I ate some hot wings today. They were super good. It occurred to me that I had no idea where any of the ingredients had come from. I felt a little bad. But I was still giving myself a break. I mean, having awareness and just THINKING is a positive step. Thinking leads to action. Then when I was done eating and went to clean up my lunch I realized that the Styrofoam container it had came in could not go in the recycle bin. As I tossed it in the trash and threw the celery that came with it in too (we have no compost bin at the office) I realized, again, how easy it is to just NOT THINK about what impact my consumption is having and how habitual it is to just “throw it away”. It occurred to me: There is no such thing as “throw it away”. I’ve been increasingly aware of what bin I put things in. It’s becoming even more important to me because I try to remember that “away” doesn’t mean erased. I get overwhelmed pretty easily when I think of my own responsibility and contributions to environmental issues and how I should be doing more. So I decided to give myself a pep talk. Here goes:
Things make sense.
(I mean some of the time)
There are some things about me that fall right in to line with going green. It’s a natural progression. I feel better and better about how I live and how I see the world as I learn more and make informed choices. I feel like going green will let me just dive right into fully embracing things that are already a part of me.
We have a garden.
It makes me happy to see the new little baby leaves emerge out of the dirt. Like- REALLY happy. I get all puffed up and proud of the little buggers. I coo and cheer them on. I commend those tiny little seeds for all their work and I feel happy and thankful for the rain. I like to imagine how the roots are growing down in the soil when they first start out and as they get stronger. They are becoming established in to the soil I (well, mostly Abby) worked hard to provide for them. Teamwork. We put attention and energy into the seeds and the small plants as we seeded them. And now were watching them grow into food for our family. When I go visit the garden I like to pull the weeds and move the slugs away and water them. I feel like I’m sticking up for my friends.
I like to can/preserve food.
I’ve always taken an interest in canning food with my grandma. We spend long days over the summer and fall standing in the kitchen washing and boiling and cutting and setting. In the end, we have an absolutely stunning collection of food. To me, freshly canned food is so beautiful. It’s beautiful because of the colors and because of the food I have now to save until I want it. And also because I spent time with my family making memories and working together. I’m getting to the point now where I think I’ll be able to do some preserving on my own. Abby and I are going to venture there together this year. I like to think of a big beautiful pantry full of jars of food. I’m looking forward to visiting local farms and buying boxes of apples, peaches, tomatoes… and berries. I love picking berries!! I’m thinking about preserving some pie filling this year. I’ve never done that before. We can do jam, too. Oh, I get so excited about all we can do!
I like handmade things.
I’m one of those people who… well, I’m just super crafty. I like it all….sewing, painting, building, drawing, paper crafting, yarn crafting, beading... When I see cool hand made things (which I love) I usually instantly translate it to how I could do it. And if I can’t (or haven’t) I like those things even more. I like it when the things I have around me mean something. Often times, my most valued things are items made by people. They evoke a feeling in me, or a memory and when I use them, I feel good. Or if they are not made by someone I know, I feel good using them because they are unique and add character and interest to my world. I like to give gifts and receive gifts that came from my effort or my thoughtfulness not solely from a pocketbook. And I truly TRULY admire making useful, thoughtful or artful things from previously used things. Just recently Abby and I bought jackets from this wonderful clothing designer from the Portland Saturday Market. We visited her little booth Shabby Knapsack – and I was so excited to see her fun, creative comfortable clothes made from second hand fabrics. It instantly became my favorite article of clothing. It’s infused with creativity, sustainability, personality, and family values. She and her daughter sew clothes and her family lives off of their business. “Consuming” in this way is so satisfying. So much more than stopping by target.
I like second hand stuff.
I shop at goodwill and garage sales (in season). It’s usually the first place I check for things I need. I honestly don’t remember the last time I bought a new book. I buy them all from individuals online. I get super excited about going through a bag of hand-me-downs. I admit part of this is probably the tiny sliver of resourceful-hoarder I got from my mom (which I will never admit to having), and part of it is because I don’t like to spend money. Whatever the cause, I have the makings of sustainability under my skin.
I’m feeling a bit better about my green-side now. I want to remind myself that even my tendencies to do and like things green are good. Even if I don’t make the best choices every time. –or even know what the best choices are every time.
After thought: Is it “green” of me to order online? I mean, what about the environmental impact of shipping? I did choose the seller from my own state thinking I would get my book faster… but I guess that helps the environment, too. One more “check” in my pep-talk box.
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