There are days when this city feels like one giant trash heap. Cows rummage through the layers of garbage along the river banks in search of anything edible. Small fires create suffocating smoke, as people burn the excess from the week. Where else can it go? There are no friendly neighborhood garbage men to whip up the cans lined neatly along the streets and toss them back into people’s yards. And there are CERTAINLY no orange or blue bins specified for recycling.
Despite the appearances, however, it is MY creation of trash and consumption of goods that is most frightening. Before my arrival, I liked to consider myself a “true Californian,” whatever that means. But, as I understood it, this meant that I grew up recycling, conserving water* and caring about preserving the environment. I was raised by the motto “recycle, reduce, reuse” (thanks mom, dad, and the Cupertino Union School District). Don’t worry, though: I did realize how little effort I really put towards these means, and how ironic my home state’s damage to the environment continues to be through its worship of the automobile... still, I was the obnoxious one, while living in East Texas, who saved three-months-worth of recyclable items because I was going take it all back to California with me if I had to, darn it! Yeah, never mind that I was DRIVING the whole way home (because that’s not harmful to the environment, or anything!). Where I lived during that time had no means of recycling and I found this truly appalling...Luckily, a trip to a nearby city, just days before my trip back to the West Coast, led to the discovery of (wait for it….)…one whole recycling plant.
It was an excruciating first couple months after moving here, as I had to learn to hold my tongue when garbage was tossed out of cars or dropped on the side of the road (it appears to be generally accepted that the roads are cleaned every morning, and garbage is simply piled up and burned wherever it is collected). Items, such as plastic bottles, are retrieved and reused (Slumdog Millionaire, anyone?); but for the discarded and seemingly-useless: it’s straight into the fire. Inhaling the fumes as I cycle home each night is most unpleasant. Rather than turning up my nose in disgust, however, I have been forced to spend time doing a little self-reflection.
While my ecological footprint was already pretty embarrassing, it wasn’t until coming here that I realized the vast piles of waste that I alone was creating. Growing up in a land of abundance certainly creates privileges, but for me, it also has caused me to be ridiculously extravagant. Let’s take a quick, and humbling, look at just a few examples:
1) Although I use a water canister, the number of plastic bottles I accumulate to satiate my need for a daily caffeine-rush is disturbing….especially compared to the two men I share an office with-well, let’s just say, I drink them under the table!! And, I’m fairly certain I am the only one that adds to the garbage can in our office.
2) When I started in the office, I was provided with a small stapler, a small two-hole puncher, a small box of paperclips and tacks, a pencil, a pen, a sharpener and an eraser. This took up very little space in my desk drawer and seems to be how most of the office manages just fine. Once I loaded up the items I brought with me, however, the drawer was overflowing! There were the little roll-on white outs, two boxes of pens, three binders, pile of semi-used notebooks, tabs of all sizes (you know, the sticky tabs to make papers where someone should sign, etc.?, post-it notes…oi vey! The expressions on my co-workers faces! While many find the items fascinating and often come by to borrow them, there are still others who call me out on my over-use of post-it notes and tabs (without realizing it, of course)…what it takes to keep me organized…sheesh!
3) The bag I carry on a daily basis holds just about as much as a family brings for the entire three-day “Freedom Training” we conduct. No matter how many times I’ve tried to lessen the load, however, I continue to stubbornly swear I need it all…
Earlier this year, when the financial crisis made the headlines in big ways, an article by a local journalist caught my attention. He described reading about Americans’ attempts to live frugally during the holidays, such as families cutting back on the number of Christmas presents they could give their children this year. His response was that the recession will be felt less here than elsewhere because the majority of South Asians have always lived frugally. It is a part of their nature, he explains. In my friends and coworkers here, this seems to ring true, as many have one vehicle per family (and, therefore, are dropped off at work by a spouse in the morning-the exhaust emissions aside); most bring their lunch every day in re-useable tins; paper conservation is constantly encouraged; and many prefer to work with the lights out (we have city-wide blackouts almost daily).
Huh. The contrasts of this land continue to baffle me. As does the statistic that 20% of the world’s population (mainly the U.S.) consumes 80% of its resources. A brief self-examination has shown this to be true, at least in my small sphere. There is so much I can learn from this community, and yet, there is so much room for growth here, as well. Just some thoughts. Happy Earth Day, all! http://www.earthday.net/earthday2009
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*Disclaimer: Water conservation was due to drought conditions, so I feel obliged to add this as a disclaimer considering this was more forced upon us…who knows if this would have been a value if we had an endless supply??
