5 The Pressure to Walk the Walk

I hope I have never given the impression that I am the perfect little tree hugger. I'm not and in fact, none of us are. The fact is that there are just too many areas of our lives that impact the environment so it is virtually impossible to be dark green in all of them. I try not to judge when I see someone post pictures on Instagram with plastic cups, bottles of water or big ass SUV's but I can't even bring myself to heart them the majority of the time. Not because I am disgusted or think its ridiculous but because I don't want my so called "approval" by double tapping to ruin my green street cred.

Don't worry, I totally get how ridiculous that sounds.  Because it is ridiculous. It is also the reality when you put yourself out there online as an environmentalist. People just expect more and in turn I expect more from myself.  A few weeks ago we were out at a restaurant to celebrate Joe's birthday and they sat us at a table near the tortilla making machine, which I am pretty sure is really a machine to hypnotize kids into not touching their food. The result - 1/700th of B's dinner was left on his plate. The waitress asked if we wanted the food packed up, and of course we did because I never want to teach B that wasting food is okay. She brought the container and I put B's leftovers in it and then when it was time to go I told Joe that he had to carry it because I could not be seen carrying styrofoam.  

I worry what others will think of me if they see me carrying styrofoam or if I offer them a drink in a plastic cup. After a broken glass incident this month I'm now on the hunt for non-breakable, plastic free inexpensive glasses for poolside.  The reality is that this mythical glass does not exist, it's the unicorn of glasses. The internal pressure to get rid of my requirement for inexpensive glasses and go with expensive stainless steel tumblers is strong. It's a tug-o-war with my green conscious on one side and on the other side is a responsible adult who realizes that spending over $300 on glasses that will be used once a year is a really dumb use of money. 

This bad boy was found in the pool on the shelf that B normally plays on.

I have always prided myself for being a person who walks the walks both personally and professionally, so having to admit to myself that I am not 100% always sustainable has been hard. I have painted an unrealistic picture in my head of what that means and while 'm realistic about what environmental improvements I can't make at this point in my life - like going off the grid - I am just learning to do the same with smaller steps like the occasional styrofoam takeout container. 

In times where I feel like I can't do it all I am sticking to my 6 Awesome Truths About My Life

1. I will never support Nestle or Monsanto
2. 5 minutes in nature will de-stress just about anyone
3. I love my EV and will never own an ICE again
4. Support local businesses first
5. "The dose makes the poison" as my friend Penelope says
6. 1 person's small steps do make a difference

What would be the 6 Awesome Truths About Your Life?


Related Posts - Check them Out
April Gratitude
I Want to be More Grateful
How Would You Spend Today?