Be Light: Recycling, Rio Style

The other day on my walk home from work, I was jolted out of my ipod zone by a crash of breaking glass behind me.  I was horrified when I turned in time to see the city garbage truck devour a tower of translucent bags filled with almost all recyclable materials.  Although environmental issues are more mainstream than they used to be, I constantly notice how little effort seems to be put into considerate disposal of waste. Even in the office where I work in progressive Medical School, there is no recycling receptacle.  Whenever I happen to have something that needs disposal, I take it with me until I can find a bin.  Unfortunately, once outside, there is no place to recycle either.  It still baffles me that in a city like NYC, we can't manage to put recycling containers in public places.  Wouldn't it make sense to have one beside each trashcan?  Most of what ends up being tossed out while on the street is bottles, glass, plastic and paper products from the food and drink we are toting around with us on the go- these are all recyclable materials.  

A couple of months after the garbage truck incident, I visited Brazil and Argentina with my family, and the first day walking around the streets of Rio, noticed an amazing sight: The city sidewalks are sprinkled with multicolor recycling receptacle stations, with separate slots for the type of waste: ie: glass, plastic, paper, etc.  It was the exact vision I had for what we need in US cities, and was so impressed I couldn’t resist taking pictures to share their good example. It amazes me that other countries understand the importance of environmental consciousness so much more than we do and have put very simple, yet effective practices into place. In contrast, it seems that for many people “green” is just a trendy word that represents a concept most don’t quite understand or see the value in. Luckily, that is beginning to change.

My best friend has for years talked about environmental initiatives, and through her influence, I have also developed not only awareness, but more importantly a lifestyle that is light on the earth. It has been a work in progress, but is a perfect example that no matter where you are in the process of living in a more green way, there are always make small changes you can make that will have a big impact in the long run. For the things in my life that weren't green by accident, like my choice to eat a mostly plant-based diet, I have worked to gradually change habit by habit, to improve my overall impact.

One example is making sure anything I use that can be recycled actually ends up in a recycle receptacle.  I make mental notes of locations in NYC where receptacles are located and carry trash with me until I find one instead of trashing it in a landfill pile just because it is more convenient.  I have reduced my use of plastic in general and use either paper or glass as an alternative. An important point to note when making this switch is that synthetic materials, plastic, etc., also are the least desirable choice for your health. The chemicals leach into food and liquid, especially when heated. Getting back to basics is a win-win for your health and the earth.

I have been surprised to realize that living in a purposefully more green way has been very natural and hasn’t required any more effort, just a willingness to learn better options.  Like healthy eating, it’s about developing new habits. It just makes sense to life more in harmony with nature instead of destroying it.  When you notice a great green idea in practice like the Rio bins, let it inspire you to make decisions that are a little more conscious of the earth. 

Some quick and easy green habits to adopt:

• Replace plastic Tupperware containers in your house with glass bowls for food storage in the fridge.  They make glass bowls that have tops, or Corningware with tops work well also.

• Use glasses while at home and buy a canteen to carry water when out instead of plastic water bottles.

• Bring your reusable shopping bags (at least one) everywhere you go, so you never have to take a plastic bag if you stop into a shop, get food to go, or make an unplanned trip to the food store.

**Check out Ange’s blogs for more great ideas on living lighter.