Journey to Green: How to succeed at green living

If you search online for "How to live a green lifestyle" or some equivalent phrase you will find hundreds, if not thousands, of articles and blog posts about all the things you can do to help the environment.  However, Going Green is not always easy and to really succeed the right "Green Mindset" will help enormously.  Let me help you get in the right frame of mind as you head off on your Journey to Green.

Journey to Green: How to succeed at green living

The first step

• Research.  Do not rely on anecdotal advice on social media but look for accurate green and sustainable information from reputable sources.
• Be organised.  How often have I gone shopping and realised my reusable shopping bags are still at home? You will find plenty of other examples as you tread the green path where being organised makes a green lifestyle easier to achieve.
• Be prepared to be different - although an awareness of green issues is growing fast, those people who live greener lives than average will still perhaps be seen as a bit different, maybe even slightly odd.  Don't let that worry you though.  Be proud to be a pioneer!
• Do not go "Single Theme" - try not to focus on just one aspect of green living ie living plastic free or eating vegan but try to make every aspect of your life as green as possible.

The next green steps

• Set yourself goals.  It may be to eat veggie twice a week or take the bus to work every other day. But above all make these goals achievable.  If you set them too high you automatically set yourself up for failure. 
• Avoid the Greenwashing trap.  Do not fall into the trap of buying something just because it is marketed as "green" etc.  Avoid falling for what is termed Greenwashing. 
• Accept that you will make mistakes but learn from them.
• You cannot completely turn green overnight, it is a journey, so start with what you can realistically achieve and build on that as your green journey progresses.
• Be prepared to be categorised as any of the following (and a lot of others besides): Earth Mother, Trendy Leftie, Middle class trendie, Tree Hugger, Eco-Warrior, "that odd relative who knits her own nettle fibre undies" ... wear your badge with pride!
• Be prepared to answer the same questions about your green lifestyle choices time and time again. 
• Be prepared to reject convenience.  Say no to a coffee on the run and embrace the time relaxing as you sip a real coffee from a real cup.  Stop those impulse online purchases you really do not need.  Delight in the miracle that is a seed turning into a vegetable that you grew.

Preparing for negativity

• Be prepared for flack.  The world is full of people who revel in knocking people who are different as well as those who simply deny that the world has any environmental problems.  Do not let them steer you off your chose green path.
• Accept that some people will never change, even to help the planet.  Move on and use your energy where it is better served, on those who are willing to listen and also change.
• Cost.  People will tell you green living will cost you a lot more.  In fairness some things will cost more ... but others will cost less and as a green lifestyle naturally means you consume and waste less, be that excess food, "stuff" you buy or energy you use then overall you will probably save money.

 

As time passes ...

• We live in an imperfect world but your green lifestyle choices do make a difference.  Never forget that.
• Be prepared to live better with a reduced amount of "stuff".
• Slow living.  Enjoy a slower pace of life. 
• Monitor and record.  It is easy to forget how far you have come so find a way to record what you have achieved.
• Reward yourself.  When you achieve or surpass your goals give yourself a reward - something you normally do not have and something you really enjoy.

I sincerely hope that in years to come people will look back at this time and wonder how on earth I even needed to write this blog post as green living will be the norm.  For now, though, this way of living is a long way off for the majority and for some people the only conscious green steps they take is putting out a bulging recycling bin every week.  But more and more people are also now realising that we need to do far more than this.  So please, use my guide to help set you up in the right frame of mind and then head off on the first step of your Green Journey.  If you need some inspiration for specific ideas please do read these other posts I have written: 365 ways to help you save the planet and The A-Z of Going Green, one step at a time. 

Have you any other green mindset ideas I should have added to this post?   Or are there any particular stumbling blocks you have come up against?