You don’t have to be a Fanatic to Live Green

Monday, July 13, 2009 by Julie Urlaub
image: ripple effectWhat exactly is "living green"?  As described in our sustainability consulting practice, living green or sustainable living is a primary focus on eco awareness with actions towards reducing ones carbon footprint, managing waste, and embracing sustainability concepts in decision making.
 
Many "eco curious" clients express confusion as to what it means to live green.  A sustainable lifestyle often means different things to different people.  For those well versed in sustainability concepts, a sustainable lifestyle may be very different compared to someone just beginning to make sustainable life changes. 
 
Some clients seek to live a sustainable lifestyle but are discouraged by thoughts of becoming a stereotype or a poster board for the environmental movement.  Primarily, their interest lies in embracing eco awareness in the areas that they like- minus the hype. 
 
At Taiga Company, we use a softened approach in our personal consulting practice to assist clients to ease the transition from "eco curious” to "eco living".  
 
  • It's okay to focus eco action in particular areas of interest or inspiration.
  • It's okay to address less interesting areas of eco awareness later. 
  • A sustainable lifestyle is not an all or nothing approach.
  • Living a sustainable lifestyle is not a single cookie cutter solution that applies uniformly to everyone.  Each individual finds the value in it for themselves.
  • Each eco action you take on behalf of the environment does make a difference.
  • Aim to incorporate sustainable actions that easily fit into your current lifestyle.
  • There are shades to green living.  There will always be room for improvement. 
  • Celebrate your successes and continually approach life seeking eco awareness in your choices and your habits.
 
Just thinking about sustainability or even a sustainable lifestyle can be daunting subject to anyone when viewed in its entirety.   By making changes that are inspiring and manageable relative your current lifestyle, the process of incorporating sustainability becomes much easier - especially to those just starting out. 

Comments for You don’t have to be a Fanatic to Live Green

Sunday, November 29, 2009 by Pauline:
Thank you for this blog post. I totally agree with you, trying to 'switch' to a sustainable lifestyle can be very stressful, so stressful in fact that some people might just prefer not to change anything. It is important to highlight that nobody can change his/her lifestyle completely in just a few days. It is a continuous process of improvement, and taking baby steps at first is totally fine! What people should remember is that it is always better to do a little than nothing.

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