My goal for 2019 was to be Green and I am not quitting just because it is over. One of the ways I am living Green is by focusing on my environmental impact and trying to make more sustainable choices for myself and my family.
Living sustainably is not an all or nothing thing. You don’t have to be 100% waste free, organic, vegan to make a difference. Like drops of rain in a rain barrel, small changes add up to make big differences.
Small Changes, Not Perfection
Think about your day to day life and you can probably think of something you already do that can be described as eco-friendly or sustainable.
Many of us already recycle, some of us might compost, and a lot of people have a collection of reusable shopping bags (whether or not they actually use them). Keep doing it! and add another baby step.
My kids love Gatorade (single use plastic bottle), I cannot convince my husband to use the reusable shopping bags for anything more that transporting stuff for use outside of the house, but I can and do carry my beat-up nalgene bottle, keep a bag of reusable bags in my van for the rare occasion I do the grocery shopping. I walk to church, the grocery store, the park and many other places around my community.
I am starting with myself and hoping my sustainable habits will rub off on my family.
I am far from perfect. I get embarrassed to ask for no straw when I order drinks at restaurants, I never remember to pack tupperware when we eat out to avoid those Styrofoam clam-shells, and my baths and showers are WAY too long (and I LOVE baths).
Every $ is a Vote
Maybe you have seen the same tweet I have circulating around the internet to the tune of how horrible it is that companies can destroy the planet and then blame it on the consumers using plastic straws.
While this is not wrong, it is not right either.
A college professor once told my class, “Every dollar you spend is a vote. You are voting on the practices of the company as much as you are voting for the product you are buying.”
Think about it and you will see it is true.
When I buy my favorite cookies; I am telling the company that I like those cookies. I am also telling them that I am okay with all the plastic packaging that they come in, that I can accept their use of palm oil, and even that I don’t care what their environmental practices are as long as I can get their delicious cookies for a good price.
Honestly, this can be hard! Palm oil is in a ridiculous number of products if you look at the labels, who has the time to research brands environmental practices, and almost everything comes wrapped in plastic. Sometimes paying a little more for a more sustainable product is worth it.
This one is not just for food, it goes for clothes, toys, and anything else you may buy. Paying more for clothes made sustainably will often last longer than cheap fast fashion that is filling landfills, more toys are being made from recycled plastics or can be bought second hand.
Shop Local
Convenience is king! Unless you are trying to live a more sustainable lifestyle.
Things can be ordered from the comfort of your couch and arrive in 2 days but have you ever thought about what that means environmentally? Often it means purchases are packed on to planes, flown around the country, then driven through your town to your doorstep. If you went to a chain store to make the same purchase, it would often equal a reduction in emissions attached to that product because it was shipped to the store in bulk. Plus it skips the extra packaging involved in shipping solo.
Or get really local by checking out farmers markets, craft shows, and even local Facebook pages.
The meat we do buy is often from a farmer a couple of towns over, tastes better than anything at the supermarket, and is often similarly priced. While at the farmers market, we can find fruits and veggies, baked goods, seeds for our garden at home, and fun accessories for the girls. Plus, we have met some wonderful people within our own community and kept the money we spend there too.
Talk About It
When daycare mentions my daughter’s cloth diapers, I am quick to point out the money saving benefits of cloth diapering. I am not as quick to point out that a disposable diaper is estimated to take around 400 years to decompose. I don’t want to be thought of as some tree hugging hippy…except that is sort of what I am.
I am trying to become more bold in talking about my environmental decisions. I try to remind myself that maybe I can teach someone else or make them think in a new way that might lead to better choices for the world we share.
Why should I be embarrassed about wanting to preserve the world we have for my children? Isn’t it true that I want to make the world an even better place for them and their children? So why shouldn’t I speak up and accept whatever anyone wants to label me if it means sharing a mission that is close to my heart?
I am not saying get in fights or be defensive. My plan is to drop some knowledge and hopefully get people thinking which in turn could lead to improved habits and choices on their part. They might even share a thought with someone else and continue the change. And how awesome would that be?
My challenge to you to is keep doing what you are doing to live more sustainably and maybe try one new thing. I want to hear about what you are doing to be green; tell me what is working for you or what is not working for you.
