Azura Vs. Eco-Friendly Idiots

Okay, I get it.  The Earth is something that we should be trying to protect.  Littering is bad, no littering.  However, I've begun to notice something at my work that has me pretty annoyed.

Before I begin, I need to stress that the opinions expressed in this blog are those of mine, not those of the company that I work for.  Not all of the people I work with share the same views as me, so this is between you and me if you have a problem with what I'm about to say.  That said, let's talk crap.

Plastic bags.

... yes... plastic bags... perhaps I should explain it a little better.

To make the world so much more eco-friendly and prevent pollution, customers have burned the idea of "accepting plastic bags" as the absolute opposite of "saving the Earth".  I understand where they're coming from, but they're missing one key point.  The plastic bag... already exists.  You're not honoring the Earth by not using it, you're only making someone else take responisibility for it by not taking it yourself.  No matter who winds up taking the bag, odds are the end result would still be the same.

Now here's the part of the show where I'm done telling you that you're wrong... because you are!  Now I'm going to explain the CORRECT answer to this little dilemma.

If you take the bag, you can be responsible for it and do something more eco-friendly with it.  For example, leave it around your house as a spare baggie for things, like food and spare cables.  There's many uses for plastic bags, so it doesn't seem right to simply classify them as garbage the second someone offers you one.  This seems a lot better than simply allowing someone else to take it and throw it out.  I mean, you're whole reasoning for not taking the bag was that you didn't want it to just be thrown out, am I right?

I understand that there are times when you really don't need a bag for your stuff.  If it's a couple small things, odds are you don't really need one, so it seems kind of wasteful.  This I understand, but what about when you have your hands full with stuff.  You're juggling your wallet, your product AND your sanity around these things, but you're insistant on not taking a bag because it's bad for the environment?  Then you have the gall to brag about how you "saved the world" by not taking one of these bags?

I have a little secret for you guys.  I just threw a bag out while I was typing this.  Does that mean I'm destroying the world?  I'll admit it's not helping, but the truth is, you have no right to say you're saving the world if you're just not taking interested in having a responsiblility over the topic.  You want to save the Earth from pollution?  That's very noble, but you have to reflect on what you're saying and doing.  You didn't take the bag?  That's alright, the next guy in line wanted 3 of them.  If you're so hell-bent on saving the world, help carry his stuff out for him (and take multiple trips) just so he doesn't need to take a bag.  See how commited you truly are to the idea of ending pollution.

Now, this topic of conversation can be looked upon from multiple angles.  From one side, I'm making an argument about how you can say you want to stop pollution, but you're not really doing anything.  From another way, it sounds like I'm trying to force people to use more bags just so they don't wind up in the garbage from the next guy in line. Trust me, I'm not here trying to preach to you about what to do with your lives, stopping pollution is a noble cause, after all.  All I'm saying is, don't try to justify stupid actions by saying "oh, I'm trying to stop pollution".

There are several alternatives to plastic bags anyways.  Our store carries special bags made out of recycled materials (eco-friendly as well) which you can take anywhere instead of using plastic bags.  It's a good way to say "I need a bag, but I'm not going to pretend I'm saving the world by not taking one!"

To sum it up simple, pollution is bad, but stupidity and ignorance are far worse.  Take your plastic bags and reuse them for something rather than letting the next guy in line throw them all out when he's done with them.  Don't try to justify your actions unless you're willing to go above and beyond the line of duty to make sure that no one ever needs a bag again.  But most importantly...

If you're trying to stop pollution, don't come preaching to me about how you don't need a bag.