Environmentalism

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Do you ever worry that you’re not doing enough to “go green,” or improve the environment? I will admit, that sometimes I do; I feel guilty when I forget my SIGG bottle and have to buy a plastic bottle of water (even though I recycle), when I forget to bring my reusable bag to the grocery store, or drive instead of walk. We’re not alone, many people are now overcome with angst and guilt that they’re not doing the right things, or that it’s not good enough – even when they are taking important steps to reduce waste and use less energy.

So what’s a girl to do?

Something…anything…nothing? I am of the opinion that something is always better than nothing, but I am also not delusional that most of what I am doing will have very little effect on the environment. Why not? Because I live. I like being alive, and while I do appreciate nature, and clean air, I also appreciate office buildings, factories, cars, train tracks, highways and technology. The simple fact is that as “man” has progressed over time, we have always sought to “control” or manipulate our environment; if we hadn’t, we would still be cave dwellers.

We are where we are today because of our desire and need to shape the environment to fit our needs: we converted open fields to farmland, we re-routed rivers, we built homes and other buildings, we even genetically modified plants and animals to be more efficient and produce more.

That said, I don’t think it’s pointless to try and reduce the amount of waste we produce and be more energy efficient – both when using electricity in our homes, and by altering driving habits; We have become much too reliant on disposable products and containers, most of which are simply not necessary and produce an enormous amount of waste, and don’t even get me started on cars. But to nitpick about every little thing and how it impacts your carbon footprint, is excessive in my opinion. Again, I like having a carbon footprint, it means that I’m ALIVE and productive.

This article by Keith Lockitch of the Ayn Rand Institute for Individual Rights, puts it all in (rather simplistic) perspective:

Everything we do to sustain our lives has an impact on nature. Every value we create to advance our well-being, every ounce of food we grow, every structure we build, every iPhone we manufacture is produced by extracting raw materials and reshaping them to serve our needs. Every good thing in our lives comes from altering nature for our own benefit.

And exposes environmental extremism for what it is: Anti-Human (in his words)

The only way to leave no “footprint” would be to die — a conclusion that is not lost on many green ideologues. Consider the premise of the nonfiction bestseller titled “The World Without Us,” which fantasizes about how the earth would “recover” if all humanity suddenly became extinct. Or, consider the chilling, anti-human conclusion of an op-ed discussing cloth versus disposable diapers: “From the earth’s point of view, it’s not all that important which kind of diapers you use. The important decision was having the baby.”

He concludes with this important point:

The only rational response to such a philosophy is to challenge it at its core. We must acknowledge that it is the essence of human survival to reshape nature for our own benefit, and that far from being a sin, it is our highest virtue. Don’t be fooled by the cries that industrial civilization is “unsustainable.” This cry dates to at least the 19th century, but is belied by the facts. Since the Industrial Revolution, population and life expectancy, to say nothing of the enjoyment of life, have steadily grown.

I do realize this is a little extreme, and he comes from a very strict objectivist, individualist, capitalist perspective (with which I agree adamantly), but in my opinion, the main premise cannot be argued with: as long as you live, and thrive, and are contributing to society, you will have an environmental impact, no matter how much you try to reduce it.

But like I said before, that’s a little simplistic. The author mentions the trade-offs you face when choosing to use compact fluorescent light bulbs over incandescent (the CFL‘s contain mercury) and the fact that cloth diapers use an enormous amount of energy and water to clean, as reasons to not try at all. Yes, every action has a reaction, and a consequence, and there is always going to be a reason not to do anything. But he doesn’t really acknowledge the behavioral side of the environmental argument: the impact of simply walking instead of driving, turning off lights when you leave the room, or just choosing to consume less – these are all powerful ways to affect change.

What I’m saying is be reasonable (reason is one of man’s highest values) in your efforts, and do what you decide is effective and helpful in your life and community. I do what I do because I know it’s the right thing to do.

Why do you do what you do?

Diapers exposed: Disposables are greener than cloth? (greendaily.com)
Environmental Working Group Study Shines Light on Best and Worst CFLs (treehugger.com)

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You’ve heard it before: Going green is too expensive, Buying organic costs too much more, I can’t afford to be eco-friendly. What do all of those statements have in common? They’re excuses, and they’re not always true. I’m going to start with looking at organic cotton clothing below, but first let me say a few things.

If it’s important to you to “green” your home and make an effort to buy more organic cotton and eco-friendly clothing, you will find a way to do it and stop whining about how much it costs…take a look at your priorities and cut your expenses somewhere else if it’s “too expensive” to buy organic produce.

(I’m kind of unsympathetic here, sorry. We all make decisions in our lives, and we have to prioritize. I spend more money to shop at Whole Foods because I don’t have to worry about the food I buy having crap in it, and I know I can choose an organic alternative for nearly everything. Because this is a priority to me, I cut my cell-phone bill, canceled Netflix, walk more so I don’t need to spend so much money on fuel…get the picture?)

I really don’t believe you can have your cake and eat it too – when you live on a budget (and we all do), there’s only a finite amount of money to spend – if you want to increase your grocery budget, you have to cut your “eating out” budget. It’s all about YOUR PRIORITIES.

It’s such a common misconception now – that organic anything automatically costs more – kind of along the same lines as calling Whole Foods “Whole Paycheck” – that it’s hard to overcome, but if you actually take the time to do the research, you’ll see that it’s not necessarily true. But then again, paying more for one thing of high quality can actually cost you (and the environment) much less in the long run than buying three cheap, questionable quality items.

Take buying organic cotton clothing, for example. Generally, if you’re looking at the same designer, an organic cotton t-shirt will cost more than a conventional cotton t-shirt (these EDUN-live t-shirts are $22 and $28 for the organic cotton). Converting a conventional cotton crop to organic costs money, and takes three years, so naturally those costs will be passed on to consumers; I don’t find a problem with that. It’s worth it to me to pay $6 for more organic and know that I’m not contributing to tons of pesticides every year threatening wildlife and people.

You can find basic organic t-shirts now for as little as $6 all the way up to, well, infinity. I am a t-shirt addict; I LIVE in them, I know exactly how I want them to fit, and I require that they hold their shape over many, many, many washings. Over the years, I’ve bought $4 t-shirts from the Gap, $15 t-shirts from J Crew, $9.99 t-shirts from Target, and and $45 t-shirts from James Perse. Guess which t-shirts I STILL have in my closet? James Perse. I’ve collected by now about 20 JP t-shirts, short sleeve, long sleeve, v-neck, crew-neck, you name it, I have it. I’ve tried everything and settled on James Perse because I like the fit, I know they will keep their shape, and they will hold up after many, many, many washes. Unfortunately, he doesn’t use organic cotton, so I’m exploring other options, but I have yet to find a favorite.

It’s up to you to shop around – try everything – and find your favorite organic cotton tee based on the kind of fit you like, and how long you want your items to last. I will argue here, that if you’re trying to be more environmentally friendly, you should aim to purchase things that will last several years, so you don’t have to replace them often; ultimately the less you buy, the better. And another thing when buying organic cotton is to BE SURE AND READ THE LABEL. Don’t fall for greenwashing, aka: only 5% organic cotton, and pay attention to where your garments are made. Personally, I’m willing to pay a bit more for items that are made closer to my home, than for items that are made thousands of miles away, then shipped here. But those are my priorities, yours may be different. As I keep repeating here, I’m just encouraging conscious shopping: know what to buy, where to buy, why you’re buying, and most of all, when NOT to buy.

So here are some very basic organic cotton tees to try – ranging in price from $6 to $42:

C&C California Organic Tee - $39	Norma Kamali for Wal-Mart Tee - $6	District Cotton Organic Tee - $15	Spun Organic Cotton Tee - $42
Maggie's Organics Cotton Tee - $16	American Apparel Organic Cotton Tee - $18	Alternative Apparel Organic Cotton Tee - $28	Edun Live Organic Cotton Tee - $28

I used basic organic cotton t-shirts here because they’re much more easy to compare than other types of clothing. But of course, I try to buy as much organic clothing as possible: dresses, sweaters, tank tops, etc., and if you browse through the reviews here, you’ll see some of my favorites. Also, take a look at our list of shopping sites for links to designers and boutiques that sell eco-friendly clothing. When you buy anything, it’s always important to shop around, and there’s a lot of trial and error involved with finding your FAVORITE t-shirt, or pair of jeans. But once you do, it’s the greatest feeling in the world – ESPECIALLY if it’s made from organic cotton.

What do you think? Is it worth it to pay more for organic cotton? Do you have any favorite organic cotton t-shirts? Please add your .02 to the discussion!!