(Be forewarned - the next few posts are all recaps of things I’ve heard/read on NPR’s Market Place Money. Aside from the humor shows on NPR Market Place Money is one of my favorites. I’m always sitting in the car an extra 5-10 minutes so I can hear the end of a story they’re airing.)

While I was poking around the website looking for the link to a different story I came across this article. Tess’ Trash Challenge. Tess is the host of Market Place Money and for a project series called Consumed and explored whether or not our consumer culture is sustainable. (I believe it aired last fall.) She agreed to carry around her family’s garbage with her in a trash bag. There were some rules involved (she couldn’t carry animal waste, really stinky stuff got double bagged, she couldn’t bring the bag into a restaurant because they may kick her out) but basically she hauled around the hefty bag containing all the trash she couldn’t recycle, reuse, compost, or in some way stop it from being part of a landfill.

The EPA says Americans generated 245.7 million tons of municipal solid waste in 2005. That’s 20 percent more than what we tossed away in 1990, and 102 percent more than what we generated in 1970.

She invited others to participate with her, even if it was for only 2 days (instead of her 2 weeks) and you can read about her experiences and those who joined in at the above link.

If I was, I would do this.