Five Dirty Little Secrets of an Environmentalist

Free AI web copilot to create summaries, insights and extended knowledge, download it at here

2105

Abstract

e watching tv looking like the Michelin Man. And since I work hard for my money and am thankful it’s just a slight annoyance if I spend $10 more on electricity that month… I turn it up.</p><p id="8a48">This may be a good time to add… I also have a space heater… but that’s a confession for another day.</p><h2 id="0e68">2. I think tofu sucks.</h2><p id="aedc">I’ve baked it, sautéed it, fried it, crumbled it. Made it into Asian-fusion dishes, American, Mexican. You name it. It’s partly a texture thing and partly a flavor (or lack thereof) thing. If I had to guess, that may be because it’s such a porous ingredient, it sucks up all the sauce and flavor much more quickly than my taste buds would prefer. I did make one vegan pad Thai recipe where the tofu is crumbled into the noodles in place of the scrambled egg often found in the dish. This was decent but only because I couldn’t tell the tofu was there. I must be really hell-bent on finding a way to make it taste good though since I keep buying it.</p><figure id="23e9"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*q3wuxLuLo1v57qs1"><figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@pablomerchanm?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Pablo Merchán Montes</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure><h2 id="145b">3. I eat red meat at least once a week… usually more.</h2><p id="3cb2">There are many studies demonstrating how much <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/01/upshot/beef-health-climate-impact.html">worse for the environment red meat is in comparison to alternatives</a>. But honestly, I’m not a huge fan of pork unless it’s pulled, includes tons of BBQ sauce, and is between two buns. Chicken gets old really quick. I’m still working on the vegan alternatives (see point above). And honestly, burgers are just pretty darn tasty. Everything in moderation I guess, right?</p><h2 id="1964">4. I used to use reusable grocery bags… now I don’t always.</h2><p id="2c75">COVID has caused me to join the trend of grocery delivery. Not ever

Options

y week, but more frequently than I ever had before. While I enjoy the convenience of grocery delivery, I absolutely hate that there isn’t a way with most of the national stores to get deliveries in reusable bags. The plastic-packaged item is often wrapped in plastic to be placed in a plastic bag. It drives me insane. If I’m doing grocery delivery it’s usually because 1.) I’ve been far too busy to make it to the grocery store or 2.) I’m concerned about the latest COVID news and wondering how many masks I’ll need to wear for a 30-minute shopping trip. (Note: not a mask shaming comment. I’ve been wearing one, now two, masks since April 2020.)</p><h2 id="36c0">5. I don’t actually know what recyclables my town accepts.</h2><p id="f953">I’ve stayed on top of the glass recycling fiasco, but as far as multi-layer plastics, poly-film plastic, #3, #4, #96, #860,789 I have no idea what my town accepts these days. In my defense, I’ve lived in three different jurisdictions over the last nine years and each one had slightly different rules. But even still, as a sustainability professional, I feel like I should know these things.</p><p id="dee6">If you take nothing else away from the article, let it be this. 2020 was bittersweet for environmental causes and tough as hell for personal reasons. So I’ve given myself permission to slack on areas of sustainability if it makes things a hair easier, or more enjoyable. While I’m turning up the heat and eating red meat, <b>I’m also composting food scraps, only purchasing secondhand clothing (via ThredUp and local boutiques), getting 90% of our fruits and veggies from <a href="http://hharvest.net/m5hvZDH">Hungry Harvest</a> — a reclaimed produce company that dramatically reduces food waste, and meal planning every week so I decrease household food waste.</b></p><p id="dbcf">It’s ok if you don’t do it all, give yourself grace. We live in a linear economy, not a circular one, and until the companies who supply our products and the governments who regulate them change this, you can only do so much at home. Be kind to yourself.</p></article></body>

I turn the heat up when I’m cold and really wish tofu didn’t suck

2020 was a really confusing year for sustainability. On one hand, the world’s global greenhouse gas emissions were down by 7% as a result of many staying home, not commuting, or traveling. On the other hand, our plastic waste — largely due to personal protective equipment (PPE) and take out containers — skyrocketed, with some accounts estimating we went through a year’s worth of plastic waste in just a two-month span. The enigma of the year’s environmental progress got me thinking how, much like 2020, I’m an imperfect example of sustainability.

I have an MPA in environmental science and public policy and have worked in environmental nonprofits for a decade. I know a thing or two about sustainability. Even outside my professional life, I try to embody my values. I have a compost bin in my kitchen, we own a hybrid Prius, and I voluntarily get most of my clothes from thrift stores these days. But there are a lot of ways in which I most definitely do not live sustainably.

My dirty little confessions of being a bad environmentalist don’t end here, but we’ll start with these five.

1. I turn up the heat when I’m cold.

Like any normal marriage, this one drives my husband insane. While I wear appropriate clothing for the season, I really don’t want to wear three pairs of pants and two sweatshirts just so I can sit on the couch comfortably while watching tv looking like the Michelin Man. And since I work hard for my money and am thankful it’s just a slight annoyance if I spend $10 more on electricity that month… I turn it up.

This may be a good time to add… I also have a space heater… but that’s a confession for another day.

2. I think tofu sucks.

I’ve baked it, sautéed it, fried it, crumbled it. Made it into Asian-fusion dishes, American, Mexican. You name it. It’s partly a texture thing and partly a flavor (or lack thereof) thing. If I had to guess, that may be because it’s such a porous ingredient, it sucks up all the sauce and flavor much more quickly than my taste buds would prefer. I did make one vegan pad Thai recipe where the tofu is crumbled into the noodles in place of the scrambled egg often found in the dish. This was decent but only because I couldn’t tell the tofu was there. I must be really hell-bent on finding a way to make it taste good though since I keep buying it.

3. I eat red meat at least once a week… usually more.

There are many studies demonstrating how much worse for the environment red meat is in comparison to alternatives. But honestly, I’m not a huge fan of pork unless it’s pulled, includes tons of BBQ sauce, and is between two buns. Chicken gets old really quick. I’m still working on the vegan alternatives (see point above). And honestly, burgers are just pretty darn tasty. Everything in moderation I guess, right?

4. I used to use reusable grocery bags… now I don’t always.

COVID has caused me to join the trend of grocery delivery. Not every week, but more frequently than I ever had before. While I enjoy the convenience of grocery delivery, I absolutely hate that there isn’t a way with most of the national stores to get deliveries in reusable bags. The plastic-packaged item is often wrapped in plastic to be placed in a plastic bag. It drives me insane. If I’m doing grocery delivery it’s usually because 1.) I’ve been far too busy to make it to the grocery store or 2.) I’m concerned about the latest COVID news and wondering how many masks I’ll need to wear for a 30-minute shopping trip. (Note: not a mask shaming comment. I’ve been wearing one, now two, masks since April 2020.)

5. I don’t actually know what recyclables my town accepts.

I’ve stayed on top of the glass recycling fiasco, but as far as multi-layer plastics, poly-film plastic, #3, #4, #96, #860,789 I have no idea what my town accepts these days. In my defense, I’ve lived in three different jurisdictions over the last nine years and each one had slightly different rules. But even still, as a sustainability professional, I feel like I should know these things.

If you take nothing else away from the article, let it be this. 2020 was bittersweet for environmental causes and tough as hell for personal reasons. So I’ve given myself permission to slack on areas of sustainability if it makes things a hair easier, or more enjoyable. While I’m turning up the heat and eating red meat, I’m also composting food scraps, only purchasing secondhand clothing (via ThredUp and local boutiques), getting 90% of our fruits and veggies from Hungry Harvest — a reclaimed produce company that dramatically reduces food waste, and meal planning every week so I decrease household food waste.

It’s ok if you don’t do it all, give yourself grace. We live in a linear economy, not a circular one, and until the companies who supply our products and the governments who regulate them change this, you can only do so much at home. Be kind to yourself.