Tree Hugging Family » Organic Food Costs Rise

My ideas about why people don’t go green

blayman — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 23:23:51 +0000

In a previous post this week, why don’t people live green?, I asked if anyone had a clue about why so many people don’t live green, or greener. What’s stopping people from going green? After putting that question out as a general ponder and as a question to readers I also asked my best friend, my sister, my guy Dave, Cedar my son, and put it out as a question on Facebook as well.

Tomorrow we’ll look at what everyone else had to say (I got some excellent answers) but first we’re going to take a look back at what I’ve thought in the past. This is not in any way a new question of mine. I’ve been frustrated for years over people not going green and many of the excuse I hear.

In case you’re a newer Tree Hugging Family reader, or missed these the first go-round, following are the six excuses I hear the most from non-green folk when I say, “Why not live green?” and my reasons why their excuses are mostly bunk…

Tomorrow we’ll see what other people had to say and later on I’ll tell you my new number one theory about why people aren’t going green.

[image via stock.xchng]

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Six great reasons not to go green

Jennifer — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 13:00:17 +0000

This weekend I decided to look at all the best reasons why you shouldn’t bother going green. In case you missed any of these anti-green excuses, now is your chance to catch up…

Can you think of any other good reasons not to go green?

[image via stock.xchng]

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Six great reasons not to go green: reason six – I have no idea where to start

Jennifer — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 00:00:37 +0000

Getting started is the easy part of green, if you know where to look.

The best advice is to start small and incorporate green activities naturally into your world.

Basic ideas to get your brain pumping:

A few good books that will help you:

I’ve read all three of the books above. All offer easy tips, no pressure, and yet still teach you something new. Another idea is to try a daily dose: Living Green Page-A-Day Calendar 2009 (Page-A-Day Calendars)

If you need ideas about organizations who promote green, and who can teach you a thing or two, check out the blogroll here at Tree Hugging Family. I’ve included plenty of organizations and blogs where you can learn more about green.

All you have to do is choose a few green steps, and then do them. The more green steps become normal to you, the easier it gets. You won’t have to think about carrying your reusable bags to the store, you just will. You’ll learn which products are good green choices, and which should stay on the shelf.

Does green living ever overwhelm you? What do you do then?

[image via stock.xchng]

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Six great reasons not to go green: reason five – I don’t have time

Jennifer — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 17:00:16 +0000

I’m going to make this short and sweet. Yeah you do.

Don’t believe me? It takes under five minutes to…

Unplug an appliance.
Hang your towel
Scrape a plate.
Recycle a toilet paper tube.
Whip up a kitchen face scrub.
Pass up toxic cleaners at the store – just keep on walking.
Switch to a LED light bulb.
Make an entire batch of homemade ice pops.
Choose organic milk over conventional.
Take your own bag to the store.
Grab a reusable cup.
Conserve water.

Even if you did all of this above today, your grand total of time spent would be well under an hour.

In my opinion, the bigger green steps don’t always mean as much as the small ones. You can fit a lot more small green steps into your world, then say many huge leaps like starting a community garden or hand building a sustainable home.

Although I do think there can be a green living curve that may take time to learn, overall, being green is not about spending more time at all. Being green is about changing the actions you do in the time you have.

What do you think? Is green zapping your time?

[image via stock.xchng]

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Six great reasons not to go green: reason four – I’m not a damn hippie

Jennifer — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 13:00:46 +0000

Here’s the deal; just because you believe in green living doesn’t mean you need to move into a tree, co-op housing, or an off-grid home. You don’t have to wear peace buttons and amber oil, grow dreads, or smoke the green stuff.

I think there’s a collection of people who think that green means a specific fashion or lifestyle is required, or that if they live green, people will assume they’re into this kind of stuff. The truth is that anyone can or cannot live green. Trust me, I lived in hippie Humboldt land, and not everyone was all that green. You can wear a business suit and be ethical and green.

In a general sense, I think we need to lose the old-school culture based ideas about green vs. the hippies.

What’s your take on this excuse?

[image via stock.xchng]

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Six great reasons not to go green: reason three – going green is too expensive

Jennifer — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 02:00:51 +0000

All expenses in the world have leverage and many expenses are choice orientated. Not trying because you think it’ll be too expensive is not a great excuse to ignore green living. If you need help getting over this issue, we discuss it all the time here:

If you’re complaining about the cost of green living, I’d take a very close look at what you own, how you make decisions about purchases, and figure out if you’re handing over cash on a need to have, or want to own basis.

Also, just to be clear, I think that there are some green products that are overpriced, but there are also plenty of conventional products that are overpriced as well. In a general sense, I don’t think green living is expensive. If anything, green living can save you money; on everything from doctors visits to gym memberships to beauty products to gifts to that wall of paper towels to the third car you don’t need.

In what ways has green living saved you money?

[image via stock.xchng]

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Six great reasons not to go green: reason two – global warming is a crock

Jennifer — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 19:00:34 +0000

So what if it is?

Frankly I’m tired of this excuse. Yeah it might be a crock, but it’s a lame excuse to use to avoid green living.

Green living is so much more than the global warming issue. True green living supports local economy, fair employment, resource and nature preservation, healthy bodies, and much more. Green living will ensure we don’t live in a concrete jungle void of trees and allows us to learn how to keep dangerous toxins out of our homes and kids.

To flip with global warming. Don’t believe, believe, do what you like, but it’s really a moot point.

Now, do we have any non-believers out there; who still are into green living? If so, tell me why in the comments.

[image via stock.xchng]

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Six great reasons not to go green: reason one – I don’t matter

Jennifer — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 15:00:34 +0000

With the new year almost upon us, many folks are thinking, “Hey, this will be the year I try to live a little greener.” Others will say, “What a waste of time.” There are hundreds of excuse why someone can’t or won’t go green. That said, I’ve decided we’ll have an anti-green weekend before 2009 arrives. This weekend we’ll look at five reasons why you really shouldn’t bother with green living.

This weekend, I’ll post six of the most common excuses I’ve heard over the years. Starting with…

I’m just one person so it’s not like I’ll make that big a difference:

Actually, (and maybe surprisingly) I agree. One person alone recycling ten cans a week won’t make all that much difference. However, if someone thinks of green as a global effort then they might think differently, because many together can make a huge difference.

If just one block of families recycle all their cans, that’s a lot. If everyone in the city recycles that’s a lot more; and so far we’re not even out of our local community yet. If everyone thought “I can’t make a difference,” if people refused to join up, who knows if women would be voting now. Maybe we’d still think slavery was super keen. One voice, one action; is all it takes to start a revolution, but how far it can go is up to everyone.

Have you seen green group efforts that have paid off?

[image via stock.xchng]

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Organic Food Costs Rise – 11 Ways to Save Money on Organic Food

Jennifer — Tue, 20 May 2008 21:00:58 +0000

A recent slew of high-cost organic food articles have been making the rounds lately. There’s a good one at Newsweek; but many others of the same type all over.

I agree that organics are insanely high when compared to conventional, but we’ve talked about this before, and your family can eat organic; maybe not on the cheap, but organic foods can be surprisingly affordable using some basic tactics.

1. Don’t shop at Whole Foods. I wish I had a nickel for each “Whole Foods is too expensive” reference I see in organic food articles. Well then, don’t shop there. Currently, they’ve created (or tried to) somewhat of a monopoly on organics and natural foods. I’m not saying ban them, but don’t buy there if you can get it cheaper elsewhere.

For example, in my city, at least five other stores carry organics, many their own USDA certified store brand of organics. These usually cost a fraction of what Whole Foods organics cost. Check around your local stores to see what’s out there.

2. Only buy the organics you need. For instance, cereal comes low on the found pesticide level, you can buy conventional and save a few dollars. Save your cash for organics that actually matter, like apples, cheese, butter, eggs, bell peppers, soy, and so fourth.

3. Eat less meat. Honestly, you should only buy organic meat, which can get expensive, but conventional meat is a big baddie. Eat less, save more.

4. If you’ve got the space, grow some of your own organic food.

5. Buy in season. There’s a reason out of season foods cost more; shipping costs and demand vs. availability. Buying in season saves transport energy and costs less. You don’t need melon year round.

6. Save money elsewhere. For example if you make my Homemade Sugar Body Scrub instead of buying a $25 jar of body scrub, that’s money saved for food which your family needs. You can also do things like sign up for a Weatherization Assistance Programor use less AC and save money that way.

7. Don’t buy junk. Seriously, if you’re buying chips and soda, I don’t even want to hear any. “Organic foods are too expensive” whining. Beans, veggies, and rice can be tasty fun – I swear.

8. Cook it yourself. Cooking a veggie pot pie vs. buying frozen will save you money, lots. In the long run, you can master cooking your own soups, chili, breads, cookies, and more. Believe me, you’ll get faster as you learn (if I can you can).

9. Don’t spend money because you’re tricked. Get to know your labels. In some cases buying a food (or other item) labeled “organic” may mean you’re only getting a food that’s 40% organic. People will say anything to get you to spend more, but it’s not always worth it. For example, you can’t even buy organic fish – did you know that? There’s no standards for organic fish, so don’t waste your money.

For more on labels read:

10. Look online. Sometimes bulk ordering organics online can save you money. Sometimes! Check prices, also, you’ll have to contend with the fact of transport energy; but hey, you didn’t have to drive to the store, so bonus.

Places to check:

Diamond Organics
Amazon
True Foods Market
Organic Kingdom
See a bigger list here – some links are dead, some not.
Check your yellow pages. Some organic food delivery services are locally based.

11. Visit your local farmers market at the end of the day, when folks are looking to sell stuff no matter what.

What other ways can you think of to save on organics?

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in May 2008

[Store brand O Organics, image via Safeway - one of the local stores in my area carrying lower cost organics]

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