Selfishly Green

I'm going green for selfish reasons. The cloth diapers and the natural cleaning products (baking soda and vinegar, not the manufactured brands!) are cheaper than the traditional alternative. The organic foods, natural personal care products, house plants to purify the air-those all benefit my health and the health of my family. But each time I read about someone doing something that's green because it's better for the planet, I feel a little guilty. I need to do this too. I stopped eating meat because I thought it was better for me and my little in-utero guy, but the fact is, eating a planted-based diet is way better for the planet as well. A University of Chicago study found that the typical U.S. diet produces almost 1.5 more tons of CO2 per year than a strictly vegetarian diet, mostly due to the burning of fossil fuels during food production. So there, I'm doing something good for the Earth too!

In the spirit of being less selfishly green I joined Slow Food USA today. I stumbled across this group last fall when I was working on a lesson plan for a workshop I was doing to renew my teaching license. I signed up to email State Representative about getting healthier foods into our schools and they've been sending me emails to join ever since. I usually skim them and then delete, but since I'm trying to be less selfishly green, I thought I'd better step up. So I paid my $25 and joined. And I feel good about it. I've done my little part to help others with similar beliefs speak for me on a national scale. The last email I got from them was about how they were fighting a bill that would make it illegal to take pictures of farms. From their website: "Slow Food USA is a national non-profit that believes everyone has the right to good, clean, and fair food. With over 200,000 supporters, 24,000 members and 225 chapters nationwide, Slow Food USA advocates for food and farming policy that is good for the public, good for farmers and workers, and good for the planet. Through hundreds of volunteer-led local projects, national advocacy campaigns, trainings and education, Slow Food USA seeks to transform our food and farming system through the power of everyday people." How can you not agree with that?!