Someone asked me recently how disciplined I am when it comes to living sustainably.
She asked me if I’d rethink a children’s activity because of plastic and waste. The answer is sometimes yes and sometimes no.
For example, we don’t do balloons for birthday parties anymore but we do buy those little fruit snack packets from the store. My kids love them but I always feel uneasy/guilty about the throwaway packaging. I just found a homemade recipe to recreate them so I am working on this!!
Eco guilt v Mom guilt is a dilemma. Kids are bombarded with ads all the time and see friends with cool plastic toys which of course they want. We do our best to talk about the impact of things and find the middle ground.
The simple fact is that all of us attempting to live mindfully to consume less are swimming upstream in a disposable, materialistic, wasteful world where we can’t be 100% perfect, 100% of the time.
My own philosophy is to view sustainability as a long-term project, with consistent small steps and changes to use less and reduce our family’s waste and carbon emissions.
I am also politically active because we absolutely need change at local and federal levels to help us succeed.
Trying to do everything with unwavering discipline can set you up to fail. So far a slow, mindful and consistent approach is making a difference in our household.
What works for you?