This blog was started, and is intended to illustrate that environmentalism happens through small acts, is not difficult, and that it does not always have to be some big life changing event that forces you to live in the tree tops with no electricity. All that being said, one of my small acts was to start this blog to gain some friends to help me save the world.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Leftover Love

So I am really not sure where to begin with all this,  I guess I should start at the beginning.  I want to do something that matters.  I guess we all do, so I know I am not special.  But I have always struggled to figure out what that something is.  I know big picture ideas, like I want to save the world and bring world peace through protection and restoration of our environment and planet.  I want to be a good human being, that is kind to others and all that good stuff (blah blah blah right?).  But when it comes down to picking something specific in order to accomplish these large goals, I got nothing.  Don't get me wrong it isn't that I haven't tried.  OK what am I talking about, let me try and get to the point here.  The family was at the beach discussing how no one likes to use styrofoam any more, yet every where you go there it is, especially in the food industry.  So my sister-in-law made the comment of taking your own container when you go to a restaurant.  I had had this idea myself a while back, and had heard others talk about it, but I guess I was not paying attention or something, and so this awesome idea that I should have been doing forever never materialized.  Now it has.  I have a blog and website about this (even though I am no writer, obvious, and no computer expert), about taking your own containers to restaurants so you don't require a styrofoam box doggie bag.  Oh yeah and I do it myself, take my own containers to restaurants.  Seems easy enough, but I will be honest I have forgotten many times (don't worry my container now sits permanently in my car).  But it is such a great and simple idea that benefits all parties involved, and is so easy to do, and I like easy, not going to lie.
Lets break it down.  You save the restaurant money.  Cha ching for the restaurant, and hopefully those cost savings will be passed down to the customer one day, but lets not get ahead of ourselves here.  You keep those disgusting petrochemicals off of your food, especially if you reheat your food in those styrofoam  containers.  And lastly, and most importantly, you reduce the amount of styrofoam that has to be produced and that eventually goes into the landfill.  It is a win win for all.
So what do  I want from this.  Nothing more than just getting a few people (and by a few I mean millions hehehe) to stop taking those styrofoam take home boxes and keep a glass or recyclable plastic container handy so you can use it when you go to restaurants.  I mean there are places that already do something similar with coffee cups, but lets keep expanding.  I am also working on a way to translate this idea to fast food joints that still use styrofoam, and you know who you are restaurants (insert finger wagging here).   I would like this blog and the website to become a forum for discussion, a breeding ground of new ideas that everyone can do, and a support group (because everyone needs support, especially me).  And mainly just as a way to get this awesome idea out there.
We all need to recognize how fragile our planet is.  And if we realize that doing small things add up we may even save ourselves from, well ourselves.  It has got to be better than doing nothing.  And yes it is us, the 6.5 billion, or maybe we are up to 7 billion humans, that take take take from the environment and give nothing positive back.  So lets start trying.  We need to save what we have so that future humans do not inherit all of our bad choices.  Lets not wait for any government too do anything.  No government I am aware of has the cojones to act as fast as it needs to.  So lets just try and do stuff ourselves.  Besides if you want something done right...am I right?
I know this is not an original idea, but it is still a good one and I am not trying to take any credit for it, just start a small, or huge, socially and environmentally conscious movement that could help save the world, no biggie.  That's all.
Love those restaurant leftovers.
Best wishes to everyone, and thank you for all your support.

4 comments:

  1. Tried it last night. Took my own containers to Olive Garden, brought home leftovers and took them to work today. Couldn't have been easier. Zero effort on my part.

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  2. So I had an idea thinking about this today. We should make a template for a flyer and post it on this blog and on FB...anywhere you think people will see it. The flyer will just suggest to people to do this and people can print it off from their own computers and ask restaurant owners if they can post it at their restaurants when they go to eat there. The restaurant owners should be all for this, since, as you pointed out, it saves them tons of money not to have to buy the containers. The only problem is that we would be using more paper, but I think one piece of paper that could save from using several styrofoam boxes would be worth it. Thoughts?

    It would be pretty easy... I wouldn't mind working on designing the flyer and even if it only affected a few people it would be worth it, right? I mean, some people may have never thought of this idea and just needed to see it in writing to get motivated to do it!

    let me know yo.

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  3. So this is exactly what I was talking about, sharing ideas to help spread ideas. I love it I love it I love. Yes lets work on a flyer. Yay I knew that we would save the world. So excited yo :)

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