On this whole journey to zero-waste thing, I keep running into beliefs that I don't share with many in the zero-waste community. I wanted to address three of them very briefly, and if you believe differently, I'm 110% okay with that.
1. We don't try to only eat organic.
What we do, do is we do try to eat local.
Some of our local farmers are organic and some of them aren't. We support all of them. Madeleine and I have actually been to most of these farms in the last year. I know the farmer's values. One thing that I actually love is that many of these family farmer's live on their farms. They are the ones that actually have to breathe and live with all the chemicals that surround their homes. It's not just food for them. It's also their home.
Some of our local farmers are organic and some of them aren't. We support all of them. Madeleine and I have actually been to most of these farms in the last year. I know the farmer's values. One thing that I actually love is that many of these family farmer's live on their farms. They are the ones that actually have to breathe and live with all the chemicals that surround their homes. It's not just food for them. It's also their home.
I've done a lot of research on it, and I decided that there isn't enough research for me to care. Also, I've read enough about getting certified and the label "organic" that I don't think just because something says one thing that it's true.I think we do tend to eat more organic food than many people since often they have less packaging. The uberly cheap vegetable and fruit bins just happen to be at an organic store. But when it's all said and done, normal food is cheaper and we can eat healthier food on a small budget and that's what really matters to us.
2. GMOs
Similarly to organic, the biggest problems I have with GMOs is that it seems that some of the companies are bullies and that we are getting a smaller verity of different crops. As for health benefits, the biggest argument that I keep finding is "We don't know what GMOs can do to us." We honestly don't eat the big GMO crops that frequently, and the research again is too weak for me to pay extra money for non-GMO food.
3. We aren't anti-plastic.
We are moving away from buying new plastic stuff, but I have no issue what-so-ever with older plastic stuff. BPA and other harms of plastic again don't worry me. I am trying to avoid buying things that can't decompose. If it already exist and we want it though, I have no problem buying it used.
I am planning on a "No Impact Man" week in January, and he discusses all these points it seems at one point or another. I just wanted to have this down for the record before I introduce that project in January. I would love if a few friends would do it with me, so if you do it, let me know!
Love this! I am at odds with the "eco-correct" community in several aspects, like you. At our house, we don't actively seek out organic and non-GMO foods, but we do buy local and make almost all meals from scratch. So real/whole foods are the priority. We are also mainly vegetarian but technically flexitarian, for environmental reasons. We don't buy or prepare meat at home, but when we are at someone's home as a guest, we don't refuse it, because how does it help the environment to refuse our portions or have them make us something else? Finally, I am not anti-plastic either. I just try to limit it to applications where it is the best option. For example, we have a slightly damp basement storage space and a shed which are usable if everything is sealed in plastic bins. Without plastic, the items would be susceptible to mold and mildew. I think it would be worse to avoid plastic because then the stored items would be hard to clean and care for, and we would have to replace them more often.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. I was a bit scared about posting this, since I know it can be a heated topic. :) It's nice to know there are other people that are not quite as extreme. It often feels like there aren't many out there.
DeleteI'm not worried about GMOs or organic either. Like you said, the research isn't conclusive. I also am not throwing out all my plastic. To me that is wasteful because it is still useful. I am trying to reduce the plastic that comes into our home. Especially plastic bags. And I might buy something made with plastic, but I'm working towards less. It took Bèa Johnson several years so it's okay to go slow.
ReplyDeleteIt did take her a few years! I wish that she started tracking it then. I bet it was pretty amazing experience. I also wonder if she was already a minimalist or if she changed to be that way. I'm always curious about that when I see pictures of her home.
DeleteIt doesn't sound like she was a minimalist because she said she had lots of stuff. Maybe it was all really well organized so her house looked minimalist when the closets were closed.
DeleteI also wish that we could see the before and the process. I think people would understand her better if they could see the "imperfection" before.
I'm eliminating things that bother me most, like plastic bags, and then working on the next thing.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I'm doing too. I have that challenge that I'm going to do as an assessment, and then go from there. To be honest, most of our trash is diapers at this point, but I don't think it's fair to make Madeleine switch to something different at this point. :)
DeleteI tried composting but it was too hard to take it to the facility since I'm in school. I'm going to try again in the summer. So yes, it's an experiment!
DeleteYou can always switch to cloth diapers if/when you decide/want to/do have another kid.
DeleteThe hardest thing was today with all of the wrapping paper at my in-laws' house. I haven't "come out" to everyone about zero waste. And I don't want to ruin relationships by refusing disposables or gifts, etc. What do you think about that, Michele?
ReplyDeleteI just have been blogging about it, and people have been talking to me. Wrapping paper is recyclable in our city so I didn't stress about it. People were very very thoughtful about their gifts. Nothing was plastic and everything was packed in a box and wrapping paper. I haven't been refusing yet. People got Madeleine balloons for her birthday. I wasn't going to turn them away. I just try to lead by example and be open with how I live my life. It's similar to how I approach church.
DeleteThat's the conclusion I've come to as well. I don't think refusing is worth it. And leading by example is the best way! My mom is starting to do a few of the things since I've talked to her about it. Thanks for the reassurance. :)
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