EcoGriffin: Every Little Bit

EcoGriff

3.9.10

Why is it that people are fine with buying an expensive bottle of wine or six pack of beer or with spending top dollar at a restaurant for a plate of spaghetti, but think buying organic food is too expensive? How is it that those same people that hate Walmart are the same people shopping exclusively at chains that put the independent business out of business? We want to pay less, but at what cost?

Ok, I had to get that off my chest. Sorry, thanks for letting me rant. Oh wait, you didn’t even have a say. My bad. Let me rephrase that. Sorry, thanks for reading my rant.

My intro got me thinking. What is exactly considered an expensive bottle of wine? In my book I am thinking anything over $12. Am I more in the wino category than a sommelier? Now I am way off topic.

Let me start over….

Meatless March is still going strong. So far, so good. The best part about this is hearing the comments that my wife gets from people about me going meatless. Folks aren’t sure whether to say “good for you guys” to my wife or tell her how sorry they are for her! We both get comments from people like taking a month off of eating meat is some sort of hardship. Really, you want to know hardship? On November 1, 2008, we cancelled our cable. On November 5, 2008, the TV was nothing but fuzz. A part of me died that day. Just thinking about it now brings a tear to my eye. Wait, that’s not accurate. Well, sort of. I did cry on the inside on November 5^th, but have not looked back since. Taking a month off of meat will be a breeze. I will not however give up cheese or eggs, so don’t ask!

In my first post I mentioned we have also become urban gardeners. We currently have a bunch of things growing and are having a fun time guessing what it will look like when we pull them out of the dirt. This is our first attempt at this, and I am beginning to think we may have planted our stuff too close together and will have all our veggies growing together. Just yesterday I told Kelly that we may have created Lettish (that is lettuce and radish). Making salads will be easy. Just pick and eat. A ready-made salad! And people think going green is difficult:)

ECOcation:

Becoming more eco sensitive does not mean that you need to wear it on your sleeve (although you can with 100% organic cotton). Things have come a long way. You do not have to put yourself out there to be labeled a “tree hugger” or “Granola.” You can actually make simple choices that make big impacts. Just think how much things have improved since we all started to recycle. Yes, some things can get expensive. Becoming more eco sensitive is not about breaking our bank account or about making you feel guilty for enjoying a Twinkie or not knowing which types of paper can actually be recycled. First you need to learn where and how you can make a difference for now and for the future. Then decide what you feel comfortable with. Then go for it. Kelly and I continue to learn every day and become more eco sensitive where we can. We don’t have it all figured out yet and can’t afford to do it all, but every little bit helps.