What people say to you when you live an eco lifestyle
On my journey towards sustainability I have endured a lot of comments and questions from people who don’t understand the eco lifestyle. Some funny, some curious, but others that were outright rude. I always welcome questions from people who truly want to learn and understand why I make these life choices but I think there is a fine line between question and judgement.
So I wanted to learn if other people who also live a zero waste life style or choose to educate on the subject have gotten similar responses. I asked a few friends what was their most memorable, funny, rude or craziest comment someone has said to them.
I thought we could all learn some lessons from some of these comments. So take a look and see if you have ever had the same thought or had the same thing said to you.
“But you still eat meat”
This is a great example. If you are attempting to make a change in your life or advocate on a topic, some people refuse to accept your stance unless you do everything perfectly. Living eco friendly doesn’t mean you have to be vegetarian or vegan. Before I went vegetarian about 7 years ago I heard this comment a lot, when I talked about animal rights or the environment, as a way to invalidate my talking points. As though I couldn’t care about animals or the planet if I ate a burger. But that just isn’t the case. There is not one right way to live eco friendly. I believe the best way to live sustainably is to do your best and always questions your habit.
However, now that I am a vegetarian I notice people start off with “but I don’t want to give up meat”. I have to slowly explain that giving up meat is not the only way to help the planet but rather one way. Although we always present it as a great way to lower societies carbon footprint I never hear it pushed on individuals as the only option. Because it’s not!
“Wont a safety razor make your legs feel like a mans?”
This one cracks me up but I give props to them for being curious and asking the question. I always encourage all questions if it will help you learn and grow.
However this teaches us a great lesson, and one I always advocate for, researching a product! Especially sustainable products to make sure it will work the way you want. This helps produce less waste so that we aren’t consuming products we don’t actually need. Also research a product or company to make sure it’s sustainable and follows guidelines you want to support. Such as, vegan, cruelty free, plastic free, carbon neutral, b Corp, fair trade and more.
“My girlfriend made me go to Lowes because Home Depot is the devil”
Anonymous
Tells us how you really feel. But honestly, this comment makes me so happy. We all have our beliefs and values and we need to support the corporations that share those values. Why? Because we are spending our hard earned money at these stores and corporations use that money to lobby for what they believe in. I do my best not to get political on this site as I don’t believe that climate change should be a political issue but rather a human issue. However, unfortunately certain politicians have made it a political battle ground and Home Depot has been know to donate towards one of those politicians who doesn’t advocate or support environmental justice.
So whatever your views are find companies that support them and use your shopping power as a vote towards your beliefs and the future you want.
“Your efforts don’t matter, you’re just one little girl.”
I have heard this one thousands of times, as I am sure most of you have. This comment always frustrates me because first, it’s an attempt to belittle the effect you are having and secondly, its false. Yes, it’s true that corporations have a larger effect on climate change than individuals however that doesn’t mean that we don’t count. If you look at my small action plus your small action plus the millions of others taking action than it creates one large effect.
And this idea comes back to the above comment. One of the largest effects you can have is who you purchase from. Choose companies that you know are making a different and care about how they impact the climate. This is a large effect you make towards lowering your carbon footprint. Lets show companies that the only way they will get your business is by making sure their business practices are doing as little harm to the environment as possible.
Oh, so you’re one of those smelly vegan hippies that don’t shave?”
Judge much? I have learned that people love to judge others who are different. This is an unfortunate part of our society but lets just laugh and shrug our shoulders. We aren’t for everyone and thats ok. But the answer to this question is no… That is very closed minded to assume that just because someone lives sustainably and eco friendly that we smell or don’t shave. Each person is different and can make their own decision. We all choose different aspects of our lives to change and be stricter on than others when it comes to zero waste.
For example, some people focus on bathroom products, composting, fashion or travel. Each of these areas can have a large impact if you change but no one person has to do everything. So assuming every sustainable women doesn’t shave is ignorant. And as the first comment mentioned there are sustainable razors out there that will negate this comment.
I also want to point out that there is no proven health benefit to shaving but rather I have heard from multiple doctors that it is healthier for women to not shave.
“The zero waste lifestyle is not really zero waste.”
This is an important distinction and the comment can be accurate. When I talk about zero waste (as well as many other environmental advocates) we are not trying to hold everyone to a standard of true zero waste. It is not a lifestyle that is currently attainable in most cities. I have also found that this term scares people away because they feel that they are going to fail. Instead of thinking it as creating zero waste, it’s more attainable to think of it as an idea to use less products, purchasing items with minimal packaging and continue to be conscious of your actions and purchases. Strive to produce less waste.
I myself am not 100% zero waste but before purchasing anything I think twice about it. This helps me limit my waste by what ends up in the landfill. I also do my best to recycle and compost to limit what goes in the trash bin. I believe zero waste is a mindset vs a strict lifestyle of right and wrong.
I hope this helps people who were scared away by the term zero waste to give it a try and realize that there is no right or wrong. There is no failing zero waste as long as you are trying and doing your best.
“Veganism kills plants…and therefore kills the planet.”
This one is a little frustrating. Some might find it funny and yes we can definitely laugh, roll our eyes and walk away from this comment. But I think we should digest it a bit further. When I run into these types of comments it’s usually people who don’t want to have a serious conversation or hear the other side of why I choose to live the way I do. This always feel like an attempt to annoy and is usually used to get a reaction out of you.
Everyone makes life choices as we should learn from one another.
If you have any additional crazy, funny or frustrating comments that have been said to you please share below. And use this as a reminder that you are not the only one getting these kinds of comments. We all deal with them but lets keep on educating and living sustainably.
FEATURED POSTS
3 do’s and don’ts for a sustainable gender reveal party. Take a step back from the cliché wasteful gender reveal party and get creative with sustainable options.