I was recently reading a post on Facebook in which people listed the everyday eco-friendly things they do in their own lives that others have thought were weird, over-the-top or even radical. I found this fascinating reading for a number of reasons.

Firstly, because it is interesting to learn how other people live in their journey to be low impact and sustainable; secondly, because it is inspiring and motivating to see the efforts people to go (and maybe I’ll learn something); and thirdly – and the main reason I was inspired to write this piece - it is both amazing and bemusing to me that the behaviours most people described, which I would consider run of the mill, are considered to be radical by others.

Dozens of people responded with habits that they have been made to feel are over the top. These included things like avoiding single use water bottles (choosing tap water/reusable bottles instead) and switching to silicon covers or using Tupperware containers instead of plastic wrap – hardly radical. Other habits listed included:

• Capturing shower water that is typically wasted while the water heats up and using it to water plants.
• Using handkerchiefs instead of tissues
• Buying secondhand items preferentially instead of buying new
• Carrying reusuable cutlery and straws
• Buying a Tesla
• Choosing walking and public transport instead of driving
• Using cloth/washable toilet paper
• Opting for non-material gifts at Christmas and birthdays
• Making cloth kitchen towels for clean ups
• Making items, like laundry detergent, dishwashing detergent, deodorant, face masks, etc, instead of buying 

There were many more, but they were all along the same lines. Nothing here, with the exception of the Tesla and the toilet paper, I haven’t already adopted myself and I don’t consider myself radical. Assuming I’m not wrong feeling that, so curious about the mindset of those who do consider these things over the top. Is it because these things are anti-consumerist and may trigger a fear of deprivation or a poverty mindset? Is it because they are a bit more work in many cases? Is it something else? 

I genuinely think that if we can get to the core of this mindset, to understand what drives the resistance to these changes, we would be able overcome it and make so much more collective change. I don’t exactly know how to get to the core, but I’m exploring that. In the meantime, I guess I’ll be an everyday radical.

See you next time! - Elise

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