Green Boundaries

So I have taken to "going green" these days. I really like it. Most of the time. My husband and I have invested $5.00 in reusable grocery bags (now I need to actually get them into my car before going to the grocery). Thanks to this lovely job, I have been able to investigate all sorts of worthy causes and interesting ways to live green. I get a lot of tips from the Ideal Bite for LA. (see link under interesting links;) Everyday, this site sends out an email that discusses one way to "go green." I love it. It has helped me discover LA in new, eco-conscious ways.

But back to how my small family contributes:

We recylce like fiends. We buy organic food. We have cfls in our apartment. We use cloth napkins and cleaning rags. We have reusable coffee mugs. We have metal water bottles. We use environmentally friendly cleaning products. We unplug our appliances when they are not in use. I have managed to be the recycled clothes receiving queen. (hand-me-downs is my middle name and I didnt even realize it was environmentally conscious until recently-yay!) We wash our clothes in cold water. We buy recycled paper products. We are, for the most part, vegetarian.

All in all, I feel that we believe that taking care of the planet is a priority. But at what point does it become overkill, too much, a little ridiculous. Is it even viable, when we are talking about our planet, to say anything could possibly be ludicrous, annoying, or too much trouble. Seems like a funny thing to say or think. Alas, I fear many people feel that way. In the end, I think we can only do what we can. Little things add up. I don't feel stretched with the choices I have made thus far, but I do feel stretched when I think about going another step.

For example, I shop at Trader Joes-as do what feels like the majority of people in LA when I am standing in line. A wonderful entity. Truly. They have managed to offer products (many of which are organic) at a reasonable prices. You gotta love 'em. Here's the problem though. A lot of their produce is in packages. Plastic packages (or I cannot believe I am writing this-styrofoam-doesnt everyone on know that it never will go away-ever-I think I learned that in elementary school-ah, the power of denial) covered with seran wrap. This seems unnecessarily wasteful to me. Should I reject Trader Joes because of some non-environmentally friendly product packaging? Why not just put it out like apples? People select what they want and leave the rest. This is the sort of thing that makes me crazy. Do I go to Trader Joes and get my produce or make two trips. One to Trader Joes and one to Whole Foods-where their produce is set up the way I am describing. I could techinically argue that I am being wasteful by shopping in two places. More gas, you know. So, holy fuck, what am I supposed to do?!

Ok, another example: what happens when I forget my travel mug or my trusty metal water bottle? I buy a water, because I'm thirsty. Except that now I also have to worry about the type of plastic my water is in because some of the plastics are toxic and poison the water. Lovely. Or I get a coffee in a paper cup-hopefully, if they've converted from styrofoam-and then I think about the tree that I just drank out of. This is the point where I start to think-holy mother of god-ENOUGH! Oh and ps, could someone explain to me why most yogurt companies don't put their yogurt in recyclable plastic-damnit!

So, how does one, conscious consumer deal with these issues? One at a time I suppose because otherwise you would go nuts.

Now, I decided to incorporate green living into my life primarily as a result of a dietary change. I read Skinny Bitch which includes quite graphic decriptions of the cruely animals are subjected to when they are slaughtered. Changed me forever. The only meat I find hard to give up is fish, which, most definitely, is hypocritical of me. In fact, at this moment, I know its time to let that go completely. Anyway, that started this shin-dig. That promted me to really consider every choice I make about not only what I consume through my mouth but also with my credit card. I want to feel like I am contributing to the planet, to people, to my community, not damaging it. Going green for me is a way to do that in my daily existence as opposed to just occassionally supporting a cause. At this stage of the game, unfortunately, making ends meet is what the rest of time is and needs to be focused on. (That could open up can of worms. Maybe later.) This is a manageable lifestyle change that benefits the planet. Interestingly, it has provided a means by which I connect to and investigate my community.

As in dealing with everything in life, it seems to me that balance and personal boundaries are necessary. I believe that if we all do a little bit within our own "green boundaries" and avoid taking on too much resposibility, huge, juicy, cool change is possible.