Accepting eco imperfection

When I first decided to change my planet killing ways, I was shocked at how difficult it was. I couldn’t step foot in a supermarket without being overwhelmed by the amount of plastic that surrounded me. I felt so guilty when I didn’t bring my keep cup to the local café, or when I forgot my eco-friendly fruit and veg bags at the supermarket. I would’ve hated to be the person who served me and put through all the loose items in my trolley.

I bought metal straws, bees-wax wraps for my lunches, and even ventured out of my way to go to whole foods stores and refill my containers. I became obsessed with diminishing my impact on the planet. I joined a community that truly cared about the planet. However, what I found was a lot of shaming of people who weren’t as dedicated to the eco-friendly lifestyle as we all seemed to be.

So now, I plead with everyone to be a little bit kinder. Not all of us can be perfect all of the time. Instead, what matters is that you’re trying to be better. Maybe you are not vegan but are trying to limit how much meat you eat. Good on you! That’s certainly a challenge. Or maybe you remember your keep cup when you head off to nab your pre-uni coffee but still head to Boost Juice and use a plastic straw. The fact that you’re starting to make changes is amazing.

We all have room to improve. What’s important is that we educate without judgement and understand that we all start from somewhere.