Baby steps?
Don’t you love that expression? This is the expression people use to explain why they haven’t gone green even though they are sustainability preachers. “Baby steps.” One foot in front of the other. “One thing a day,” I heard one evangelist preach. One thing a day? Why not all day? “But, we’re only human…” What does that mean? Help, my head hurts. An undisclosed green preacher once told a crowd as she launched her book, “Now I’m not saying you have to change your toilet paper, we all like nice soft toilet paper, but how about your fax paper? It should be at least 30% recycled content.” And nobody laughed. It’s ok to wipe yourself with old growth forest, but not to waste our forests in a fax machine? This is why I keep my thoughts to myself. If I stick my neck out, I myself will be decapitated. For instance, I drove to this conference. I would have missed the opening remarks otherwise, because I had to take my kid to school on time… THIS is why everyone loves the mantra “baby steps.” Turning down the air conditioner, for instance, can serve as a sense of relief…like confession.
I’m suggesting a full on diet of less waste. Pulling in the belt. Take a mug to Starbucks. Get your pizza on a cloth napkin carried in your pocket. This is no joke. We have to do this. It’s crazy not to. There is no time for baby steps.
Every single thing we can do, we must do. It’s like going on a diet. No, you don’t need the cream filled donut. You just want the cream filled donut. But you think of your thighs and you don’t eat it. If we thought of the health of the very planet that sustains us, maybe we’d bring our own mug. Or buy 100% post consumer tp. As kids we played a game like giant steps and it was fun.