A Modern Day Greenie - It's All About Choices
Last weekend, I was enjoying a cold one with my girlfriend in my front yard discussing all things ‘green’. Over smelling lilacs and admiring poppies, the conversation turned to questions about my commitment to an eco-friendly lifestyle. I was explaining how living sustainably involves making choices and at times, that means choosing to settle for the next best thing. I remembered a situation I had written about 5 years ago involving whether or not to replace our second car that had been deemed terminal. It illustrates the struggle that even us long-time ‘modern greenies’ go through. I thought it appropriate to re-post in honor of Earth Month:
Living a sustainable lifestlye, for the most part, has been pretty darn easy. The decision to switch to biodegradable, non-toxic cleaners was easy. Choosing natural personal care products – a snap. Kicking up recycling and reducing my need for stuff? Relatively simple. But a recent situation proved to be the greatest challenge of all; giving up the second car.
The Bad News:
The day is etched in my mind – it was a Tuesday. Our mechanic, Eric, called with the bad news; it was terminal. While my husband and I pondered where to lay old Betsy to rest, it hit us that we were down to one set of wheels. We are definitely a two car family. Our offices are over 15 miles apart and schedules are hectic. Our son needs to get from points A to B (and C, D and E depending on the week). My husband has softball and I have meetings. How are we going to make this sudden change work? Granted, we’d been limping along with one car for the last week but could we sustain it?
