Tiny Choices Survey: Stacey!
By tinychoices | October 16, 2009
Vital statistics (name, age, location)?
Stacey, 33, Madison, WI
How do you reside (apartment or house, roommates)? Are your housing decisions dictated by choice or necessity? Please explain.
I just moved into a 1 bedroom apartment that is larger than I need for just me. This was a combination of choice and necessity. While I wouldn’t mind living with others (I had great experience with it last year in Seattle), I’m currently in a long distance relationship and we are anticipating that he will visit often and, if the job situation works out, move in in late spring.
How do you travel (transit, car, etc)? Are your travel decisions dictated by choice or necessity? Please explain.
My transport of choice is bicycle, though I have a bad sense of direction and am new to town, so I have been driving to things that are outside the immediate downtown area. I chose to live within walking distance of everything I really need (office: 12 min; co-op: 20 min; vegan coffee shop: 20 min).
Tell us about a Tiny Choice you’ve made in your life.
I carry a reusable spork (http://lightmyfireusa.com/
What is the one environmental dilemma you personally struggle the most with?
I’ve been instituting my own version of “cap & trade” and have used some of my good habits to justify my bad ones. Specifically, I’ve been going through a recent phase of buying coffee in disposable cups.
What is one Tiny Choice you can make in that direction?
Honestly, I need to just suck it up and use some of the many reusable mugs I already own. They’re better for the environment and they’re so much easier to handle.
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?
I’m vegan and have been for nearly six years. While it’s not a tiny choice, it’s an important one and one that many people find confusing.
What is the one environmental Tiny Choice you would like every single person to adopt?
I would love for every one to drive less and eat less meat, but realistically, I think many people are too attached to their cars and twenty servings of meat a week. What I would ask is that people switch from bottles of water to reusable water bottles. Beyond the amount of garbage created, which is similar to the plastic bag and paper cup situation, there are serious environmental implications in transporting all that water.
Do you feel like you make sacrifices for environmentalism? Please explain.
I don’t because a lot of the more environmental choices are easier. For short trips around town, biking is more pleasant than driving. In cities, public transit is way easier than driving and parking. It is so much easier to carry groceries in a strong reusable tote bag than in a plastic one. Locally farmed vegetables just taste so much better than the ones that are shipped in from thousands of miles away.
Are you generally: optimistic, pessimistic, neutral about environmentalism and the future?
While I’m generally glad that environmentalism is going mainstream, I am wary of greenwashing. One thing that does, however, have me optimistic is the organizations that protect our environment and natural resources are getting more sophisticated in their marketing and strategic campaigns. They have found common ground and been able to partner with outdoor sportsmen (hunters & fishers) and with labor unions - two groups that have traditionally been opposed to the environmental movement.
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