I see a lot of posts lately that come up on my recommended. The ones that aren’t thinly veiled ads for Blue Rock Living or legitimately interesting posts or quotes are posts that say “Here’s how to make your own infused charcoal toothpaste!” Or “Charcoal infused organic apricot sugar scrub!” Or “Making your own deodorant that’s organic and natural”.
“Nice,” I say in my head, “I can’t do that.” And I click the X.
I don’t share them with you. If you want to find them, just follow the sustainability tag and they will pop up sooner or later. But you won’t see them posted by me.
From the outside looking in, living sustainably looks a lot harder than it is. I tell my mom all the time, there’s a bit of a fashionable culture that’s risen up around it. There’s that sustainable aesthetic that’s all drinking out of ball jars, producing only enough waste to fit in a ball jar, having your own all-natural all organic garden. I’m sure you’ve all seen the posts, the pictures, the aesthetic associated with sustainability.
But that is not necessary.
Do I fault the people who have that aesthetic? No, of course not. Do I fault the people who think that you need it to live a sustainable lifestyle? Definitely not. But you don’t. If you have that lifestyle, you’re doing great sweetie. Nice work.
But also: Not everybody can do that. I can’t make my own health regimen - I have sensory issues. Anything I make is going to feel grainy and repulse me from using deodorant, toothpaste, or washing my face with that scrub. I can’t be vegan - for similar reasons. If the only things I can eat are non-animal products, I will not get enough to eat. I’m very sensitive to tastes. I already don’t eat right, even with animal products in my diet. I can’t grow a garden - I have the blackest thumb you’ve ever seen. When working with Arabidopsis seeds in the lab, I make sure that I don’t touch the seeds or the plant with my bare hands. Arabidopsis is a weed. I can kill it. Not to mention the fact that I have a dog and she’s a little hyper and would trample any plants I managed to grow.
The only rule of living sustainably is “The least you can do is better than nothing.”
Maybe you can’t buy products that are grown with only sustainably-sourced palm oil. Are you aware there’s a problem? That’s a good start - a lot of people aren’t. Maybe your hands don’t work so well so gripping ball jars for drinking isn’t the best idea. Maybe you need to use plastic straws. Do you know about the extent of plastic pollution? There you go - you’re aware of it. Or glass and you aren’t a good combination - that’s me. I use reusable water bottles. There you go. Maybe you live in a food desert and can’t purchase ethically sourced foods. Hey, I get that - there is no ethical consumption under capitalism. Do your best.
My point is, you shouldn’t feel guilty about what you can’t do. Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly. It’s better that you try and do your best than give up because you can’t match up that aesthetic. The least you can do is better than nothing. If all you can do right now is recycle, thank you for playing! Thank you for doing what you can! Keep it up! If you can go the whole nine yards and live off the grid - well done on setting up your own internet to read this post! I am impressed! Go get yourself a home-grown fruit and congratulate yourself. You earned it.
But there are a couple billion people on this planet and the number goes up every day. And it is simply not possible for everyone to live that lifestyle. And that’s okay. The least you can do is better than nothing.
Live your best sustainable life. And if you have questions, hit me up and I will do my best.
