[Rinchan]

I couldn't think of a better title.

Is there anyone in your life that are critical of you being green and/or an environmentalist?

My family, both mine and my husband's, is VERY conservative. None of them believe in taking care of the environment or global warming. In fact, a few people in my husbands family are a bit entitled.

Any time I even vaguely hint to being more green, my father in law gets super offended for some reason. He has to point out that he is not going green and then has to list everything that I am doing that is not green and finish by calling me a hypocrit. It's ridiculous because I never said that everyone has to be green nor have I critisized his life style. Going green was my choice and I don't expect everyone else to do so. Like one time I said that I bought reusable canvas shopping bags because because it doesn't waste so much plastic and I hate when plastic bags take over my pantry. Another time I complained about my neighbor poisoning part of his grass so that he didn't have to mow it. The issue that I had with this was that he sprayed RIGHT BY A CREEK. As soon as I said this my father in law acted as though I just confessed to murdering someone and he went on about how anyone should be able to do what they want.

And for someone who complains about money, I guess he doesn't realizing that going green is so much cheaper? Using cloth rags saves so much money rather than buying so many paper towels.

EDIT: lol husband arrived home while I was writing that and I didn't want him to see me ranting on his family.

Anyway, I want to cloth diaper. I hate even mentioning it though because my husband's brother and wife will talk obsessively about how gross it is because the diapers have to go into the washing machine. I guess they never thought that you can clean the washing machine? Or that your own clothes can have some pretty nasty stuff on them? They are the type that if their daughter soiled her clothes, they would throw them away immediately. And if I get a baby sitter, I will put on a disposable diaper for the time that they are with the sitter. Also, apparently I'm weird because I want to cloth diaper. I guess all our grandparents were also weird because that was their only option. Although, I am a bit more excited about cloth diapering than I should be. XD

My mom worries about me buying local food. I don't quite understand why because I think that is what her family had to do. (she was a child in the 50s) I think she's worried about lack of regulation and contamination. But that is silly. Anytime you put food in your mouth you take a risk (yes it's little) because any food can become contaminated. And a life with out risks isn't worth living. I prefer to buy local because the farming is more ethical, it supports local business, and nearly all of the farmers that I have met seem to really care about giving people healthy food to eat as opposed to huge corporations. If something had happened from buying from them, I don't think that I would be angry (if that makes any sense). However, if I bought from a monoculture that could care little about their product and more about profit and has to comply with strict regulations, then I'd be angry. And little to no pesticides is definently a plus! It's more environmentally friendly because the food doesn't have to travel far.

I should probably stress, my in laws aren't terrible people. There are just certain topic that are best to not bring up around them. (Religion and politics being big ones.) Also, my mom tends to worry about me after I nearly died, from of all things, chicken pox as a child.

[Mod-Lady Valkyrie]

Shaun's mum doesn't "get it" but she's not obstructive, though she'd rather he dressed conventionally - Shaun shops carefully and ethically for his clothes, which is something I don't yet do and want to get better with (though it can't always be helped for the sort of clothes I need for work), and sometimes he looks a bit hippy-ish.

Two of our neighbours get on our nerves because we recycle carefully - we each have four bins in this neighbourhood and four bin trucks come round to take different things to different destinations - recyclables like glass, plastic and foil cartons go to one place - green waste from the garden and peelings etc from food go to another - paper and cardboard go to another - and general waste for landfill is the fourth. We wash out containers and separate them carefully and very little goes into our general waste bin, given that we reduce and re-use and compost as well. We have two neighbours who simply don't bother to separate and recycle their rubbish and when their general waste bin overflows they seem to have no qualms about dumping it in ours. Not only is this annoying in terms of them not recycling and making it look like we don't, but they are actually introducing fines now for having the wrong things in the wrong bin. On a Monday morning when the bins are out I'm getting a bit obsessive about watching for people putting things in our bin, and goodness help them if they try it.