FM(S)L

You may know by now that I am studying sustainability. As a result of my readings, I am trying to incorporate more sustainable ways of living in to my everyday life. For your amusement/horror, I present a few new conundrums in my life that are gradually grinding down my ability to function and will eventually turn me in to a blubbering eco-mess. That or turn my life in to a meme.

Disclaimer: not actually my cat

I read a book last semester called "Time to Eat the Dog?" - it basically focussed on all the small decisions we make and how they affect the planet. The argument was that creating pet food, keeping small companions animals alive, was actually costing the planet more than they were worth. In other words, Elmo, my cat, should be eaten, then I should use his pelt for making slippers and finally, mulch the left overs and use them as fertiliser. I was Sad, capital S. I started feeding my cat less. He was SAD, all capitals.

My new found inability to go in to places like Freedom furniture without having an epic meltdown because my internal dialogue starts sounding something like this:

When greeted by sales assistant:
Do you KNOW how many carbon miles the rip off designer things in these stores are imbued with?!

When observing a teenager lusting over some object: Stop looking! You have too many things already!

While passing people at the check out: People shouldn't be allowed to buy so many things, it's killing the planet

When safely outside the store: Regal Almighty self congratulations for not having been tempted to buy anything.

Today I decided to do some washing, and thought I'd combine some woollen t-shirts with normal clothes to save having to do a separate wash later. I did however note that non-enzyme detergent should be used on wool. So I compared the two types of detergent I had, decided one had slightly more enzymes than the other but because it was Made in Australia, it actually was better for the planet, so I'd use that. However, being a liquid detergent, I had to set the machine going first so it would fill with water, thus enabling me to dilute the fancy-pants detergent. I set the washing machine going, went back to study. Two hours later my clothes were washed, but without detergent. For 5 angst ridden minutes I debated if they were clean. Decided they weren't. How to then justify using more water because I forgot the detergent? Ate some chocolate to stop my thoughts of self-flaggelation and then decided to do a quick gentle cycle, with the powder so I didn't forget, and made a deal with the fish god to take really short showers for the rest of the week.


I now have to go back to writing an essay on global waste on a MacBook Pro that I just found out you can't recycle.

FMSL.

(F... My Sustainable Life)