Writing in Snow

Going Green in the 21st Century

Word count: 540

Going green in the 21st century takes ingenuity and creativity.

Smashing Aluminum Cans on the Kitchen floor

I place the aluminum Pepsi can on the kitchen floor. I lay the can on its side so that it is easier to smash the can with my right foot. I place the side of my shoe in the center of the aluminum can and press down. The soda can bind easily and an indentation forms in the center of the can.

The top and the bottom of the can face upwards. I place the ball of my right foot on the bottom of the aluminum soda can and press down. Though the sole of my shoe, I feel the can resist slightly before it collapses. I hear a crinkling sound as the bottom of the can flattens.

Next, I place the ball of my right foot on the top of the can. I press down and feel the cans resistance to the pressure of my foot. However, like the bottom of the can, the top does not resist the pressure very long. There is another crinkling noise as the top of the can flattens. I pick up the flattened aluminum can and place it in a white plastic kitchen trash bag.

Going green in the 21st century
I crush my aluminum soda cans
and place them
in a white plastic tall kitchen trash bag,
when the bag it full I put it in the trunk of my car
and start fill another bag;
when my trunk is full
I take the bags of cans to the recycling center
and sell them.

My grandparents recycled in the 20th century, when it was not fashionable or considered necessary. Grandma had a ragbag she had made out of pieces of material from dresses and shirts. In this bag she put remains of worn out clothing and pieces of material leftover from making dresses.

The items in the ragbag, which were not good for anything else, she used as cleaning cloths. She used worn out underwear to clean the toilets and then threw the items away. Some she used as dust cloths or in a rag mop. Grandma and grandpa reused whatever they could several times before throwing the useless items away.

Now, in the 21st century it has become, not only fashionable, but also necessary to recycle. We have to reuse as much as we can because our resources are limited and it is economical to recycle and reuse. The world has changed in the 63 years I have live on Earth.

I am going green in the 21st century,
recycling and reusing more each day
questioning the items I throw into the trashcan,
is it recyclable or is it simply trash?

I am going green in the 21st century,
looking at my consumption
and attempting to make my carbon footprint
invisible.

I am going green in the 21st century,
I am hoping I can make a difference,
I am praying it is not too late
to save the planet
from the greed of humanity.

I am going green in the 21st century,
I am not a celebratory,
I am not an activist,
I am just an ordinary human being
take responsibility
for my consumption.