"What does biodegradable mean, Mom? I was helping my mother do laundry one day when I was in grade school and noticed this word on a box of laundry detergent."It means that once the soap goes down the sink, it dissolves and does not gum up the septic tank or sewer system. It's better for the earth and water." She explained.
My parents seemed to be aware of the benefits of taking care of the environment many years ago, particularly when an item "gummed up" the pipes or septic tank and caused problems and expensive repairs. I would guess that my parent's generation were practical first and altruistic second. Times have not change.
Our family has a hybrid car, we use biodegradable soaps, compact fluorescent lights, and try to remember to turn off power/lights when not in use. I'd like to say my first motivation is to save the earth, but honesty compels me to admit that the cost of gasoline, heating and cooling our home, and minimizing repairs is what really drives our desire to look for eco friendly solutions. Using cold water to wash clothes saves money and uses less fuel. Using less water, saves money and protects our water supply. Using a hybrid car, while expensive initially, saves money in the long run and uses less fossil fuels - reducing air pollution. So these actions are not only altruistic but self serving, in a good way.
Years ago, sorting through household trash to find recycle items was a royal pain. Finding things that biodegrade or have a low carbon footprint used to be difficult at best. And, advertising promoted disposing of anything old whether it still worked or not. Times have changed, and we can all thank environmental activists for not giving up.
Most cities now provide easy ways to sort and recycle glass, metal, paper and some plastics. Reducing waste, Reusing and/or re purposing items, and recycling has become second nature to us. Our children do not even think twice about this concept. Many of them bring their own cups to Starbucks and swap books, magazines, software, almost anything through such organizations as Freecycle. I have gotten so used to bringing my own reusable bags shopping, that I feel weird when I leave home without my own bag(s).
There are many more things we can do to improve our environment and save ourselves money. I just googled "ecofriendly" and there are hundreds of ways to love our mother earth and ourselves - can't have one without the other!
May all beings know health and peace.
