I’m facing a moral and environmental dilemma and I’m not sure what to do.
Earlier today I was ready to march up to my landlord’s door, (let’s call him Russell) and um, and, yes I would…well, and my plan got stuck there at inception because what would I do?
Berate him for cutting squares of Styrofoam into rounded shapes with such abandon that the Styrofoam coated the backyard, making it look as if a fake snow had just fallen? Should I point out that it’s not good for his son to inhale Styrofoam? (Because, it wasn’t Russell, who cut the Styrofoam, but his 16 year old son, who regularly breathes in all of those tiny Styrofoam balls into his young body as he shapes piece after piece.) Was I to cry about my small garden patch that now has Styrofoam pieces littering it? Was I to hand him facts about Styrofoam (one word: TOXIC) and suggest Styrofoam alternatives? Then ask if I could borrow one of his (many!) tools to fix something? Hi you morally bankrupt Styrofoam spilling MONSTER, can I borrow your handy box of tools?
Russell owns a flower shop and he cuts A LOT of Styrofoam ALL the time, usually indoors where it flies all over the garage or his own living room and I have had enough. Enough with the Styrofoam! Isn’t there a law that bans Styrofoam or at least, only allows for one Styrofoam encounter per family, per year? Did you order take out Chinese? They gave you Styrofoam? That’s it friends!! No more Styrofoam or you will face the Styrofoam nay-sayers. Yes, they will boo and hiss at you until you decide you will not use Styrofoam anymore, or face eternal unpopularity.
After I exhausted all avenues of how best to approach Russell about his regular Styrofoam spills, I digressed into thoughts of all of my own Styrofoam sins, including but not limited to, buying packages on Ebay that contain a mother-load of Styrofoam peanuts (which I reuse by mailing them to someone else but still), the veggie tempura “bird’s nests” I purchase at Trader Joes are packaged in Styrofoam. I have heated noodles packaged in Styrofoam cups and accepted Styrofoam plates and cups of coffee in my lifetime. I remember that! Guilty! AND to think, if I only had an ecoguru to guide me, to intervene and say, dear, no more Trader Joe’s bird nest’s. I know you like them, but you’ve got to give them up!!! I would be appreciative, but would everyone feel the same?
My moral dilemma is exactly that, is it my obligation to say something? Anything? To play ecoguru? Or just shut up because it’s none of my business? What do we do? Everyday, in our little quiet lives we have small moments where we can act on behalf of our earth, and perhaps completely alienate ourselves to our human friends, or remain silent and perhaps miss out on encouraging another to protect the earth?
I found myself asking myself, WWAGD, (what would Al Gore do); the earth evangelist who rose up like a great light, to lead the way! I also wondered why environmentalists, or regular folks like me who just feel a responsibility towards the earth, don’t act more like Jehovah’s witnesses or Christian missionaries? Aren’t we living in drastic times that require drastic measures? Couldn’t we send fervent tree huggers door to door to ask, not, have you embraced Jesus, but have you embraced that you are a creature of the earth? Perhaps ecoheads and envirowarriors could create environmental “churches” that sprout up across the globe, where they preach the good news but it looks more like, how to garden, how to avoid toxics, how to recycle, and for businesses, and designers, how to design a future where every item manufactured has been made with recycling, reuse or biodegradability in mind. Shouldn’t each city have an eco church or community center if you prefer? Shouldn’t we be standing on corners next to the raving guys with signs that say JESUS SAVES! with signs that say, THE EARTH LIVES! or something much more clever?
If the earth could speak, I imagine she would like to have these sorts of fervent
missionaries work on her behalf. But perhaps we should all just mind our own business?
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Marlo is a writer and filmmaker originally from the Detroit area. She has studied language in France, worked in theater in Germany, helped to start a video production company in Australia that trains homeless youth, and now resides in San Francisco, California where she works in documentary film and runs her own video production company, m1m2creative. She believes in leveraging the power of media to create a shift in thought and action that will positively transform the world.
This is what many of us struggle with but aren’t sure how to navigate, so I’m glad you wrote about it. I’ve given up on minding my own business, and all my friends have caught on, but rather than preaching I try to create a dialogue/brainstorm with ‘There has to be a better way to…” and coming up with ideas together. When I become too insufferable I also offer to do research to find alternatives. Otherwise I get too passive aggressive/self-righteous and then I’m left being angry and nothing has changed.
You could start off with talking to the 16 year old about why he should wear a mask when cutting and plant the seed of how toxic the stuff is. Then look up some affordable eco-alternatives for florists and share them with your landlord, he’d probably enjoy a life that isn’t covered in little electrostatic toxic styrofoam balls.
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,Jehovah’s Witnesses canvass Watchtower literature door to door with a false 1914 Gospel and ask for donations for this literature
They complain about how bad the world is doing but do very little to nothing in charitable works. Have they run a food bank , run a clothing drive? No they litter the landscape with magazines. They can’t even be green friendly.
99% of their dogmas are bogus they take and take and take….
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Thanks for your comments. Miranda, that’s a great idea to approach the teenager first. I hadn’t thought of that. He might be more saavy to environmental issues anyway. I have to admit, so far I’ve chickened out with mentioning anything. But it does appear more and more in life especially if I visit my family back in Michigan. I agree with you, I don’t want to come off as one of those people who make you feel like they are better than you because they remember to tell the waiter NOT to bring a straw or whatever it is… I might start trying your debate approach!
Thanks for your advice!
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[...] I’m facing a moral and environmental dilemma and I’m not sure what to do. Earlier today I was ready to march up to my landlord’s door, (let’s call him Russell) and um, and, yes I would…well, and my plan got stuck there at inception because what would I do? Berate him for cutting squares of Styrofoam into rounded shapes with such abandon that the Styrofoam coated the backyard, making it look as if a fake snow had just fallen? Should I point out that it’s not good for his son to inhale Styrofoam? (Because, it wasn’t Russell, who cut the Styrofoam, but his 16 year old son, who regularly breathes in all of those tiny Styrofoam balls into his young body as he shapes piece after piece.) Was I to cry about my small garden patch that now has Styrofoam pieces littering it? Was I to hand him facts about Styrofoam (one word: TOXIC) and suggest Styrofoam alternatives? Then ask if I could borrow one of his (many!) tools to fix something? Hi you morally bankrupt Styrofoam spilling MONSTER, can I borrow your handy box of tools? Read More at Conducive Chronicle [...]
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