Aug 26 2008
Green…mostly
I usually try to be as green as possible. I recycle, re-use, reduce, compost, and buy chemical free and organic products as much as I can.
There are quite a few parts of my life when I am not as green as I could be though. For instance:
• I use Charmin toilet paper. It is not recycled, it is chemically treated, it is not good for the environment in any way…but it’s good for me. The recycled toilet paper, that I have come across, is very scratchy.
• I shop at Old Navy and Target. I know these clothes are not made from organic cotton, and synthetic dyes are probably used too. But, the clothes are adorable and affordable.
• I drive, and kind of like, my car. Now, I did buy carbon credits for the use of my car for one year, and I think it was less than $60, but I know I should walk and bike more.
• I use chemical laden spider killer sometimes. I am getting better at letting the little spiders live and hang out it corners, but once they get big and scary – they die if I see them in the house.
• I’m a sucker for a nice Porterhouse steak – medium – with mashed potatoes and Caesar salad - mmm. I should be vegetarian or vegan, or at least buy grass fed beef. But, I can’t find it anywhere – and those mail order places are too expensive.
• I use bleach on occasion to clean my sink. It is the only thing I can find that really gets rid of the coffee and tea stains on the stainless sink.
• I still get paper magazines. I know that it would be greener of me to read everything online, saving trees. Yet, there is something so nice about being outside, or away from the computer screen for a while, and leisurely reading a nice magazine.
• I am unwilling to invest $35,000 in a solar roof to save $25 a month on electricity.
So, what does this say about me? It means I’m not getting as many green leaves on Facebook as I might want, and I know I should be better in certain areas. Or maybe it means, I do what I can. Maybe it means, who I am is enough.
This is a tricky subject, because I don’t want to encourage you to throw everything away and not worry about the environment. I want you to do what you can – to try – but to be comfortable with the changes and find your own balance.
I have some slight obsessive tendencies in my personality – and so do all the other women in my family. When I first discovered Feng Shui, I took my book and made all the suggestions it said in every part of my house, and then waited for things to change. When I first discovered Green Cleaning, I was a regular mad scientist with my funnels and mixers and vinegars. This is who I am – I really get into things. Can you relate?
I am really okay with some of my non-green ways…even though I truly believe in living as lightly and sustainable as possible. This time, I am working on being less obsessive and more me. And, I’m starting to kind of like this me - the recycling, green cleaning, composting, spider killing, porterhouse eating, soft toilet paper loving Feng Shui lady!
What are your green habits and secret non-green indulgences? Let’s share!
You never know when there is a new brand of soft, recycled toilet paper that isn’t toooo expensive.
© Elise Rebmann, 2008. All rights reserved.
Hi Elise,
Great post! You’ve put it in perspective nicely. We do what we can, we stretch ourselves and try incorporating new “green” ideas, we keep learning and we stay aware of how our actions effect the planet. At the same time, we can’t beat ourselves up for the ways we are not yet green - and we all have those!
We don’t own a car. Our water bottles are glass and recycled. We use few chemicals. But, I think plastic bags must be our biggest non-green spots. In our house we use canvas shopping bags for the local market shopping, but when we go to most shops around town we end up w/ tons of plastic bags. It is how things work in Thailand (I swear I don’t know what they did without them. Even drinks to-go come in a plastic bag!). So we recycle and reuse them, but they really stack up.
I know - I did just realize that some of the plastic bags that carrots, veggies, and such come in from supermarket can be recycled with plastic grocery bags…so I feel good about that. Not sure how long I was throwing those away without looking for the “4.”
If only there was a way to recycle those plastic bags into something that doesn’t off-gas so much, I would feel better about that as well. Maybe soon - let’s hope!
Let me know if you know of any good, soft, recycled toilet paper!
I appreciate the honesty in your post. I haven’t used chemicals for cleaning the house, in the yard, for killing bugs, etc. for several years now. (We have a lovely clover field in the back yard instead of grass!!!) We’ve stopped using plastic bags for garbage, conserve water by not flushing every time, etc. And yet we both have largish cars…boo gas is expensive. And I won’t use compact fluorescence lights…they are just horrible. So you ask, can I relate….and I say yes!!!!
We do what we can - thanks for the input!!