Thoughts and Musings on Faith, Music, Family, Life

"All are welcome. Seriously. We really mean it."

I have this weird fascination with church marquees - those interchangeable signs strategically placed in front of church buildings.  In one sense I'm attracted to them, the same way that I can't look away from the car wreck on the other side of the interstate as I drive by.  Like a moth to the flame, I'm helpless to their lure.

On the other hand, I find myself doing a lot of face-palming, either figuratively or literally.  And not only because some of them - and you know the ones I'm talking about - express a theology and biblical understanding that has little or nothing to do with the God I know.  It's also, in my opinion, the worst kind of advertising. 

Because that's what these marquees are, functionally if not intentionally - advertising.  A form of outreach and evangelism.  I mean, they're right there outside the church's main entrance, in some cases larger than the sign with the church's name on it.  Every so often the message changes, thus catching our attention.  Everything about them practically screams, "Look at me! This is who we are!"  And like it or not, they tell a story about what kind of church lies on the other side.

And I don't get it, honestly, what possesses some churches to tell the stories they do.  Maybe they're not intended for public consumption and are meant more for the people inside - in which case perhaps that's where the signs should be.  That's they only way I can make sense of it.  I mean, who is going to drive past a church with a marquee that essentially tells them they're going to hell and think, Hey, sounds like the place for me! 

Like the saying goes: "First impressions are lasting impressions.  And frankly, I'm rarely impressed.

My church doesn't have a marquee - a blessing, as I see it.  Every now and then, though, I daydream about what it might say if we did.  What kind of "advertising," what kind of story would it share?  To that end, I've created a few of my own, void of cheesy wordplays and ghastly theology.  You can do the same, by the way, HERE if you want.  Knock yourselves out.  Feel free to add your own marquee slogan in the comments below!

(Note: the following are my own messages and don't necessarily reflect the church I gratefully serve. Don't want anyone to think one person is trying to speak for everyone - the issue with church marquees to begin with).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Imagine when...

I was catching a cup of coffee after a presbytery meeting at my favorite coffee house in Winston-Salem, Krankies.  I had my computer with me and was going to work on a sermon, because that's what I'm always doing, and because I tend to do my best sermonizing when coffee is involved.  Anyway, I grabbed my cup of Kenyan and sat down at a table in the corner, and when I looked up at the wall next to me this is what I saw:

It's called an "Imagination Installation," a local movement of sorts in the area; and per its website it's about "harnessing the collective power of our community's dreams."  Which, in case you're wondering, is awesome.  So was this wall - dozens of small lime green signs tacked and taped all over the place, each with the simple title "Imagine When...."at the top,  and lots of space underneath for folks to write whatever.

So the sermon would have to wait awhile, because in truth I was looking at tons of little sermons on the wall of this coffee house, and it's always good when the preacher gets preached too. Here are a few that particularily spoke to me:

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...the word "can't" is lost from the spoken language

...people "make each other right"

...we decide to invest in happiness instead of war and hatred.

...nutritiuous local food is abundantly available everywhere and is preferred

...elected officials work for the good of the people, not for the power of the office

...human beings realize we are stewards of this earth, and no more important than any other living being

...we are not strangers

...there is a woman in the White House!

...we recognize that "the kingdom of God is here" (no waiting required)

..very child can squish mud between his or her toes in a creek

..we dream together to empower each other, rather than live in isolation

...we grow food rather than lawns, and share that food with our community

..we all Iive in the moments like our dogs, cats and horses do.

...our economic system rewards cooperation, collaboration and generosity over competition

...we all realize we are happier the more we give and love others, rather than how much we get and are loved.

...public art is on every corner in downtown Winston-Salem

...we know that life comes from death

...color is a hue that a painter uses to transform the canvas :-)

...the health care system is healed

..all pets have an owner that is loving and caring and a comfortable place to be

...corporations figure out that creativity and innovation comes from liberated, encouraged and respected employees

...children and adults go outside and play every day

...education rewards innovation and creativity more than compliance

...every child comes home at the end of school to a loving family member and a plate of cookies and milk

...each of us life our lives with respect and honor of all living beings

...we all remember that we're one big family

...people have the courage to be themselves

...we all let our authentic selves shine!

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Of course, I got in on the act. Here's the one I did.  If you know me, this should come as no surprise:


You know what I liked most about this excellent use of coffee house wall space? It's "Imagine When," not "Imagine If."  It's only a matter of time, folks.  Let's get busy.

My journey as a 21-day Vegan

Yep - as of today, I've completed the 21-day vegan detox diet that's all the rage.  No meat, dairy or eggs for three weeks.  It's been a bit of a change, but nothing terribly bad.  In fact, I've rather enjoyed it.  Some random reflections on the journey in no particular order:

• I lost a lot of weight, somewhere in the 10-12 pound range. This was the main reason I did the diet.  The trick, of course, is keeping it off.  We'll see how long that lasts.  But for now, I'm pleased.


• I didn't miss meat as much as I thought I would. I'm not a huge steak-eater and hamburgers make rare appearances in my diet.  The meat I'm more inclined to eat is when it's part of something else - turkey in a sandwich, chicken in my wife's awesome chicken pie, ground beef in a bowl of chili.  I thought I'd miss this kind of meat moreso, but other than the occasional craving for a slice of pepperoni pizza it hasn't been that bad.


• Probably the hardest thing to give up was dairy.  I've always been a big milk-drinker - some in my cereal in the morning, a glass or two with dinner at night. It's a pretty significant part of my diet.  Problem is, the milk we buy at the grocery store has all kinds of hormones that were given to the cows that produced it; and those hormones wind up in our body.  Soy milk and almond milk are acquired tastes, but after a while you get used to it. 


• I thought a lot more about the foods I put in my body. And I guess in a sense that's part of what the diet is about.  You can't just grab whatever's in the fridge or whatever you've got in the pantry.  You're constantly asking yourself: Does this have eggs in it?  Does it have milk?  This wasn't a bad exercise to engage in outside the diet itself.  How many of us eat whatever's right in front of us without thinking about where it came from, what's in it, etc?


• I ate less. Kind of a natural byproduct of the previous one. Besides, if your fridge is like ours, you have multiple kinds of sandwich meat and cheese but not a lot of beans and greens.


• Side effects of the diet - your body has to go through an adjustment period as it transitions to the vegan diet. For me, it hit around Day Three or Four.  I felt a little tipsy that was something between slight fatigue and a weird high of sorts.  I had this odd metal taste in my mouth, probably a little iron deficiency going on.  Once I hit Day Five, though, it was all good.  I found my energy level was much better.


• As with everything, there's an app for that.  Although I didn't use it much, since it called for some recipies that were either a bit extravagant for my tastes, or unreasonable for one reason or another.  But it's still worth checking out.  And when you do, you'll learn that....


• Cous cous and black beans rock. They're in just about everything in the diet, and that's perfectly fine with me.  Others that found their way into my diet over the past 21 days - peanut butter, good ol' fruit, carrot sticks, soy milk. Oh, and give the green smoothie a try.  Sounds gross, but it's actually pretty tasty.


• It's a bit of a challenge when your family isn't doing the diet with you, but it's not impossible. Basically I made my own meals beside the rest of my family for three weeks.  The only time this was hard was when the wife and kids had her most excellent homemade chicken pie.  That was a tough one to sit out.  And going out to eat had its challenges, especially in my locale where "family cooking" is most prevalent and certainly not very vegan.  In the end, though, everything worked out fine.

So - where to go from here?  More than likely I'll retain some elements of the vegan diet but not so hard-core.  I'll probably throw fish back into the mix and eat beef and chicken very sporadically. I'll eat some eggs but do my best to make sure they're free-range and organic.  As far as milk - this is the one thing I think I'm going to give up altogether. Soy and Almond milks are not a bad substitute, and void of any nasty hormones.  Big deal for me, as I've been a "milk boy" for most of my life.  Hopefully this modification will continue helping to keep the weight off!

A good week in Chicago

I’ve said it before – I love airports.  There’s something about the random humanity that fascinates me. I’m in an airport as I write this – Chicago O’Hare, to be exact – at some concourse restaurant grabbing a hot dog. Aptly titled “the Chicago.”  I like the way my waiter pronounced it when he brought it to me – “CHI-cago,” not “SHI-cago” like us non-residents are prone to say.  I gladly stand corrected.

I’ve spent the past week in the Windy City at McCormick Theological Seminary.  You know those people who have elaborate plans to tour all major league ballparks?  A few years back I decided to do the same thing with Presbyterian Church (USA) seminaries. I know, not as exciting; but as I'm proving at this very moment, you can still get a hot dog. Anyway, there are nine or ten of them, depending on how many you count in the mix; and including the three I attended for formal schooling I’ve been to six: Union (Richmond, VA), Columbia (Decatur/Atlanta), Pittsburgh, Louisville, Austin and now McCormick in Chicago.  I’m always amazed by the diversity of the schools and the people associated with them, but also all the things they share in common. Every school in their own unique way is making a difference.

I usually try to attend some specific event, like a conference, but if that’s not available I’ll spend a few days just studying and reading.  The latter was my intention when, back in the summer, I pulled up McCormick’s web site.  And then my eyes caught a little blurb about their brand new Certification in Environmental Ministries and Leadership.  Anyone who knows me can certainly understand my immediate interest.  I was getting spousal permission and plane tickets within days.

The program is spearheaded by four faculty and involved ten participants from all over the country and beyond (a gentleman from north of the border joined us).  We met for three days, two of which were seminar-style discussions and one “field trip” day to a local conservation.  Lots of incredible conversation and insight.  In many ways its getting back to some of the core Biblical and theological emphases on "creation-care" that we seem to have lost in recent years - captured quite eloquently in a comment I remember someone making in our local curbside recycling brouhaha last spring: that "God loves people, not the earth" (there's this little thing called John 3:16 you ought to check out...)  It's helping me fine-tune my perspectives and passions on the issue so I can do my part to help the faithful  reclaim an important conversation that's been sorely neglected.

Anyway, this was part one of two trips - we’ll be back in early 2012, after which we’ll have a project to complete. And as much as I enjoyed the program itself, I also fell in love with Chicago.  The seminary is located in Hyde Park, on the south side of town.  I came to love the neighborhoods and my daily walks through the University of Chicago campus to some friends who graciously opened up their guest room for me.  It was also cool to reconnect with some old Mount Airy peeps (and a former Mediocre Bad Guy band member) who moved up here a year or so ago.  Hyde Park is a fantastic place, bustling with activity amidst old-school buildings and homes, ornate trees, and two – yes, TWO – organic coffee shops.  Take that, Starbucks.

Lots to think about as I board my flight home in an hour – including my strategy on how to get to my parked car as quickly as possible so I can to book it home in time to make a Mediocre Bad Guys gig.  Enjoy the pics that follow, and pay special note to the incredible rainbow that greeted me this morning as I prepared to depart.  I'll take it as a sign that this week was time well spent.

  Downtown Chicago skyline via Grant Park on a gorgeous day

 

Chicago Harbor. Bet this looks different in January.

 

Home of a certain famous Chicago residence who currently resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington DC. About two blocks from the seminary. Pleasantly waved to the Secret Service guy parked across the street before snapping this pic.

  Went on a jog one morning and headed six blocks east to Lake Michican. Got there in time to see the sunrise. Add this to my collection of awesome sunrise running pics.

 

Our Certification group visiting Glacial Park about two hours outside Chicago

 

So I was walking to my last class Saturday morning with suitcase in tow right in the middle of a rainshower. Kind of a pain, until the sun came out and I stopped at 55th Street to see this. If it's not a sign of the promise, at the very least it's a Starbucks PR dream.

A Day on the Dan

I'm thankful for good friends who, with a little resistance on my part, nevertheless talked me into taking a day off from work and joining them on the Dan River for a day. It's been a while since I've done some semi-serious canoeing and kayaking, so I was ready for it.  And given that temps in northwestern North Carolina were soaring into the high 90's, there really wasn't a better place to be.

Many thanks to Jeff E., Jeff P. and Delane for a great time this past Wednesday, as you'll see in the video below (click HERE if you don't see it).

(P.S. Not only is Delane the king kayaker, but also a pretty decent videographer!)

Camping with the kid

About three months ago, out of the blue, my eight-year old son says to me, "Dad, I want to go camping."  I told him that was a cool idea and Mom and I would talk and find a date on our family calendar. "No Dad," he responded, "I meant just me and you."  Just me and you.  You got it, kid.

I have fond memories of the dozen or so times my parents, brother and I packed the tent and enjoyed the wilds of nature. Up until now the only camping experience our family had enjoyed was a few years ago.... in the backyard. Testing out the new tent, you see.  It was time to do the real thing.

We were supposed to head out a few Fridays ago, but strong rains caused us to postpone until this past week.  We decided to try out the campsites at nearby Pilot Mountain as a good first venture.  Being a good Dad I swore off the iphone for anything other than emergency calls. Had I tweeted the experience, ala our family Disney trip a year ago, though, it would've gone something like this:

FRIDAY

Here we go! A night with little sleep is in my future.  I'm cool with that.

Stopped at gas station on the way to get a few things we forgot.  Probably not the last time, knowing me.

Yep. Stopped again. More stuff we forgot. But now we got it.

Man. This boy can talk a lot. Wonder where he gets that from. #potcallingkettleblack

Campsite #26. It's ours. Awesome.

"Don't worry about getting bored, Dad. I've brought some activities for us to do." This kid is gonna be my personal program director for the next 20 hours.

Tent is up. And surprisingly, in the words of the red Staples button, that was easy.

Taking a walk around the campground. Working up an appetite for the grilled goodness that is to come.

Omigosh, this kid can talk. Have I said that already?

Dinner is served. Hot dogs roasted over the fire with coat hangers. Sour cream & onion potato chips. A meal fit for two young men.

First thing I wish I remembered to bring: stadium chairs. Those would've been real nice about now. Crap.

It's only 8:15. How can I already be ready for bed?

S'mores!! In related news, marshmallows look really cool when they burn on hot coals.

Realizing that a campsite with lots of rocks and roots becomes a bit of an issue once the sun goes down. #thingsi'llremembernexttime

Five trips to the bathhouse in five hours for the little one. That's gotta break some record.

Huge loud bugs outside the tent as we're going to sleep. Glad they're not inside. A little too close to nature that would be.

Sleeping on the ground is not really comfortable. It interferes with your sleep, you see.

In the silent of the night at some hour I don't know, I hear this Enrique song playing in my head. Where'd that come from?!  Please, someone, stop the torture.

SATURDAY

Hello 6am. Why is my boy up with you?

Bananas and honey buns. It's the breakfast of champions. What I'd give for a cup of coffee right now.

The kid says, "When I grow up I'm going to take my family camping a lot. Do you think they have campsites in Los Angeles?"

Time for our hike. Two miles to the top of Pilot Mountain. We'll see how far we get.

Dude on a mountain bike passed us on the trail. Now that's hard-core, people.

My son's favorite phrase on the hike: "Oh wow, I need a picture of that!" He means it too. So we stop a lot.

Made it!!  http://twitpic.com/52k00o

Just occurred to me that today is supposed to be the Rapture. Guess being up on a mountain will work to our advantage, perhaps?

Note to self: going down the mountain is harder on the knees than going up. #OW

He still hasn't stopped talking. And I still haven't stopped listening.

Last thing before we leave: leaf colorings. It was his idea. Not sure it'll work with the crayola markers he brought, but we'll make a go of it..

Well, whadya know. It worked. Sorta. You know what else worked? Camping with my son. So glad we could do this.

Speaking out for curbside recycling

This evening my family and I attended a public hearing held by our city commissioners.  The topic: curbside recycling.  Our wonderful little town of "Mayberry" doesn't have it, and after years of egging our community leaders on, they finally scheduled this forum.  Strange as it is to say, this has been a contentious issue in our community, as there are some who are vehemently opposed to the idea for a number of reasons.  Cost is one of them (and a reasonable one, I confess); but a significant group who view such an initiative as "government intrusion" and even those who see curbside recycling as a not-so-veiled form of socialism (as I highlighted in this previous blog post).

The forum lasted just under two hours.  Those who spoke were overwhelmingly in favor of curbside recycling.  I didn't keep track, but I would guess that for every one person opposed, four or five were in favor.  A lot of the vitriol that had surfaced over the past few weeks in the social media world over this topic was nonexistent.

Both my wife and 8-year old son spoke, as did I.  In my comments I approached things from both a pastoral/spiritual angle, as well as a city resident and taxpayer.  Below is what I said. 

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My friends – tonight I come in two capacities to express my support for curbside recycling – as a pastor and a resident of this wonderful town.  As pastor, I come not representing the church I serve, but representing many people of many faiths who understand that the call to take care of God’s earth comes first and foremost from this – the scriptures.  In the book of Genesis, which serves as the foundation for some 2.2 billion Christians and Jews worldwide, the scripture says this:

Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth, and over the earth itself.

Sadly, over the years that word “dominion” has been misconstrued to mean “do with the world as you wish.”  When in fact, the Hebrew here actually describes a scenario where a servant is entrusted with the care of their master’s possessions.  So the world does not belong to us – it belongs to God.  Like the Psalmist says in Psalm 24:1: The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.

People of faith all over the world understand God’s mandate to care for creation – including many here in our community, represented in these signed petitions, stating that curbside recycling is not only a civic calling but a spiritual one as well.  I submit these to you for public record on their behalf.

The second capacity in which I come tonight is as a citizen of this town – a citizen who recognizes that waste disposal comes at a cost to the taxpayer, no matter how we go about doing it.  We can either continue purchasing additional land for the landfill – land which will eventually fill up and cause us to purchase more land – or we can enact a curbside recycling program that, in the long run, will cost the taxpayer less.  If we are going to talk about cost in this discussion, as some people are so eager to do, then let us be open and honest about all costs involved.

It’s become apparent that, if curbside recycling is going to happen in Mount Airy, it’s going to require some "forward-thinking" on behalf of you, our city commissioners.  Which is why I’m grateful that this is something you all have demonstrated in the past.  Five or six years ago, you will recall, Reeves Community Center was in danger of shutting its doors.  It would've been easy for you, our elected officials, to have said, "We can't afford to get involved." Instead, you wisely recognized that you couldn't afford NOT to.  So you chose to take over Reeves and keep that vital community resource intact.

And, you know, it strikes me that the city didn’t have to hold a public forum back then to discuss this, even though it came at an additional cost to the taxpayer.  So why is this issue so much more contentious?  The real reason, I would submit, is not about money.  The real reason is about doing something new and different; something we’ve never had before.  It’s about change.  And as creatures of habit, we humans are not very fond of change.  But sometimes doing the right thing, doing the smart and sensible thing, doing the economically viable thing, requires that we do something we’ve never done before.

On a personal note: I’ve had the honor of getting to know each of you on a number of levels.  I’ve served with you in Rotary and in ministry.  I’ve shared the stage with you for shows you were running sound for.  I’ve coached your children in swimming, taught them at the college, officiated your daughter’s weddings.  I know you love this town and want very much to do the right thing.  My friends, this is the right thing!  And, contrary to our local newspaper’s editorial yesterday, this is also very much the right time.  I implore you, as a fellow citizen and colleague and friend, to once again engage in “forward-thinking” and bring curbside recycling to Mount Airy.   Thank you!

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I welcome all comments and thoughts, both those who agree with me and those who don't.  Here's the deal - this is my blog, so I reserve the right to delete comments that do one of two things: 1) engage in namecalling, belittling, excessive vitriol or other such nonsense, and/or 2) do not contribute to the dialogue in a meaningful way. If you don't feel you can abide by either of these stipulations, you probably don't need to comment (or just don't get all bent out of shape when I delete it).  If you can abide by it, please, comment away.

Telling only one side of the story

There are many, many things I love about the small town my family and I live in.

And then there is this.

Where to start?  Obviously the guy is entitled to his opinion, although it certainly is based on hearsay and lines drawn with the most random of connections.  Without diving into a full-on political debate, I simply cannot understand how someone could equate "socialism" with "sustainable living" so completely.  Nevertheless, he is entitled to his opinion.

My concern lies with those who make the agenda for our city commissioners and those who report for our newspapers.  I am friends with a number of city commissioners and individuals at the local newspaper, so I do not say these things lightly. But how this individual got on the docket of our city commissioner's meeting is troubling to me.  Obviously, armed with powerpoints and a formal presentation, this was not something out of the open public forum.  This gentleman was invited to speak.  Fine.  But if you're going to extend him an invitation, you must invite someone from the other side of the argument.  And there are plenty of people in our community who would be more than willing and qualified to do that.  Such as Joe Gardener, a nationally-renowned expert in sustainable gardening and living who lives a mile and a half from the city building where the commissioners meet.  He's an intelligent guy, a good Presbyterian, and he kicks butt on the Stairmaster at the community center.  Someone majorly dropped the ball by not making arrangements for a counterpoint voice to be heard.

But that's not all.  I understand that the reporter's job is to report what happens, and the city commissioners did not give the newspaper a counterpoint to report on.  And I know the print dealine looms large every day and a story must be turned in for publication.  Still, I can't understand why the reporter did not take a few extra minutes to pick up the phone and call any number of people to provide another perspective to balance the article.  Reporting is about sharing what happened, but it is also about striving to present a full picture, especially when the facts presented here are so skewed and one-sided.

I am not a fan of socialism.  I am a fan of sustainable living.  And I cannot see how one could possibly lead to another, unless you succumb to a radical perspective based on something other than just the facts.  Which is why I fear there is more going on here than meets the eye. I've said this before and apparently it bears repeating: when we live by our fears and not by our hopes, when we use scare tactics to get our way rather than presenting a complete picture and the facts at hand, we only hurt ourselves.  And that's not something this small town - or any town - ever needs.

I welcome your thoughtful and respectful comments below, whatever your perspective might be.

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UPDATE: Here's a wonderful letter to the editor from my friend David Petri, who lives in Mount Airy and works with a local company in the area of sustainable living.

Rainbow over Mayberry

The rush-rush of a weekday morning - getting dressed, getting the boys off to school.  And as I pulled into the church parking lot and walked up the handicapped ramp, I turned toward downtown and saw this:

Thanks for the reminder.

http://www.stevelindsley.com

Trashing the Biodegradable Sun Chips bag

If you haven't heard the news about the Sun Chips bags, that may be because you haven't heard much of anything since you last opened one.  They were, of course, the biodegradable packaging brainchild of snack-maker Frito-Lay.  The deal was that the whole bag was compostable - meaning it was made out of plant material that would break down over a few months.  This is in contrast to other snack food bags, and all plastic bags in general, that are petroleum-based and take anywhere from 500-1000 years to degrade, so the scientists tell us.

Now let's shoot straight here - ultimately this was nothing more than a sales gimmick.  It worked on my family.  I mean, we've always liked Sun Chips, but we bought more of them when they made the bag change.  The fact that they restricted the use of this bag to the Sun Chips product - the supposedly more natural/healthy option in their snack food arsenal (yes, you may snicker here) - seemed to prove this point.

Nevertheless, they did in fact do what they claimed to do - as the compost in my backyard has become the final resting place for many a Sun Chips bag, where they wind up looking much like the picture to the right.  So regardless of their motives, it was nevertheless a bold move and at least indicated that a company-for-profit might actually be growing a conscience; might just be thinking about something other than the bottom line.

Might.

That changed this past week, when Frito-Lay trashed the biodegradable bag option - all because consumers complained that they were too noisy.

And make no mistake - they certainly were.  Freakishly noisy.  I mean, plastic snack bags will never be described as "quiet."  They have to be made out of a crisper plastic to keep moisture out, lest your Cheetos or chips become soggy, which would be a travesty.  But these bags - my gosh, you could tell when your neighbor across the street was taking them out of their pantry.  No snack-sneaking here, folks!  One study showed that they elicited 100 decibels of bag-crinkling noise, compared to the sound of a lawnmower (90) and a New York subway (94).  Facebook groups popped up, like: Sorry But I Can't Hear You Over This Sun Chips Bag and The 100% Compostable Sun Chips Bag Is 110% Annoying (the latter demonstrating that creating a Facebook group doesn't mean you have to be good at math). 

So yes, they were noisy. Loud. Obnoxiously so.

But here's the thing: is loudness really a legit reason to ditch a decent sustainability initiative? Do we really want to include that among the excuses we've concocted for avoiding the more environmental-friendly option - a list that already has:

• "It's too expensive" (cities like mine refusing to offer curbside recycling, people not switching to greener technology in general).
• "It's not convenient" (not hauling recycling to a center when the city won't do it).
• "Our economy will always be oil-based, so why change" (not driving hybrid or electric vehicles).
• "It's too much of a hassle and I don't have time for it" (not growing food in your own garden or setting up a recycling station in your home).

Do we really want to add "It's too noisy" to that list??

I have this image in my head that I can't shake.  It's America fifty years from now.  That's when many studies suggest that all our landfills - those big holes in the ground we never see where all our trash goes - will be completely full.  As in, there is no room for the 4+ pounds of garbage produced by every American every day (not counting commercial and industrial waste, mind you).  Which means we will have resorted to burning it, dumping it on some third-world country, burying it deep in the ocean, or even launching it into space - all of which will wreak even more havoc on our environment.  I'm trying to imagine what they (read: our grandkids) will think when they learn that we nixed a compostable snack food bag simply because it was too noisy.  Don't you think that's going to come across as more than a bit petty?

At some point we North American consumers are going to have to accept the fact that things must change; the first being our habits and our attitude.  I'm not saying that the fate of the world rests in the balance of an obnoxiously loud Sun Chips bag.  I'm simply saying it might be a good thing to look at the big picture for a change, despite what our ears may tell us.

R.I.P., Biodegradable Sun Chips bag. You will be missed by some of us.