GREEN ROOTS
Here at my parents' house, I'm reminded of why I care so much about environmental sustainability. To put it bluntly, it's because my family is cheap.
To be sure, a lifelong subscription to National Geographic and countless family trips to national parks cultivated all of our love for nature, from which we cleave tightly to an ethic of stewardship and respect. But it's our Taiwanese thriftiness that governs what are now labelled as "green" activities: capturing "grey water" to flush our toilets and water our plants, reusing every possible thing from dental floss to plastic bags, and walking whenever possible. Notably, we deviate from the enviro-chic movement when it involves flashiness or higher costs; you'll not find any Priuses, burlap bags, or bamboo paint around here.
I've always been proud of my Taiwanese roots, from a cultural and linguistic standpoint. And, now more than ever, I'm proud of the ways those roots are geren as well.
Here at my parents' house, I'm reminded of why I care so much about environmental sustainability. To put it bluntly, it's because my family is cheap.
To be sure, a lifelong subscription to National Geographic and countless family trips to national parks cultivated all of our love for nature, from which we cleave tightly to an ethic of stewardship and respect. But it's our Taiwanese thriftiness that governs what are now labelled as "green" activities: capturing "grey water" to flush our toilets and water our plants, reusing every possible thing from dental floss to plastic bags, and walking whenever possible. Notably, we deviate from the enviro-chic movement when it involves flashiness or higher costs; you'll not find any Priuses, burlap bags, or bamboo paint around here.
I've always been proud of my Taiwanese roots, from a cultural and linguistic standpoint. And, now more than ever, I'm proud of the ways those roots are geren as well.
Comments
At least, I can speak for myself in saying this. I hate to throw food away, because I paid for that banana, darn it! The costs of waste disposal and landfill use, on the other hand, "out of sight, out of mind." (I'm afraid to admit)