Going Green - Why the Journey?
It’s a conversation I have over and over again with friends and colleagues. We all want to be greener and more involved or engaged with the environment, but we lack the power/knowledge/time/finances to do it. Or – as I’m fast learning! – we think we do.
For a while now, I’ve been trying to take positive steps towards living a healthier lifestyle. It’s always something I’ve been personally interested in, but I think the motivation has intensified since having kids. It really makes me question what the legacy is that we are leaving behind for them - often brings up pretty harsh answers because if I don’t have time to live a “greener” life, does this mean I don’t have time for my kids’ future…?
The most shocking thing that I’ve realised is this: I have this claimed “personal interest” and think that I am “environmentally conscious”, but I’ve worked and lived in the alps for over a decade. I’m still completely uneducated on some elementary areas of what I can do to help maintain this beautiful corner of the world!
But I can’t be alone on this. If I’ve managed to go so long without knowing, then there must be others in the same situation. Plus, think of all of those joining the alps for shorter times – whether it’s a 1 week holiday or a 6-month work stint. If I didn’t know the difference between the ‘ordeurs menageres’ the ‘emballages’ and the ‘dechetes general’ bins, do the new wave of seasonnaires know? And if they don’t know, is anyone educating them? See next week’s blog post for the answer to this question.
The Challenge
This summer, I set myself the goal of starting to tackle some areas of our household day-to-day chores to see if I can’t strip out some of the seemingly “essential” but ultimately damaging items from our household. But also doing it on a budget – as in for free or 10€ max.
Doing this and wanting to roll the momentum out in the Massage Me office has led me to write this blog and basically put my thoughts down onto paper because if you’re out there reading this, then I’m committed to following through with my plans!
Plus, I genuinely feel like the more and more often we have this conversation, the more chances we can influence those around us. My husband is a perfect example: cautious at first about composting our waste and that it would smell or be “just gross,'' he's leading the way now in sorting and reducing our household waste - maybe because he has to carry less to the bins now…?!
So here you go, my commitment in writing to continue to explore and try to find greener ways to live every day in the mountains.
I’m going to look at and explore areas like :
Personal hygiene and cosmetics
Family and kids
Clothes and fashion
Food and Shopping
Waste - reducing, recycling and composting
Thinking green at work
Over the winter, I want to keep up this blog area with some greener content as well as fitness and wellbeing posts. Not only will it keep me on the right path, but also maybe bring some of you with me?
After all, living cleaner and greener is a big part of wellbeing and self-care. I know it has made a big difference to my mindset when I start each day. So, keep your eyes peeled on the Massage Me pages to see how I get on – and let me know if you are somewhere on the same journey. I’m sure I’ll need the motivation and tips along the way!