Discussing the environment

My conversation about the environment was with my grand mom. I went to empty the trash one day and commented on the large amount of trash each household in the neighborhood generated within a week. My grand mom shrugged her shoulders and said she didn't think it was that much. From previous conversations I knew that she wasn't very interested in environmental issues, but I still like to discuss topics such as this with her to try and understand her point of view. I explained how some places charge each household a certain amount of money per trash bag in hopes to reduce the amount of waste produced each week, and that I thought this would be a good idea for our township. She simply nodded her head. But I wasn't even sure if she had listened to everything I said, so I asked her what she thought. She replied with, "Hey, it's all headed to the landfill anyway." Conversations like these are the most frustrating for me because there's nothing worse than someone who doesn't have much of an opinion about something. It really did feel like talking to a brick wall. There were a number of things I could have said in reply, but I realized that nothing I have said in the past or could say in the future would miraculously change her mind. I also reminded myself that my grandmother grew up in a different generation than my own, and therefore her concerns with the world were/are also different. Because of this I was more understanding with her than I may have been with someone else. Unfortunately this wasn't a very productive conversation, but every once in awhile I give it another try.