Things I refuse to do that are eco-friendly and green
These are the following things (ideas, really) that have been tossed around as eco-friendly that I refuse to do:
- Stop using toilet paper
- Stop flushing the toilet unless necessary
- Stop wearing makeup
- Stop using a car
- Stop traveling
I’m all for being eco-friendly but I draw the line at these areas!
STOP USING TOILET PAPER
BF tried to get me on board with this mini-towels as toilet wipes, but I drew the line pretty adamantly.
Then we saw an episode of Cheapskates on TLC, where this woman Victoria (among other Cheapskates) washed with a hose in the bathroom, and before he could open his mouth, I said: NO.
Sorry. No.
Actually I am not even sorry.
This is a plain flat out No.
Frankly, I don’t even know how babies do it with cloth diapers, which is probably why they get cranky and scream their lungs out so often because they end up sitting in their own filth, and it seems perfectly normal to them.
Thank goodness their brains haven’t fully formed to grasp this concept and start a riot against their parents.
It’s psychological for me because even though it may be more hygienic, I just can’t get on board.
MY COMPROMISE
None. I don’t have one. Don’t ask for one.
STOP FLUSHING UNLESS NECESSARY
You know the saying: If it’s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown, flush it down?
No.
NO.
My mother is a germaphobe.
She has passed on a little bit of that germaphobia onto me. Enough said.
MY COMPROMISE
We put a bottle of water inside the tank to have it use less water.
STOP WEARING MAKEUP
BF still can’t understand why I enjoy wearing makeup.
First reason is I enjoy it.
The second reason is that research has proven that it helps get me 10% – 12% more in terms of money, and a little goes a long way versus makeup-free or too-heavily-made-up.
Plus people respond more to me with a bit of slap on.
They’re nicer, I get more things done for me.. etc etc.
I’m not judging or screaming bloody murder about WHY THIS IS SO and burning my bra, but this just means I need to make a 5-minute effort in the morning.
(Maybe it also helps that I’m a woman. BF says I that with my face, I can get away with murder.)
Besides, it’s FUN.
MY COMPROMISE
Umm.. I don’t have one.
I just wear less makeup, don’t wear it as often (I go makeup-free most days), and use coconut oil and reusable organic cotton wipes to remove it.
STOP USING A CAR
It’s handy. Besides, how else will I get to the middle-of-nowhere to work?
Or buy lots of heavy groceries and things in one go each week?
Factories don’t exist in downtown cities, they’re in the outskirts of any city and that’s usually where I end up.
MY COMPROMISE
What I do instead, is use the car very little. We walk and take the bus when we can, but only for major shopping trips or work, do we bust out the car.
If we lived in Toronto full-time with no traveling, I’d give up the car and just use the car-sharing service when I get groceries and run errands.
STOP TRAVELLING
Do I need to go into why? 😛
Lisbon, Portugal.. The Portuguese REALLY love hilly landscapes.
MY COMPROMISE
When I fly, I fly and stay there for more than 2 weeks, about 2-3 months so that my flying is minimized. I travel about once a year for a few months away from Canada.
What about you? Where would you draw the line?
11 Comments
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saverspender @ save. spend. splurge.
@Tania: I am wearing less makeup now, it’s true. I think it looks awful when older women pack it on, even younger women have to lay off the fake lashes to go to the gym, or heavy foundation.
I think wearing foundation for them meant wearing foundation with SPF, as it does block out the rays and make them look younger for longer.
Yes, so you can put a water bottle in the tank (full) and it uses less water to flush because the water bottle displaces that amount of water.
It’s like creating a low-flow toilet when you have a high-flow one that uses water unnecessarily.
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Maya Symone
I’m sorry but mini towels as toilet wipes is so nasty, I never even heard about that before.
I agree with Sarah, the no shampoo thing is just yucky. I may be conditioned, but I love my sulphates and feeling like there’s no build-up on my hair.
Another one is reusable sanitary towels. Just no.-
saverspender @ save. spend. splurge.
@Maya Symone: I don’t feel any build-up in my hair by the way. It is absolutely 100% clean. You wouldn’t be able to tell that I don’t use commercial shampoo 🙂
As for reusable sanitary towels I don’t use those, but I use a Diva Cup which has converted a lot of non-believers before. I find it a lot cleaner and more hygienic than tampons or pads.
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Grayson @ Debt RoundUp
Need the car to get to work in order to make money in order to live, so that one stays. Why would you not use toilet paper. I am not using a hose to clean myself. These little conveniences are quite nice to have and I wouldn’t trade them.
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saverspender @ save. spend. splurge.
@Grayson @ Debt RoundUp: Actually funny you should mention the hose… some people actually use a hose in the bathroom to wash themselves down (while sitting on the bowl) instead of toilet paper.
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Tammy R
I am with you on all of the above except I don’t wear make-up. It’s not for eco-friendly reasons though. I just can’t remember to put it on and don’t want to spend the money on it. Also, I think back to middle school and my green eye shadow and realize I don’t know how to put it on.
Your humor in this post is off the hook! Love it!
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saverspender @ save. spend. splurge.
@Tammy R: You probably look younger and prettier without it. I’m too insecure to NOT wear it when I know I am at work or meeting people.
That, and it makes me look older/more professional which is required in my line of work for freelancing.
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cj
It is nice to see someone address quality of life while maintaining an eco-friendly life style. Do we all really want to live 3rd world? Simply existing was for our ancient ancestors, not today’s humans.
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SarahN
I’m not sure there’s anything I wouldn’t at least try though ruling out air travel might be q step too far! The other things you listed I’d definitely give a go. Oh I don’t think I can do the no shampoo thing – the time my scalp got used to oil secretions would make me look and feel disgusting – I just couldn’t handle it
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saverspender @ save. spend. splurge.
@SarahN: Well no commercial shampoo doesn’t mean that you NEVER wash your hair! 🙂
It means you use something like soap nut liquid (as I do) to have a natural soap from soap nuts (has natural saponin surfactants) that wash your hair.
That is considered “no shampoo”, meaning no commercial shampoos.
I have a post coming up on how I use it, but I will leak and tell you that I am losing less hair since switching to soap nuts.
Some people use castile soap but it just left my hair in a big greasy mess which I hated.
Otherwise, a great alternative (or the best one) for shampoos is John Masters organics. They’re seriously amazing compared to the cheaper shampoos on the shelves.
However there is a small group of people who do the “Caveman Regimen” where they do NOT wash their hair or face.. forever.
THAT, I will admit I guinea-pigged myself into trying but totally, utterly HATED IT, was MISERABLE, got LOTS of pimples and vowed never to do it again. I even did it for the entire month as they said and got nowhere.
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Tania
I get horrified at the no tp thing too and tp is compostable anyway. I wear less make-up now but still wear a little. I didn’t do it to be eco just I believe as you get older less is more in that dept (ever see those ladies where the foundation is sinking into the wrinkles? not a good look but you’re still too young I think for that). I do agree, the skin looking bright and polished is good for business. You want to look well groomed. I once read a book about all these older actresses who were all beautiful and was surprised to find them that most of them recommended wearing foundation, they felt it had protected their skin throughout the years.
I’ve read articles on other pf blogs about how people are crazy to still have a car and readers chiming in about why would anyone live miles away from work. Such close minded thinking. If you live in a rural area where there is no “downtown” or clustered business distract and no convenient bus system, it’s a bit harder to live walking distance from work and to bike everywhere. But you can save money and live a simple life in other ways (i.e. having enough land to grow your own food). I try to minimize my driving by grouping errands (I rarely go to one area without having multiple errands to accomplish, I just put it into my to do, wait until I have enough and then go). I also try to not drive as much on days I don’t work.
So I’m curious about the water in the tank thing? I haven’t heard of that.