Semi-hippy momminess

I have been trying to approach motherhood with a particular eye towards being earth friendly. Unfortunately I can't blame Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth, though friends S and M did give us a copy last holiday season. I still haven't watched it, except for clips on Youtube. Instead, I have been thinking a lot about what condition I'm going to be leaving the planet in for the baby that I am about to bring into this world.

In seventh grade I did a research project on what was referred to back then as "environmentalism." The report was really cute - I printed it on my dot-matrix printer and produced a title page for my project called "The Amateur Environmentalist." I remember contacting organizations like Greenpeace and local groups about things like recycling and saving rainforests. These environmental topics were in vogue at that time. It's remarkable how similar yet different the issues are since the mid-1980s.

I got an A on this project and my interest in environmentalism stayed with me through college, when I got a job as a legal secretary in the Field Solicitor's Office in San Francisco, during the time of the Exxon Valdez oil spill case. I was seriously thinking about going into environmental law at that time. The biggest discomfort I had with environmentalism was the stereotypical image of the typical advocate - hippie, white, unshowered, and an all-around tofu loving vegan. This stereotype was kind of like the image of the Berkeley resident, that has continued to stick to this day. The image bothered me because it seemed like white people were always talking to me about how people of color were not concerned about environmental issues or saving the planet. I soon lost interest with going into that field, but habits such as recycling and asking for paper instead of plastic stuck with me.

Being on the cusp of becoming a parent and doing yoga these past several years has reimmersed me into more holistic approaches to living. In addition, my exposure to films such as Maquilapolis has increased my awareness about environmental issues in a more nuanced way that brings in an economic and political analysis to the conversation that felt missing in the 1980s. I have been really interested in eliminating the use of harmful chemicals from household products because I want to limit the exposure to my child.

I am not naive about this entire environmental issue though. I don't think that I can and want to completely shield my family from things like pesticides, toxins, etc. because it's necessary for some exposure to build resistance and for the body to in general learn how to cope. However, what I can control or prevent, I will.

So, this entire parenting thing has gotten off to an interesting start beginning with the baby registry. I have gotten a wide range of reaction from people when they find out that I've registered for mainly organic materials and eco-friendly products. People are surprised when I tell them that we're going to try cloth diapers and ask we a whole slew of questions based on the incorrect assumptions people have about cloth diapers. Then people are surprised that I've gotten rid of most of my household cleaning products that are not eco-friendly. People seem to think that it has to be partially toxic in order to clean well. People are also surprised to find out that I've almost completely eliminated the use and accumulation of plastic bags as well. (I have a half dozen tote bags that I use for shopping and rarely accept plastic or paper bags to carry items I've bought anymore.)

I try to eat organic as much as possible because I know it's healthier and because it supports local economies. People are really surprised when I say that I try to patronize local farmers' markets and not buy mass quantities at places liek Costco when possible. I can their questioning eyes: Who doesn't love the convenience of Costco? To not like Costco feels anti-American in some ways. Costco is the epitome of American consumption after all, and here I am resisting that which is quintessentially American. Poo-poo on me.

I feel as if I'm settling into being a semi-hippy mommy. I think I'm doing a pretty good job with what I can can to reduce my carbon footprint and in the end, I think I can look back and be proud of myself for trying to contribute at least a little bit, in my own way, of helping to save the earth in my own small sustainable way.

However, I don't try to impose my own lifestyle and beliefs on other people (or at least I think I don't do this). I am really conscious about being like the people I encountered in the 1980s when I was an "amateur environmentalist." Those folks seemed to always know better and act better. I'd like to think that I'm part of a generation of new parents who not only political progressive but also environmentally conscious. I haven't met too many of them, but hopefully I will. The ultimately test of how much this all will hold up will be when the baby actually comes. In the midst of exhaustion, will I choose convenience over environmentally-responsible choices?