We already know that some green choices are very easy, convenient, and inexpensive, and some really aren’t. Some are a walk in the park (maybe literally), and some are a walk uphill both ways in a blizzard. With no shoes. Of all of these, some make a relatively large difference on the micro level where we have control, and some make less difference. So what’s easy and what’s hard? That’s up for debate and can depend on who you are, where you live, and how much money and space you have, but we can talk generalities.
Easy, cheap choices include reusable grocery bags, using CFLs instead of incandescent bulbs, using natural and biodegradable cleaning and beauty products, recycling, buying recycled things, walking/biking/public transit instead of driving, etc. These cost nothing or close to it and are easier to implement than other choices.
In the middle of the pack we find options such as composting, eating homemade meals made with organic foods, putting electronics on power strips and turning off the power strips when not in use, low-flow toilets, buying locally-made products and locally-grown food, etc.
And the hardest, most expensive choices, especially ones that don’t have much social or financial support? Those include solar panels, wind turbines, giving up your car if you have one, family cloth, greywater systems, growing all or almost all your own food, and composting human waste, aka Humanure. Most of us don’t have the money or the space for these, and in the case of humanure, there’s a lot of stigma. Perhaps that’s with good reason, as it can make someone sick if it isn’t done correctly.
Unfortunately, it’s the hardest, most expensive choices that seem to make the most difference. Sobering thought. And isn’t that so often the way? That doesn’t mean the easier things aren’t worth doing, however. We’re not going to achieve zero footprint, or certainly not in this lifetime, so truly, the goal is to reduce it and not eliminate it. The perfect needn’t be the enemy of the good if we don’t allow it that power, and it’s worth leaving a habitable, cleaner planet to future generations. Perhaps one day the bigger things will be easier and more affordable as well.
