Mark Abell's No Impact Project, Day Seven

Beavan's "No Impact Man" is about changing individual behavior to more ecologically sustainable ways of living. However, structural or institutional change is necessary for this to occur, at times. For instance, on my family's ski-trip, my parents loaded up the car-a rented Kia-with bottled water and Coca Cola, all of which came in plastic bottles. Then when we turned the car in at the Hertz on SW 4th, no recycling bins were available. Ideally, my parents would have abstained from purchasing plastic bottles. For the sake of diplomacy though, I kept my mouth shut on this matter. Consequently, when you are traveling with many bags such as my parents were, it is not always possible to bring items that should be recycled, such as bottles, along with you. Thus, with a guilty conscience, I threw two or three plastic bottles in the trash, where they will not biodegrade and will not be made into new bottles or integrated into other new products. I really do wish the Hertz parking garage had recycling bins! I did do my best but it is difficult when you are loaded down with a lot of bags!