With “the sustainability problem” I want to open the eyes for the people living in the green bubble and am begging for more acceptance and understanding for all of us.
Hey Lovelies,
so it’s been a year now since I started to live more sustainable. One year of learning, of trying, of failing and what a ride its been! I want to reflect on the good things, but also on the problems I found in me and the whole green community. I want to talk about what was easy and what made life harder. And give you some tips to stay positive and live greener!
Living as a vegetarian for about 5 years I always found vegans a bit harsh. The vegans I know always wanted to change each other and were very righteous when it came to discussions. I hated discussing their lifestyle, because everyone changes at their own pace and I think we won’t ever get people to change with being angry and judgemental. I didn’t even know that living vegan has a huge impact on the environment!
When I went vegan this January I finally understood, why most vegans were so on line. But I still didn’t want to be like them. Its great if you live vegan one day a week, on weekends or only when you cook at home. It’s great to live vegan all the time, but make exceptions while traveling or visiting family. I think there is not one right way, but millions of right ways. The only right way we all have to see is, that we need a change. A change in reality, in society, in the way we keep living on and treating this world. How you do that, should be your way to choose and no one elses.
Today I try to inspire others, instead of judging them for eating meat or drinking milk or buying fast fashion. I try to show them how easy we can change our habits and that cookies without eggs and milk can taste just as good. Try to never wail when there is no vegan option for me in a restaurant. Or bring food with me to party fo others to try. I think that’s the way to make people realize how easy it can be: inspire instead of judge.
Especially living in this green bubble people love telling you how you have to live. What you shouldn’t and should do. For example people told me they can’t understand how I can live with my partner, when he isn’t living vegan or as sustainable as I do. Well, maybe because I love him?
People like telling me, that I now could not wear my leather boots anymore or shouldn’t fly into vacation, because that makes me a hypocrite. One person in peculiar told me I can buy fair fashion and live vegan as much as I want, and will still have “blood on my hands”. All because I own an iPhone. All of this is true. But it’s only part of a truth. Living vegan is one step into the right direction. Buying fair fashion is another step. Trying to buy zero waste is another additional step. And all of them make a change in the world. No one is perfect, in many ways, and still that’s great – because we try! The problem are not the imperfectly living ones, but the ones who never cared at all!
I follow many vegan and zero waste accounts on social media. And I was shocked about all the hate they get daily because they aren’t “perfect”. People like Maddy from “dariadaria” or Louisa Dellart do soo much for the society and the environment. Still these are the persons who get the most hate on their accounts, just for the simple fact, that they can’t rescue the world alone. Or aren’t perfectly sustainable/ vegan all the time. I hate to see, that people who should work together and support each other for the little steps, keep throwing hate on each other. Instead of forcing our opinions on each other and searching for faults, we should build a unit for the rest of the world to see, that we can do it, if we work together.
“The sustainability problem” is what I call the glorification/ damnation of people like Greta Thunberg and forgetting that these persons, famous or not, are still humans, not machines. The problem is not that a single vegan living person eats cheese one day in the year. It’s not the person saving up for her dream vacation over years and finally flying one time a year to America. It’s the whole picture of all the ignorant people, the companies and the government. Yes, we single persons can make a change all together – but what the companies and government do and won’t do will crush us all, not the one person with the leather boots.
Solutions for the sustainability problem:
- realize, that we are all just human and can always do better
- accept, that humans still need a certain amount of life quality to be happy and mentally healthy
- first try to be perfect yourself, before judging others
- supporting solutions instead of talking about failures
- write a list about what you could easily change and just do it 🙂
- don’t get up in the fear about the future. Yes its 5 before 12 and we all have to make a change, that doesn’t mean to be frozen in place by the fear for the future. Begin slowly and just realize how much fun living sustainably can be!
- love and support each other in every possible way
Down below you can also find a list of posts I already wrote about living more sustainable and buying fair produced products, because we can make a difference, if we really want to!
- natural cosmetics – the best brands and ingredients
- My big Fair Fashion Guide
- Beat the Summer Heat – Sustainable Summer Tips
- Book Thrifting – a guide to sustainable reading
- Say no to plastic – my zero waste guide
- Guide to sustainability – part one
Thank you so much for reading this far. If you have a different opinion or just something to add, feel free to leave a comment! I can’t wait for your reactions and thoughts 🙂
xoxo
[…] Nachhaltigkeit ist zur Zeit “das” Thema schlechthin. Bei Solaires Stories findest Du einen interessanten Artikel zum “Nachhaltigkeitsproblem”. […]