I started this blog to talk about the differences I was finding between rural and city life. I recently took a trip to Pittsburgh to break up farm life with some family time in the city and found plenty of things to contrast. Here's one.
Recycling and conservation has been a newer pet interest of mine back at the farm. I don't live within city limits and no one picks up our trash, much less recycling. You have to really want it to recycle. I really do, so I haul my recyclables to the decrepit dump where they have some, but not nearly enough recycling services. Straight trash is actually our smallest household by-product and we hired someone to pick that up for us. We compost all our food scraps and paper gets burned in the stove. A recent trip to California got me to thinking that we could do a whole lot better with recycling and conservation in rural Tennessee. So, I did some research and got involved with some environmental organizations. We're working on it.
Back in Pittsburgh, my sister has a recycling bin and people that come to her house and take her recyclables! I remember those high falutin days. But, she has to throw all her food scraps in the garbage. Eww! Plus, that seems like such a waste. I feel better about throwing away food knowing it's going to end up in my garden. Plus, it makes the trash so stinky. I remember my city jogs on trash day when people's food trash would leak all over the streets and I'd have to cover my nose with my shirt to keep from vomiting on my run. Gross!
Now granted, in many instances, people in cities could compost, but it's not something most city dwellers seem to consider. And if they don't have a garden, what's the benefit to them? And where would they put their compost bins? I know there are worm bins you can keep in your house, but again, is the average city dweller really going to keep a worm bin?
Here's the moral of this story. If I lived in a city again, I would have a place with a garden, or live near a community garden. I would compost. I would have someone else take away my trash and recyclables and I would be the most efficient trash person around. I would appreciate to no end, the magical fairies who took away my trash and other wares (I believe you city folk call these fairies garbage men).
Here's another moral to this story. I used to think that city living was the only way to go. Recently I've thought that country living is the only way to go, but now I see a lot of gray (the burbs are NOT the gray area of which I speak). I see so many benefits to both city and country living. For now, I'll continue to try and spread useful parts of the city into the country and maybe someday, I'll bring the country to the city.
Recycling and conservation has been a newer pet interest of mine back at the farm. I don't live within city limits and no one picks up our trash, much less recycling. You have to really want it to recycle. I really do, so I haul my recyclables to the decrepit dump where they have some, but not nearly enough recycling services. Straight trash is actually our smallest household by-product and we hired someone to pick that up for us. We compost all our food scraps and paper gets burned in the stove. A recent trip to California got me to thinking that we could do a whole lot better with recycling and conservation in rural Tennessee. So, I did some research and got involved with some environmental organizations. We're working on it.
Back in Pittsburgh, my sister has a recycling bin and people that come to her house and take her recyclables! I remember those high falutin days. But, she has to throw all her food scraps in the garbage. Eww! Plus, that seems like such a waste. I feel better about throwing away food knowing it's going to end up in my garden. Plus, it makes the trash so stinky. I remember my city jogs on trash day when people's food trash would leak all over the streets and I'd have to cover my nose with my shirt to keep from vomiting on my run. Gross!
Now granted, in many instances, people in cities could compost, but it's not something most city dwellers seem to consider. And if they don't have a garden, what's the benefit to them? And where would they put their compost bins? I know there are worm bins you can keep in your house, but again, is the average city dweller really going to keep a worm bin?
Here's the moral of this story. If I lived in a city again, I would have a place with a garden, or live near a community garden. I would compost. I would have someone else take away my trash and recyclables and I would be the most efficient trash person around. I would appreciate to no end, the magical fairies who took away my trash and other wares (I believe you city folk call these fairies garbage men).
Here's another moral to this story. I used to think that city living was the only way to go. Recently I've thought that country living is the only way to go, but now I see a lot of gray (the burbs are NOT the gray area of which I speak). I see so many benefits to both city and country living. For now, I'll continue to try and spread useful parts of the city into the country and maybe someday, I'll bring the country to the city.
The city is nice. But having come from the country, I found out to my surprise that I miss it. I miss a sky full of stars, walking barefoot into a backyard full of grass, the sounds of quiet. We will meet again someday country.
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