I’m not a very public person, but I am a very thoughtful person. I think a lot about the world, its problems, possible solutions, etc. but I struggle to share my thoughts openly with others. The problem in this is that I have a lot of valuable information I would love to share with people who are interested that goes unshared. I’ve struggled in the past with feeling like I need to do things perfectly, but as a recovering perfectionist, I’m doing my best to accept that imperfect can be better than perfect; I’m working on embracing the fact that trying and failing is an important step in the process of growth and change. It’s because of all this that I would like to take you along with me on my journey as an imperfect environmentalist with a low waste family.
I’ve noticed that I tend to gravitate toward two types of content creators: those in the zero waste/low impact movement and homesteaders. Here’s the thing: most zero wasters are single people or childless couples. While they provide good ideas and suggestions for many things, there are a lot of struggles and situations that they will simply never consider or experience until and unless they have children. Homesteaders on the other hand tend to have lots of children and an often low waste lifestyle, but most homesteaders rely heavily on animal products for consumption. While they usually stick to locally produced meats, eggs, and produce, they do consume a lot of animal products. While what they do is commendable, it is commonly believed that lowering consumption of animal products is an important part of working to lessen the effects of climate change (not to mention it benefits people’s health). Continuing to eat large portions of meat and other animal products is not in line with eating for the climate, and while I won’t tell people to stop eating meat entirely I would encourage them to lessen their animal consumption if they’re looking to lessen their environmental footprint.
So what makes me so different? Well, I believe I can be a bridge between these two lifestyles. I model what I discuss in many ways: I limit the intake of new items in our house by buying secondhand, repairing items as needed, borrowing, renting, or even doing without. I live a low waste lifestyle with my family, consuming primarily whole food plant based meals, and I also have homesteading aspirations. While I haven’t been able to grow much produce on my own property I am working on planting a small orchard this year, and I have invested quite a bit of time and energy into building relationships with local farmers. I have worked hard to buy produce in season and eat seasonally while preserving extra for winter via water bath canning, pickling and freezing. I am excited to take you along with me as I learn more, grow more, make mistakes and keep on trying in this journey of life and lowering my family’s environmental impact.
I want to inspire other families to feel confident in the fact that they can reduce their waste and/or their animal consumption and raise their children in an environmentally gentle way while still having a fun and fulfilling life. My journey isn’t perfect, but I want to share a real view of a low waste family making changes and compromises for the good of the world and relationships.