If you locked a Republican, a Democrat and a voter in a room, within minutes the voter might strangle the politicians just to escape.
But in the world of recycling and craft beer, though the discourse may not be as civil as in other brewing aspects, it still does push and prod people forward instead of just punting problems down the field. And three yard gains and a lot of work shouldn’t be derided because you were hoping for a punt return for a touchdown.
In a recent New Republic article, you get to see the why of how to package cans together and the different avenues that craft breweries take. No matter your stand on this issue, the fact that each camp is going forward in an attempt to make things better is the key take-away. The ubiquitous clear rings that grace sodas, ABSABINBEVMILL and some craft beers were once seen as dangerous because the rings could get caught on wildlife or float out on the ocean never to disappear. But to read that they are trying to make these rings photodegradeable is heartening. The manufacturers could just keep selling the old ones and not apologize (like politicians) but they are choosing to make things at least a little better. And those who pooh-pooh it as not enough are missing the point. We should encourage them to make them better, however incrementally. You shouldn’t stop 10 tiny steps in the right direction because you want 1 larger step.
As with foods that one day are great for you and the next day are killing you, the recycling news lately has been pretty negative. And it seems that those who want to save the earth are the ones making people feel bad because the recycling isn’t as green as thought to be. A goal that can be reached toward is what needs to be enouraged. Not just a drumbeat of low numbers and lack of progress.
So let’s recycle whatever is thrown at us be it rings, covers or boxes. What we throw into our bins may not all get to recycle Valhalla, but it is better than nothing. And if your city (and mine) aren’t doing their part, then come voting time, get someone in office who can fix it. Or improve it, piece by piece.
