Ball of Ecoconfusion

I found myself wondering yesterday, as I folded what seemed like 680 cloth napkins in the clean laundry pile, whether our switch from paper napkins to cloth was actually the environmentally friendly act that we meant it to be.

Sure, we are throwing away less paper, but we are also using more water and detergent to clean the cloth ones on a regular basis – and that is with me sometimes re-folding them and sneaking them back onto the pile after dinners that I deem  ”pretty clean.”  (Don’t worry, I always make sure guests have a newly laundered one.)

I realize that I can get a little over-thinky about stuff like this so I was urging myself to “Let it go,” (I actually spend a good portion of my life urging myself to “Let it go”) until I realized that it is one of many questions that I have contemplated recently, on the topic of supposedly environmentally friendly practices. My conclusion?

I am eco-confused.

On a positive note, I can say without hesitation that I care, which puts me near the front of the pack. Here are some of the good things I can say, confidently, that I do to be eco-friendly:

Having said that, there’s also a lot that I could do better. Remember when Sheryl Crow told everyone that they should use, like, two squares of toilet paper per sitting? Without getting too personal, let that be first on my list:

I could go on, but I’ll leave it at that. I’m starting to look bad, which seems ridiculous since this is my blog.

So, back to my question about the cloth napkins. Perhaps you’re thinking that the cloth vs. paper napkin issue is so small that it doesn’t warrant a whole blog post in the first place, and maybe you’re right. But, on the other hand, until people start caring about little choices like this we’re going to be stuck on the tip of the (rapidly melting) iceberg when it comes to this whole movement.

One last question: Is the extra freezer that we bought for the basement, which we use to store meat for grilling and lots of Trader Joe’s frozen items, worth the electricity? Our thinking was that it would save money on gas, and time, for all those frequent trips to TJs, but now eco-confused me is wondering whether a large and constant electricity sucker is doing more harm than good.

I’m pretty sure what Sheryl Crow would say. Then again, I don’t really care what Sheryl Crow would say.

Here’s what I have say: I’m thinking yes to the cloth napkins, but the freezer is debatable. But I want it, so can I keep it if I promise to start turning off all the lights in empty rooms? Or am I fooling myself and unless we get solar panels, and hybrid cars and start collecting our rain water, all our changes are worthless?