"RoseGarden" - - - - - - - from - nscave

I'm confused. I hear that statement a lot lately, from ecology and environmental predictions. No question, our environment needs to be salvaged because of some of our careless ways in the past. Just don't tell me it won't cost anything or it will save me money, because it doesn't.

Compact Florescent Bulbs - we are told to buy these, it will save electricity and thus save us money and fix the environment because less is used to produce electricity. How come they cost more than twice as much? How come they only last a few months, instead of the five years it says on the package? How come they have mercury, isn't that a bad thing? How come they can cause health problems if used too close to your skin?

If they cost more and I have to buy more of them, how does that save me money? Once the masses begin using them because it is legislated those are the only kind of bulbs you can buy, and they contain mercury, doesn't that mean special handling regarding disposal?  If they cause health problems for some people, won't that cause our health costs to rise?

e-Waste - or electronic disposal or whatever you want to call it. The world lives on electronic gadgets these days and everyone has their share of devices. Many of us has seen pictures of tons of computers, monitors, TVs, etc. piled high in some countries. In ours much of it used to go underground in landfills. To be sure, there has to be a better way.

But please don't send out that friendly brochure (made from trees) that tells me there is no cost to drop off electronic goods at the local disposal depot.

First of all, if I have to drive several miles to that disposal depot, I am burning fossil fuel and that costs me money, plus pollutes the environment. If that doesn't convince you there is a cost, check your receipt the next time you buy an electronic goodie. That added 'Electronic Disposal' charge is in dollars, not change and is a tax you pay when you buy an item, whether you dispose of one or not.

In our area checking the price tag when you plan on buying something doesn't mean much. Before you needed to figure in the sales tax as you considered buying. Now you must figure in disposal tax or you will be surprised, especially if you use plastic and don't worry about it until the statement comes in.

These are only two examples of how our every day costs have gone up because we need to protect the environment we live in. Don't get me wrong, I agree that something has to be done, and done now. In fact our family was recycling long before it became mandatory. Just don't keep telling me all these new ways doesn't cost me anything.

-=One Day At A Time=-

This work by NSCAVE is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License