I was getting groceries today and as usual, I toted along my reusable bags. As the flexibility of my career allows, this happened to be at about 11:00 A.M., my usual shopping time (I usually shoot for Tuesdays and Wednesdays as they seem to be the least busy and then I can have the store to myself, aside from the handful of senior citizens that join me). As I was standing in line at the checkout, a nice elderly lady in front of me made a comment about the three boxes of diapers (on sale and oh yeah, I had coupons too!) I had just placed up on the belt. It went something like this:

Feeling slightly defensive, I ever so politely replied, “Well, if I didn’t have a full time job in ADDITION to being a mother of two small children, I would definitely consider cloth diapers.”  

We chatted politely about how people these days lead "extravagant" lives that require both parents to work outside of the home (well, she talked and I mostly just bit my tongue…. anyone who knows me knows that my lifestyle is comfortable, but a far cry from extravagant.) But a thought later occurred to me with regards to my attempts at keeping the planet clean and why not enough is currently being done by not only myself, but millions of others:

Saving the environment requires not only a conscious effort, but TIME!!

Even if people are aware of the benefits of recycling and have the best intention to do it, how many people actually take the time to do it? In a perfect world, I’d be washing nappies by hand (maybe in the leftover bath water?), planting a garden to feed my family and hanging the laundry to dry. But realistically, that’s not going to happen. I am from a generation that has grown up with and thrives on convenience. But I think that’s where my generation gets hung up. There is such an exhaustive list of ways to save the planet that it becomes completely overwhelming to even think about doing everything. So rather than pick a few that we can successfully achieve, we give up completely.

Well, I am living proof that you can gradually and (somewhat) painlessly build recycling into your busy lifestyle. Now, I am not likely going to give up my gas guzzling SUV any day soon (I know, shame on me, but please remember I haul people around for a living and have two small children, not to mention, I have seen what happens to a poorly built mini-van in a head on collision) but here are some things that I have managed to incorporate into my hectic schedule:

1. I almost always use reusable grocery bags (occasionally I forget them at home and the guilt haunts me for days). If you want a compelling reason to never use plastic again, just watch this segment from the CBC called "Battle of the Bag". (Reusable bags also hold way more and don’t fall apart when you're two steps from the doorway.)
2. I currently recycle my newspaper, cardboard, cans, glass and milk jugs. I’m sure there is more I could do in the plastics department, but my bins get full before the weekend and truthfully, I get a bit lazy. The city I live in doesn’t have a recycling pick up program, but I am currently looking into a curbside service that picks up recyclables for a small fee.
3. I plant a garden each spring. No, it doesn’t even come close to feeding my family all year long, but we squeak a few meals out of it!
4. We changed our shower heads to low flow during our recent bathroom renovations. This was a big deal, more so for my husband than I, as he heavily relied on the 40 gallons per minute blasting at his head in the morning to wake him up each day.
5. And of course, my most recent effort, to “recycle” my home and increase it’s life expectancy, the "ultimate" act of recycling.

Some might say, “Feeble attempts,” to which I can only respond, “At least I am trying,” which is more than some can say.

I do intend to get more proficient at this recycling thing and found some other easily achievable “mini” goals at http://www.365daysoftrash.com/. The motto on the front page coins my thoughts for the day to perfection: no one can do everything but everyone can do something!!

To see what I do when I am not busy trying to change my recycling habits, visit me for information about Lethbridge Real Estate.

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