The other morning before school I took this kids for a quick breakfast at Panera. Bagels are one of their most favorite treats, so that morning was an extra special way to start their days.

Before we left the house I made sure to grab a few kiddie cups. I won’t buy the apple juice box at the restaurant (too expensive, too much sugar, too much waste), and I certainly won’t give them pop from the soda fountain (especially at 7:30 in the morning!). But they need something to drink. Rather than use the disposable plastic cups the restaurant offers to customers who just want water, we bring our own cups.

Hauling in our own cups might seem funny. It might seem borderline extreme. But, why should the earth have to spend the next 500 years processing a plastic cup that offered my kid just a few minutes of pleasure?! I’d rather take the minimal time and effort to bring in our own that we will reuse again and again…and again!

I do think the future will look back on our generations as silly and shortsighted.  All this waste we are creating…and for what?!  Just to save a few minutes or to spare ourselves a momentary and minor hassle?!? The garbage we generate today will still be around when our great great great grandchildren have the wisdom to know better.  We have to stop letting momentary convenience trump good stewardship of the only planet we can call home.

Do you ever think about the garbage you sent to the landfill last week…last year…last decade?  Because it is all still sitting there. Just waiting.