Recycling and such

"Technology-Owes ecology-an apology" -Alan M. Eddison

This morning, I separated my different colored glass jars from my PET (plastic) containers then broke down each little cardboard piece into one neat stack. Did the same for the paper and newspaper. I also tied off my green compost bag with all the food bits and coffee grinds, and set it all on the back porch for now. Because trash bags are taxed here, and I have to buy a batch which are a certain color and labeled with our town logo at the local market for around $10, it is cheapest to recycle as much as possible. I am down to one regular bag of trash per 3-4 weeks... crazy, huh? It's like forced eco-friendliness. And I'm happy to do it. Everyone does. After all, this is Switzerland and, by far, the greenest place I've lived. Not the kind of green people just talk about, in hopes that in the future the town/city/county/state will one day become a fully functioning, environmentally savvy machine. It already is. It is not merely an idea or "maybe one day" hope, it is a way of life expected of the people who live here.

In fact, my students (kids from all over the world) know how to categorize different types of compost, recycling, and waste, and are appalled when they see something in the trash can that doesn't belong. They were satisfied when I told them I paid an extra $20 for each of them to go on our field trip to Germany next week, to offset the carbon footprint. Future Earth warriors perhaps? Or just symbols of a shift toward environmental consciousness as a matter of principle?

So tomorrow, between the hours of 8-6pm, I will cart all these items to the recycle yard (which is cleaner than a kitchen), place them in the proper bins (complete with visual labels for all us non-German-reading heathens), and walk home with a sigh of relief. I must wait, however, because today is Sunday and nothing happens in Switzerland on Sunday. No shopping- stores are not open, no gardening, cleaning, or laundry- it is not permitted. It is a day reserved for nothing but relaxation and family time. It takes some getting used to, especially coming from a "go get it whenever you need it" culture of drive-throughs and 24hr. stores. But it slows me down a bit...

In fact, after this cup o' coffee, I think I'll go out on my front porch, look out over the trees, and breath in a crisp breath of cold, clean air to start my day. Still in my pajamas and it's going to stay that way. As Lionel says, "Easy like Sunday morning". Enjoy!