Green Confusion

Everywhere you look: "Go Green!" "Save Our Planet!" "Al Gore is God!" I have always been environmentally conscious, but I am now a little confused.

On Oprah last week, one of the "go green" suggestions was "use only one napkin, or use cloth napkins." What's worse? Using a napkin made from a renewable resource, or using a cloth napkin that has to be washed in a limited resource (water)? Same deal with paper plates. Sure - they cut down trees to make paper plates. But trees can be re-planted, making it a renewable resource. Real dishes have to be washed in water (a non-renewable resource in a sense, because there is only so much water on the planet...we can re-use it, but we can't make more), with soap (which filters into the watershed) and usually hot water (which uses extra energy.) And the dishwasher uses electricity to run. And what if the napkins and paper plated you buy are made from recycled paper?

When we lived in Georgia, I used to get so frustrated because each year, I had to take my vehicle for an emissions test. Each personal vehicle had to go through one of these annually to make sure your emissions levels were within established guidelines. Why was that frustrating? Because commercial vehicles didn't have to go through the testing! So on the average day, you'd be sitting on the interstate (because no one ever actually MOVES on the interstates in Atlanta), with your vehicle sending out relatively clean and approved emissions, while you are surrounded by tractor-trailers spewing thick black smoke into the air. What is up with that?

My paper plate and napkin confusion continues with paper towels too. I love my paper towels. The thought of re-wiping stuff with a cloth towel gives me the heebie jeebies. And again, you have to wash that towel in water with soap using electricity.

They also say "use green cleaners." That's great, to an extent. I already do that -I mop my floors with vinegar and water. Ditto on washing the windows. I only wash my clothes in cold water. But come on - you really expect me to clean my toilets and bathroom sinks with something "natural"? I have 2 kids - I need to kill germs. Baking soda just isn't going to cut it!

I unplug things when they are not in use. When light bulbs burn out, I mostly replace them with CFLs. I recycle everything I can fit in those damned bins. All in an attempt to mitigate the carbon footprint caused by my SUV and my pool.

And now Oprah's guests say things like "buy used silverware", with the idea being that if you don't buy new silverware, they'll stop making it. HUH? And they said to buy your clothes at re-sale shops. If I buy my stuff on Ebay, does anyone really believe that Target will stop having the Chinese children make new clothing? And speaking of China, aren't they about to lap the US in terms of polluting the air via coal burning fuel?

It all just gives me a headache. The next thing you know, Sheryl Crow is going to tell me that I need to wipe my kid's nose with a re-sale handkerchief that has been woven from organic material by oppressed people in Africa.

And we're relatively comfortable financially. What about people who are really struggling? I'm willing to bet that a $7 bottle of Method cleaning solution isn't high on their priority lists, especially when you can get 409 for about $3.

Enough on the rant for now. I have to go pack up my environmentally unfriendly Christmas lights into my non-recycled plastic Rubbermaid bins. And feed my kid pre-packaged muffins on a paper plate.