“All my life I have been moving in the circle of “greens”: many of my friends are ecologists by education or vocation, therefore, willy-nilly, I have always tried to introduce some aspects of an ethical lifestyle into my everyday life and into the lives of my loved ones. For two years now I have also been working in a company that is a distributor and an active social ideologue of organic and ecological products, so my whole life in all its areas is somehow connected with the environment.
And let them throw rotten tomatoes at me, but over time I came to the conclusion that the most effective ways to promote “green” ideas are education and personal example. That is why I devote most of my time to seminars, where I talk about … healthy eating. Don’t be surprised, the idea is very simple. The desire to help nature often begins with a careful attitude towards oneself. I have often observed how people come to a sustainable and ethical lifestyle from food. And I do not see anything wrong with this, since this path is absolutely natural for human nature. It’s wonderful when a person passes everything through his own body and consciousness. If we do something out of love for ourselves, it is easier for others to understand and accept it. They do not feel an enemy in you, they do not hear condemnation in your voice; they catch only delight: your inspiration and love of life ignite them. Acting out of condemnation is a road to nowhere.
I’ll give you an example. The young man was carried away by the idea of veganism, and suddenly noticed a leather jacket on one of his former classmates. Victim found! Vegan begins to tell her about the horrors of leather production, three more people join the dispute, the case ends in a scandal. This begs the question: what will be the dry residue? Was the vegan able to convince her friend that she was wrong and change her way of thinking, or did he just cause irritation? After all, before your position becomes socially active, it would be good to become a harmonious person yourself. It is impossible to put your head on anyone, it is impossible to re-educate anyone. The only method that works is personal example.
That is why I do not climb on the barricades of aggressive propagandists of veganism. Maybe someone will judge me, but this is my way. I came to this based on personal experience. In my opinion, it is important not to condemn, but to accept. By the way, let’s remember what else Zeland wrote about the mechanism of feeding pendulums and egregors – no matter what “sign”, – or +, your effort … if it is redundant – it still feeds the system. But you should not remain completely passive! And you have to learn balance all your life … ”
How to make life more environmentally friendly. Express advice from Yana
This is the easiest and most affordable way to be “green”. Look around! There is a lot of paper around: old catalogs, magazines, newspapers, notes, flyers. Of course, in order to start collecting, sorting and recycling all this, you need willpower. It is useful to keep abreast of new technologies.
Before you go with the paper to the collection point, sort it: separate the paper from the plastic. A simple example: some products are packaged in cardboard boxes with a plastic window. In a good way, this plastic must be disposed of separately. Do you understand what kind of entertainment this is? (smiles). My advice. Turn this activity into a kind of meditation. I have two containers at home: one for newspapers and magazines, the second for Tetra Pak boxes and cardboard. If I suddenly have a bad mood and have free time, then you can’t imagine a better therapy than sorting garbage.
This way of being “green” is for advanced enthusiasts. If you are a vegan or raw foodist, then 80 percent or more of your diet consists of vegetables and fruits. As a result, you get an abundance of living organic waste in the kitchen. This is especially true for vegetables bought in stores – they most often need to be freed from the peel.
Now think about how much of a great source of soil fertilizer we are throwing into the landfill! If in the countryside you can dig a compost pit, then in the city you will come to the rescue … earthworms! Don’t be scared, these are the most harmless creatures in the world, they don’t smell, they aren’t parasites and won’t bite anyone. There is a lot of information on them on the internet. If Californian foreign worms, but there are ours, domestic ones – with the wonderful name “prospectors” J.
They will need to be placed in a special container where you will put food waste. This will be your vermi-composter (from the English “worm” – a worm), a kind of biofactory. The liquid formed as a result of their vital activity (vermi-tea) can be poured into pots with indoor plants. The thick mass (without worms) – in fact, humus – is an excellent fertilizer, you can give it to your grandmother or mother at the dacha, or just to neighbors and friends who have their own plot. A great idea is to plant basil or dill on a windowsill and feed the plants with this fertilizer. Of the pleasant bonuses – no smells. To be honest, I haven’t grown up to worms yet, since I travel almost all the time, but I use a different way of producing home “fertilizers”: in the warm season, especially on my site, I collect all organic waste in one place right on the ground. In winter, place the cleaning in an airtight container and take it to the dacha on weekends, where food waste will rot by summer.
This applies mainly to the female half of your readers. Surely many of you use scrubs or peels. Unfortunately, a huge number of cosmetic and household products contain microparticles of plastic (the so-called microbeads, microplastics), which cause irreparable harm to nature, freely passing through treatment facilities and getting into lakes, rivers and further into the oceans. Microscopic plastic particles have also been found in the intestines of fish and other marine animals. By itself, it is not poisonous, but it absorbs hormones and heavy metals, chemicals and bacteria settle on its surface (more information here – ; ; ). You can also help to stop the pollution process – this is a matter of manifestation of our reasonable consumption.
First, when you come to a cosmetic store, check the composition of the product by first studying the issue on the Internet (for example, the wonderful Kirsten Hüttner deals with this issue). , on the world wide web, you will find black and white lists and product analysis. The most important aspect of combating this problem is the economic impact, the complete rejection of unethical products. Believe me, it works – tested more than once! When the popularity of a product falls, the manufacturer is forced to find out the reasons. Since the information about this is posted in the public domain, it is not difficult. As a result, companies are forced to either replace this component or eliminate it completely.
These are mercury lamps, batteries, old technology. There are a huge number of points for the collection of this waste: in shopping centers and subways. Get a special container at home and at work, put the above garbage in it. Better yet, try to organize the collection of such waste in your own office and, perhaps, involve your management. And what company will refuse the image of green? Also invite your favorite cafe or restaurant to come forward to organize battery boxes: they will surely use the opportunity to inspire more trust and respect among their visitors.
Packages are tricky. About a year ago, eco-activists called for the purchase of biodegradable plastic bags. Thanks to their efforts, among other things, it was possible to transfer large supermarkets to the use of such packages. After some time, it became clear that in today’s conditions in our country such plastic does not decompose properly – this is not an option. The bag campaign has petered out, and major stores have slowly moved to craft bags (more frustrating for many) or reusable bags.
There is a solution – a string bag, which is a mesh fabric bag and is sold in a hardware store. If you stock up on several of these bags, then it is easy to weigh vegetables and fruits in them, and stick stickers with a barcode on top. As a rule, cashiers and security guards of supermarkets are not against such bags, as they are transparent.
Well, a purely Soviet solution – a bag of bags – continues to be an integral part of eco-life. We all understand that today it is impossible to completely avoid the accumulation of plastic bags, but it is possible to give them a second life.
The main thing is to act, do not put off these eco-initiatives “until better times” – and then these very best times will come faster!