Op-Ed: Mid-challenge mopes

While there are more informational posts to come and many ideas for how to extend this zero-waste adventure when Plastic Free July comes to a close, this post's purpose is to share some of the mental and emotional challenges that are resulting from taking on this pledge.

"You'd best start thinkin' where your food comes from and I hope you tend a good garden."

 Corb Lund

Tomorrow, where my parents live, it is forecasted to feel like 49 degrees Celsius by mid-day. "Hope they have a pool!" you may be thinking. Or, "Geebus, stay inside and crank that AC!" may be your advice.

They do not have a pool. They have a farm. And while I'm sure their AC will be turned on (albeit not too cold), they will not be inside. They will be out in the field, sweating to bring in their blueberry harvest. A harvest that will go to city markets us urbanites can travel to using climate-controlled [public] transit, spend a short while bemoaning the heat over an iced beverage, and then return to our indoor oasis to ride out the heat wave. 

And, should the heat wave stay too long, more berries will go to ground, feeding more deer and birds than humans. They won't be harvested in time. Leaving my parents without supply and us without fresh fruit or berries in our freezers to get us through what can be a long winter. 

We say that the environment matters to us. But every day I go to work, I see dozens of disposable cups strutting out the coffee shop doors. After work, I see an exodus of cars from downtown, the majority of which are carrying only the driver and are powered by fossil fuels. I'm ashamed to say that, in my city, municipal council has declared a state of emergency for the climate - but as of yet keeps the AC so cold at City Hall one requires a sweater in the summer to avoid goosebumps. We're talking a great game. And many of us are trying to make what small changes we can. However, as a whole, we aren't "walking the walk". Why?

Because it's difficult. And it is difficult because we make it so. Being a conscious consumer means taking the time to research and make choices. It's time we don't afford ourselves. And midway through the Plastic Free July challenge, it would seem that we don't afford ourselves this time because it is fashionable to be too busy to do so. In the city, it's sexy to work long hours, remain tethered to our phones in the evenings checking in on work Slack, and opening up work on weekends. We call it a culture of achievement. However, it is a misnomer for a culture of attainment. A culture of attainment that can create havoc for our environment and the food supply we depend on due to the lack of time we afford ourselves to make responsible choices. Choices that support give-and-take relationships with suppliers and businesses, support an honest economy, and promote sustainable ways of living. 

A hot day in the blueberries when I was a kid was when the thermometer surpassed 35 degrees, humidex included. Twenty years later, it's 14 degrees higher. If now isn't the time to start making time, I don't know when is.