What exactly does it mean to be "green?" Why do people make such a decision? How does one even begin to live a "cleaner" or "greener" life?
I think "being green" is a very vague term and can refer to anything from car emissions to recycling to water or energy consumption, bringing your own bags to the grocery store, using sustainable products, buying organic or especially locally-grown food, not using any petroleum-based products, using reusable things rather than their disposable counterparts...the list goes on. Many companies make one small improvement in efficiency, and they jump on the bandwagon and call their products green or "greener," thinking it makes them heroes for the environment. But basically it means being a mindful consumer and member of society. After all, we share this earth with everyone else, and we only have one of it.
I think for me it started with plastic containers. Gladware, Tupperware, you know the stuff. My memory is rather fuzzy. Of course recycling has been around for years, if you have been lucky enough to have a program in your area. In good ol' Chi-town, you have to live in one of the lucky neighborhoods that the city decided to grace with a recycling program, or take it to a drop off location yourself. Put it in those blue bags with the rest of the trash and they'll sort it? ...Yeah probably not. Who remembers "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle?" I honestly think this should come back. As a society we are used to disposable this, disposable that, use something once and throw it away. We've become lazy for convenience. Who wants to wash another dish? Get paper plates! (And before anyone brings up the wasting water debate, a good dishwasher can actually be more energy-efficient than washing by hand.)
But the plastic containers for me were more than that. In fact they didn't start out that way. Of course they're reusable. They're great for bringing home Thanksgiving leftovers. No, it was the chemicals. The plastic containers and nonstick cookware. They're loaded with chemicals. I began hearing that plastic containers should not be used to heat certain things in the microwave, partially because certain foods can react with the plastic (think tomato sauce) and partially because they start to melt when you leave them in there too long. How many of you have some of those containers that look like they've been through it all? Scratched to hell, you think it's food so you keep trying to scrub it off, but it doesn't. Yeah, do you really want to eat that? Nonstick cookware is awesome. Sure, they said it was safe. But how many people read the instructions where it says to NOT heat over high heat? Nonstick cookware was "safe" as long as heat was kept to a medium. Then it was questioned if that was even safe. Nonstick cookware, or as most people call it, Teflon, is made from Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), which begins to break down when heated. A study referenced at the Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org), which I can't find now, showed that Teflon begins to heat quickly and off-gasses even if the heat source is not on the high setting. That was enough for us to get rid of our nonstick cookware. All of it. And we had Calphalon nonstick cookware. I have one thing that is nonstick still, a giant wok-skillet thing that I use rarely. Everything else is stainless steel or cast iron. Expensive, yes, but worth it in the end, to not breathe or eat chemicals and have cookware that will last and not scratch.
Back to the plastic containers. It was one of those things where I thought, well, I'll just be careful with what I'm heating in them. But the more I read, the more I started to think maybe I should look for at least a more reliable type of container. Like glass. Doesn't stain. Doesn't retain odors. Easy to clean. Doesn't melt if overheated in the microwave. They also last longer than gladware. Pyrex anyone? Anyway from there my memory jumps to BPA. I blame the pregnancy for the lack of memory and for the heightened wariness of chemicals. Growing life inside your body really makes you think about what other things you are putting into your body. I got a BPA-free water bottle. I bought BPA-free bottles and every other plastic thing I could think of replacing. I got rid of my #7 hard, clear plastic Rubbermaid containers. It just goes down hill from there. I kept reading more and more about how all plastics can leach chemicals- even bottled water. Of course that's only one small reason to not buy bottled water, the environmental impact of plastic bottles being much worse. I have been slowly making the switch to other materials. I now have my BPA-free water bottle, an insulated (giant) stainless steel water bottle, and a glass water bottle. I still have plastic food containers but they get used less, and will eventually get replaced.
The chemical awareness grew from there. I began reading how pretty much all of our mainstream, commercial products have unnecessary chemicals in them, even J&J's baby shampoo which CAN cause an allergic reaction. I refused to put anything but safe things on my baby. No chemicals, only actual natural ingredients. Don't be fooled- Aveeno is not a natural product. Putting leaves on packaging does not make something better for you. Yes, there were times I used regular things, when I needed something or what I was looking for was just too expensive at the time or too hard to find, or I didn't know enough yet. He was fed only organic baby food. No commercial lotions, shampoos, sunscreen, anything. He had an organic crib mattress because mattresses are also made with nasty chemicals because the law states they must be flame retardant, but guess what? There are other ways.
From there I started branching out. Febreeze is terrible for you to breathe. It might smell nice, but do you know what goes into making that smell? I don't and am somewhat afraid to go looking for the answer. Electronics are some of the worst offenders- they are usually coated in fire retardants and these chemicals can be found in the dust lying around your home. Electric cords and cables? Coated in lead. Ever see that disclaimer- or should I say warning- on Christmas lights? Those big tags we ignore? They tell you to keep out of reach of children and pets and to wash your hands after handling. Fabrics? Treated with formaldehyde and other chemicals to prevent wrinkling and deter bugs. Lysol and Clorox? No thank you. There are plenty of other options for household cleaning products-you can even make your own. Vinegar works wonders on stains and also softens clothes and helps rinse out detergent residue. And you know what else? Vinegar is CHEAP.
Being green means sometimes spending more money for better products. Or using some elbow grease vs quick and easy chemicals. In a sense, it means don't be selfish. Your health is not worth it. The health of your children is not worth it. The earth is bigger than your little issues or your laziness; our children have to grow up and have children in this world and we need to keep it nice. Okay enough of the soapbox.
Of course I'm not perfect- I'm extremely far from it. These little habits we grew up with are so ingrained into our heads that it's difficult to see any differently. But little things here and there can make a difference, and I'm trying to learn new ones all the time. I just recently learned about glass straws. My son loves straws. Imagine all of those little things sitting in the landfill. I suppose they might be recycleable, but it's another thing that is really unnecessary, and we could really do without.
So began my long journey, and why I am the Alternative Lemming. I just assume everyone thinks I'm crazy.
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