#10 - Small women, big SUVs, recycling

I am going to preface this rant with the fact that I recycle. I think it is totally necessary and I enjoy doing it. I will load up the Jetta with glass, aluminum, paper, tin, etc and spend 20 minutes on a Saturday helping the planet. Sure. And, I will do it knowing that this is not the only thing I do to reduce my ecological impact. It is not a trade-off. Which brings me to the rant......

Small Women with Big SUVs at the recycling center: Being into snowsports and living in Alaska, I realize that a car will not haul four snowmachines or take the entire ski team up the mountain. Indeed, many people do not even have driveways which can be accessed by vehicles without 4-wheel drive. I am sympathetic. But, there will always be those people who insist they need the space. There will always be those people who believe that if they only had the space to fit everything they own into one vehicle (even if they won't ever do it, they want to know they could if they wanted to) they would be happy. They are dying for that moment when someone says "I am moving this weekend and I just don't have the space with my little car". It is that moment that they live for - the instant justification of their Ford Excursion. I digress....

I happened upon this person at the recycling center unloading her two bags of wine bottles. I noticed an empty rig and no tow hitch (meaning she did not need to haul around 5 children nor did she have anything to tow). I was already annoyed with life and her presence was irritating.  I also couldn't get over the American flags and Pro Bush trappings covering the back of her vehicle. Yeah...support our troops, but use as much gas as you can to continue to perpetuate our reliance on foreign oil. Good plan. She is talking on her Blue Tooth earpiece "Yeah, I am at the recycling center. I had to bring the Ford to fit all the bags. No. Just getting done...." blah blah blah. What bloody bags? There were two!  I felt like I fit half of the recycling in Juneau in the trunk of my VW. 

So...that is irritating. Those that drive the biggest possible vehicle that they can find for no other reason than the fact that it is huge. Get a car with better gas mileage if you really want to improve the ecological outlook..