I think about the future of our planet a lot (more than I’d like). The importance of protecting the environment should get way more attention than it does, especially in the USA. We can all move toward better eco practices all the time. But, doing the eco-friendly thing isn’t always convenient.
Luckily, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing as we try to reverse global warming. We don’t have to be eco martyrs.
For example, I tried trimming our bushes with hand clippers for two years. After that, I realized having electronic hedge trimmers was worth it. I still use the hand clippers sometimes. But, we have a lot of bushes, so purchasing the electronic ones has been nice.
Maybe you use disposable diapers, but buy some of your kid’s clothes and toys at a thrift or consignment shop. Maybe you use cloth diapers and buy most of your clothes new.
You don’t have to compost every single coffee ground.
You can use your Keurig with a disposable pod when you’re in a hurry, but opt for a reusable pod or regular coffee maker on other days when you’ve got time to spare.
One day you can shop at your local grocery co-op or farmer’s market and the next day you might shop at Walmart.
Maybe you live in a larger home than you need (raising my hand on this one), so you try to make up for it by making sure to not run the air conditioning when it’s not needed.
The carbon and water footprint of animal agriculture is shockingly high. If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, that’s great! But, if you try to reduce your meat consumption yet still enjoy bacon or a burger every so often, that works too.
Sometimes you can linger in the warm shower, while other days you challenge yourself to make it quick.
You might buy Lunchables for your kids once in awhile. And sometimes you make a meal using up food from the fridge.
Sometimes it’s just not convenient to do the eco-friendly thing. Sometimes you just can’t plan correctly for it. We don’t have to be martyrs, but we can be intentional to reduce our environmental footprint.
If many of us intentionally do eco-friendly things much of the time, it’ll add up. It’ll slow down some of the damage while we’re waiting for our government to lead on reversing global warming.
What do you think? Are you an imperfect tree hugger as well?
~ Carrie
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There are lots of simple things that really aren’t hard that we can adopt that then become habits rather than trying to do huge things we give up because they just aren’t sustainable or realistic for our daily lives.
Definitely, Sheltie Times!
Thanks,
Carrie
“Sometimes it’s just not convenient to do the eco-friendly thing. Sometimes you just can’t plan correctly for it. We don’t have to be martyrs, but we can be intentional to reduce our environmental footprint.” Thank you so much for this encouraging post! We try to conserve but sometimes it’s just too hard and it’s okay to do the easy thing once in awhile. Every little thing we do will add up. Blessings to you and thanks for linking with us at the #LMMLinkup!
Thanks for hosting, Gayl!
Carrie
This is very freeing! Sometimes we think we have to be all or nothing, but that rarely can happen. It’s better to do our little bit along the way than nothing at all. I’m definitely an imperfect tree hugger too. Thanks for the encouraging post.
Thank you, Lisa! I appreciate your comment.
Carrie
Oh I am definitely an imperfect tree hugger! Such a wonderful post though; often I feel so guilty that I don’t do more but I am aware and I am trying. Thanks for sharing with us at Love to Learn; Pinned.
Thank you, Mother of 3!
Carrie
We can and should use more common sense in this area. I believe it is part of being good stewards of the world God created, but I also believe He is ultimately in control.
Thank you, Donna!
Carrie
Hi Carrie, really encouraging post.
I am a strong believer in the ‘everything counts, it’s not all or nothing, we should try even though we can’t be perfect” camp on this one. As you know since you sent me this post after seeing I’d written about the topic too!
And I like the word ‘intentional’ you use. That is the key I think – even though we don’t always make the environmental choice, if we at least think about it then we will make that choice a lot of the time.
Thanks so much, Tegan!
Looking forward to reading more on your blog about these kinds of topics!
Carrie