Green Street Cred

I have posted what I hope is the last of my Nap Posts over at Parenting. (The entire internet shouts for joy!)

So, did you know? Seattle Mom Blogs is counting down to Earth Day with a series of "going green" posts. They're asking us local ladies to write about what we're doing to save the [fill in your favorite endangered species]. And while this is a topic I'm actually quite interested in, I have to get something off my chest first:

I am tired of hearing about everyone's Green Street Cred. Do you know what I'm talking about?

"Oh, as soon as I heard about Bisphenol-A I immediately switched to those bottles you can buy at Whole Foods!"

"I always remember to bring my reusable shopping bags."

"Our family eats completely organic."

And my absolute least favorite Seattle-centric phrase: "Why can't people just bike to work?"

Where I live there are green public initiatives, conferences and expos, recycling containers everywhere you look, local food celebrations and houses with cooperative fruit and vegetable boxes sitting on their doorsteps. Organic living is a hot topic among Seattle moms and our governor just signed a law that will ban the sale of certain toys in Washington State: "The law will dramatically cut the amount of lead, cadmium and phthalates, a commonly used plasticizing chemical, allowed in children's toys, cosmetics, jewelry, teething items and car seats made or sold in the state."

As someone who bought Born Free bottles immediately after reading about bisphenol-a, uses cloth diapers and wipes, put biodiesel in her car (until it shot up to nearly $5 a gallon) and has lately started purchasing organic milk for her precious wittle baby, I can't say I don't subscribe to this stuff. I do. It started when I went to China in 2004 and watched my American friend washing her Ziploc bags which she had been using for months. She wasn't doing this to save the earth, she was doing it because you can't find plastic storage bags in China. (I ended up sending her a big box in the package I sent for Christmas!) But it burned a little hole into my brain that rarely fails to remind me of how much I throw away, and how much I could either reuse or just not use in the first place.

I've made a concerted effort to avoid throwaway cleaning products and convenience items. Not always, of course. These things ARE convenient and we keep a pack of disposable diapers for the days I spend at my parents' house, because it's VERY inconvenient to use cloth when you're gone for more than two hours. I try to keep a stash of rags in the kitchen so I'm not tempted to use paper towels for every spill. The city just sent us a notice saying that they'll be accepting more recyclables and compost items and I taped the flyer to the kitchen wall so I'll remember what goes where. Composting intrigues me and if I can figure out an efficient removal system (it's a bit harder when your kitchen is on the second floor) we'll be starting that soon.

I've been replacing my toxic household cleaners with more environmentally-friendly (and person-prone-to-massive-headaches-friendly) cleaners. I'm learning a little bit more about organic and local food. I'm not totally sold on everything having to be organic, but I like the idea of eating and buying locally.

And I can afford to do these things. I can't afford to live totally organic (the organic mattresses my friends were talking about the other day are $1000 and up, WAAAY up) but I can do little things. I have the luxury to be able to consider "green living" and I think of recycling and reusing as good stewardship. I am really interested in toxin-free baby items. We put biodiesel in our car because we figured there needs to be a market for alternative fuel- why not be part of it?

But I don't want to be part of a Green Competition. I don't want to compare green lifestyles with my friends or complain about the number of people who could be carpooling to work. A lot of the new construction in town is advertised as "Built Green" and while I'm sure people value the greenness, I bet a lot of people equally value the green street cred. And it's just annoying. I may use non-toxic shower door cleaner, but I don't think it makes me a better person. (Also, it doesn't WORK. Next up: the water and vinegar solution!)

Anyway. Have I sort of canceled out my own post? "Green Culture is irritating!" "But wait, let me tell you about cloth diapers!" Because that is taking obnoxiousness to a whole new level. (But I love you, Seattle, I do! Whenever I refer to you as "The People's Republic Of" my dad reminds me that I wouldn't last a day in other parts of the country and he's RIGHT! I'll keep you, REI and all!)

And I AM interested in what you guys are doing, if anything. Especially if it can fit into an extremely lazy person's sedentary lifestyle.

Comments

[Jen]

Let's see. I use the reusable grocery bags. But frankly, those are just so much nicer anyway that it barely counts. Vinegar for cleaning. We've just switched to cloth napkins (those are nicer than paper too) and rags as opposed to paper towels. (I have actually had the same roll of paper towels since we moved two months ago.) Oh, and I am saving water by being so freaking exhausted that I have been skipping showering occasionally to fall straight into bed. Does that count? :)

[ashley]

Jen - I shower rarely as well. Laziness for the sake of the environment, right?

Maggie, I'm with you. Commercial "green"-ness sucks. I mean, I'm all for saving money and doing what makes sense to live a simpler life, especially if that means helping the environment. But all this consumerism surrounding "green" products, I could do with out.

[lee]

we have a second floor kitchen, and we just have one of these compost containers under the sink.

it collects all the coffee grounds, paper towels, fruit and veggie scraps, eggshells, and other good stuff. when we empty the garbage we just carry the pail down and dump it into the yard waste bin. no smell when it's not open.

and hey, why can't people just ride their bikes to work? =)

[Christina]

I am so very sick of the GREEN thing - like why must clothing be the color green just to say "look how environmentally conscious I am"?? Seriously, the color does not matter! And you know, I love nature - the Lorax is my all-time favorite Dr. Suess book and we've been recycling *forever*... but I am seriously sick of the earth-loving, I'm-more-organic than-you mentality. So, thank you for giving me an outlet for that little rant! :)

[Charlotte]

I compost, garden a few of my own vegetables on my terrace and use those great canvas grocery bags. I use kitchen rags and cloth napkins. Buy a lot of locally grown produce. If I do end up with plastic bags they get used as rubbish bin liners.

The thing is, there are a few things I don't want to compromise. I love the good toilet paper and multiple long hot showers. I like the South American produce in the winters just as much as I love my locally grown, seasonal farmer's market fare. I love Perrier even though I could switch to locally produced Saratoga Springs. I don't know how to ride a bicycle (or drive a car for that matter). I clean with the toxic stuff since I love my ultra shiny surfaces. I miss incandescent lighting. I am plagued by green guilt over these things and donate to the NRDC to try to neutralize my carbon footprint.

[Tara]

I agree. I am completely on board with reducing waste and toxins, etc, though I am so turned off when people gloat in their crunchiness.

I want to hear the compost suggestions, too. We do compost, but do NOT have a good system for storing/taking out. Things get gross fast.

Hmm, I don't shower every day, mostly out of laziness. I didn't feel like buying more shampoo (again, lazy, and cheap) so I started no pooing. cloth diapers, blah blah, you know that. :) I really like my reusable shopping bags, though I can't seem to remember them half the time. We are trying our hand at a veggie garden, though I am doubtful that anything will survive. Hmm, I sound like a green flunky, don't I?

[ashley]

Oh, I also heard that your mayor (or someone in Seattle) is trying to get a bill passed that will charge 20 cents for each plastic bag you have to use at a grocery store, etc.

Pretty awesome, if you ask me.

That, or just give me a freakin' dollar for each bag I bring myself.

[AbsolutelyBananas]

You crack me up, Maggie. I love how blunt you are. I don't know... while there is one part of me that gets a bit annoyed by the BANDWAGON (why must there always be a BANDWAGON?!) there's another part that rejoices to see us me-centered Americans get more responsible no matter what the reason.

Oh, and I secretly HATE people who bike to work. They're always IN MY WAY (as long as we're confessing). Yeah, that definitely feels better. ;)

[annie]

I was just at Target today and when I handed the checker my reusable shopping bags blatantly branded with the names of other stores on them, said checker proceeded to pontificate on the ridiculousness of those shoppers who will use these bags while also buying disposable diapers. Despite the fact that I WAS NOT buying disposable diapers (I save that for Costco where I can destroy the earth in bulk) I found myself to be more than a little irritated. Like you, I've become more and more aware of just how much STUFF we throw away on a daily basis. For that reason, I hate taking home those plastic bags because they totally add up way faster than I can use them to line my bathroom wastebaskets and then I'm left with LOTS of plastic. I find it annoying and inconvenient. Thus, I use my canvas ones that not only eliminate the plastic (when I remember to take them into the store with me) but also save me 5 cents per shopping trip per bag. I find it to be more than a little bonus that I'm actually able to kind of help the earth a little bit in the process. We recycle, use green cleaning products (mostly because I think they're healthier for my children), we save our water bottles and cans for our nephews who bring them to recycle and fill their piggy banks at the same time, etc....but to be completely honest, I do it when it is convenient for me.

Hopefully, one of these days I will no longer live in a townhome that requires me to walk 5 minutes just to take out my normal garbage. I will no longer have to save up my recyclables in my kitchen and remember to bring them to my in-laws so as to throw them in their bin. But for the time being, I figure that every little bit helps. Maybe I can't save the whole planet - but I can do my part (which I recognize is significantly smaller than what so many others do) to help my little corner.

Oh. And San Francisco is also trying to pass that plastic bag tax. Or maybe they already passed a ban on them completely. That's fine with me too. Maybe it will inspire me to actually remember to drag those canvas ones out of the car!

[Corey]

I live in an area that discontinued it's curbside recycing program (I KNOW!). I always say I'm going to bring all my stuff to the center, but I haven't yet. I have gotten off the lists of many catalogs and have all my financial stuff online instead of them mailing me updates. I use some home mixed cleaners and am trying to do more. And I do try to remember to use my canvas bags, but I have to say the plastic ones come in handy for all the mice my outside cat brings home in the spring so I do keep a few around. Sometimes I wish I lived in an area more green because it would make it easier, but I need to stop complaining and do what I can. I also like to buy locally when I can and we do have lots of farmer's markets. So I guess I am saying I do baby-steps, but I know it's not enough and I'm working on that too!