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I recently ran across a quote somewhere and I don’t remember by whom, but it was something to the effect that we often forget what is right by what is convenient or what is right is often forgotten by what is convenient. I don’t think it was written with the environment in mind, however, I think some eco-truths are spoken here.

I reflected back on this thought as I analyzed the snack food aisle and whizzed past the forbidden bottled water shelves at the grocery store the other day. I found myself deliberating my frequent purchase of applesauce in those individual plastic cups versus a large glass jar. Convenient on the surface to plop that little pre-packaged item in the lunch box or briefcase, but is it the right thing to do? I think not…

So it seems that in our “busyness” and thanks to the latest, greatest marketing message, most of us subscribe to the convenience factor. I know I have and still often do, but find myself thinking a little bit harder about the consequences.

Convenient today…catastrophic perhaps tomorrow. How convenient will it be when our descendants are still living with that plastic bottle or snack cup we tossed away to save us an extra minute or two? What about that aluminum can we were too lazy to hang onto until we found a recycle bin? Or all of those plastic bags we threw away and the on-going


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production effects because it was easier than remembering reusable totes? What kind of legacy is that?

Certainly not one I want to leave behind. And in this fast, super-sized, set it and forget it world, we’ve got a lot of work to do to remember to get it right - even at the most basic level I’m talking about. So let’s challenge ourselves to be more cognizant when we reach for that “convenience item”. Is there another, more reasonable way to get the same result with less impact?. Of course there is, such as buying the applesauce in the larger recyclable glass jar, forgoing the bottled water, or using reusable totes. We’ve got to move beyond and incorporate these environmental basics in everyday life. And when we do, our descendents will be grateful that we took the extra time and effort to do the right thing.

Jeanne lives in Greensboro with her husband Tom and two children. She has recently launched The Green Samaritan, an eco-friendly blog. You can follow her on Twitter @greensamaritan.

Note: The opinions of Green Voices columnists are not representative of goGreenTriad.com or the News & Record.