Keeping the Peace — Green Style

The New York Times had an interesting article on disputes between couples and family members over, “the extent to which they should change their lives to save the planet.” While many points of the article may not apply to a lot of people (like arguing over sushi orders), I am definitely hearing more and more people talking about the challenges of trying to maintain a balance among family members over green practices.  For example, I have a friend Lydia who is vegetarian. Her husband, two daughters and the family cats are omnivores.  Rather than preparing two dinners each night (Lydia is the primary cook), she prepares modular meals so most people can have say 2 of 3 dishes being served. When it comes to recycling, Lydia’s husband is the stickler, carefully separating the glass, paper, and plastic; and keeping a nice compost jar on the counter and barrel in the back yard.  Fortunately for the family, both Lydia and her husband are good natured about the other’s habits and tend not to nag, or at least not continuously.  Here are some suggestions if you find yourself more green aware than your friends or family members:

–Keep in mind that people don’t like to be preached to — Some people may be genuinely unaware of how to live more sustainably, recycle more, and have more green practices, and may ask you about various brands or places to shop.  If they don’t ask, don’t try to push it.

–Lead by example –  Lydia’s husband is meticulous about the recycling, and his painstaking efforts to bundle up cardboard and rinse jars for the recycling bin helps to set an example for Lydia and their two daughters.  It’s a lot easier just to join in when someone else is so proactive.

–Make big projects and purchases a joint effort– large home improvement projects should never be decided by one person.  In the article, I was surprised by the lack of agreement among one of the couples over a new flushing toilet system.

–Create a set of options so that people feel that they can choose– when I have guests over for a meal that includes vegetarians and non-vegetarians, I will usually fix all of the dishes as vegetarian and have one meat or seafood dish, served family style.  This way everyone can choose what they want without too much much hassle.

shared at Works for Me Wednesday