Last updated on December 2nd, 2011
File this one under “Garden Rants.”
Which eco-unfriendly things or practices make you cringe?
Here are mine:
Styrofoam “peanuts” used by UPS (I’ve actually argued with them about this practice – they don’t care)
The current trend of packaging everything from ink cartridges to hand-pruners in annoyingly-heavy, uncuttable plastic
East-coast supermarkets that sell West-coast lettuce
Feel free to add your own eco-irks in the “comments” segment below.
Anonymous says
Here are the things that make me cringe:
1. packaging in food products
2. gas guzzler hummers driving by
3. chemicals put on lawns
4. cars left idling
Thanks for doing this Kevin! I will check it later to see what others have posted.
My Best, Jed
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Thanks Jed! And speaking of lawns…do we REALLY need them, anyway? They demand noisy, gas-powered maintenance, as, as you said, chemicals. I’m so glad that part of the White House lawn was given over to a vegetable garden.
orchid says
xxx
orchid says
Every community in the USA has a school. Any parent, teacher, or child knows that when a line of yellow buses comes into the driveway, most sit there with engines running until fully boarded by students. In most cases diesel fuel is burning, polluting the air and the lungs of those in the vicinity. If every driver turned off the engine, everyone would benefit from cleaner air.
Anonymous says
Hi Kevin
I wish we could get rid of lawns altogether. We need the water for other things. I really dislike lawn maintenance and all of the headaches with that.
I also love it that Obama turned part of the White House lawn into a veggie garden. Way to go Obama!
My Best, Jed
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi, Orchid – thanks for posting! Would you believe that I used to WALK to school?
Jed – You’ve given me an idea for a future article: “Lawn Alternatives.” My own lawn isn’t grass at all, at least in the modern sense. It is clover and other “weeds” that are NEVER watered, just mowed. Mowing is another issue…
Dan Bauman says
You can bring those styrofoam peanuts to Mailboxes etc. to recycle them….they will resell them.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Dan, thanks for the tip.
Samantha says
You are going about lawns all wrong. Get a few llamas. They will quietly eat your lawn down to a respectable 2.5″. And their llama beans in a discreet pile on the highest part of the yard, will fertilize the yard to a lovely green shade. The only part we have to mow is near the pile, because they obviously don’t eat there. Lawn care made easy. 🙂