There’s a reason why there’s still plastic in our ocean and climate change seems to be ramping up faster. It’s because of the inconvenient truth of going green. Read more about the hurdles of going green and how to skirt around them.
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I’ve set myself a challenge to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle. One of my goals is to reduce waste, especially plastic waste. I’m also looking to buy less, but when I purchase items, I want them to be sustainable. But I have to tell you,
It’s not that easy being green.
Kermit the frog
The truth of going green #1: Green is less accessible
Go to the local Drug Mart and try and find a plastic-free toothbrush. You won’t find one! How about a loaf of bread without a plastic bag? You won’t find one in the grocery store either! Try bringing a reusable shampoo container to that Big Box store that’s so convenient to stop at since it’s on your way home from work. Nope, you can’t refill it there.
The point is, that it’s less convenient to find sustainable products. You either need to source out a specialty shop for 1 item, or you’ll have to order it online. The demand isn’t there.. yet.
The truth of going green #2: Green is more expensive
So, you’ve finally sourced that bamboo toothbrush, or that sustainable line of clothing you’ve been coveting… and you find out its almost 4 times as expensive as what you expected.
The truth is, the demand isn’t high enough compared to traditional products. Secondly, some of these products might cost you more upfront but will save you money in the long run. And lastly, fair labour and ethical practices do cost more.
The truth of going green #3: Change is difficult
People are creatures of habit. We do what we do because we’ve always done it the same way. Change pushes us outside our comfort zone and we just don’t like being “uncomfortable. So, when doing something new, we are afraid of the unknown.
The truth is, we just have to get comfortable with being a little uncomfortable until new habits are formed.
The truth of going green #4: We don’t see the impact of our choices
When we are buying clothes, how often do we think about where they came from, or who made our clothes? If we had a label with the face of the person who made the garment and a story about that person, would it make a difference? What if it was the picture of a child that worked in a sweatshop? Would you still buy it?
What if we saw a picture of a mountain of discarded toothbrushes, or disposable razors in a landfill site on the package? Would be more apt to go for the bamboo toothbrush or the reusable plastic-free razor?
You get my drift. We go about our daily lives consuming products without considering our impact.
Here’s how to get around the problem:
So, I hope you are still reading this! It’s definitely not meant to scare you away from living “green”. I just want to highlight some of the challenges of an eco-lifestyle. By knowing the roadblocks, you can, therefore, plan better. Here are some strategies:
Choose Quality over Quantity
In this case, less is more. Yes, sustainable products such as clothing, food, furniture, etc cost more and are perceived as more expensive. Upfront, perhaps it is, but in the long run, a good quality pair of jeans, furniture, etc will last you much longer. The takeaway here is to buy less but look for quality.
Vote for change
For a greener future, we need to take action as individuals, but the Government also must do their part to change how we do things. Vote for the party that aligns itself with your views on the environment. Vote for climate change!
Take Baby Steps
The other day, I posted an image of my beeswax food wrap wrapped around a block of cheese on Instagram. One commenter replied, “If you want to help the environment, cut out dairy”. While I’m working towards reducing my use of plastic, someone else thinks it’s more important to reduce foods coming from resource-intensive animals.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed when it seems like Pandora’s box has opened. You just can’t cut out everything at once. My advice is to start small with one thing and make it a habit. Once that’s accomplished, move to another new goal.
It doesn’t have to be perfect
I’m very imperfect! Several times lately, I forgot to bring my reusable bags when grocery shopping, and I get angry with myself. I think to myself, here I am blogging about trying to reduce plastic waste and I didn’t bring my bags. I did what I had to do, but then, made a note to start keeping a few bags in the trunk of my car.
We need to look at the big picture. We can’t be perfect all the time, what matters is that you are trying to lessen your impact on our beautiful earth. If you are putting in the effort most of the time, please forgive yourself for the occasional. I wouldn’t want someone to get discouraged and give up their efforts entirely because this new lifestyle is a bit difficult.
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Hm. An honest account of the hurdles can be much more valuable than more tips and advice on how to live life. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for the positive feedback!
Thank you for visiting!
Really like your post! I agree with many of the ‘green’ items being more expensive, but also last longer, and save money in the long run 🙂
Great way to address the “elephant in the room” about the difficulties of going green and encourage people to work around these stumbling blocks!
Thank you Laura
Excellent post and I am hopeful that if you were to rewrite his post in a year you would see great changes. I host a green themed linky every month called Going Green and would love it f you wanted to link up this post – the Oct one opens on Oct 7th.
Thank you for the invite Rosie. I will lookout for your link up on Oct 7.
Thanks for linking up!
Thanks for the invite!
The expensive thing is true if you buy all new, but mostly I shop secondhand since it is actually better for the Earth!
Yes it is! I like buying and repainting older furniture!
I appreciate you so much for keeping it real in this article! Going green isn’t all roses and pretty instagram pictures. Its a lifestyle change in every facet of your life. But, it isn’t impossible. This is a really great article!
Thank you for the compliment! It’s greatly appreciated especially since this blog is so new.
It isn’t easy. It needs a change of mindset and habits, for sure. Buying well and buying less has become a way of life for us, but I still get caught out. #GoingGreen
Thank you!
I think the fact that you’re making a big effort is as much as you can do. I’m trying not to buy unnecessary items. You are so right that purchasing green items costs more than the plastic, that needs to change to encourage more people.
Thank you for you Lorraine for stopping by. Not buying unnecessary items is so important.
Thanks for sharing this! It’s very true, being “green” is really inconvenient, or at least requires a lot of effort. Convenience is what got us into this mess in the first place though, haha. I appreciate your honesty and encouragement here, it really is a process and we should be trying to make the effort in any small way we can. And not green-shaming anyone for not having it all figured out either 🙂
I like that you raise the point of “green-shaming”. You right, we should encourage people, green-shaming might actually discourage people from trying.
Thanks for this honest post! I hate when posts are too flowery and paint very unrealistic pictures!
I love your posts! I’ve tried on several occasions to subscribe but when I enter my information it brings me to a page that does not exist?
Either way I’ll keep trying friend! You’re awesome! I’m a huuuuge fan!
Cheers fellow blogger 😁
– Cassandra aka FitNerdymom
Hi Cassandra! Thanks for the feedback. And thanks for the heads up about not being able to subscribe. I’ll look into what I could have broken. 🙂
Great post – very true, a lot is due to conscious choices but I think you’re right that many people may stick their heads into the sand in regards to the less convenient changes along the lines of ‘one more won’t make much of a difference’ – #goinggreen
Agree! Thanks!
Very very true. It isn’t always cheap or easy to go green and it is better to do it in slow baby steps and a little at a time. I do get annoyed when big brands and influencers make it seem like it is all or nothing!
Slightly delayed comment from October #goinggreen
It’s definitely a slow process!
Going green is not an easy option. But when we all do our bit, it becomes a little convenient. Great post!
WE don’t need a few people doing it perfectly, we need millions of people doing it imperfectly!
Excellent post!
Thank you!
I’m glad someone spoke the truth! Green life is not easy! Thanks!
these are all true. Going green can be really expensive and its hard to cope with the changes
Love your article. I agree that it is more expensive to go green, but I really think you save in the end. Thanks for sharing.
I love this! I do find it difficult to go green because even when you buy the earth friendly products, they still wrap it in plastic or throw other non earth friendly products in the box. I also forget to bring my reusable bags when I go grocery shopping. This is a great post!