Saving the Planet

I walked into my house after attending an inspiring Reduce, Reuse, Recycle class and was appalled. So many earth-unfriendly infractions had been committed here. The pantry was a shocking example: a stack of styrofoam plates, several storage containers which had been purchased solely for that purpose (instead of reusing various food containers or boxes), and a container overflowing with plastic grocery bags (not a single reusable bag in sight). Gulp. I now knew that carefully cutting and decorating empty cereal boxes completely eliminated the need to purchase the magazine storage boxes which were beautifully lined up on my book shelves. Oh, how I had carelessly wasted the earth's precious resources. But no more. No more styrofoam, no more container store, no more plastic grocery bags. My new resolve was to help save the planet, one reused cereal box at a time.

Two weeks later, the doorbell rang. And rang. And rang. I didn't have any cookies to offer an entire neighborhood worth of kids as they poured into my house on that rainy summer afternoon, but I reminded myself that I had always wanted a house where kids wanted to come and play with my five children, so I took a deep breath and got creative. Legos, blocks, dolls, cars, couch-cushion-and-sheet forts, air hockey, games, pillow fights, minor injuries, then finally the thirty minute allotment of Wii time. Exhausted, I looked around and started to panic, realizing that although my bag of tricks was officially empty, my house was not - it was still chock full of kids.

Then I remembered the unopened box of 1,000 Craft Sticks I had purchased a few months ago. Being newly aware of the trees sacrificed to produce that box and its contents, I felt a twinge of guilt while opening it, and then a twinge more as I pulled out the styrofoam plates. Desperate times calling for desperate measures, I threw earth-friendliness to the wind, rounded up the troops, and proceeded to be amazed. Amazed at what children ages 3 through 13 can create with craft sticks and glue - three-story palaces complete with staircases, machine guns, trees, boxes, piles of sticks. I was truly amazed at how long they will stay occupied, how congenial and helpful they can be with each other, and how patient. As the box had almost been depleted, I searched for a pen to add "Jumbo Box of 1,000 Craft Sticks" to my shopping list.

But hesitated - what about saving the planet? Don't busy, happy kids trump earth-friendliness? My Reduce Reuse Recycle teacher would argue, I was sure, that there were at least 1,000 items I should have used instead of craft sticks. She probably has a list. In the future, I can plan ahead and try to have green crafting materials on hand. Empty cereal boxes came to mind.

I think back on that rainy summer day and understand that what happened in my house - children being given a safe and loving environment where they could play, create, learn, work together, solve problems - was far more important to the future of the planet than saving a tree. As a mother, am I not trying to create that kind of environment for my children every day? So that they will someday grow up and be kind, hard-working adults who make a positive contribution to society? What good is a tree-saver if he or she is unwilling or unable to help save a child, or a life, or a soul - or even the planet?

In bold strokes, I wrote "Jumbo Box of 1,000 Craft Sticks" on my list. Realistically, the likelihood is slim that I will have the time or the wits to gather 1,000 earth-friendly crafting materials before the next deluge of children. But I need to be prepared when it arrives. Because my resolve hasn't changed - it's still to help save the planet. But at this juncture in my life, I think I'll save it one child at a time.