Environmental awareness

 


What's in a name? Quite a lot! This past week I pondered the influence of word choices and labels on our thoughts and emotions. An example I encountered was particularly pointed to me. I've often seen "trash cans" or "garbage cans." Sometimes we distinguish between recycling and trash. But this example in a gas station bathroom reminded me of something I'd seen before - using the word "landfill" instead of "trash."
The impact of "landfill" to me personally is much more significant than "trash." I've made some trips to "the dump" recently to discard broken and useless items. As I saw the mountains of refuse that were to be buried in the ground, I wondered at the increasing impact of our "disposable" society on the environment. We have more and more "mountains" of landfill - our trash, left to molder and perhaps decay INCREDIBLY slowly, producing methane gas, causing toxins to leach into the water supply. When I see the word "landfill" on a receptacle, I am reminded of what really happens to my casually discarded trash. The motivation to try to generate more recyclable or compostable material is a worthwhile one.
I #GiveThanks for the remarkable times that we live in, with so many conveniences to make our lives easy. But also for the awareness that sometimes these things come at a cost! It's always good to examine our lives and make choices wisely.




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