Eco-guilt

[Eliza Hodgkins 1812]

I find a lot of the dogma behind the Green movement to be irritating and off-putting. And I don't wander around planet earth seeing only destruction and damage and the no good footprint of mankind. My guilt is measured and sprinkled around in small doses, and little of which is saved for the environment. But clearly our consumerist culture is wasteful, and there are ways to better conserve. Most of what the average person can do comes down to using common sense, having a little more patience and being less lazy. (Which is a challenge for me - heh.)

Not having a car is a mixed bag. In some ways it's eco-friendly, but in others it's not. Without a cart it's a PIA to get things to Goodwill, so I have trashed some things which could have been donated. I don't compost. I don't buy in bulk.

Little things I do: Use biodegradable trash bags for perishable items. I use vinegar and baking soda to clean, with a few Method products when necessary. I recycle, and hope it's not just bull****. I keep a drawer full of old batteries. I walk and ride my bike to local establishments. But I am in the process of getting a driver's license and I do want a car. And I don't want a hybrid, because I'm not convinced they aren't equally damaging if not more in the long run. And a non-hybrid can get equally good gas mileage if driven properly. I will also, once I have it, use it as conservatively as possible.

People who can afford it probably should install solar panels and create an eco-friendly landscape. People who can afford it should buy local, from farmer's markets, etc. I find that these Farmers Markets and Whole Foods are a luxury, so sometimes I shop there, but mostly I go to Ralphs.

"To Go" culture is one of the worst offenses, but I haven't stopped doing take-out or using plastic wear at work. Hopefully if our office moves and has its own kitchen I'll change my wicked ways.

I could buy a SIGG, and people who drink a lot more water than I do should probably do so if they like drinking water on the go.

Should definitely make more of an effort to use reusable bags for all my non-driving one-stop shopping. Should make coffee at home instead of ordering it "to go" everyday.

And, Alex, though I envy you your Kindle (just played around with one for the first time), and want one for myself, it won't replace books altogether for me. I'll still want them and buy them. Love the feel of them in my hands. Trees are there to breathe life, look pretty and become my books.

Also, light bulbs. I've not made that change yet. I tried, but I HATE the light the more eco-friendly bulbs give off. HATE. I'm light sensitive, it seems. Some hues give off a light I find sickly, and make me feel sick. So I'm old school until I find a type or wattage, etc. that is eco AND EH1812 friendly.

And I do leave the lights on. NM is trying to break me of this habit, but without much luck thus far. He lives in a dark house, and I like to bathe mine in light. I'll have to let go of that one, I think, and be better about conserving energy. But for some reason, this is a hard adjustment for me.

I'm also not ready to give up loooooooooong, hot showers. And as soon as I am sitting on my couch shivering in a blanket, the heat gets turned on. Not giving that up.

[Stan4dSteph]

Most grocery stores in France don't provide free plastic bags, so I got in the habit of bringing my own bags to do shopping. I use CFLs in all fixtures that allow it. I don't let the faucet run unnecessarily. I wash most clothes on cold, some on warm.

I moved closer to work recently, so have cut down on my commute impact. I might even try to bike to work when spring comes around.

Living green is very important to me, but I'm not fanatical about it.

It is very worrying what might happen. The earth's systems are sensitive things, and not easy to predict.

[Andrew]

Here's one more: as soon as we can manage to get the garage cleaned out enough to work in there, we are going to replace our old hot water heater with one of the new tankless models. I'd like to replace the furnace as well but haven't looked into it; it's as old as the house, which means going on 30.

[Eliza Hodgkins 1812]

Originally Posted by Stan4dSteph

Most grocery stores in France don't provide free plastic bags, so I got in the habit of bringing my own bags to do shopping.

I didn't know this. That's very cool. The fact is, most people will continue to use paper/plastic bags at these stores because they are conveniently provided. If more stores phased them out, people would have to bring their own. Hmm.