This past year saw me embarking on a quest to be more environmentally friendly – something I’ve wanted to do for a while, but something (I admit), I’ve found quite intimidating. How does one become green, I wondered, and feeling as if I would ultimately fail in my decisions, I kept living my life status-quo, until one day, I got it.

You don’t need to be a hippie to be an environmentalist.
You don’t need to be David Suzuki to make a difference.
You don’t need to be perfect: you just have to try.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret, dear readers: I didn’t wake up one morning completely reformed, ridding our house of every evil chemical, and spending a fortune in eco-green products. No, basically, it all started with one bottle of cleaner.

I found myself browsing a line of kitchen cleaners one morning, as we had run out of whatever brand we happened to be using at the time (I have almost no brand loyalty, aside from Apple computers, Heinz Ketchup, and Kraft Miracle Whip). While comparing prices, I noticed that an environmentally friendly alternative was roughly the same price as the standards (Mr. Clear, Lysol, and the rest), and not only that, smelled fantastic (hey, we know it makes a difference!) with options like Mango and Pear – yum! I thought, why not, and decided to give it a go.

My experiment with the cleaner soon lead to other household products: dish soap, toilet bowl cleaner, glass cleaner, tile and shower cleaner, wood cleaner, etc. But, I didn’t buy them all at once. The switch was more gradual than that. Once I ran out of a product, I simply tried to replace it with an environmentally friendly one. I mean, I had to go to the store anyway, so no extra effort was required.

David Suzuki has a section of his website entitled A Million Acts of Green where he outlines everyday things we can all do, with minimal effort, to make a difference. Human beings can be lazy and slow to adapt, explaining why green campaigns of the past have fallen on many a deaf ear with excuses mostly centred around “it’s just too much effort” and “I simply don’t have the time.”

No, we don’t need to fork out a fortune and buy a Hybrid car (although, kudos to those of you who do!). Nor, do we all need to bike to work everyday (again, kudos to those of you who do) – hey, I work 45 km from where I live…biking would probably take me a good 6-7 hours. Not quite the commitment I’m ready to make.

This long rant has a purpose folks and it’s this: with really very little effort, there are things we can all do to help ensure this planet stays around for quite some time. Over the next few issues of Edwards, I will share my personal stories in attempting to become green. I will show you that you can make a difference, just by starting slow and changing a few habits. Hey, if I can, you can. I remember the environment clubs of high school and how I used to either mock them or (most often) ignore their campaigns. In recent years, however, I not only grew up, but I realized that if we don’t take responsibility for our planet, who will? I can’t complain if I don’t try to help.

So, take a deep breath, relax, and stop the panic. I’m not going to try and convert you into an organic farmer who sews her own clothes. I also refuse to judge you. We all make decisions, and none of us are perfect, myself included. I use cloth diapers, yes, but I just can’t accept the idea of washable sanitary napkins.  It’s all about choice, and realizing that the little things can add up, and do matter.

Photo courtesy of Christine Gordon Manley

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