding his bike around the city exploring alternate routes to get to his new job. My coworker looked at me and laughed. “You two are our two bohemian staff. You’re the hippy bohemian contingent!” And then she looked at the new hire and said, “We’ve gotta get you a car.”
What is that about? Why am I suddenly a batty New Age freak because I choose to use public transportation and do not own a car? People laugh in my face for quietly practicing even the most basic measures of conservation. What kind of a backwards world do we live in when we are ostracized and shamed for living simply?
One day at work I was washing out my “Tupperware” after eating lunch. It was actually one of those plastic, black bowls with the clear lids that you get from Indian take-out restaurants. Someone walked by the sink and gave me a double look. “What are you doing!? You’re washing THAT!? Restaurants give you that to throw that away, you know?” he said, with a laugh. I explained that each time I wash and reuse this container I don’t have to buy new Tupperware, so I am saving money. The conversation ended when he said, “You have an answer for everything” and walked away. HUH? I didn’t even bother getting into the landfill argument, because I already felt like a freakish trash-washer.
On my desk, I have a cup of pens, pencils and highlighters. I also keep silverware in that cup, a fork and a spoon, to use each day that I bring my lunch. For a while, I kept a plastic knife in the mix, until it got too scratched up and faded and dirty-looking. A few times, people have noticed the utensils and were shocked and baffled by their presence. “Why don’t you just use the plastic forks and spoons in the kitchen?!?” they’d ask. I explained that keeping my own utensils was one way of making sure that I always had something to eat with. Sometimes the supply in the kitchen runs out. While that’s true, the real reason is because I choose not to use disposable utensils whenever possible because they are wasteful and ultimately end up in landfill or burned into toxic gases. I figure the full explanation isn’t worth enduring further shock, horrified facial expressions and laughter.
I feel like a foreigner sometimes, adjusting to a new culture. Okay, washing dishes is 'weird'. Got it. Throw away plastic dishware and then buy more at the store.
"Wash dishes privately so that no one thinks you are strange."
Yesterday, I was in a meeting with a new hire. He was talking about how he spent the previous day, riding his bike around the city exploring alternate routes to get to his new job. My coworker looked at me and laughed. “You two are our two bohemian staff. You’re the hippy bohemian contingent!” And then she looked at the new hire and said, “We’ve gotta get you a car.”
What is that about? Why am I suddenly a batty New Age freak because I choose to use public transportation and do not own a car? People laugh in my face for quietly practicing even the most basic measures of conservation. What kind of a backwards world do we live in when we are ostracized and shamed for living simply?
posted by Freewendy @ 4:38 PM
1 Comments:
At 10:57 AM,
Anonymous said…
grad school is comparatively a bastion of environmental enlightenment. we often have lunches and dinners provided at faculty talks or journal clubs, and so i carry a little tupperware plate, and utensils and chopsticks in my bag. true, sometimes people see me take the plate out of my bag and start putting food on it and say, "don't you want a plate?" (um, what does it look like i have in my hand?) but when i explain, sometimes they say, "oh, that's a great idea..." or "oh, you're so good!" not that any of them ever follow suit... but one might hope that if enough of us keep doing it, it might catch on.
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