Part One: Should "It" Really Be That Difficult?

I try not to rant too terribly often, but two things lately have gotten under my skin just a wee bit.

I went to the Chili Cook-Off on Friday to help my dear friend Amy in her quest for an amateur prize with her delicious sweet mole chili recipe. I ended up slinging chili for a few hours. I had a blast as I scooped chili and chatted with patrons and looked the goof in my "Vote for Amy" t-shirt and chili pepper earrings, complete with lights. After a while, I thought about the fact that I was scooping chili into styrofoam cups, and refilling a festive bowl with plastic spoons for the patrons.

I decided to check the website to see who won which categories, as it was difficult to hear the announcements during the festival. I noticed that they (yes, that ubiquitous "they" who noone knows who exactly "they" really are) estimated 10,000 people in attendance at the event. I thought about how much chili I served, and figured each patron averaged around 5 servings a piece, which I believe is a low-ball estimate. Given those assumptions, roughly 50,000 styrofoam cups and plastic spoons were consumed. There were no recycling boxes set up for the cups or spoons. That is a whole lot of trash to landfill in the name of chili. Especially when the event is run by the Lansing Board of Water and Light. Hmm...that's a utility company. Ohhh...shouldn't a utility company be concerned about the environment?

So, I wrote an email to the organizer of the cook-off. I was civil and polite in pointing out that there are alternatives to styrofoam (would you like paper?? And couldn't you, BWL, incinerate that paper trash as some sort of energy recovery?). And I noted that there are ways to recycle styrofoam. I also gently suggested that instead of plastic spoons, wouldn't patrons be excited if, when they purchased their wrist-band to enter the festival, they received a commemorative spoon that they can take home and reuse? I tried my best to offer solutions, and not just point out problems. Two simple suggestions would make the event much closer to zero-landfill and more environmentally friendly, boosting the BWL's reputation and committment to the environment in the community.

I haven't received a response yet, and I don't necessarily expect one. But I will hold out hope...