Lazy Women's Guide to a Cleaner Earth

If you're not living in a cave, I'm quite sure you now that our earth is in quite poor-poor state. Human making mountains and hills of garbage. Human cut down the vastness of tropical forest. Human polluting the air we breathe. Yes, it's all caused more or less by us. So it's only natural that we have an uncomfortable nagging feeling that we have to do something about it.

"But, but, I'm no Greenpeace, nor I'm a Tree-hugger!" Stop whining and pull yourself together. You don't have to throw rotten eggs to celebrities who wear fur, nor should you tie yourself up on a tree (but it could be fun, don't you think?). If you say, you're lazy, I'm more of a lazy ass than you. So being this lazy, I think I will share some stuff that I find no trouble at all, yet make me feel like I'm loving back the earth that has been thoroughly supporting me all my life. Please note that, it may not feel like it's significant of actions if done by one person only. But think if it's contagious and suddenly we are a city full of earth-loving SOB's. Ain't it a pretty picture.

OK, maybe I exaggerate the bit on 'saving the earth'. By that I mean reduce trash and probably a little saving on the fossil fuel and less carbon-monoxide on the oxygen. And here is what I do:

• I bring my lunch from home. How is it saving the earth? Less food bought from street vendor by Office boys= less paper/plastic/styrofoam waste. If you're in the situation where you cannot bring your lunch from home, eat out. Eat in the vendors, eat in restaurants. Doing lunch at the office every day sucks anyway (that's what I do every day).

• I keep a coffee tumbler at home, one at the office, and hopefully someday I will bring one every where. How is it saving the earth? Similar to the above. Nowadays where coffee is more of a lifestyle than just a happiness-inducing beverage (that's me), it seems everybody has to has the paper or plastic cups with green circle marks on them on one hand. Just imagine how much waste per day we coffee drinkers made. So get a tumbler (they sell nice affordable ones at ACE) (this is not a sponsored post), ask the baristas to fill it with glorious delicious coffee, pay and then leave. Try to take it every where you go.

• I bring my own non-disposable water bottle everywhere. This is where I'm so lazy. I'm not the kind who look for water when thirsty. I could go for hours without water until realizing that I almost died from dehydration (lebay). So keeping a water bottle in my bag seems like an easy way out. I could refill it whenever I have the chance (at home, in the office, in restaurants, in the gym, just about anywhere). I know we are encouraged to drink more than 8 glasses of water a day. But can you imagine if that water comes from those cups and disposable bottles? How much garbage you'd reckon can come from that 'healthy' habit? Get non-drip water bottles such as Rubbermaid or Lock&Lock (again, not sponsored, but will accept freebies) so you can simply throw them into your bag without having to worry you'd flood your trinkets.

• I bring my own bag to supermarkets (and stores, if possible). This is actually the easiest thing that I have ever done. You don't need fancy bags for grocery. I bought 3 big bags from Superindo and they're very strong. I have them carry heaviest stuff and have yet to fail me in any way. I always bring it whenever I want to do grocery shopping. Also in my every day bag, I keep a fold-able tote. Just in case I need to do an impromptu shopping.

• I don't want to be one of the people that complain every day about the traffic, yet driving to and from work alone in the car. I remember reading this tweet from someone and it's like hitting the nail in the head: "before you complain about the traffic, please look around. If you're alone in the car, you're a part of the problem, not a part of the solution". BRAVO. Whoever you are. Sorry I forgot your twitter ID. "But what should I take instead of my own car? Jakarta's public transportation sucks!" Again, stop whining and pull yourself together. Of course if you absolutely have no choice but taking your own car, alone, to every where you go, then do it. But some of the lucky ones who have the option. For example; you love those bikes, you have a shower on your office (my excuse why I don't bike to work), go by bike. If in between your house and your office there's a straight, undisturbed (impossible) bus lane, take buses. Whatever works for you. But carpooling isn't going to hurt either. Just pick not-too-chatty, non-BO people as car-mates, and I'm pretty sure you'll have a blast of carpooling every day. By the way, if you have to ask, I take Trans Jakarta bus every day.
  
  
• I pee in the shower (well, not really).

Those are pretty much the actions that I do every day. Of course it's not enough and if I had the chance, I so would crank it up a notch. Like making compost, or order trash bags that are actually made from banana leaves and totally bio-degradable. Or getting a Prius? No? But, you know, I'm too lazy. So maybe some day.

These are some notes that could follow this post:

• Plastic generally need 500- 1000 years to decompose.
• Styrofoam, in other hand, need roughly a million years (I know, surprised me too).