Dear fellow mothers (and mother-lovers),
In recognition of International Women's Day (Sun. Mar. 8) - let us all - for a moment - get off our environmental-mother-loving-high-and-mighty-friggin'-pedestals. Let us stop the green guilt we lay on each other.
A recent Katrina Onstad (Read Mother Superior HERE) column, in a national magazine, was a call to action for Moms - everywhere - to stop the insanity of the eco-guilt.
We feel guilty about not being environmentally-friendly-enough. We feel others should/could be more green. We internally scoff at the mother in the grocery line-up who takes plastic bags. (Let's just admit it, we have all, at some point, used a plastic bag). We debate about sending e-vites instead of paper birthday invitations. We remark "you paid how much for that wooden train?!" Intended or un-intended - we are guilting each other.
Somewhere along the road to saving the world - we need to balance sustainable living with life - and then live with it.
Let me share my recent un-intended eco-guilt trip. My confession: every once in a while, between loads of laundry, writing deadlines, field trips and google searches for the perfect family vacation spot (in our moderate budget) - I enjoy to read "fluff". A magazine with more celebrity pictorial than copy. Just for fun.
Instead of trashing the magazine, I thought to recycle it to a friend (sharing the fluff, supporting a sistah in a break from the laundry, re-purposing a disposable thing). I thought it was a good-eco-solid-friendly action. My sistah accepted the magazine but threw out the comment "you know, this supports the paparazzi - and makes their lives miserable." Off the cuff and unintended (and yes, I'll admit honest and true). Yet, I felt instantly guilty about making Angelina and Britney's life unbearable. I'm sorry Angelina*. I'm sorry Britney**. I just wanted to recycle.
You know that road to sustainable living - I think we all need to make a pit stop.
In honour of International Women's Day, can we all agree to make an effort to be a little less guilt-trippy about saving the world? Let's save the world but let's live our lives too.
* **Angie. Brit. I really am sorry. Can I make it up to you? Perhaps buy you an organic coffee in a refillable stainless steel cup?
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