Recycling Club

I would not consider myself a “tree hugger” by any stretch of the imagination.  However I will do my small part to keep the planet clean.  When I was 7 or 8 I really took Earth Day seriously.  I read books on the health of planet Earth and was extremely interested in keeping Her clean.  The urge I felt to recycle and keep the Earth clean probably came from a fear of death.  I wanted to make sure Planet Earth would be around so we all had some place to live.  As a matter of fact, when I was in first or second grade I started a Recycling Club with Laura Lindstrom.  This was before there was road side pickup of recycling.  We made flyers and passed them out in our neighborhoods.  Once a week we walked around with our wagon and pick up people’s recycling and then took it to the recycling center.

As a matter of fact my mother reminded me of this recycling club when I was 27 and living in my apartment in Everett, WA.  There were two sides to the apartment complex and the recycling was on the other side.  To recycle we had to drive our recycling to the other side of the complex.  At first I would mix my trash, but after a reminder from my mom I started separating the trash again and I probably just had TJ drive the recycling to the other side.  Either way the Earth loving 8-year-old came out in me again.

Since being in the Middle East the 8-year-old Earth loving girl is crying every day.    The water is not safe for human consumption so we are required to get all our water out of half liter plastic bottles.  I can drink half of a liter in about thirty seconds.  I alone easily drink at least ten a day.  As you probably guessed there are no recycling bins.  I feel terrible every time I throw one of these bottles away.  I certainly don’t feel bad enough to get dysentery to keep my 8 year old self from feeling bad, but I do wish there was some way to recycle all these bottles and cans.  There is a small consolation for the waist.  In the gym there is a box that collects the bottle caps for an Afghanistan Wheel Chair fund.  I even put a box in my office to collect more throughout the day.  A little less of my tree hugging self-dies each time I drink water knowing at least I’m helping someone in need gets a wheel chair.

I started to reflect on what I was worried about as a child.  I was scared the world would end if we didn’t recycle.  I think it would be safe to bet no child in Afghanistan is staying up at night worrying about the aluminum can they threw away and the consequence that may have on their planet.   There are people every day here who make themselves into an improvised explosive device and blow up their neighbors and friends.  What I really wish is these kids had a chance to worry about recycling an aluminum can instead of aluminum shrapnel.

As upsetting as it is to see this waste I’m going to choose drinking the bottled water over the alternative.  However when recycling someday comes to Afghanistan (or the entire middle east, I saw the same in Qatar), I want to be part of the company to profit.

For an update from home.  For the most part everyone is doing well.  Poor Taylyn had a really tough first 6 weeks.  She was really angry and confused.  It started with me leaving and then 2 weeks later TJ took Timyra and Timothy to Seattle for 2 weeks.  Taylyn stayed with my mom.  She was even more angry and confused.  She spent those 2 weeks attached, literally, to Grandma.  Grandma could do nothing without Taylyn, and I mean nothing!  Well Timyra and Timothy have been back for a few days and she is a new baby.  Although they are all sticking together and all sleep in the same room.  The girls are even in the same bed.  I miss these cuties!