Doing My Part

I never know what to say when I get asked a question like this: "Would you like to help stop mercury contamination today?"

Hmm.

I know if I say, "Yes. I would. What can I do?" it will take 5-10 minutes of my time and $15-$30 of my money. Not that this isn't a good cause or that my time is more important than cleaning up our environment, but what the college student standing outside my co-op doesn't understand is that I have given a fair percentage of my income to every other volunteer with a worthy cause who stops me to ask if I'd like to help fix our broken, broken world. Who says no to that?

So instead of turning the canvasser down after learning the severity of the mercury problem and doubling my guilt, I say, "No thanks. Not today." As if she just asked on my pro-choice day instead of my cleaner environment day of the week. That doesn't really get me off the hook for not supporting a good cause, but it sure beats answering plain out, "No. I would not like to help stop mercury contamination." Because I would. But for today, the trash I picked up on the way home from the store will just have to be enough.