Variations on a Theme
My online pal Cara (who is kind and funny, and a wonderful, wonderful photographer) confessed that sometimes reading my blog made her feel guilty. “[B]ut I think it’s better to know than live blindly,” she added.
Don’t feel guilty, it only makes you feel bad, I quoted Umbra Fisk back to her. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Do whatever you can do and minimize what you can’t. That’s all there is to it when you get down to the brass knuckles.
What I sincerely hope to convey through this medium is that, barring special economic circumstances, it is possible to lead a sustainable lifestyle without a marked difference to your existing quality of life. (You’d be surprised at how much money you’ll save1 when you’re not buying things you don’t actually need.)
I try not to come off sounding like I’m proselytizing, although I must admit I do a poorer job of that when I let my temper get the better of me. And seriously, I don’t claim to do a better job at living green than anyone else. Often, these posts are reminders to myself to keep working on it.
The people I really look up to are the ones who are literally tending their own corners of the planet in their own simple yet quietly powerful ways. Like my buddy Juanita who cheerily just told me she and her husband managed to snag a plot at their community garden and are going to give composting and organic farming a go. (Other forces of nature: Pocket Farm, the family behind Path to Freedom, Slowly She Turned, Greenjewls, and Clay and Wattles, just to name a few.) To me, these people (well, them and community activists like my sister) are the true heroes—the ones I wish to emulate. I don’t really think much of self-satisfied poseurs who only know how to talk a good game—you know the type, the ones who brag about their Prius and how exhausted they are from yoga class but continue to get their Venti No-Foam, Skim Whatevers from Starbucks, complete with disposable commuter cups.
When my sister was visiting she told me about how some kids at college smugly told her they only bought fair trade and organic, lording that fact over her as they observed she didn’t. Now, my sister is one of the most informed people I know, who schlepped all the way from Ithaca to New York City during Spring Break to observe different nursing homes for ways she could improve the lives of the largely forgotten, geriatric population. But the fact is, as a grad student living on a shoestring budget, she simply can’t afford to buy organic and fair trade even though she wants to.
People like her taunters make me want to box them in the face because they’ve completely forgotten (or have chosen to disregard) what it’s all about.
1If you read the story that I linked to, that’s pretty much how the hub and I live, except we allow ourselves to eat dinner out maybe once a week (or twice if we’re really tired and stressed and can’t face the stove, in my case, and the dishes, in his). We do, however, occasionally stop by the homemade ice-cream parlor by our apartment for green tea and lychee ices, which, gathering from the story, is the difference between living contentedly and being near tears when you have to take the bus.
Adelin said,
April 4, 2006 at 6:06 pm
You’re sweet, and have way too high an opinion about me.
But seriously, all I could think about when you put Spring Break and seniors together was…
SENIORS! GONE! WILD!
THEY PLAY POOL! THEY SURF THE INTERNET! THEY’RE WINNING AT MAHJONG!
That’s no fun for *anyone*. Except the seniors.
brooke said,
April 4, 2006 at 6:58 pm
I agree with Cara – guilty, but also frustrated with myself. So many things I could do, where to start? I’m taking baby steps. I just started bringing my own thermos to my local bagel shop where I get coffee every day. It’s a start.
Laurie said,
April 4, 2006 at 9:21 pm
Wow - this made me feel all giggly and smiley and GOOD! Thanks!
Just to be put in the same category with the others is a lovely compliment.
:-D
Cara said,
April 5, 2006 at 10:24 am
Thanks for keeping me informed! And in such a beautiful way as well! :-)
mimulus said,
April 5, 2006 at 12:29 pm
An excellent post and thanks for the compliment. It is always baby steps foward. I believe corporate American calls it “continuous quality improvement.” I call it Stewart Smalleys Guide to Sustainability”
We can always improve on the way s we do (or don’t do) things. I have been living the green life ever since my parents taught me about recycling back in the 70’s. And I am still learning and enjoying the lifestyle. Thanks for helping others catch on.
juanita said,
April 5, 2006 at 2:42 pm
If not for this incredible blog that is seething with good stuff, I wouldn’t have bothered to try gardening, or even *think* about (trying to) living healthy.
juanita said,
April 5, 2006 at 2:44 pm
“… *think* about (trying to) LIVE healthy”, I meant.
The Worsted Witch » Eat Shoots & Leaves said,
April 5, 2006 at 7:23 pm
[...] Organic Gardening offers some tips for apartment dwellers, too. Remember my sister who couldn’t afford to buy organic? She sent me an e-mail saying she just signed a lease on a bigger rental, which she’ll be sharing with green-minded roommates. [W]e have her Earthboxes and we’re going to grow tomatoes, basil, seasonal stuff, maybe even squash? on the deck. And, because now we’ll be three people and we’re all on the same wavelength, we’re going to sign up as a family with a CSA in the summer. We’ll be able to cook better, and share costs better. Less waste is great! [...]
Liz said,
April 5, 2006 at 10:14 pm
You are too kind. It wasn’t all that long ago that James and I started living like in that article. I truly believe in baby steps, and we are all capable of great things.
kevin said,
April 6, 2006 at 12:57 am
Thanks. Like you, I worry about seeming holier-than-thou when I write about this stuff. I try to minimize that by pointing out my mistakes and never judging other people’s choices. No matter what, I think it is important to provide models and examples that other people can think about, adopt, or improve. My own environmental consciousness was raised by watching other people.
I want friends and neighbours to see that it isn’t totally weird to live a sustainable life - reasonable people like us are trying to do it!