The Inevitable

It was bound to happen wasn't it? Delving into the whole green life thing, it was almost certain I'd start experimenting with vegetarianism. Lori, I blame you for introducing me to the wikipedia article on environmental vegetarianism.

Basically, I've developed a personal conviction against the modern meat industry. I don't have a moral issue with consuming the dead flesh of other sentient beings because animals eat other animals. So being carnivorous is a part of the natural world and the natural order. How humans fit into it is up for debate, but I don't think there's anything immoral about killing animals for food. Of course, if I had to kill animals myself and clean their carcasses, I would absolutely be a strict vegetarian. I'm the product of a modern urban environment and consequently spoiled that way.

No, my "beef" (ha ha, did you see that? its a pun. applaud me.) with the meat industry is that the way in which it is produced is harmful to all parties involved.

This is a well cited wikipedia article on the effects of modern meat production on people and the environment.

I don't think vegetarianism is the answer to all these problems, but meat reduction obviously is. By practicing vegetarianism, I'm at least contributing to lessen the demand. I want to at least try this out for a week or two, and then make a decision on how I will conduct my meat consumption in the future.

What I may very well do is just make sure that when I do eat meat, it has been produced in a way that I approve of.

I wonder when I'll be able to apply for my tree hugging liberal hippy certification. Probably around the time I start evangelizing about all this stuff to people on the bus.

Puns About Green Money and the Green Lifestyle

A few days ago, I was on the bus and this guy sitting next to me noticed the cat hair all over my black pants and decided to strike up a conversation about animals and vegetarianism. He said he had been vegan for ten years, and asked me if I was vegetarian. I said I had thought about it, and I do limit my meat consumption. If I was going to "go veg" I'd have a lot more experimentation to do in order to make sure I'm still getting the nutrition I need. The guy was really nice, but seemed more interested in talking at me about why I should go veg than actually having a discussion with me. What struck me most is he seemed to believe that veg was the only way to be.

Vegetarianism is a luxury for a great deal of the world right now. Its for people who can substitute the meat in their diet. But with global poverty and hunger being such an issue, many people do not have that luxury.

Which brings me to what I really want to talk about: sustainability. Anyone who tells you that environmentalism and socially responsible consumerism demands a bigger price tag is bad. An expensive lifestyle is not a sustainable lifestyle and that is the greatest threat to the movement in my opinion: the impracticality.

Now that being green is becoming more and more popular, the market is evolving and more things are becoming affordable. Whenever I need to buy something, I think about it. Where its coming from, what its made of, how it got here, etc. If the price is slightly higher, but the quality and safety/health/durability of the item is better, it's worth the price increase. The long run is more important.

The cartoon above is French, obviously, but I find it to be very accurate to the current economic conditions in most of the Western world. Carrefour is basically a French European version of Wal-Mart. I also saw a few when I was in Jordan. I stoled the cartoon from a fellow AU student who posted it on facebook.

Translation- Man: You see, you're not boycotting Chinese products. Woman: Obviously not, I can't afford anything else.

That's wrong, and it needs to change. Please also note that I link social responsibility with environmentalism. Generally it goes that what's best for people is also best for the earth.

Here's a nifty little interview Jeffrey Sachs did with Treehugger about his new book and the economic benefits of going green.

Also, when looking for new items, check out second hand shops. This probably won't work for electronics, but it will for most other things. is also a great resource. Second hand really is the greenest way to go!

Edit: I cleaned up the HTML, sorry for the confusions!

I'm back, and even more hippie-ish than before

Oh my goodness it has been a while since I've been able to write in this thing. I had finals, and then I was moving, and then I had no internet in the new place.

Well all that has come to an end, and summer has officially begun.

So to ease back into the blogging thing, I'm going to tell you a little bit about the makings of my own green revolution. It all started around the time I was packing, I looked around at all my stuff and my old apartment and I thought, this is not healthy.

I hadn't even completely unpacked from my last move, and there were islands of clutter and mess all over my room. Worse still were the common areas of the apartment. I had a lot of stuff that I didn't need and I've been trying to be really aware of the systems in place that continuously deprive the needing. Every time I go out and buy something, I am most likely feeding that system, and doubly so when I hoard things I don't use or need.

If I want to make sure that I practice consumer ethics for the good of the people who make the consumer goods, I also have to be ethical towards the environment. Generally, what's good for the earth is good for its people.

It may sound like a lot of work and money to be an ethical consumerist, but that's not true at all. And no one can change a lifetime of unethical habits over night! You gotta start small.

Here are some the thins I've started implementing recently:

Donate clothes I'm not wearing!!!

Limit the number of "new" clothes I buy from chains and departments stores by frequenting thrift stores and consignment shops. Buying second hand clothes decreases the demand for the manufacturing of new ones. Sometimes, it may not be possible, like if you need a fancy dress or suit or even shoes. But when I need to buy those things, I'm going to take a careful look at where I'm buying them from.

Stop buying so many cleaning products! Its too much money to get all those things that end up polluting the earth in the manufacturing process when you can use more household agents just as well. Like, vinegar and baking soda. If I do need a specific kind of cleaning products, like dish soap or laundry detergent, there are lots of environmentally friendly options that are just as inexpensive as the stuff I already buy.

For the most part, I'm doing my research via a few different websites. The internet is an earth and people friendly resource! I use Treehugger, Planet Green, and the Discovery Health Channel.