WTF? IT'S "WHAT-THE" FRIDAY (A WEEKLY RANT)

So let me introduce the first of the weekly posts (on Fridays, duh) in which we'll discuss things that make you say, "What-The...?"

And today's topic is... insane, over the top, green-ness. We're talking silly dark green. I mean, What-The-Friday is up with all the green hootenanny?

Now, don't get me wrong... I believe in environmental responsibility. I have a stack of cans and bottles under my desk at work. I squirrel them back all week, then take them home and add them to my own recycling bins so I'll know they are properly disposed. And if you don't recycle cans and bottles, you should really try it for one week. Truly. You'll be amazed at how much recyclable waste that you, alone, habitually create in seven days. My neighbors must think I do nothing but guzzle Diet Coke and Aquafina 24/7. It totally looks like it when I take my bin down to the curb. I have two giant contractor-sized bags full of "overflow" cans to take to A.E.R.T. soon, because my bin runneth over. I create more plastic-bottle waste each week than my allotted bin will hold! And on a side note, I'd like to point out one of the differences in living in Springdale vs. Fayetteville... In Fayetteville, from the moment you set up your utilities, the city gives you a recycling bin and all but insists you use it. In Springdale, you provide your own receptacle; in fact, you have to contact the city specifically to enroll in the recycling program, plus pay extra for the privilege of doing so. Weird, eh? There's a giant schism between the Fayetteville granola-crunchers and the Springdale rednecks... but that's another WTF altogether, and I could get way off track if we go there.

So ok, this dead horse has been beaten sufficiently: I recycle. My thermostat stays set on 60, or 62 if I'm feeling quite extravagant, this time of year (well, that's partly because I'm cheap... WTF?) And I've always been extremely conscientious about turning out the lights when I'm not in the room. Aside from a lamp or night-light that I leave on pretty much all of the time, I'm conscious of my energy consumption. It's a habit that harkens back to grade school. Back then, they sent home stickers for us kids to put over the switch plates, reminding us kids to turn off lights; I had one in my room and it stuck.

Too, we have a running joke in my family that my Nana "recycled" before it was cool. Having grown up poor in rural Arkansas in the Depression-era, she learned by example and made it a way of life. I've watched her reuse bread sacks, aluminum foil, butter tubs and jelly jars for years. It makes sense to me.

I think that's all well and good... I'm behind the basics, and even some of the borderline-impractical stuff. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Every little bit helps. And Daylight Saving Time now starts four weeks earlier so all the goofs out there who totally don't will at least be saving some energy whether they realize it or not. But you uber-vigilant, Ed Begley-type, organic cotton-wearing environmentalist greenfreaks out there (you know who you are)... W T F?

Brittnee and I decided to spend our lunch at the brand-spankin' new Target store in Rogers today, and we saw this... the item that actually inspired today's WTF rant:

Yo, seriously? Ya'll, it's a door mat, made of recycled rubber. It. Smells. Like. A. Tire. The whole aisle smelled like the automotive department at Sears. I don't think that makes much sense, considering this is the item that welcomes folks into your abode. But then, I suspect it's more about broadcasting your eco-friendliness to the world, rather than deterring the tracking-in of dirt. And that's what makes this eye-sore (nose-sore!) such a supreme emblem for the holier-than-thou greenie set... it's kinda like those yellow "Baby On Board" signs that plagued the proudly fertile, van-driving moms of the 80's.

WTF.