I always resisted being told what to do.
I always scorned "goody-goodies."
I always doubted global warming alarmists.
And because of these three things, I have always despised the Green movement. A bunch of alarmists get together and decide to guilt-trip people into adopting practices that make very little difference in the grand scheme of things so that they can pat themselves on the back. Honestly, a movement could hardly be more alienating to me if it tried.
I still don't love being told what to do, goody-goodies still rub me the wrong way, and I still have a lot of confidence in the Earth's ability to handle shifts in its chemical makeup.
But I've been changing in this department too. Am I one of the people who pats herself on the back now? I don't know. Maybe? It does feel good to feel like you're doing something kind to the environment. Have my views on global warming changed? Sorry to disappoint some of you, but no.
Here's what has been changing though, and why.
Metal Straws
I was ahead of the trend on drinking from straws. I've always felt more comfortable and drunk more water using straws. A few years ago, my dad got me a pack of stainless steel drinking straws (with their own tiny and adorable cleaning brush). There was no reason not to use them, and I'm all about saving money, so I started using those. For years, this is as "green" as I cared to go, and it wasn't as much going green as it was being a cheapskate.
Might As Well, and Dominion Over Animals
A few months ago, my mindset started to shift. I'm absolutely sure that it's social media that got to me. You watch some shared videos about suffering sea life, some Instagram influencers mention buying sustainable brands, and the next thing you know, you're like, "Meh. I mean. Why am I fighting this so hard?"
It reminds me of my rational for going off birth control in the near future: Birth control probably isn't harming me, but not taking it is probably better. Single-use plastic probably isn't destroying the Earth, but avoiding it is probably better.
It also makes me think Genesis 1:28, when God gave Adam dominion over the animals. I don't think caring for animals means we should all be vegans, but I do think it might mean doing what we can to protect animals' homes and health while they're alive.
Reusable Baggies
Sheepishly, I suggested to Gabe that maybe we could invest in some reusable ziplock bags. I had already shifted to packing lunches in Tupperware as much as possible, but sometimes you just need a baggie. Though he certainly side-eyed me, he agreed.
So far I like them a lot (linked above, if you're interested!), and we both like saving a little bit of money.
Reusable Grocery Bags
I think my next shift happened sometime in May or June. Mom, Sarah, and I were doing some wedding shopping at The Christmas Tree shop, and at the checkout there were these massive, insulated reusable bags. One them was a beautiful teal and green sea turtle design.
Mom saw me eying it because it was pretty. It was $1. She bought one for me and one for Sarah. A few days later it was grocery day and I'd actually remembered to take the bag with me.
I'm not gonna lie, it just felt good to use that pretty bag. I know I didn't save any actual sea turtles, and it's probably ridiculous and silly and self-righteous to feel happy about it, but I left the store feeling really good. It honestly made my whole day better to use a reusable bag.
Since then I've acquired two more bags, and they both bring me a lot of joy to use. One came from the Charleston Tea Plantation, which we visited on our anniversary trip. The other came from Food Lion and it says "Lettuce Give You A Hand" with a picture of some lettuce. *slaps knee*
Self Checkout
The last environmentally conscious thing I've done lately is use the self-checkout. First of all, I get to control how my items are grouped, which is just nice if you're a control freak like me. But I also get to control how many plastic bags are used. Ever since the media started getting to me, it used to niggle me how cashiers would sometimes put one item in a bag and then rotate the bag wheel. (I'm sure they're trained to do that though, and I'm sure that lots of Karens get bent out of shape if they don't.) With self-checkout, I not only feel like it's more efficient and satisfying, but I can also pack bags a little fuller and pass on the double-bagging.
The Small Scale Fallacy
I've been seeing a lot lately about how the United States is responsible for a relatively small amount of plastic pollution, that China is the real culprit.
Yeah, I bet that that's true. But doing a wrong thing on a small scale doesn't make it less wrong. It just makes it smaller.
What did you parents tell you when Susie would do things you weren't allowed to do? "I don't care what Susie's allowed to do. I'm not Susie's mom/dad, I'm yours." I don't care what China does. We're not China, we're the United States.
What did your parents tell you when you apologized, but Johnny wouldn't accept? "Well, you can't control what Johnny does; you can only control yourself." We can't control what China does; we can only control ourselves.
Bottom Lines
Is it making a difference? I don't know, but I think it's the right thing to do.
Am I doing all this because it makes me feel good? I'm not sure. If I am, is that wrong?
Am I going to start pushing these choices on other people? Heck. No.
As always, do with this what you want, but it's a change I've been feeling lately and I like the way it feels :)
~Stephanie
No comments:
Post a Comment