Trying to help make the world a better place

Everyone needs to do their part to save the world. It's a big job and it's not going to get done by any one person. I've recently made a major life change in an attempt to become more green and to do my part.

I like to drink beer. I'm sure this is nothing new to most of the people reading this, but it's an important fact none the less. My prefer means of consumption is out of the tap. Draft beer is the best. My second choice is bottles. There's something about the feel of a cold long neck in my hand I enjoy. Third, and only because there aren't any more possible options, comes drinking beer out of a can.

I can only drink beer out of the tap when I'm at places that have taps. At least for now, I'm going to get myself a kegerator at some point in the future (I'm looking at eBay in between typing sentences here). This means most of my alcohol consumption comes in bottle form, especially given the fact I refuse to drink from a can. If I want to drink a drink from a can, I'll drink a soda. If I want to drink beer, I'm grabbing a bottle.

Those were my bottle-related thoughts as late as last week. Then I realized every time I drank a bottle of beer, I leave an empty beer bottle lying around somewhere. Idaho doesn't recycle glass, which means every bottle I empty sits in a landfill somewhere for pretty much forever.

So this week, Friday night to be exact, I made the switch from bottles to cans. Drinking from a can is just slightly less enjoyable than drinking out of a bottle, but it's a whole lot friendlier for the environment. I don't think I'm going to save the world by any means, I'm just one man trying to do my part. The next thing I need to do is to find a recycling center I can take my empty cans to in Moscow or Pullman, but for now, I only have about four of them so I'm in no hurry.

This isn't the first time I've tried to change a habit of mine to be more environmental friendly. I love to take really, really long showers. To the point where the only way I knew it was time to get out of the shower was when the water got cold. After I got back from South America, I decided I shouldn't hog all the water because not everyone has access to an endless supply of hot water and adjusted my showering habits. Now I get out of the shower when the water starts to get warm, not cold.