shop, spend and invest ethically

No wonder I glossed right over it in reevaluating my goal list. Not sure if should keep this one or whittle it down. Have made some strides in this goal, but have had some slips back, too. Will keep for now . . . need to think of the replacement smaller goals. Of course, it’s ok to have big goals on the list, too. Like with “get out of debt” – if I hadn’t had that up, I wouldn’t have been working toward it as the ultimate destination of all the sub goals that led up to it.

I was talking with my friend about how conflicted I am lately about stuff, mainly introducing it into the waste stream. Like my polyester running shirts that I love – I can’t bring myself to buy more because I know I am the first point of entry into the waste stream for a shirt that will take thousands of years to – if it will ever – biodegrade. It doesn’t matter how many people use it in the meanwhile. Once we’re all dead, the shirt will still be around, and then what? Same with plastic kitsch. Anyway, she took the common posture that at least I was aware but can’t do everything and have to find moderation. I agree and don’t agree. It’s made me think a lot, because her examples were precisely things I would at least consider doing. Like diapers. (Since I don’t have a baby, it’s only a “consider.”) She talked about diapers like cloth diapers are an impossibility. Now I know that a lot of people would agree. But my goodness! What did people do with baby poop before plastic diapers? Diapers are like a lightning rod for how it can’t be done, at least not all the way. It’s like people get mad when someone says they are going to try cloth rather than disposable. But I think that’s wrong.

I’m sticking to my guns and going to try to obtain less plastic, whether in the form of packaging, bags, or actual items. If I go for “moderation,” I want it to be conscious, not just because I am too lazy or don’t want to inconvenience myself. I think you have to stretch yourself to make a real change, too. You also have to “practice,” and that means really applying your mind to the task to make it automatic later.

a lot about what this means. I made a list, but am still puzzling over what to put on it. I mean, I put ten things on it, but I feel like there’s more I should do . . . plus, I want to adopt all of them NOW. Well, that’s a recipe for disaster, because I can’t work on every element at once. Or can I? I kind of do already. Like, I’m trying to buy as much as possible secondhand. But it’s a lot to think of all at once. Oh well, I’m just blabbing now.

a list of some of the subgoals it will take me to meet this one. It might be something that is never able to be checked off.