somewhere in the world, a tree-hugger is sobbing inconsolably

because of me.

I spent eight and a half hours tossing 11 years worth of invoices into the trash. Yes, the trash. To be burned. Not recycled. BURNED. There was a part of me that wanted to start laughing wickedly, like an evil tyrant CEO dumping radioactive waste into the ocean and watching all of the aquatic life shriek and die. Really. That's actually how I felt.

As I stared at my massive pile of dead and shredded trees, I began to consider how I could incorporate this into my blog. How could I morph this into a social commentary about how suburban businesses are impassive with with their waste management policies? Environmentally unfriendly, if you will. If the incredulous looks I received when I asked if there was an alternative to just burning all of the wasted paper (i.e. recycling it,) were any indication, I'd say that the term 'impassivity' doesn't quite constitute what's happening out here in the boons. It's probably something more along the lines of... apathy. And perhaps a touch of being misinformed.

I really don't want to sound patronizing or anything, but it's that generation. Only granola-munching, natural-fiber-wearing hippies recycle. At least that's what my grandparents and the rest of their entire generation (and most of the generation directly proceeding them) would have you believe. Okay, so that's a gross generalization. But I'm angered, and it's much easier to point your finger at a group of people rather than sift out the problem individuals. Individuals  who cite cost as the reasoning behind their businesses not being more "green friendly." That's understandable, I guess. But, as these things often do, this has inspired me. I've given myself a new mission at work to discover a way around this. I've designated myself Chief of Green Affairs, Rescuer of Old and Used Paper Products and Enforcer of the Three R's. I started this mission by creating approximately and hour and a half's worth of extra work for myself by going through every single old file, removing the contents, and keeping the actual file folder. This, instead of just dumping the entire box of folders onto the trash pile.

This is my new mission. Paper cuts will happen. Trees will be saved.