Green means something different to everyone. For some, it’s using the right bin at the office to recycle. For others (like my dad), it’s all hooey and even saying the word “green” causes an eye-roll so massive, one worries about his sanity. And some make green a central part of his or her existence.
For me, green is an ideal that I try to make practical in my life. My husband is the driving force behind many of the green decisions we make (read some here) and the initiative we’re trying this year is no exception. Here’s how it goes down: husband reads scary articles about chemicals/diseases/”the man” and shares the details with me. He follows up with a book on the subject and then it is non-stop information. He then throws down the gauntlet and I’m left to clean up the toxic spill.
That may sound bitter (it’s not) and unfair to hubby’s intentions (it’s not). What is it then? It’s taking this idea or ideal and boiling it down to the practicality of day to day life. That’s my job. Simple, right? In any case, that’s how green works in our house. He accomplishes something I would never do (read many articles/books about stuff I’m too impatient to ingest) and I try to make practical the impractical (getting rid of packaging in our lives.)
Yes, you read that correctly, but it’s not ALL packaging that gets the heave-ho. I make gift packaging for a living, for goodness sake. The idea of packaging does not encompass all the stuff we use and tolerate in everyday life that he wants to purge. We will try to get rid of the plastics, tin cans, rubber and more. As I try to live a better life and implement this 2011 Family Directive, you’ll be showered with details of the whys and hows.
No, I’m not married to a hippie. I’m not even married to a hipster. This man seeks information to live a healthy life in a modern society. I’m ALL for that.
