Hello, ‘cados, and welcome to a new thread I’m trying: The Green Thread! Like probably a lot of us, I’ve been taking a look at ways I can reduce my own carbon footprint (while recognizing that what we really need is broad systemic change), and I thought it might be nice to have a place to discuss things we’re doing, products we’ve found that we like, etc.
This can be a tough topic, so I’d like to propose a few guidelines:
- This is a serious thread. That doesn’t mean we can’t be lighthearted and have fun, but if someone is asking for eco-friendly toilet-paper options, they’re asking for genuine suggestions, not goofs. We’re here to help each other.
- Take others in good faith. There are a lot of products right now that are touting themselves as environmentally friendly, and I’m sure some of them are actually terrible. If someone suggests one of those, assume they don’t know it’s terrible. You can let them know, but give your fellow commenters the benefit of the doubt and be kind.
- Let people know their own lives best. Some of us can give up plastic straws, some can’t. Some of us are going vegan, some aren’t. If someone is asking for advice on how to get locally sourced beef, don’t tell them to stop eating meat. Again, this is a systemic issue and we don’t need to rip each other apart for having spinach in our teeth while the house is burning.
- If possible, include your (general) area and budget. The sad truth is that a lot of sustainable options are expensive and not available everywhere, so if we know how much you’re looking to spend and any other limitations you might have, we’ll be able to advise you better.
- No bummers. There’s obviously a lot of news about climate change and plenty of it is not good. I would ask us to keep those discussions in the Politics Thread, while this thread focuses on concrete action we as individuals are taking.
Obviously this is a new thing and I’ll have a thread in the comments for feedback! But for now, let’s talk green!