My eco journey started in college. Before that I lived with my parents who were the antithesis of green. Styrofoam plates, Lysol happy, plastic cups, velveeta cheese loving people. So when I joined the S.E.A.C. (student environmental action coalition) it was to protest the garbage on our campus, and inside of me something sprouted. I started seeing the connection that we all have to this one Earth of ours. It is ours and if we don't take care of it, we will live in garbage if we get to live at all.
Years went by and I started recycling, how novel an idea! Having children, I got to make several environmental decisions and I chose wisely. I chose to nurse (no plastic containers to dispose of, no manufacturing process to purchase,) cloth diaper (no polyacrolate, no pesticides, plastics or dioxin or large scale manufacturing and disposal and ground water contamination,) and purchase organic dairy, fruits and veggies for my baby.
Having a child with neurological issues and major behavioral challenges several years later, led me down the road of processed food elimination. Reading books like Fast Food Nation, Skinny Bitch, Crazy Makers and watching flicks like Food Inc. challenged me to a better life for my kids.
I am responsible for the health and safety of my kids. I take that job so very seriously. Grocery shopping makes me wince at the check out, but when my kids made their lunches this morning? I smiled. They were so very excited about taking a BLT school. That's organic, uncured, no antibiotic, no pesticide, humanely treated pork. Add the organic lettuce from California, the organic tomatoes from Mexico (ok, that one makes my eyebrow go up,) and the organic, no HFCS 100% whole wheat bread made in Colorado with cage free mayo. They had to pack the grapes (Chilean, non-organic but were so cheap and so huge and juicy, I couldn't resist) along with the organic carrots (whew, another good one,) and some chili peanuts from the bin at the natural food store.
While I watched them pack their lunch I was drinking a cup of coffee from Intellegentsia (Fair trade coffee) with some silk soy creamer (made in Colorado.) The baby was sitting in his exersaucer of plastic made who knows where by children in a third world country (cringe) and Cooper was still sleeping in his hand-me-down crib and non-organic mattress with thrift shop sheets. The boys grabbed backpacks from Lands End and thrift store, hand-me-down jackets and rushed out the door.
My washer machine is washing a load of unbleached prefold diapers with PUL covers (cringe) in an HE washer (yay!) and using Classic Rock Rockin' Green Detergent (yay!)
So as much as I try to be as green as I can and I've evolved tremendously. Just living in this world, it's hard to be as eco friendly as I would like to be. I challenge myself to continue to do better and be that example I'd like to be for my kids. I watch my friends and family do the best they can with what they have. My Mom can't always find a health food store locally with what she wants. She does buy the organic soap I sell, so she is heads and shoulders above what she used to be! I celebrate her!
But at the end of the day, we all do the best that we can. We can't get all our goods and services locally. We can't always eat perfectly, but we can try. And try I will. Happy Earth Day :-)
