Green consumerism
Many years ago, when I consciously stepped on the path of more ecological living, it was difficult to find alternatives to conventional products. It was around 2010-2011. In the city in England where I lived there were a few places where one could get ecological and unpackaged products, but those products often did not perform as well as conventional ones or were much more expensive. Since then, things have changed a lot. It is easy to find alternatives. Some fellow humans say to me that practising ecological living is just another form of green consumerism. It can certainly take this form. In theory, anyone who can afford it can simply throw away/donate/sell everything they do not want to live with anymore and buy ecological products instead. It wouldn't even take long, especially considering that there are so many online stores these days dedicated to sustainable living.
My own journey was not perfect. The first time I visited a zero-waste store, I got many things that I genuinely needed (such as unpackaged food and soap bars), but I also got, for example, stainless steel straws. I almost never used them afterwards and would later give them away.
Something that helped me on my path was extreme minimalism. Zero-waste practices for me were only part of a more ecological mode of being. Another part was trying to live only with essentials. At around the same time, I reconsidered my relationship with makeup. I asked myself whether it was something I truly wanted to consume and live with, and I did not. If I was trying to replace, say, every makeup item with a zero-waste option, it would be frustrating, especially in 2010-2011.
After the mistake I made with the stainless steel straws, I became much more mindful about my consumption. I was contemplating what was adding value to my life and what was not. I was trying to use up the products I had before replacing them with better, more ecological options. After many years of practising this mode of living, my practices are rather stable and I keep using more or less the same products.
Some practices manifested earlier, other ones later. For example, one of the first things I did was using reusable cotton bags. At that time it was still normal to use plastic bags, and all those years ago they were free in England. Later on, charges were introduced. Though I would reuse those bags for a long time, they still didn't last as long as cotton ones. I started using soap bars and got a reusable water bottle. I became plant-based. Only later on I started to consume more organic, seasonal and unpackaged food. Minimising my wardrobe to under 20 items came even later. These days I try to wear only organic cotton and linen items that look like loungewear to normalise casual, durable, comfortable and natural clothing in professional and formal settings.
Even more recently I decided to bank with an ethical financial institution. I also got reusable tea bags made from organic cotton. I understand that actions such as using reusable tea bags are incredibly small. But overall, this mode of living simplified my life, made it much easier to move countries, helped me save money. Somehow I feel healthier both in my body and my mind. Many fellow humans ask me about this mode of being, and I had hundreds of opportunities to have deep conversations about ecological degradation and what we can do in different domains of society. I feel that with simple and ecological everyday practices and routines I have more time for other activities such as contemplating, reading, and writing.