I was never a deliberately environmentally conscious person. Whatever attitudes I had towards recycling, and whatever patterns I factored into my behaviour as it relates to caring for the environment were more like habits I was taught to have.
Storing old plastic containers and bags to reuse seemed more to me like a natural thing to do and it was mostly attributed to saving, in the financial sense. Being environmentally conscious is expensive and at times difficult. It is something that takes a special effort and calls for a lot of attention to detail.
With the Global Climate Strike taking place every Friday, and the Extinction Rebellion gaining constant media attention, I feel overwhelmed, guilty and helpless. It’s easy to think that you are not doing enough when you see that Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old climate change activist, sailed to America from Plymouth in a boat to cut her carbon footprint.
We are constantly bombarded about the way we live and at the same time pushed to live in such a way it feels like there will never be end to this environmental war and that it is an endless cycle of the blame game.
There is also something about living and proclaiming to be 100% green that seems self-absorbed and oblivious to the fact that being green also hurts some of the most marginalized people’s livelihoods.
In each society being green will take on a different meaning. For some it will mean improved recycling systems and in some it will mean complete transformation of energy consumption to more sustainable sources. While the demands are intense and the feelings of hypocrisy loom for wanting to be part of it but then having no other choice but to buy shower caps or having to travel by plane because it is cheaper, it is important to remember that 100% change isn’t attainable and in some cases I am not sure if it will ever be possible.
We must remain cognisant that not everyone will be in the same position or even have access to the same information or resources to make the necessary changes. In our efforts to be better, we should encourage those to do what they can as opposed to creating an unreachable standard. If you can protest then protest, if you have the power to change policy then do so, if you have the willpower to shop less then harness your shopping sprees. As the famous British supermarket Tesco’s slogan states, “Every little helps”, and this is truly the case.
While I am sure there are many more start-ups aiming to push environmental consciousness, two local ones have come under my radar that are worth paying attention to. The Tidy-Up Detergent Refill Centre is a local refill outlet focused on eliminating the use of plastic and reusing empty bottles. Naked Closet is an online retailer that provides a e-market place for clothing including your lightly used ones. Our efforts might seem small but, in actuality, they are all we need to be better. http://instagram.com/theonlinerunway
