The social phenomena of "going green" could not have come at a better time because we are really starting to exhaust our resources. It is scary to think of how long we have until Earth reaches its breaking point and can no longer sustain anymore life. Americans are by far the worst abusers of energy and resources, but luckily, the only thing we are worse abusers of is blindly following any new fad. Recycling isn't a new idea, energy conservation isn't a new idea, and organic foods are by no means a recent development; however, it is only now that these eco-friendly activities are gaining in popularity. Now that it is widely promoted and pretty trendy to "be green" people are finally taking notice.
People are buying organic popcorn, driving hybrids, and printing clothing on "100% recycled fabrics" (yea right) that make sassy comments about living a green lifestyle. I work retail part time, and it amazes me when new shipments of clothing come in. They have been printing all sorts of graphic tees with slogans like "save water, shower together" and "don't panic, go organic," but the amazement comes from every article of clothing being individually wrapped in plastic and shipped in dozens of cardboard boxes. It's sickening that every store in every mall probably receives their products the same way.
Talk about waste. Fortunately, TIME has found some new ways to be more environmentally friendly. I found the magazine's "Top 10 Odd Environmental Ideas," and they are all real.
1. Reusable Toilet Wipes- Euros use them and they come in prints and patterns, but that still doesn't make me want to use a washcloth on my ass
2. The French Letter Condom Company makes eco-condoms and plant lubricant- not a chance
3. Staple-Free Stapler- stitches paper together, using strips of paper
4. Biodegradable plates and utensils made from pig urine- leave it to the Dutch
5. Bar Surya dance club have spring floors that produce electricity from dancers' feet- it only produced 60% of the club's needed electricity but it sounds cool
6. Urine batteries- why are we discovering all the new uses with our pee!?!
7.The greenest Democratic convention in history- equipped with 950 volunteers to make sure people threw away trash and recyclables responsibly
8. Resomation- a new way of disposing of dead bodies that liquefies them, because supposedly cremation and embalming are bad for mother Earth
9. Bra with a chopstick pocket- that way Japanese women are never without their recyclable utensils
10. Tempura oil for fuel- once again, the Japanese are one step ahead
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