When someone sees another struggling with debt and overwork good friends want to help! So as a good friend the effort is made to sit and talk and ask them how they’re feeling. Friends are valuable because they have the viewpoint of someone looking in from the outside. So they see many different angles of the subject, therefore, offering good advice.
The conversation is in the person’s best interest, but sometimes they don’t see it that way. Instead, they’ll internalize it, consider points made, then make excuses. Excuses that make it okay to continue living the same way. For instance, I don’t need the same things in life. Life will work itself out. I’m different then everyone else! Or it’s just the way the world works why bother? The reality of the situation can be so powerful that it makes those suffering feel powerless. Until one day they make a change OR the day comes when life makes a change for them!
From one person to another it’s important to have these conversations with friends. I know you care about the future of the environment. Show them the steps towards conscious shopping. Explain that becoming a conscious shopper will make a difference in the world. We know we can’t leave the inevitability up to the future. But, this conversation could be enough to take action. Help them figure out how they can reduce and reuse before they recycle!
Conscious Shopping
I’m very happy you’ve decided to join me and discover more about the environmental movement. It’s sad to see the news stories pop in and out of our daily lives. The great garbage patch is getting bigger. Whales have washed ashore along the Coast with bellies full of plastic.
They’re thousands of stories swirling around that tell us we’re going to be in trouble! It’s important for middle-class Canadians not to ignore environmental issues. If we’re not having conversations, then the problem is still being ignored. We’ve got our excuses! I believed mine. I thought because I was doing my part recycling it was good enough!
Five years ago while recycling I had no idea the great garbage patch was growing into the 1.6 million square kms. It sucks because I didn’t realize that it wasn’t only what I do with garbage that matters! I assumed It was the only way, but realize now I didn’t see the bigger picture. I needed a friend to tell me I was wrong!
To solve the problem I should’ve stopped buying over-packaged anything! Produce, toys, soap, electronics, office products, and personal health care products. Then one day I had an epiphany! I woke up and realized that it’s not just me. It’s everybody! We’re all running our daily lives in the same way, uneducated, groomed by the media and allowing our impulses to rule our consumerism.
So I set out to create this blog to spread the word.
Climate Change costs taxpayers
The biggest issue faced today is the global losses caused by natural disasters. Yes, some say it’s an act of God and there isn’t much we can do about it. However, the United Nations warns that the accumulations of Green House Gases (GHG) have reached levels not seen in three million years. The largest concentration of GHG comes from carbon dioxide, which is largely the product of burned fossil fuels.
2018 turned out to be the fourth costliest in thirty years of natural disasters. The average insured losses per year are around 41 billion US. But, this past year turned into a devastating 80 billion dollars in insured losses worldwide. Yet, that’s still not the big picture because almost half the people who were victims of natural disasters didn’t have insurance to protect them. The grand total of all losses occurring from wildfires, hurricanes, floods, typhoons, earthquakes, and tornadoes was 140 billion US dollars.
Conscious shopping techniques
As a friend, I want to tell you that with good intentions we can reshape our reality. It’s the simplest things we can change like our conversations with the people around us. It helps to reset the brain, which allows us to rethink how we live our own lives by just talking. It really helps that there is momentum in social media, news stories, and the “resistance” movement.
We can ease into a conversation armed with information easier now than ever before! What are our dreams? How do we see the future of our children? Talking will keep the issues we face at the forefront of our lives, but the solution, however, can only come with action.
Conscious shopping takes our daily actions to a whole new level. I’ve been writing, learning, and trying to live consciously since January 2019. It was my new year’s resolution to take action and begin the journey. However, I’ve found it hard to prepare as a full-time Realtor and Mom.
Yes, in order to use less plastic there has to be a battle plan. My intentions were good, but I was blind! You don’t just wake up one day and say, “today I’m going to stop using plastic. To shop consciously there are things to remember.
Take Action
Don’t use plastic bags! Always remember to bring cloth bags! This is tough since they’re continuously moving from the car to the house. Shopping involves knowing where your cloth bags are at all times! Spontaneously picking up an onion after work can end up becoming a shopping trip with half a dozen things by the end. If the bags are not in your hand, chances are they’re in two places either the trunk of the car or at home.
Secondly, buy Bulk. The idea of going to the store to pick up a prepackaged item is causing climate disasters. Conscious shopping means we’ve got to bring our own glass jars. Mason jars work perfectly and they look great in the cupboard too. Go with the wide-mouth jar or bring a funnel so you don’t make a big mess while you pour. Ask the clerks in the deli section or checkout to give you the tare weight of your jar before filling it. Mark the tare weight of the jar on the bottom and you’re ready to go!
Finally, when you buy items that you continually use go with ingredients that are found locally. It not only stimulates the local economy but also reduces the carbon footprint of the item. Your shopping habits can be the life or death of a good local supplier. It’s important to do your homework and discover new products to buy within the community. Farmer markets, Google, Facebook, and Varagesale are good resources for online shops.
