Is it bougie to want to save the Earth?

Let's first define what an eco-forward or eco-friendly lifestyle is before I go into the cost of maintaining such a lifestyle.

I define an eco-forward lifestyle within a modern society as such:

• Minimizing waste (trash, CO2 exhausts/air pollution) – donate or resell when possible
• Minimizing supply chain impacts – use materials with quicker lifecycles where possible.
• Compost + 3Rs (reuse, reduce, recycle) – this includes minimizing harm to the ecosystem, i.e, trying not to buy the non-recyclable kind of plastic.

I was chatting with some friends about this topic when it popped into my head, and one crucial point was shared: "If it's just the same thing but also compostable, probably not otherwise, the original product would have just been made using compostable materials".

What this ultimately means is that when most businesses try to cut costs and turn a profit, they will choose the cheapest method of creating the product. If those materials are wasteful, then the product will be wasteful. If those materials were biodegradable or eco-friendly, then the product would be as well.

The hunt for eco-forward products

I'll list some of the things I've opted to purchase in my attempts to live a compost-centered life (composting is free where I am):

• Bamboo toilet paper from Who Gives a Crap
• Compostable floss picks from SmartLifeCo
• Compostable liners (they have other femme products too) from Viv for your V
• Hand soap and sponges from Blueland

I've also chosen to sign up for Ridwell, a service that picks up various categories of items and sends them to their partners. Some of these categories are plastic film/wrap, multi-layer plastic like candy bars, and fabric (which includes old shoes).

A lot of these items I mentioned above do cost more than their counterparts, but as I considered my budget relative to my income and how I wanted to orient my lifestyle towards minimizing waste, I figured that I was able to afford those changes. Signing up for Ridwell was also a conscious decision since I saw that they could pick up items that I'd struggle to donate and would typically toss– like old clothes.

Sure, I'm probably spending some more money than I otherwise would have if I chose not to buy so many compostable items, but I don't think I live an otherwise outwardly glamorous life. Part of my choice to be eco-conscious also means that I typically opt to ride public transportation like the metro when I commute to places that aren't as car-friendly. I personally value time quite a bit, so I will splurge on an Uber or Waymo as needed in time crunches, but I do also know that each car adds to the local traffic, and each gas car isn't helping with air pollution.

Some aspects of this lifestyle certainly required me to change some of my lifestyle habits, so I, following the advice as it was laid out in the book Atomic Habits by James Clear, would consciously opt to change just one or two things at a time about how I lived my life.

Why Plastic Recycling is Insufficient

A bit about plastic.

Plastic is such a finicky thing to recycle. Styrofoam is plastic, but it can't be recycled unless properly handled. Recycling centers typically only take the types of plastic #1, 2, and 5. Plastic bags and smaller plastic items will clog the automated machines. Plastic jugs that aren't fully cleaned out and rinsed will get denied by the automated sorter at recycling centers. Black plastic can't be recycled due to the dyes used to make the plastic black.

There are a lot of ways that plastic, even if thrown into the recycling bin, can get rejected in processing, so it's ultimately not worth it to put the responsibility on the consumer to do all that is necessary for plastic to be successfully recycled.

There's been a lot of news about microplastics lately and how to minimize plastic in products, and a lot of this boils down to packaging choices and source material. As consumers, we can opt for metal, paper, or glass alternatives, but some of those product replacements may be more expensive – especially metal and glass. I've enjoyed seeing more and more food packaging become eco-conscious as sticker labels transform into cardboard labels wrapped around a plastic container.

Businesses typically do the bare minimum to maximize profits while meeting compliance requirements; therefore, when culture shifts, they must also adapt to the changing demands of their consumer base. I can envision a world where, if being eco-forward/friendly is seen as "bougie", then it will compel more people to be more like that social class. These alternative products might not cost as much as a "luxury" brand, but they certainly aren't always the cheapest option.