Tiny Choices Survey: Julia!
By tinychoices | April 17, 2009
Vital statistics (name, age, location, link to website/blog)?
Julia Girdler, 46, Bloomfield, MI, www.H2Ox2.com
How do you reside (apartment or house, roommates)?
House.
Are your housing decisions dictated by choice or necessity?
Choice. We have three active boys and wanted them to have space to run. Our choice is somewhat limited by the area that we live in. It’s a suburb of Detroit and mostly single family homes.
How do you travel (transit, car, etc)? Are your travel decisions dictated by choice or necessity? Please explain.
Mostly by car – and this is definitely by necessity. We have very, very poor public transportation in Michigan. We loved the 5 days we spent in NYC last summer – we walked and took the subway everywhere – didn’t get in a car once!
Tell us about a Tiny Choice you’ve made in your life?
No disposable bottles. I gave them up a 14 months ago and felt so strongly about their negative impact that I started H2Ox2.
What is the one environmental dilemma you personally struggle the most with?
Having to drive so much really bothers me. I’ve been trying to carpool more and I try to combine shopping trips. But, unfortunately, the way that our city is laid out, I don’t always have a choice. I just bought a new basket and new helmet for my bike with the thought that if I eliminate just one small trip a day this summer, I’m taking a step in the right direction!
What is the one environmental Tiny Choice you would like every single person to adopt?
Well, the easy one would be switching to reusable water bottles! But I’m going to take it a step further and say to support recycling. Believe it or not, I still know a number of people that don’t make any effort to recycle because it’s not convenient for them because their city doesn’t offer curbside recycling. The City of Detroit – our state’s largest city – doesn’t even offer curbside recycling! I believe that the simple act of recycling makes you stop and take stock of what impact all that garbage is having on our environment. That’s a great first step toward change.
Do you feel like you make sacrifices for environmentalism?
No. Life is about choices. Sometimes things may be a little more inconvenient or expensive but I choose to buy organic or refill my water bottle because those small things add up to something.
Are you generally: optimistic, pessimistic, neutral about environmentalism and the future?
I’m actually quite optimistic. Detroit’s never really been on the cutting edge of things, but I’ve watched green initiatives take hold in our community over the last several years and it’s been a great transformation. Perhaps it’s because of the business that I own, but I also hear a lot of discussions about making the right choices for the environment…choosing the right soap, where to find the best organic fruit, choosing more fuel efficient cars. Children are being taught about our environment in schools and teaching their parents…it’s completely wonderful. Some people take it to higher extremes than others, but the important part is that I see just about everyone I know making some changes to their lives that benefit the environment. I think that’s a very hopeful sign for our future.
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