I'll Give YOU A Green Footprint

This morning we had a meeting in which the one truly socially conscious leader of the department, Harried Harriet (she is overworked) went over all the current recycling initiatives in place. This includes recycling everything from batteries, CDs, DVDs, papers, plastics, you name it, and you can probably recycle it in some manner. People laughed and talked through her whole presentation.

I know first hand that it has been a tooth and nail fight to get even the most rudimentary systems in place for reducing, re-using, and recycling in the department. For instance, everyone was given their very own free mug with the studio logo on it, made from recycled glass, and very fine looking indeed. Has this stopped anyone from using paper and Styrofoam cups several times a day for their stupid coffee? No. Does a totally free, never-ending water pitcher keep people from using one-use water bottles that are then thrown into the trash? No. Does anyone seem to notice that there's a recycling bin DIRECTLY NEXT to the trash? I've griped on this before, I know, but I just don't understand how it can be that hard to move your hand two inches to the right.

I shouldn't be surprised. Just the other day, one dude in the department, when told he can recycle 1, 2, and 3 plastics in the bin, looked around in wonder and said, "They have NUMBERS?" as if he'd just awakened on the moon. In my role as temp, I could only sit in today's meeting and try to look attentive while everyone joked and complained about having to hear about stupid green initiatives. I wish, just for one second, people would stop and take a look at their place in the world and how their choices affect everyone around them. I do genuinely see a begrudging change happening, however. At least there ARE recycling bins now, and people have a vague sense that someone might nag them if they don't use them.

In other news, my current assignment from heaven is scheduled to be ending at the end of November. As much as I detest the actual details of my job, the perk of sitting next to husband and being at leisurely hours and having a rad computer and being able to listen to music and not having to answer someone's phone or report when I'm going to the bathroom are significant. The jockeying between myself and my co-worker to continue in our appointed roles has begun in earnest. There is a tender hope that both of us will be renewed for many more months, but there is no guarantee of such a thing happening. I realized last week I had better get a good chunk of actual work done so as to look like I'm Totally Productive. This also means dressing slightly more professionally (EVER so slightly, dear reader, I can't begin to try that hard) and pretending I'm thinking hard whenever Scrubb comes around. I'm not sure how much this can mask the fact that I've been Totally Un-Productive. I'll let you know in a month.