tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3070488376505303445.post1456143445726840632..comments2023-11-13T06:25:27.206-05:00Comments on Our Little Acre: Sustainable Living Project 2011Kylee Baumlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04288354709094515651noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3070488376505303445.post-31481703966345647832011-04-06T23:07:32.488-04:002011-04-06T23:07:32.488-04:00Amen, Kylee! I've never been one to jump on b...Amen, Kylee! I've never been one to jump on bandwagons either. Sustainability seems to be the new buzzword, and in working on my own post, I discovered that my alma mater, the U of Illinois has a whole office devoted to this topic. While it appears to be a noble cause, there are always those people who go overboard. I would like to recycle more, for example, but we don't have a local recycling center, so I must drive 30 miles roundtrip to drop things off. Which is better--saving some cardboard from the landfill or not using so much gasoline? I think we have to use common sense; there are little things we can all do to help, but we don't have to do it all. <br /><br />And I'm not turning my big lawn into a meadow either:)Rosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01384059342847120951noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3070488376505303445.post-54100200962442067742011-04-06T22:46:39.870-04:002011-04-06T22:46:39.870-04:00Kylee, this is the perfect post to include in the ...Kylee, this is the perfect post to include in the sustainable living giveaway...and I clearly remember it from a month or two ago. In fact, I clearly remember leaving a heart-felt comment on it! So I won't leave another in-depth comment because I have shared with you how I feel;-) I can really relate to you and think the topic is kind of like religion...one needs to move in the direction one is called and it's a personal thing:-) You are sweet to participate again this year Kylee and I'm so happy you did! Talk with ya later;-) JanJanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12844013803699228989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3070488376505303445.post-36320224791889386052011-04-06T12:23:57.284-04:002011-04-06T12:23:57.284-04:00You know, I agree with most of this post thoroughl...You know, I agree with most of this post thoroughly. To me, it seems if someone is trying to be eco-friendly in the ways that work for them, I see no reason for guilt.<br /><br />But, you also mention those zealotrous individuals who are so over-the-top enthusiastic that they turn people off. I don't get that, myself. <br /><br />Firstly, I don't know many of these over the top zealots. Most of the eco peeps I knew online are so excited when anyone is making strides and learning about greener ways of approaching things that they certainly wouldn't bash anyone for not doing enough. They're just glad to have you on board for the parts that will work for you.<br /><br />Then, I wonder - why should people be expected to quash their enthusiasm for a topic, if they're not actually bashing anyone else for not doing things their way? I realize that many people feel guilty for not doing enough, but really, that's a sweet spot we each need to find in our own lives, and I think it is a spot that changes daily, monthly, and yearly. I don't know that their enthusiasm is really responsible for a lot of these guilty feelings. Shouldn't we own our own feelings and decisions and make our own personal peace with them?<br /><br />That said, I totally get where you're coming from. For a long time, I felt angry at native plant zealots and felt the same way you did. Once I learned more about natives and why exactly they are so important in the food chain (many insects have chemical sensors telling them which plants are appropriate to eat and breed on, and a lack of certain natives means death to entire species of bugs that have not yet adapted to a wider range of food and breeding zones), I realized that they'd been trying to inspire those who were keen on their message, not make me feel bad. Now I garden with a mix of natives and non-, and I've never heard anyone imply that wasn't good enough. I think sometimes when we're offended by someone else, it's telling us that something is going on in our own heads that we must make peace with. I think the native plant people I saw as zealots were activating my own existing guilty feelings. But it wasn't them that was the problem - it was that I had yet to make peace with my own decisions.<br /><br />Kylee, thanks for making me think with this one. It's an interesting topic and I'm glad to be a part of the discussion.Genevievehttp://www.northcoastgardening.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3070488376505303445.post-51463282161968199182011-04-06T11:33:50.462-04:002011-04-06T11:33:50.462-04:00Great post Kylee, and ditto. I do what I can not b...Great post Kylee, and ditto. I do what I can not but I am not fanatical about the whole process or trying to make money off of an old idea made new. LOL! Green is good but I also have this fear of going back to the old days when crops were destroyed. The whole locust invasion thing is in my minds eye when I hear the zealots.LOL! But I do admire their efforts in doing what they can. Guess I had to pick too many potato bugs off of Grandpas potato patch as a kid.That is just my take on the subject.Maybe I should have stated all of that in my posting. Or not. LOL!Lonahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07060003333138052194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3070488376505303445.post-61281048284624997412011-04-06T10:07:26.951-04:002011-04-06T10:07:26.951-04:00Ditto! Ditto! I couldn't have said it better. ...Ditto! Ditto! I couldn't have said it better. Thanks for this post. I think it's a very important point that we should all remember, both for when we might be the guilty party in trying to change others or when we're made to feel guilty for not doing more.Rosemaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05131012774059419125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3070488376505303445.post-11169069314037602192011-04-06T07:50:51.667-04:002011-04-06T07:50:51.667-04:00Good for you and well said! I agree with the Sage ...Good for you and well said! I agree with the Sage Butterfly...the middle road is the best.Pamelahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01587507557733931794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3070488376505303445.post-52119286640909205912011-04-06T05:57:48.309-04:002011-04-06T05:57:48.309-04:00And for those of us appreciating your great photos...And for those of us appreciating your great photos - love the caterpillar picture.Carol at OhWhatA.comhttp://www.ohwhatabeautifulgarden-chicagoland.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3070488376505303445.post-18881676739755293022011-04-05T13:32:07.074-04:002011-04-05T13:32:07.074-04:00Very Well Said! I think to those all or non folks ...Very Well Said! I think to those all or non folks can turn off the more moderate ones. It has to make sense.David P. Offutt - The Gastronomic Gardenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12941257262332056194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3070488376505303445.post-53197755976052009762011-04-05T12:56:36.545-04:002011-04-05T12:56:36.545-04:00Kudos to you! I agree with you. The middle road is...Kudos to you! I agree with you. The middle road is always the better road. I, too, have struggled with the issue of all or nothing because I care very deeply about the environment. However, I cannot be perfect, and I cannot be all or nothing. There have been many instances when I have not been able to live up to my own or others' expectations. It is impossible. I think the most important thing is to have a commitment to green living and then be gentle with ourselves. And if we are more gentle and more kind with one another, we can easily make decisions that work best for us.The Sage Butterflyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06252906325012065829noreply@blogger.com