The Marriage Factor

So, this week, I had a little victory with my husband...

I've been a vegetarian for about a year now, and wish my husband would follow suit. I wish that for a couple reasons. First, his health. Second, the health of the environment. And third, it would remove temptation for me.

Temptation? Yes. Temptation. There are very few meats that I still crave, but it does happen. Most frequently, it's for bacon and fried chicken. So it's quite the bit of torture to watch him eat either; regardless of the fact that I doubt I could make it more than a couple bites in before feeling repulsed and nauseated.

But, we've made a small step. The other day, I just flat out asked him, "So, would you be willing to give up meat?" (Note: I knew to treat this like any negotiation. Start at the extreme, then meet in the middle.) His reply, as expected, "No way." I countered with, "Well, what about only organic meats?" He paused and squinted in thought. "Hmm.. I'll think about it." So, I went in for the last offer. "Sweetie, how about just agreeing to buying your meat locally? That means no meat at restaurants, but you can eat anything at home if you get it from a local farm/butcher." And he agreed!

Sure, he'll probably slip up occassionally.. but it means a lot that he was willing to do that because he knew it was important to me. And the next day, he went and bought some local meat for our freezer. =)

Which brings me to the 'Marriage Factor.' We have long known that getting married causes both parties to share and shape their routines and habits. In our case, things are only getting better. We've talked about going to the Farmer's Market more often when it's open again. He's now eating local meats. He's also on board for starting to recycle; which we hadn't been doing because they don't offer curb side recycling where we live. But he just brought it up one day, "We should just buy some bins and take them to the plant ourselves."

I was eladed. This was not something he would have cared about before meeting me.


Truth is, this doesn't have to be a "Marriage Factor." It could be a "Parent Factor" or a "Friendship Factor." I think we often miss the opportunity to initiate change by starting with those closest to us.

Have any of you also noticed a marriage/relationship factor, especially on environmental issues, for better or worse?

The Fuel Film

Yet again, I find myself post documentary, with a lot to say. This time, I watched Fuel. It was an intriguing look at our country's (and world's) addiction to oil.

This flick had me hooked from start to finish. Going in, I had some very generalized ideas about biofuels, biodiesel, and ethanol.. but I surely had no idea which ones were energy negative or positive (aka: how much energy it takes to make it, versus what you get out of it). And as someone who didn't grow up anywhere near a farm or a diesel truck, I also had no idea that diesel engines were actually designed to run on "bio" renewable fuels.

Now, I won't go over every little tidbit that I learned. You really should watch the film.. even if you are familiar with diesel. It was eye-opening to see how much big oil has controlled, manipulated, and steered our country, politics, and policies. From prohibition to wars in the middle east. Is it all about oil? No. But nothing exists in a bubble; and everything effects everything else. Oil has, no doubt, played a role in shaping this country, and world. "Money makes the world go round." Well, oil's got it.

And really, the oil companies can only be blamed so much. Sure, they profit greatly. Sure, it's generally unsafe and toxic from start to finish. But at the end of the day, it's supply and demand. It's us. We consume, and consume, and consume. We don't even stop to think "Where is this coming from?" and "Will there be any left in 20 years?" Because oil isn't just for our fuel.. It's responsible for loads of other things we take for granted... like plastics.

In the United States, as the film will tell you, we take up far more than our share of fuel (and pretty much every other resource on the planet). We can't really blame anyone but ourselves for that. Sure, we get marketed to; and marketed hard. Americans are typically led to believe that bigger is better. More is better. Everything is custom fit for you.. and of course, it's disposable. So, in turn, our cars are literally built bigger. Because that's what we want.. or that's what we believe we want. We need an SUV that is capable of off-roading.. even if we've never done such a thing in our lives and we're just driving our kids to soccer.

But eventually, we either have to decide that we want it different.. or we're going to get a very rude awakening when there is little or no oil left. Our 'old-fashioned' gas powered vehicles will be sitting abandoned.. as diesel, once again, takes the reigns; along with electric and hybrids.

Here's yet another glitch though. Guess who just bought a vehicle? I did. Guess who didn't get a hybrid? Me. Why? I couldn't afford it. I knew it would pay for itself in the long run, but I didn't have the extra 15k up front. So, I bought a used car. Granted, it was an improvement over my previous SUV; but not as much as I would have liked. In our current economical state, there's no doubt that something must be done to make these next generation cars more affordable. But knowing what I know now, I probably will opt for a diesel next time; if still unable to afford a hybrid. There is good news though. Hybrid prices are coming down. Some are even within a couple thousand dollars of their gasoline-only cohorts. Supply and demand. It's time to demand something different. We can't wait for our goverment or big business to lead us where we need to go. We just need to go.

"When the people lead, the leaders will follow." - Gandhi

The good news is that Fuel doesn't just go over all the problems we have. It talks about the solutions. Did you know that algae may very well be the wave of the future for our fuel? That it can be grown in waste water and supply all our oil needs? It really is awesome how issues like these lead to amazing innovations. Now we just need more people to get on board and support this movement in the right direction.

Obviously, any topic needs to explored more than any one documentary will allow. One should always take a film like this at face value; as all documentaries inherently have an 'angle.' You have to make up your own mind. But one thing is absolute fact. Oil resources are limited. They will not last forever. Costs will continue to rise. Global stability will be affected. Do you want to wait until things get really bad (which won't be long now)? Or do you want to be ahead of the curve?

For more information, you can also check out the Film's website at: http://www.thefuelfilm.com/

No Impact Man

Beloved streaming Netflix + environmental documentaries = my addiction. This is something you'll come to know well as my blog continues. Just a few days ago, I watched No Impact Man. I had recalled hearing about it back when his project was going on; but it had all but faded from my mind. It was a nice reminder to find it in my recommendations from Netflix.

Forgive my lack of total review here; on the project or the film. This is just my immediate reaction (mostly because Netflix took it off the streaming options the moment I got done watching it, so I can't review it for the finer points). Basically, man (Colin Beaven) recruits family to embark on a project for one year to make 'no impact' (or as little as possible) on the planet. They give up buying new clothing/goods. They reduce/eliminate all packaging on the groceries by shopping at farmer's markets. They give up gas powered transport in lieu of bikes/scooters. Then, they give up electricity.

First, kudos to this guy. He went far more into it, and for far longer, than I certainly would be able to go. Could I reduce packaging? To some extent. But we don't all have the luxury of a year-round farmer's market to go to. In my Indiana town, we have a farmer's market only during the summer months. Trust me, I wish it was different.. but mostly, I have to rely on grocery stores for my groceries.

We also don't have community gardens (and I live in an apartment). Nor do we have 'bike lanes' to get around town. And honestly, I could give up most of my electricity; but not air conditioning. Just not willing to do it.. and I wouldn't be willing until total global disaster were imminent within a year. I guess air conditioning is my line. That, and refrigeration. Something No Impact Man gave up for several months; with not-so-great results. He ended up with a fly infestation and then borrowing ice from a neighbor's fridge; which really defeats the point entirely.

But all the things I said, are those excuses? Maybe. But more likely, it's the 'realist' part. As long as we can have (relatively affordable) gas powered vehicles, the likelihood of getting most citizens to choose walking or biking is slim. Sure, on the occassional, 'nice-weather' day.. but not as a way of living. And most busy folks I know have no desire to make their own garden and can their own food. And not one person I know is willing to sign up for no fridge or air conditioning.

Surely, that's part of the problem. Consumerism for consumption's sake. Convenience. A "throw-away" culture where everything is made 'just for us' and magically disappears when we throw it away. Where power is limitless and always available.

 

Any of you read the book? I might have to pick it up soon.

Some of it is people not being aware. Some is people not wanting to be aware. And some is people just not caring anyway.

Question is, which one are you? Would you go completely off grid? If not, how far would you go?

Welcome

Welcome to my blog; The Eco-Realist. I'm starting this for myself as much as it is for others. I find myself at a point in life where I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the desire to do 'better' and then guilty when I stumble or compromise. This blog will be about me finding balance on my journey to treat the planet as it deserves to be treated; while being realistic about what I, or people in general, are actually willing to do. Basically, where I fall between "tree-hugger" and "standard consumer." You'll probably find reviews of shows and documentaries. Comments about "green" products. Commentary on environmental policies. And.. sarcasm. ;-)

I hope to meet and discuss all these topics with other environmentalists; both extreme and 'casual.' Stay tuned for more about me, what I've done so far, and what I hope to achieve to help this beautiful planet we're so fortunate to live upon.