We’ve all been there. You’ve researched and tried alternatives only to find out the product you settled on impacts bees (this has happened to us when we wanted to switch from dairy milk) or where you bought it from are horrendous. In comes the green guilt. Or you’ve decided to go vegan, but your mum bought you that cheese you really like and, well, it’s just so good you eat it. And then you feel guilty that you’ve broken your vegan streak. That’s green guilt too.
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This can make going green feel like a chore. Or make you put pressure on yourself that means you aren’t getting the feel good factor you thought you might. Green guilt can throw you off your green rails and it really doesn’t have to.
Does it even matter if you go green
There have been studies and evidence from Covid19 lockdowns that, the actions of us as individuals doesn’t add up to much or can actually stall us from pursuing larger change.
So does it matter if you go green at all?
Absolutely. We have to live the lives we want to lead (be the change you want to se in the World and all that), so if we want a sustainable future we need to live that today. And that consumer pressure can effect change, the vegan food market has been one of the fastest growing markets in recent years, single use plastics are being eradicated, with big companies like Colgate providing more environmentally sound options.
But it is just one part of the puzzle when it comes to making our lives sustainable. We also need to pursue global changes in governmental policy and in corporate regulation that will bring about the largest impacts.
There is a growing movement to make legal changes that will protect our planet, and numerous local community groups taking action to effect local change. It all adds up.
It’s not easy being green
I’m going to say that again – it’s not easy being green. You might have space restrictions when it comes to growing your own food, or financial restrictions in terms of what you buy, there are loads of factors that will come into play for you and your journey. And then once you do that – companies pull some shady practices, or use ingredients with questionable impacts. It can be a minefield and the more you look, the more you will find. And all this can be a source of feeling guilty about not being as green as you think you could be, or thinking you are being green to have the rug pulled from under you.
It’s not easy but, doing your best is better than not doing anything at all
So I’m going to put on my dad jumper and slippers and tell you now – it’s not easy but, you do your best, and that is nothing to feel guilty about.
Being greener
When we came to starting this blog one of the things we wanted the name to show was that it is a journey. We are in the process of changing things. Some of those changes have occurred over time naturally, while others are conscious efforts. Being green is hard. Being greener is easier. Part of that means being easier on yourself!
For example, we decided we were going to switch to plant based milks. These generally use less water than livestock milks, and do not emit as much greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, so seem like the obvious greener choice. Plus there is the ethical consideration with the quality of life for livestock.
We may find our point of view changes again in the future
After much experimentation we decided almond milk was going to be the way forward for us, only to find almond milk was pretty bad for bees, and there are few reports on land use, soil degradation, and chemical runoff from growing milk crops. We may find our point of view changes again in the future. For now though plant based milks appear to be the best alternative we currently have. Since our original experimentation, more alternatives have been added so we will be exploring this again! Moving to a plant based alternative is greener. We tried with what we knew at the time and did our best. Although it wasn’t perfect we have tried so we don’t feel guilty.
Being “greener” allows you the flexibility to enjoy the process
Take joy in the process
Switching to being greener instead of green allows you the flexibility to enjoy the process. It also helps to quieten that green guilt! Trial and error means you get to try a bunch of stuff which is always fun. I am looking forward to trying the new barista milks (milks that foam!) available like this one from Good Hemp – because that is where we found most milk alternatives fell down.
We started by just trying to do one greener thing a month. Giving yourself a month to try a bunch of options mean you have fun trying things, and a month is enough time for the change to set in. Easy! Why not try it?
So my friends, just try to be a bit greener, without the guilt.
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