Tiny Choices Survey: Betsy Greer!
By tinychoices | October 31, 2008
Vital statistics (name, age, location, link to website/blog)?
Betsy Greer, 33, Carrboro, North Carolina, http://www.craftivism.com. [[Ed. note: watch for Betsy’s new book Knitting for Good!: A Guide to Creating Personal, Social, and Political Change Stitch by Stitch, out on November 11th. Tiny Choices will be reviewing it shortly.]]
How do you reside (apartment or house, roommates)?
I live in a townhouse with my roommate and my cat, Bobbin.
Are your housing decisions dictated by choice or necessity? Please explain.
Both. I live in an old milltown next door to Chapel Hill and wanted to live somewhere where I could walk into both Carrboro and Chapel Hill. Currently I’m a 5-min and 15-min walk respectively, which is perfect! As for the necessity part of the equation, the rent is ridiculously reasonable and many of my best friends live nearby…both things I need in my life.
How do you travel (transit, car, etc)? Are your travel decisions dictated by choice or necessity? Please explain.
If I’m heading out to go somewhere within walking distance I try to walk as much as possible. But unfortunately, most of the places I need to go to during the day are farther afield, meaning I drive more than I’d like.
Tell us about a Tiny Choice you’ve made in your life.
Not buying water in plastic bottles! Although recently I cheated when I was traveling with my job, I am now a cup-seeker. I never really noticed just how many cups were around me as I went throughout my day until I really needed them. How scary is that when my brain wants water it sometimes thinks “pre-packaged bottle” instead of a glass?
What is the one environmental dilemma you personally struggle the most with?
Driving! Even though I’m getting better, I tend to be late to everything, which means driving to places that are close. Being better about my time management would mean I could walk more places. Since I know this, I tend to get annoyed with myself for driving to places like the gym instead of walking because I got distracted watching something really lame like a “Full House” rerun and wanted to knit one last row. Crafting doesn’t always help in the time management part of my life.
What is one Tiny Choice you can make in that direction?
I could pay more attention to time! I could also start trying to convince myself that riding a bike in traffic is possible, even for people with questionable balance and coordination.
What is the one environmental Tiny Choice you make that people question (in either a positive educational or a negative hassle way) you the most about?
Not eating fast food. Living in a liberal town this is almost never a problem. However, on the few times a year I travel with my family this always comes up, and is always an issue. Although going forward I’ll be packing my own food (silently eating my couscous in the back seat), I’m happy to report that this is just about the only time anyone openly questions my choices related to the environment. However, seeing that I live in a liberal bubble, the latter part of that sentence is not very surprising.
What is the one environmental Tiny Choice you would like every single person to adopt?
Using their own tote bags when they go shopping. If my mom can embrace it, you can, too. I was so proud of my mom when we went to the grocery store this summer and halfway across the parking lot, she turned around and went back to her car to retrieve her bags which she had forgotten! It was so cool!
Do you feel like you make sacrifices for environmentalism? Please explain.
I do when I’m in a hurry and running around trying to get everything done. When the “this is annoying” question regarding sacrifice comes up, I’ve started to take it as a cue to think about the implications of my act to the planet, those around me and those to come. Catching myself and taking the time to really think about what I’m doing with that plastic bottle/heavily packaged item/petroleum product in my hand that has really changed everything. It’s a teeny tiny refocus to my everyday activities, but the way it’s changed my view on the world has been amazing.
Are you generally: optimistic, pessimistic, neutral about environmentalism and the future?
Optimistic. Because my mom takes her own bags to the grocery store. Because I see little kids recycling things. Because if I’m not, I’ll start to feel more like my daily actions are going to waste, which is going to make me stop caring as much. Not that everything’s about me, of course, but I’m the one person I can control. I like waking up everyday thinking that simple constructs like caring, changing and hoping are ahead of me…even if I’m sometimes a little late to greet them.
Related posts:
- Tiny Choices Survey: Gracia!
- Tiny Choices Survey: Kim!
- Tiny Choices Survey: Audrey Shad
- Tiny Choices Survey: Nicole!
- Tiny Choices Survey: Liz!
- Tiny Choices Survey: Peggy Apostolides
- Tiny Choices Survey: Marleah
Topics: Surveys |
I used to live in Carrboro…one of the best green communities in America. The farmer’s market is top rate, Weaver Street Market (the food co-op) is a dream, the public buses are FREE, and I found it to be very bike friendly.
The buses are still free! I wish I wasn’t so scared of traffic to ride a bike comfortably! Everyone’s always flying by me on their bikes and looking so happy! And not only are we green, but we were recently named American’s Foodiest Small Town to boot!