I have recently come to realize that I am the most horrifying monstrosity of non-eco-chicness to ever walk the face of our ailing earth.
Or the floors of my local gym, anyway.
It started to dawn on me when I found myself tossing plastic cup after plastic cup away during my daily workouts. Considering the fact I live in a near-constant state of dehydration - I hate H20, preferring Diet A&W and Starbucks Americanos instead - I've always been grateful to my health club for the water and ice machines dotted throughout. The span of time between 6 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. is pretty much the only time I actually gulp water with pleasure and abandon, during and after a sweaty StepMill session. But all of my cups, along with my co-members', go straight into the garbage. The non-recyclable kind. I've had it in my mind to say something to the owner of the place but haven't gotten around to it.
Why? Probably because I'm busy drying my sweaty face and bod with up to four clean, white, fluffy towels. The gym supplies us with an endless supply and, being a Michael Jordan-like perspirer, I take full advantage. Again, horribly irresponsible for the environment. But what shall I do? Trip over myself as the sweat pools in my eyes and forms little rivers down the cardio room?
Then there's the equipment. Yoga mats made of who-knows-what, which will likely stick around long after a nuclear Holocaust. Those exercise balls we do endless crunches on? I picture them rolling across the land like giant, colorful, rubbery tumbleweeds five centuries from now. My workout gear? If my stank hasn't broken it down by now, nothing will.
In fact, the very essence of an indoor gym seems counterintuitive when contemplating eco-friendliness. What's wrong with running outside? Hiking? Playing catch (with a recycled rubber ball made from reclaimed car tires, of course)? All of that money and energy to heat/cool my health club seems absurd when viewed from this perspective.
Simply writing this has allowed me to - slowly - step away from the Elliptical machine and witness the impact my carbon footprint is likely having on our planet. I vow to start bringing water bottles with me and refilling them often (I'm just going to pretend that whole "gross pharmaceutical agents floating in the water supply" story isn't really true). The next yoga mat I buy will be made of used, worn-out rubber bands woven together - or somesuch. I will run outside more, especially now that the weather is turning... even though it no doubt means inhaling SUV exhaust fumes and stepping in some hypoallergenic Labradoodle's dog poop.
Oh well, at least that last part is au natural.
Leslie Goldman
So, go run more outside! Or, if you're of the "well, it's already there" mentality, exercise the stuffing out of those machines. Just don't use plastic cups. :)
