How Far is Too Far for Peanuts?

A Note From the Green Home Lady

I struggle at being a sensible citizen of the planet. There is a lot to remember - -like taking a reusable shopping bag into the supermarket. Sometimes I don’t think of it until I’m checking out.

Currently my dilemma is how to get rid of my stash of polystyrene packaging peanuts like a good citizen. I’ve been hoarding them until further notice knowing they will outlast me by centuries if they go into the landfill. I’m striving to be responsible, but right now bags of peanuts are crowding my car out of the garage. Today voila! I discovered a source of help. There’s a peanut hotline. Who knew?

Actually over a million people know about this 24-hour consumer service, according to the National Loose Fill Council. This organization of major manufacturers of plastic peanuts provides information on where to recycle the puffy little noodles.

I called the hotline and learned I have a couple of choices. I can drive forty miles north or one hundred miles east across the Everglades to one of Florida’s peanut recycling centers. Or I can offer them to a local packing shop like Pak Mail. This, of course, seems most sensible, but it’s not a great solution considering that unless Pak Mail is next door, which it isn’t, I must commit time, effort and fossil fuel. Do I really want to do that? No. I’ll be using more fuel, plus I’m busy. Anyway, who cares what I do with them?

Oh here we are back to status versus stigma again. Am I influenced if someone notices what I do? I expound often on the idea that to make societal changes the motivating factors come from how we want to be perceived and how we don’t. Frankly, I don’t see much status coming out of hauling plastic peanuts, but neither do I anticipate being stigmatized if I don’t.

Yet I am willing to work at being a better planetary citizen, although it feels like a hassle. Until we come up with a community peanut plan, I will seek out and call the nearest mail packing shop and offer my peanuts. I will drop them off when I’m heading their way. Let it be known when Status and Stigma compete, I'm pulling for another option called Sensible.

To find if there is a loose fill packaging recycle center in your area call the Peanut Hotline at 1-800-828-2214.

Green Peacock and Green-hearted Neighbors

A note from the Green Home Lady

I'll tell you up front that I'm a porch person. I predict that many a blog post will be written as I view the world from a wicker chair on my big front porch. Laptop on lap. That's the picture as I settled in today to ponder my first post on The Green Home Lady.

Green Peacock
It's on my mind to bring up NBC's Green Week. I didn't seen it coming when the peacock started the week sporting green tail feathers and issuing green tips in the corner of my tv screen. Scripted into all the programs I watched were characters reminding one another to recycle, buy solar energy or turn off lights. Then the gang on CNBC's "Fast Money" focused on green companies. It made me giddy, I tell you.

They are validating my theory that two S-words are the impetus for better environmental stewardship in our society. I'm referring to status and stigma. In general, we align ourselves according to a desired status, and we turn aside from behaviors which we think will stigmatize us. I confess, my face would redden if I knew my neighbors muttered about me, "Look at how she wastes water!" as they stopped to visit near my yard on their morning walks.

Green-hearted Neighbors
Speaking of neighbors - - my neighbor Mary Lou has carried out an act of green kindness that would have gone unnoticed were it not for my porch view. Mary Lou just went down the street dragging a 64 gallon curbside recycle bin with no wheels. She told me at the mailbox yesterday that our elderly neighbor Marian's recycle bin had no wheels. Mary Lou, herself a widow of white haired age, was troubled at the hardship this must pose for Marian's caretakers.

This morning Mary Lou solved the problem. Noting that the empty house four doors away, the one that is waiting to be torn down and replaced with a modern villa, had a recycle container with wheels but no residents, Mary Lou made the swap before the rest of the street was awake - - just me -- on the porch -- telling you.