A lot of my time is spent thinking about habits. In fact, today I was doing some field work for my job and we had to get out of the truck ever 4 min or so, so we didnt wear seatbelts (this was on 2 track roads) but ever time the car made a ‘ding’ noise, I reached for the belt. This got me thinking about habits – because when I heard the ding, I went for the seatbelt even though I had mine on. That action by me (literally all day, I could not stop my self) got me thinking about habits and sustainability.
(side shot of my views from the field)
Just about everything we do every day has a basis in habits – we get up every morning because the alarm goes off, except we really dont. We get up at X time (5:34 am for me) because we have gotten up at that time for a year+ or what ever, and that’s just when I get up).
So all of that got me thinking: what’s the least sustainable thing that you do every week? Bonus points for habits that get you coming and going. For instance, I like to visit micro breweries and see the equipment, grains, malts and taste how the beer they brew. This burns me on the personal sustainability front because I like to save money, but those beers tend to cost more. It washes over into my fitness (bonus points if you get something that is bad for your finances and your health AND the earth) because when I drink beer I want to do nothing and that includes train for my run. These breweries are sometimes near by where i’m staying, but sometimes they are out in far flung warehouse style areas where rent is cheap – so I’ve got to make trips I wouldn’t have otherwise made to get there.
So, what habits of yours are making your goals harder to reach?
Paper towels. I love paper towels. Therefore I use a lot of them. Especially when I cook because I’m constantly washing my hands. I also use them for dusting. I guess I could buy a feather duster or something, but paper towels have done such a good job.
Owning 2 cars is holding me back. Not only am I against it because of the impact it has on the environment but it is impacting our wallets and holding us back from accomplishing personal financial goals. My husband works a mile from his work (with 1 unsafe road to cross) and I’m a stay at home mom so spending $100+/month on a second car drives me insane but its a compromise I made in our marriage that makes things easier for my husband. Eventually I think he’ll jump on board with it but for now I have other battles to fight
Don’t let yourself feel guilty about brewery tours — that’s fun! My least sustainable habit is driving short distances. I need to get myself a bicycle.
Thanks FP – I usually dont worry about it, they are too much fun! Check craigs list for a bike, you can probably find a good deal.
DRIVING! We live 15 minutes outside of town and I will find myself driving in for a gallon of milk.
We’ve tried for a few years to combine our errands but if we don’t stay diligent and aware we fall back into the old habit.
I’m pretty good with this – I usually walk unless I have far away errands to run or if I have something I cant carry.
I’ve stopped watching my food budget, and I find non-sale items end up in the cart a lot more often than they used to. Time to stick to my list again!
I’m usually pretty good about the list, but it’s the dining out that gets me!