It’s pretty rare that I get mad at people as individuals, but I’m frequently furious with them as a group.
My societally-directed misanthropy comes out in rants about social injustice and environmental degradation that generally include the question, “What’s wrong with people?”
“What’s wrong is that we’re selfish,” it’s easy to say. “What’s wrong is that people are dumb.” Maybe.
But perhaps it’s actually much less sinister than that.
The problem, I’ve decided, is not that we’re inherently mean or bigoted or arrogant.
It's not necessarily that we're too rich or that we care about no one but ourselves. <br/>The problem is that we're comfortable.&#160;The problem is that we're comfortable.
The problem is that we’re comfortable.
After 20 or so years, you’ve probably learned: It’s hard to move when you like where you are.
It’s the reason an object at rest stays at rest, the reason your mom cried on your first day of kindergarten, the reason it’s hard to make an 8 a.m. class.
This comfort factor may be an explanation (at least a partial one) for many of the problems in our society.
It’s comfortable to ignore one’s conscience, more comfortable to drive than to walk, easier to use a Dillons-provided grocery sack than to bring your own, and more convenient to eat lunch with a tray than without one.
And with that, I step onto my soapbox.
That we have so many empty soapboxes for me to step onto is, in fact, part of my problem. <br/>Washing dishes takes dishwashing detergent, which pollutes water (and costs money).Washing dishes takes dishwashing detergent, which pollutes water (and costs money).
Washing dishes takes dishwashing detergent, which pollutes water (and costs money).
Washing dishes also takes water, which then must be cleaned (and which costs money).
Washing dishes uses energy, which we get from non-renewable, atmosphere-polluting coal.
Oh, and the energy, too, costs money.
Now, I am a reasonable person. <br/>I am willing to sacrifice some money, coal and water to know that the fork I'm using is relatively free of mouth germs from my roommates or fellow cafeteria-eaters.I am willing to sacrifice some money, coal and water to know that the fork I'm using is relatively free of mouth germs from my roommates or fellow cafeteria-eaters.
I am willing to sacrifice some money, coal and water to know that the fork I’m using is relatively free of mouth germs from my roommates or fellow cafeteria-eaters.
However, I am willing only to sacrifice for that which is relatively necessary.
Cups and spoons are necessary. A tray to carry them on is not.
You have two hands. Perhaps also a pocket. Use them to your advantage.
I am well aware that those dishing out broccoli and chicken nuggets do not always do so with carrying efficiency in mind.
Having a plate for meat, a separate dish for fruit, a bowl for veggies and a saucer for the cake makes going trayless the uncomfortable option.
But a little discomfort can have astounding results, especially when carried out on a large scale.
When Earth We Are ran its “Trayless Thursday” program last year, the group found one trayless meal saved the cafeteria 69 gallons of water.
If trays were discontinued for one school year, we would save about 25,000 gallons of water – 100 gallons per cafeteria-eater.
Besides the savings in water and electricity, getting rid of trays has a significant impact on the amount of food students throw away.
Without a tray to fill up, people take less, eat less and waste less.
Most trayless cafeterias report 25 to 30 percent food waste reduction when going trayless.
Just one “Trayless Thursday” at Baker kept 40 pounds of food out of the trashcan, a savings that would multiply to 14,400 pounds over the course of a school year.
The good news here is that though the change you will make by leaving your comfort-zone will (hopefully) be lasting, the sacrifice will not be.
Once an object at rest starts moving, motion becomes normal – what was new becomes comfortable.
This applies to cafeteria trays, as well as a host of other environmental issues that require making a personal choice.
The goal is that you’ll cringe when you find yourself without your own cloth grocery bag and that you’ll think it normal to carry your plate without a tray.
And, ultimately, that I’ll be able to get off of this soapbox and start loving people again.