Hello and welcome to the 2020 anniversary post for Shades of Green. How’s your year going so far? Terrible? Ours too.
A little bit of housekeeping before we start. You may have noticed that our blog has undergone some changes recently. For instance, we changed our posting schedule to once a month; the last Friday. It’s not that we’re any less committed to the cause, but we are under a lot of pressure in our lives right now and to preserve quality, we had to cut quantity.
We’re hoping that this is just temporary and that, by the time 2021 rolls around, we’ll be back to “normal”.
In keeping with this being a weird year, we’ve changed our anniversary post to reflect what it means to be green. (Especially in quarantine.)
With that in mind, let’s hand over to Tamara to start off.
Once a month, I plonk myself at my desk to write about my ongoing attempts to live green in Pompey. I very much write about what I live and do. Some months are greener than others and I try to be honest about that.
Take for example earlier this month, I briefly considered cycling (green!) in the rain to multiple recycling banks with my mixed plastics and cartons (green!), then immediately tossed that thought aside (wait, what?) and sidled ungracefully into my car (not green!). Trying to be green with these daily actions – it got me thinking.
What the heck do I (Tamara) mean when I talk about my attempts to live green or eco or sustainably or ethically?
Hmmm…..
What does living green really mean?
Is it just a green stick I use to beat myself and others with? My mother, who lives with me and who I strongly encourage to recycle and buy free-range meat would say, ‘absolutely, yes!’.
To be honest dear Reader, my definition depends on the day and what cards life is currently dealing me. It depends on the individual and their circumstances. It’s in the very title of this blog – Shades of Green – recognising that there is no one right way to live ethically – you decide on your focus and do what you can, with the resources you have.
Let’s take a pause here to acknowledge that even being able to talk about living eco is a privilege. To have the time, brain space, and money to even attempt to live a sustainable lifestyle (whatever that means to you) is a privileged space to reside in.
What is living green not?
It is not photogenic. Forget the zero waste jars of Instagram Influencers – my version of living green isn’t glass jars and pretty photos of vegan food. It is second-hand furniture and eating leftovers. It is also forgetting leftovers in the fridge until they go mouldy but hey, I put them in the food waste recycling bin…so that’s green right?!
It is not always spending my way out of a problem. There are a lot of products aimed at the green market and some of that shit is expensive and unnecessary. I am trying to be discerning. Do I need that beautiful bamboo lunchbox when I work at home and have a perfectly functional plastic one for the rare times I leave the house?
Yes, I do.
Oops, I mean – No! no, I do not.
It is not absolute. All or nothing thinking has no place in my brain or my home. That is a fast track to Overwhelm City and Give-Up Land. If I try to do it all, I quickly end up unable to do anything and beating myself up. I cycle short distances but when my depression is bad or, to be honest, it is raining – I get in my car. Some of my food shopping is done in local shops and naked (the food, not me!), but I also buy food in plastic. And that is ok. With this blog, I challenge myself to do better – on my terms.
What does living green mean to me?
- Acknowledge & Adjust: Looking at the big-picture stuff, it is first acknowledging that the way our society is built and run on finite resources is not sustainable and secondly, crucially, adjusting my behaviours accordingly. We are in a climate emergency and we have to change both wider society and individual behaviours quickly and dramatically. This is an uncomfortable truth I have to keep reminding myself off.
- Environmental Injustice: Even more uncomfortable is facing the truth that those who benefit from and perpetuate this system are not those who experience its repercussions. Living green is about fighting climate change, speaking out for social justice and being actively anti-racist. The areas in Portsmouth with the highest levels of air pollution are also some of the most deprived. It would serve me well to remember that next time I get in my car for an unnecessary journey.
- Consumer Power & Circular Economy: So, it is about me trying to live lightly on the planet, being aware of my consumer power, and ensuring that the products and activities I buy and consume are made, distributed, and disposed of in a sustainable and environmentally considerate manner. Essentially, trying to live in a circular economy.
- Do, Repeat & Layer: In terms of my daily life, it is focusing on small actions that I can repeat and build on overtime. Green Living is like an onion that you can peel for infinity.
- The Infinite Green: For me, it started with easy kerbside recycling, then I added in home composting, then recycling items that required more effort.
- I became more knowledgeable about the recycling process and decided I needed to buy less and create less waste and not just rely on recycling the stuff I buy.
- I then started to think about my clothes.
- My shopping. I think about what the products I buy are made off. How were they sourced? Who had to work for less than a living wage to make these shoes for me? Do I need to buy this new? Can I get it second-hand? Do I need it at all?
- My food. How was the land and people treated to grow this? Are these eggs made by happy hens?
- My travel choices.
- My energy providers.
- About the banks I use.
- My phone. My internet connection.
- Is this company transparent in their hiring and sourcing? Do they pay their taxes?
- The onion skin keeps peeling…
- Is this company transparent in their hiring and sourcing? Do they pay their taxes?
- My phone. My internet connection.
- About the banks I use.
- My energy providers.
- My travel choices.
- My food. How was the land and people treated to grow this? Are these eggs made by happy hens?
- My shopping. I think about what the products I buy are made off. How were they sourced? Who had to work for less than a living wage to make these shoes for me? Do I need to buy this new? Can I get it second-hand? Do I need it at all?
- I then started to think about my clothes.
- I became more knowledgeable about the recycling process and decided I needed to buy less and create less waste and not just rely on recycling the stuff I buy.
- The Infinite Green: For me, it started with easy kerbside recycling, then I added in home composting, then recycling items that required more effort.
It is easy to dismiss how much of an impact one person can have. But the only person I can control is myself. The money I spend, I want it to reflect my values. I want to be thoughtful, intentional and aware. I fail often but in my own way, in my little corner of Portsmouth – I try.
What does living green mean to you?
And what of you, Dear Reader? What does living green/ eco/ ethical/ sustainably mean to you? What are you focusing on at the moment? Let us know in the Comments section below.