Car Idling

I was out of town for a few days in Kingston and noticed something that was much more obvious than in Toronto. A large percentage of people would get out of there car to pick something up and would leave the car running. I was a little bit shocked. It is not winter and it doesn't take much to stop and start a car. The idling for 5 minutes or more not only creates pollution to the air but is also noisy and takes from the serenity of the surroundings. There must be a way to reduce or change this habit. What a positive impact this would have on the environment we live in.

What is it that motivates people to save their money and the environment at the same time. Perhaps we need to start looking at these motives and then we can make the changes we need. Do people just not care? Are people really that caught up in convenience and their own lives? Are people that lazy? What will it take to ask the people in our globe to change their habits. Anyone?

Coffee Cups

Recently Tim Horton's was going to charge more for a coffee if you used a cup. Was this because they were trying to be environmentally friendly or did they just want to save a buck or several million. The customer base didn't like it....soooo Timmies decided against it. Now these may not be all the facts but the general point is that the environment is not something that is a top concern for both consumers and the corporations that drive the markets.

I recently went into a Second Cup with my coffee mug that goes everywhere with me. It saves me a quarter each coffee on average (savings of over $200 a year), keeps my coffee warmer and is better for the environment. I go with a stainless steel mug to reduce the plastic and I feel they last longer, way longer. It's easy to carry my mug with me. It's not heavy and a good one costs no more than $30 although $5 is a more reasonable price. You can find them everywhere including the coffee shops. Many shops now have a mish mash of mugs for people that are staying at the shop and they even provide spoons, environmental cups from companies like greenshift. saving the environment even more. Back to my story now, the girl couldn't fit my mug under the dispenser so she poured it into a cup, which defeats the purpose of me having it and clearly demonstrates that the chain organizations do not explain the importance of each aspect of a customers needs and desires. Not a very positive experience for a potential customer (although I'd consider going more often if it was organic fair trade coffee). If all of us were to think about something as simple with this the landfill reduction alone would be enourmous.

The reality is that without a healthy and sustainable environment we are left with nothing eventually. No clean water, polluted air and land are just the tip of this iceberg. What about the cost of production, the ongoing consumption and the time and money save with garbage disposal as a few initial thoughts of reduction in consumption. It's time for us as consumers to speak out and start making smart choices that impact us in a more positive way. Convenience does not even com into play here...life is not hard when you make conscious choices and leading by example is a good way to make changes. So next time you buy your coffee think about it's container.