Welcome to the introduction of my first weekly feature! This is something I'm really excited about. I'll be writing about the small changes I make to our lifestyle and how they improve my family's health, i.e. bringing on my ever increasing crunchiness!
Since I started considering cloth diapers, I've thought a lot about some of the other changes I can make to improve the health of my family and the earth. All of us have seen commercials and documentaries about how humans are quickly destroying the natural resources of the earth, poisoning our oceans and sending hundreds of animal species into extinction. If you've read or watched anything about the food that we eat, you'd know how our meats are full of hormones which has been linked to early onset of menstruation in girls, how the animals we eat live in viciously abusive conditions during their short lives, processed foods are not real food, and more. Most of us watch in horror and think "I want to do something! I want to change!" We feel affected for a short time, but on the way to the gym we buy a bottle of water. At home, we eat vegetables sprayed with chemicals. We feed our children products inundated with dyes and processed sugar. The way we eat has changed, and not for the better.
I am absolutely guilty of the apathy most of America feels. So long as it's cheap, it tastes good and we get instant gratification - why should we care? I've thought, "well, this one bottle doesn't really matter or make a difference" or "chips-a-hoy is just so much easier, I don't feel like homemade." We don't have to see the way our food gets there, so it's easy to ignore. We feel we aren't directly affected, so we forget about it. We exchange homemade goodness, purer ingredients and nutrition for convenience. It's the way we have always known things.
It's taken quite a few years, but these "it doesn't really matter" moments have collected in my mind, forming a mountain of unacknowledged truths I can no longer ignore. How much have I really impacted the environment in my short life? What damage have I done to my one precious body? Do I really have an excuse for this, considering how much I've been educated about it? I am tired of playing into this facet of our culture. The way we live is so ingrained in our psyches, it will be difficult and I'm sure I will make mistakes but I am committed to making small changes to make myself, my family and our earth healthier. I am willing to make sacrifices. I can play my small part and make a difference for myself, my loves and the future of this planet in the next 60 (hopefully a lot longer) or so years I have to live! I hope I can inspire you to do the same!
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