It\u2019s European Green Week. To celebrate I\u2019m joining in with Humans of Code to chat about how life is aiming for eco-warrior status and falling short, more like eco-weary, just at a time when there is no time to lose. A friend recommended I see \u2018Kiss the Ground\u2019 – a new documentary on Netflix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She said beyond the cheesy but lovely Woody Harrelson narration, there was a brilliant format for reaching us tired folks. And it is really worth a watch, soil and its inhabitants are incredible. What also struck me was what she said about its impact on her thirteen-year-old daughter. After viewing it together, her daughter swiftly pressed play and rewatched it alone, writing 12 pages of notes in the process, determined to share it with her class at school. That\u2019s some energy right there – and I want some!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m sure I\u2019m not alone in feeling overwhelmed by the huge number of decisions to be made in order to \u2018turn the boat around\u2019 and head in a greener life direction. I think my boat is creaking round to due north, maybe there\u2019s some comfort in that, but it\u2019s minor compared to what\u2019s required. Harder still is dealing with my daily\/weekly\/yearly discomfort of breaking or never quite forming new habits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I thought I\u2019d explore these two themes in my own life – choice paralysis (where do I start?) and the regretful, stress-inducing feeling of my actions not matching up to my beliefs about Climate Change, a psychological situation that could be an example of cognitive dissonance. It begins then with a little green audit, finding where my mini victories lie and what\u2019s holding me back on the rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Forget the social media green-chic, when I look closely, any boot into action has consistently been delivered by my friends and family. Being in another person\u2019s home (remember that?!) probably serves the biggest motivational punch for me and offers some immediate solutions. The \u201cshow, don\u2019t tell\u201d is powerful. Maybe I\u2019m nosy, but I am fascinated to see how other people tackle the same domestic issues. Their choice of tea, the strictly seasonal fruit and veg buyer, the inventive \u2018use it all up\u2019 cook, the new parent\u2019s approach to nappies, the Tupperware filled fridge, the bulk buyers, the natural remedy makers, the homemade snack makers, the handmade furniture-makers, the waste-free gift-wrap, the free-cycle converts, the local library supporters and local-everything cheerleaders, the walkers, the cyclists, the train-goers, the salad growers, the vegetarians teaching me about lentils and the vegans who have found a way to live without cheese. I am amazed and then encouraged to try it all out. Knowing these people face similar barriers as me; time, space, budget, and in their own way still cope with any discomfort of change and seem at peace – if not thriving with their efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The intention must be strong. I notice I have to find a way to keep the environment on my own inner agenda or it falls away. Reading the news is alarming, it\u2019s a tricky balance not to be scared away. I\u2019m ashamed to say I only got half way reading Naomi Klien\u2019s \u201cThis Changes Everything: Capitalism vs the Climate\u201d. I gave up, I felt so hopeless and then my confidence diminished and with that a dose of disengagement about the whole topic. Watch out for that! What has helped keep the glow for me? Joining the Extinction Rebellion\u2019s mailing list is a breath of fresh air and an antidote to mainstream news. Reading \u201cHomo Sapiens\u201d by Yuval Noah Harari – made me fall in and out of love with the human race and but mostly want to cherish all our living beings. His future-looking follow up title \u201cHomo Deus\u201d helped me consider my role in tech and the choices ahead to protect what we know as human.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They say we are a product of the five people we spend the most time with, their influence in how our lives look and feel is inevitable. That\u2019s where my confidence gets re-built after the fall, a phone call, a long walk, watching someone else cook as you get to unload your guilt. It\u2019s in the conversations that intentions move into goal setting. My two examples involve a child and Santa!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m a bit of a nomad and in other pre-Covid times, love nothing better than to career (sustainably) down the country to someone\u2019s house (to spy in their cupboards, haha!). Travelling has been my weak link. It\u2019s taken me a while to gather the \u2018stuff\u2019 – the reusable cup for tea, the water bottle and the Tupperware of snacks (see fridge inspiration). But I couldn\u2019t kick the disposable wipes habit. Fast forward to a camping trip and an unforgettable conversation with a friend\u2019s seven-year-old son. He was chatting away to me as I lazily cleaned my face with my handy face wipes and he paused when he noticed what I was doing and said, did I know how bad those are for the environment and for my skin, they\u2019re full of chemicals\u2026 I was so shocked at his observation and his directness. He wasn\u2019t trying to preach to me, he said it like he really cared about the planet and for my skin. It was unnervingly humbling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second story is a small win for sustainability but some might say a big loss for Santa. On a relentless descent of the Cobbler one July, an old friend and I got talking about managing the upcoming Christmas. I\u2019d say her eco-life boat is a bit further along than me, with the wind in her sails she is doing all the green things. But when it came to a green Christmas vs Christmas traditions, her family stood firm, so she turned her attention to my family! What would happen if the adults agreed to do secret Santa, buying one present for one person instead of everyone? Well, three years on we\u2019ve reduced total gifts from 126 to 18 items and all the fancy wrapping and grief that goes with it. It\u2019s a small change but one I wouldn\u2019t have had the will or nerve to propose, if not for that chat down the mountain to fully figure it all out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What\u2019s helped manage my choice paralysis? Chipping away at the list. One at a time. Finding out which one feels the most important at any given time- which if you are lucky might be nudged along by a chat with a nature-loving child. And tackling the actions vs beliefs mismatch? The stress of doing and thinking opposing things? Make some time with a non-judging, tea making person, who\u2019ll show you how to build up your confidence and try again.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s European Green Week. To celebrate I\u2019m joining in with Humans of Code to chat about how life is aiming for eco-warrior status and falling short, more like eco-weary, just at a time when there is no time to lose. A friend recommended I see \u2018Kiss the Ground\u2019 – a new documentary on Netflix. She […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":617,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"Being Green - humans of code","description":"It\u2019s European Green Week. To celebrate I\u2019m joining in with Humans of Code to chat about how life is aiming for eco-warrior status and falling short, more like eco-weary, just at a time when there is no time to lose. A friend recommended I see \u2018Kiss the Ground\u2019 - a…"},"_slim_seo_primary_term_category":0,"_slim_seo_primary_term_post_tag":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/humansofcode.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/humansofcode.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/humansofcode.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humansofcode.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humansofcode.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=616"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/humansofcode.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4456,"href":"https:\/\/humansofcode.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616\/revisions\/4456"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humansofcode.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/humansofcode.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humansofcode.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humansofcode.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}