But we don't have recycling here...

As many of you know, I recently took over the management of a home companionship company, which means I'm off to the office everyday. It's a small office that was manned by two men prior to my coming on board. One of the first things I did at the office was to clean. I mean, really! I also instituted a few changes, appalled by the amount of waste produced there on a weekly basis. I have to say I'm appalled by the carelessness of the former manager, who I know personally and know for a fact that he knows better. For him to blatantly not care about the environment sickens me. So, even though the building where our offices are housed does not have any recycling options, I assigned receptacles for metals, plastics, cardboard, and paper, all of which I haul home with me for recycling. Is it a pain in the butt to do that? Of course, it is. But it's much easier on my heart, mind, and soul than carelessly tossing all those things into the dumpster out back. I mean, seriously!

So why am I sharing this with you? To encourage you to follow suit. After all, many of you (or your spouses) may work in places where recycling is not an option. But you don't have to settle for that. If you can't institute a company-wide recycling policy, create one of your own. That's what my daughter did when she was working back in 2006-08 (or thereabouts). She lugged bags of cans and plastic bottles home with her, doing her part to keep them out of the landfill. What we do really does matter, my friends. Really. It does. 

Next time you go to throw a bottle or can in the trash, stop and think about it. Isn't there a better way? And before you throw all that junk mail into the wastebasket, consider the option of dumping it into a local paper recycling receptacle. Just a thought. And a pretty good one at that.