Strange Ideas For Going Green?

I've been thinking a lot about 'going green' lately. I've tried to live green for a very long time - it was 'cool' in the 70's then all of a sudden the idea seemed to drop out of site until recenlty and the 'global warming' hype. I don't know if people are causeing global warming, or if it's truly happening, but I do know our planet is a filthy mess and we need to clean it up, melting ice caps or not.

What about some sort of returnable or reusable containers for deli foods? I buy deli foods a lot, probably more than I should, and it bothers me that some of it is sold in styrofoam containers, and the other containers are still plastic. Why can't we have some sort of container that when returned or reused to a store, say Wally-World, we can have it refilled?

Prescription bottles - I'm getting older (which beats the alternative) and seem to need more prescriptions than I used to. All those clear, little orange plastic bottles have to go somewhere - why can't we return them when we need a prescription refilled?

Prescriptions - Recently it was announced that medications are showing up in the water in Michigan. Is that any surprise? We are told we must throw our old meds away, so where do we throw them? Either in the landfill or down the toilet (which is being discouraged by the way). Medication is expensive and so many people need medication who cannot afford it. Why can't we return our unused medications and have them donated to people who really need them and can't afford them? I'm wondering about all the male potency medication getting into the drinking water - yikes! Or, all of the antibiotics going into landfills and water, probably producing super bugs as I type this..

Why can't we have community swaps for clothing, small appliances, unused canned goods, toys, whatever? Pay a small fee to help with the cleanup afterward, let people bring their stuff and let someone else use it? Whatever is not taken could go to the Goodwill or Salvation army? I bet tons and tons of 'stuff' would be used at least one more time, thus keeping it out of the landfills.

I know of several companies that throw an enormous amount of 'stuff' away. My son deccorated his living room with perfectly good, like new. lamps, chairs, tables, artwork, and all sorts of stuff that a company he worked for tossed when an employee left the company or decided they needed a new look for their office. He gave me a huge Fica tree (two actually) and a half dozen other indoor plants that were sitting next to the dumpster like orphans. My neighbor noticed a huge piece of black granite sitting by the dumpster where he works. I loaded it up and took it to a place that cuts it and installed all new counter tops! Throwing that stuff away is just nuts! These companies also either closed, consolidated or downsized their workforce. Maybe if they hadn't wasted fo much money on office furniture and wall art, they could have kept a few more people working for a living.

Encourage more states to start making cans and bottles return and refundable. We were in Florida recently and I collected about 100 beer cans from the beach (no, I didn't drink the beer). That was just me, in a few day's time! I wrote to the state and was told the idea was brought up but it was felt that retailers would suffer. So? They make loads of money off of tourists, the least they can do is take care of the environment so there will be a beach that people will want to come back to.

And what about all those huge water fountains and displays, especially in Las Vegas. They're in the middle of a freaking dessert for gosh sakes. How dumb is that?

Don't even get me started on 'green lawns'. Grass is the least efficient use of land I can think of. It takes a tremendous amout of chemicals and water to keep it 'green and lovely.' Why not encourage residents to plant ground covers or even veggies - I know it sounds strange, but we as a human race cannot afford traditional lawns any more. It's time for a change.

Maybe someone will read my rant and decide to try one of my 'strange' ideas. I would love that!