The hypocrite In Us All

I thought about calling this the "don't be afraid" article, for I am finding more and more people who seem intimidated to make minor changes in their lives to help the environment (and therefore themselves). There is a certain "all or nothing" mentality. We all need to go easier on one another and allow the baby steps... because they do lead to greater good.

One holiday I was standing in the kitchen ranting over an environmental issue to my Dad, and he says, (half jokingly, I like to think), "Didn't you own a suburban a few years back?". Now, immediately I felt completely exposed as an eco-hypocrite. After all, how could one who owned a massive SUV for a family of 4 and 2 dogs just 5 years ago really have any voice regarding making changes? I am confessing this because I can relate to the fear that being seen as "green" opens one's choices to judgement. But we all need to care for our planet...and everyone can make a difference. If we feed the notion that any steps beyond recycling are crunchy or elitist, we will never touch the mainstream public to bring about major change. And major (and quick!) change is what our plant needs right now.

Fabricwrapper Note: Even though http://www.fabricwrapper.com products are very affordable (an individual could not duplicate our products on their home sewing machine for less), it would be hard for someone to afford to completely change over to reusable gift wrapping all at once. Over the years one can see the financial benefit, as swapping with friends and family reduces your gift wrap expenses to zero. Until then, however, the Sierra Club points out that if every family wrapped just THREE gifts in reusable gift wrap, we would all save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields in a year. Amazing.