Zeno's Bar & Grill

As usual, I’m way behind the curve. It all started…oh, about ten years ago, when I used to see my sister-in-law washing her Ziploc bags for re-use. I used to think it was pretty weird.

Fast forward to 2006 and I finally get a clue. Our city has curbside mixed recycling, so our recycling hasn’t been so bad, but still…we could do better. I think my new awareness started when I saw An Inconvenient Truth, cliché though that may be. When I used the calculator on their website, I was surprised and relieved to find that our household carbon dioxide production is below average. As best I can tell, this is a lucky coincidence resulting from living in a warm climate, having a miniscule house (by default more than choice) and short commutes.

Then, on the recommendation of my friend Daniel, I read the recent devastating series in the L.A. Times about the state of the world’s oceans. This should be required reading for anyone who cares about the world their kids will inherit. When I got to the section about the great Pacific Garbage Patch, it was all over. This thing is the size of Texas, and it’s getting bigger every day. An editorial in the L.A. Times warns of the coming “Tsunami of Trash.” According to one report, there are 46,000 pieces of plastic floating for every square mile of the world’s oceans.

Unfortunately, as a parent in modern America, I’ve probably inadvertently done my share of contributing to the plastic problem on land and sea. It’s hard not to, when every birthday party brings a new avalanche of plastic toys, which will quickly break and become useless.

So, now, I’m on a mission. My new slogan is Boycott Non-recyclable Plastic. I’m paying more attention than ever to what can and can’t be recycled, and my goal is to eliminate the bad plastics from our lives as much as possible. I feel really lucky to live in a city that makes recycling easy. And, yes, I’m washing those Ziploc bags. I still haven’t quite won my kids over to the concept of no-gift birthday parties, but I’m a’tryin’.

What about you? Any great tips or tricks for reducing the impact of a family in the modern era?

--Melanie