Monday, November 24, 2008

Shaving To Save The World

We live, sadly, in an extremely wasteful society. Seldom, is consideration given to realize that we are destroying our environment with the products that we purchase.

Every product that is created started as a natural resource, which was torn from its place on this planet – leaving scars by our miners. The resource is then processed into an item, within our factories – creating harmful pollution for our air, water and soils. This item is then packaged and shipped throughout our world – creating more garbage – as the packaging is thrown away, and more pollution as the item is transported around the world using boats, planes, and trucks.

Here is just one simple example to show how easy it is for each of us to make conscientious decisions about what we purchase…

In 2003, I was getting ready for school – I was in college then – and I was having a shave. My electric razor broke, so I had to buy another one. After my classes were finished for the day, I went to a local drug store to see about a new razor.

While I was staring at a wall of choice, I began to think about how many broken razors are being thrown into the garbage, everyday – around the world. I wondered if I should start using disposable razors instead. As I thought of this I realized that I would have to buy shaving cream and that meant that I would be creating more garbage after I threw out the empty containers. I also realized that many chemicals are used in the shaving gels and that by using these products I would still be creating a lot of pollution. What was I going to do? It seemed that every choice offered to me was a bad choice!

Then I saw, on the bottom shelf, at the end of the display, a simple shaving solution.


I bought a shaving kit that came complete with a razor that allowed me to change just the thin metal blades, a cup with a bar of shaving soap, and a brush to lather the soap. I had found a solution.

I purchase one bar of shaving soap every year and a half and I buy a new pack of razor blades about once a year. Let’s not forget to think of all the electricity I have saved by not using an electric razor.

In the last fifteen years, since I made this decision I figure that I have saved our landfills about two or three electrical razors. If I was using disposable razors and shaving gels I would calculate that I have saved our landfills over sixty containers used for the shaving gels, plus all the chemicals used in the gels and over five hundred disposable razors. This would be a savings of close to fifty cubic feet of garbage!!!

Each and every small positive change that we make in our lives does make a difference.

Jim

No comments: