So the challenge is called a challenge for a reason – you don’t magically metamorphose into the Green Queen once you flutter your eyelashes in the morning. As a matter of fact, once you float down to the kitchen with your new initiative, the truth hits you – there are countless things around the house, just purchased by the way, that just do not get a passing grade. And the awareness hurts. You just can’t see just how to eliminate some of the items (and some you don’t want to let go of, like individually packaged teabags because my mother grumbles and I’d just rather buy the ones that make her happy), and every purchase results in a mini anxiety attack because Conscience is now fully awake. Awareness is ____________. Fill in the blank for yourself. But of course, this is what I wanted, not just for me, but for my son, for my friends, for my community and beyond. I hear Tracy Chapman’s ‘New Beginning’ playing right now. Sigh.
On another note, what I did find most helpful this past week was hearing from Cayman Connection members. Not only did they share really great tips, they also encouraged us to educate ourselves and provided links to what has helped them on their own green missions (so helpful – there are just too many apps/pages/blogs to sift through).
Thankfully, I also found that some of the suggestions for greening our homes were ones I had already implemented (intentionally or not!):
- Hanging out clothes/no clothes dryer (not really by choice to be honest but I see the upside too)
- Using public transportation (again, no car, so I have to take the bus, train, tram! BUT if you check the journeys out, sometimes, it’s actually cheaper and faster to take public transport)
- Using recycling bins (I started doing this when I was in Cayman to create this culture within my home, and was soooo excited to see the schedule for pickups provided by the Council when I moved to London – no more carrying waste in my car to the supermarket!)
So, I’ve started and my awareness continues to grow. Having knowledge on a subject is one thing (I can regurgitate LOTS on what it means to be green – I consume too much information at times), but suffering through, with acute awareness of how many things need to change around the house, and then journeying towards that change, is another.