Nobody is perfect. We all have our blind spots and imperfections, and we all have ways in which we could be more green, more frugal, eat better, etc.
I’ve said before I don’t like to allow the perfect to become the enemy of the good. It’s easy to overwhelm myself with the changes I think I need to make, with “fixing” all my non-green habits. I know what would happen if I insisted on perfection, however. None of it would happen because if perfection is the only thing worth striving for, I won’t reach it and I won’t do any of it.
I know I have work to do, so I’m trying to do it a little at a time. For example, from using ComEd’s online tools, I now know that for whatever reason, we use more electricity than the average in our neighborhood. It’s not because we crank the air conditioning, because we leave a ton of incandescent lights on, or because I’m running a server farm in the basement. None of that is the case. But now that we know, we’re working on a plan to change that rather than beating ourselves up over it.
We also aren’t perfect in other ways. Sometimes we accidentally leave lights on. Our showers can run long. We own and use a car, even if we try to minimize usage. Sometimes we take the easy way out. Etc. The fact is, it’s very hard to be extremely green and can often mean it’s not convenient. In order to make changes manageable, I have learned to do one thing at a time. If I give myself time to get used to doing something in a new way, it doesn’t seem inconvenient at all after a while. For example, composting is second-nature to me now, as are many other habits.
All the same, it’s easier, most of the time, not to try too hard and not to pay attention. I struggle with this often, but I’m sure I’m not alone. What have you struggled with?
