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After seven weeks of trying to live a more green lifestyle, some things come naturally: I remember to take reusable bags to the grocery store; I check the origins of fruits and veggies and try to stay local; and I instinctively group my errands so that I use as little gas as possible. But just as I thought at the beginning that one person couldn't have too much of a negative influence, I realize now that just one person can't do enough to make things better.
That's when I start enlisting my friends and family to help as well. My parents are planning to donate their old computer, my husband brings home his coworkers' plastic water bottles for recycling, and my friends now know to expect birthday presents with a minimum of wrapping paper. But I'm the most proud of my friend Karen, who calls one day while I'm rinsing my new aluminum water bottle (so much better for the earth--and the taste of my drinks--than plastic!). She's on her way to the grocery store to pick up a few last minute things for dinner, and I remind her to take her own bag. Then she calls back an hour later to tell me she went a step further: instead of driving to the local chain store, she decided to walk to the nearest farm stand—about a half mile from her apartment. When she got there, though, she realized she had forgotten her wallet, so she walked all the way home and all the way back. Two miles of walking! Locally grown veggies for dinner! And, yes: she even remembered to take her own bag.
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Ready, Set, Green: Eight Weeks to Modern Eco-Living
Blythe Copeland is a freelancer writer living on Long Island. Read more about her foray into the green life in her previous columns as she follows the plan set out in the book Ready, Set, Green: Eight Weeks to Modern Eco-Living.
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