Do It Right (My Friends Are Assholes)

No one does everything right. No one. Especially me. You see, most of my friends are assholes and they call my attention to this fact whenever possible. They know I try to be "green," as the world is wont to say these days. I try to do my part.

I do a lot of things right. I buy all recycled paper products, including toilet paper. I use only natural or environmentally friendly cleaning products (vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, washing soda, borax, baking soda--what more do you need?). I bring my own stainless steel drinking bottle wherever I go and whenever possible use it at restaurants instead of "to go" cups. I'm doing my best to be as much of a vegetarian as possible. I've even started carrying my own cloth napkin and a spork. I am trying. Still, whenever I do something even remotely "not green" I am called a hypocrite and an earth killer. Worse yet, at lunch the other day one of my friends started wastefully using as many paper napkins as he could just because I had my cloth one. I bit my tongue, knowing saying anything would do no good, but that is the epitome of ignorance and it pissed me off.

I know I need to ride my bike more places. I know I should replace my car with something more environmentally sound. I know that buying carbon offsets isn't enough (but I do buy them). I know these things. I have felt waves of guilt virtually every time I have started my car from the moment I fired it up and drove it off the lot. That's the truth. I bought it in Phoenix and the whole drive back to Tucson I kept saying to myself, "You should have bought the Prius." Instead, I bought the Honda Element. Sure, it's a very low emission vehicle, but it only gets 22 mpg. But it's an incredibly practical vehicle for me. Bikes get thrown in without worrying about mucking up the carpet (there is no carpet!). It's a very low-maintenance car. And, by the way, the Element is where the whole Bike Box thing comes from. And, yes, I have a BIKEBOX vanity plate on it. I know. I know.

My point, if there is one, is that none of us can do it all. We all make mistakes. But we have to try. We have to do what we can. We have to identify what is important to us and take steps in that direction. It can't happen all at once and maybe it won't ever happen completely, but we can try. And if there is anything I hope to impart to my grandkids it's that we can and must try to do our best. And we shouldn't make fun of people who are trying, either.