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July 20, 2012

Eco-Perfect Isn’t Possible. ~ Lori Popkewitz Alper

“Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.” ~ Oscar Wilde

I’ve been doing the green thing for quite some time. I work hard and do my best to make small, simple changes in my life with the hope of creating a healthier, safer space for living and ultimately a healthier planet for us all. But I am by no means eco-perfect. I have made many mistakes along the way and some of my green attempts have gone haywire. I’ve accepted that it’s all part of the “green” journey. Here are two ‘green’ disasters that stand out:

Hair Dye Disaster

Hair dye is one of those things that some greenies struggle with. The gray starts coming in and there’s no stopping Mother Nature. As a green living advocate, like many of you, I pay close attention to the chemicals that go in and on my body. As much as I want to keep my dark hair, my intuition is screaming “toxic chemicals.” So initially I gave henna a try. Once henna stopped working I took it up a notch to a permanent hair dye without the toxic chemicals. That’s when it got ugly. My hair looked great and the grays were gone, but the natural wood cabinet in my bathroom now has brunette highlights.

Organic Gardening

We live in a country where the supermarkets neatly package our food and the foods we buy are ready for immediate consumption. Most food travels far to reach us—from another state or another country. At the market there is no visible connection to the earth that grew our potatoes or the tree that gave us our apple. The grocery store knows no seasons—you can buy tomatoes in May although they were grown in August and watermelon throughout the year.

For years I have been trying to carve out a small patch of earth to grow a garden. My hope was to provide my children with some sense of where their food comes from. I tried several spots in our yard, but none were hit with enough sunlight for anything but weeds to grow. And so, my little organic garden has turned to weeds. Organic weeds.

The Moral

So the moral of this story is: going green is a lifelong journey and one that comes with many obstacles along the way. Don’t be discouraged and don’t succumb to “green fatigue.” Always remember that every small step could have a large impact.

Have you had any green disasters?

Lori Popkewitz Alper is the founder and editor-in-chief of Groovy Green Livin, a site dedicated to sharing simple green living tips and current information on sustainable living. Lori is a green living educator, social media consulstant, freelancer, blogger, borderline vegan and recovering attorney. She lives in the Greater Boston area with her three sons, chocolate lab and groovy husband.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Editor: Alexandra Grace

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