Maybe you don't believe humankind is responsible for global warming. Maybe you do. Maybe you are or aren't an environmentalist. Maybe you're as confused by all the conflicting things said about different methods of green-living as I sometimes am. Wherever you stand on the issue, I think certain aspects of going green make perfect sense - economically, socially, and of course, environmentally.
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Our family certainly doesn't rank on the higher echelon of eco-consciousness, but this isn't something we're proud of. Indeed, I've met several families that are exceedingly conscious of the health of the environment. They've worked their stance on environmental issues into the way they live and even the way they raise their children, battling needless consumerism and wasteful living. I deeply admire those families.
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This post, I hope, avoids a tone of self-satisfaction, because there is so much room for personal and family improvement. And though I will include some things we've been doing to make an attempt at green living, the main purpose of this post is to include a list of our yet-to-be-realized resolutions. Most importantly, I'm interested in opening this discussion up to you; to read ways in which, whether "going green"was your original goal or not, you've found sustainable green solutions for yourselves or your families, or your own goals for living in an environmentally-responsible manner.
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Recycling. I got into the habit of recycling while we lived in Boston, and silly as it may sound, it's addicting. For the brief period of time we lived in Utah without a recycling bin, I felt guilt-ridden everytime I threw away something I knew could be recycled. I imagined the plastic milk-container, the cereal box, the aluminum can taking up needless space in a landfill. So we've been renting a recycling bin and plan to do so forever (unless of course we move somewhere that has a more modern and comprehensive attitude towards recycling). Derrick even goes to the trouble of carting home recyclable materials from work. What a hunk.
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Consumerism. This is something I've been thinking about a lot lately, particularly after Christmas. Particularly after reading Chandler Hatch's "Ethical Consumption: Eat No Evil, Wear No Evil, Buy No Evil" in BYU's December Political Review. We're in the process of re-thinking Christmas while still preserving the most important aspects of it for us. In short, I'm interested in de-commercializing Christmas. Plans are in the works and aren't entirely formulated, but it might mean we will buy a lot less presents next year.
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Also, as I've mentioned before, I don't like buying plastic toys for Squirt. I like buying her used books. I like buying used clothes. I'm becoming increasingly interested in buying products, particularly food products, from companies that are actually interested in health and the environment. I take reusable bags to the grocery store. I rescue items from trash heaps I know we can use. Yay for me.
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What's Next? So much, I hope. One of my biggest regrets is not using cloth diapers for Squirt. At this stage in her development, however, it doesn't make much sense for us to introduce them, but we'll definitely use them for future children. Several of my friends make their own clothes and dishwasher detergent, which reduces cost, both financially and environmentally. This is something I want to learn to do. I loved our Christmas card this year, but next year I want to find a recyclable option (because let's face it, you've probably already thrown it away if you got one). I want to make more vegetarian meals. I want to learn to do simple sewing so I can repurpose or repair our clothes. I want to buy as locally as I can and grow more vegetables in our garden. In short, I want to buy less, consume less, and throw away less.
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So now I turn it over to whoever is reading this. There are lots of things I've missed, and my list is by no means exhaustive, but they are some things I've been thinking about lately. What about you? What have you done/are doing/want to do to live a little more responsibly? Please share!
7 comments:
I like all of the things you mentioned and like you, I'm trying to be more environmentally conscious all the time. I feel bad that I never did make the cloth diaper purchase, although I did extensive research and found the kind that would work really well for our family. I also bought all of the ingredients to make my own detergent, but have yet to do that either. You're on the right track, Jen. My goal is to keep making progress that way too.
I'm with you! The Farmer's Markets during the summer are our favorite, because we can get much better produce than at the grocery store. Something I do to reduce waste is trying not to let food expire before we've eaten all of it. I plan my meals in advance, so I can use ingredients repeatedly. We also use reuseable grocery bags - not only are they green, but they just hold so much more, and are much easier to bring into the house! I agree with you - purchasing things used is such a good option. I try to avoid purchasing new books if I can help it. If you find out how to make your own detergent, let me know! I'd love to learn. PS: I thought your note about the recycle bin was courageous and perfect :)
I felt the same way about recycling after living in Boston, it is just a way of life there and I always wanted to see how little we could actually throw away. Mike's parents not only do that but they compost everything that they can and have a beautiful garden because of it. I would love to have the land and space to do that... someday. Mike and I also plug many things into a power strip that we can just unplug when we are gone... just the simple act of unplugging saves more energy (as shown on the bill) than you can imagine...There are always things that I can do better like using biodegradable products and non-toxic cleaners... all a work in progress but thanks for the reminder.
I'm am so imperfect, but I try. I also like to buy things at thrift stores. I try to buy things that aren't as processed, i.e. fresh veggies, that way there's less packaging and less materials/energy used to process them.
Jen, I love this post! Way to be! James is super eco-conscious and he helps me to be better. I put a little bar of some of his little ways to be green on our blog, but here they are:
Traffic physics while driving (trying not to waste energy with useless acceleration/stopping in the car)
Riding a bike/scooter instead of a car
Using fewer paper towels in the bathroom
Using a water bottle instead of disposable cups
Taking tupperware to restaurants if you want leftovers.
(James did that last one on our second date. When he brought it in the restaurant, I asked what it was for and he said "an activity." :)
Recycling and composting can be addictive! It's nice when good habits are so easy to learn and maintain. When I first moved out on my own I had such a hard time throwing away banana peels and egg shells etc. (a serious "no no" growing up). My Mom even used to go around the neighborhood stealing other people's bags of leaves on the curb for her massive mulch pit. lol. My Mom also got the majority of our Christmas gifts from yard sales throughout the year, and loves finding "treasures" at the thrift store.
I am a looong way off from being like my amazing Mother. I always loved "Page Attacks Trash" Day growing up, and remember hiking around the desert with my Dad picking up aluminum cans. I also admired how he'd always walk around the church after meetings looking for specks of trash to throw away.
Edward, being somewhat of a germaphobe, isn't a big fan of used stuff, but he only buys energy efficient light bulbs and is big on unplugging things. We hope to get some solar panels soon, which make perfect sense for sunny AZ.
This was a fun Blog to read, thanks Jen!
Neal and I don't come from a super eco-conscious place (although some day, when we're older, we plan to marry the land ;) so our "green" efforts are usually financially motivated. I did hate the idea of creating that much diaper waste, but I also wanted to go cloth to save money. Another thing we did when we got married was downsize to one car -- and since his bachelor car was totally inadequate for family-starting (teeny-tiny two-door that I could barely get myself in and out of), we spent time trying to find a very fuel efficient car. We also try to drive in a fuel-efficient manner when we do drive -- some people think we're crazy but we've actually driven from UT to IL and back at about 55 mph (although having Addison has made that more difficult since she does NOT like the car seat).
You know what, mid-way through this comment, I'm going to disagree with myself. I actually think I am fairly eco-conscious, having grown up in CA where you're taught from day one about recycling, reducing water usage because of droughts, etc. What I will say is that I don't always turn that eco-consciousness into action because I don't have a deep connection with environmentalism. It's not that I don't care, but I have some very aggressive and opinionated environmentalists in my life, and I just can't get behind their dogmatic positions. I literally believe that the earth will be "renewed" and receive its "paradisical glory" -- it doesn't have to last forever in its current state and its primary purpose is human-driven. I like the way you framed this post -- I believe going green does make a lot of sense for a lot of reasons and one need not agree with environmentalism in all its extremities to embrace that.
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