Oy. Who do I think I am? What gives me the right to write about this and why should anyone care what I have to say?
Just call me Carrie – with a conscience.
I’m no one special. I don’t have any background or degrees in environmentalism, ecology, sociology, or anything that makes me an authority. I’ve never been an activist, evangelist, or crusader of any kind. I’m not smarter, wiser, more insightful, or more conscious than anyone else. I’m just a girl who’s trying to enjoy my life, be a good citizen, and do what I can to contribute more to the solutions than I do to the problems.
This is a virtual touchstone for my own personal lifestyle choices. Writing about ways to incorporate more eco-friendly choices into my own crazy life is just further reinforcement (aka self-imposed guilt) for me to act on them. And between my A.D.D. and the millions of great ideas out there, I need a place to keep them organized so I can find them again!
There’s so much information on sustainability, environmentalism, political issues, and green this-that-and-the-other-thing…even though I think it’s all important, it’s so hard to keep track of every bit of info I hear or read that it just becomes overwhelming and I end up tabling it as a “project” on my never-ending to-do list. I’ve tried keeping things in files – but that’s just more unnecessary paper. (see, it’s working already!) Then I tried keeping folders of links in my bookmarks – more eco-friendly, but not as easy to sort through quickly. Then I thought I’d just find a couple of blogs I really like and stick with those – but there are so many resources (and Lord knows I need to stick my nose into everything) that just seemed too limiting.
I don’t presume to think that anyone else cares much about what I do or don’t do, but through conversations with both friends and random strangers, I’ve observed that many people share the same conundrum of being way too busy to live as eco-consciously as we’d like to, yet still have a sincere desire to do something.
And while our hearts may be in the right place, the very recognition of how monumental the issues are and how critical it is to do something about them is exactly what makes it seem impossible to make a difference. I mean really, is my little car, my little plastic bags, and my little carbon footprint making anything that much worse? On the flip side, can my little aluminum water bottle and my little blue recycling bags really make anything that much better?
The answer on both counts, of course, is YES.
Collectively, the small everyday actions of millions of people make a HUGE difference – for better or worse.
The question is: which team are you on?