There are three (at least) reasons why I should not write about sustainability for this blog: 1) I really don’t know a lot about the topic. 2) I don’t exactly live an exemplary life when it comes to sustainable practices. 3) Even if I did have any insights, they likely wouldn’t apply to the population at large, because I live in a very remote and unique environment – the Canadian Arctic.
Rae-Lynne Patterson Aramburo lives in Iqaluit, Nunavut in Northern Canada with her husband and two boys. She graciously responded to my request to write a blog about living in the north and thinking about sustainability. And I was right she has some great insights to share. Thank you Rae.
Nicole, however, won’t take no for an answer, and so here we are. I think, in her wisdom (?) she might think that I might have something relevant to say for the very reasons I think I don’t. So I’m going to tackle this piece from that perspective, then, and see what happens.
1. What do I know about living sustainability? Putting it simply, I would say it is about doing what you can. Not talking or thinking or wishing or regretting. But DOING. It is easy think of endless excuses why we cannot do X. So perhaps the key is to start by focusing on doing Y…the things we can do. For example, where I live there is no recycling program and no organic options at our grocery store. I can’t do anything about it. However, I can (and did) make the decision to be a single-vehicle family. With two young children to cart around and a climate that involves 6 months of winter and temperatures that regularly drop below -30 and -40 degrees Celsius, it would obviously be more convenient for my husband and I to each have a vehicle, but we make it work with one. There is something we did.
2. Like I said above – I don’t recycle. And OK, so we only have one vehicle, but that one vehicle idles a lot (to keep warm in the aforementioned formidable climate). And sometimes I let the water run when brushing my teeth. We use disposable diapers (gasp!) I could go on. So why would Nicole want a baddie like me telling y’all about my thoughts on sustainability? I guess maybe because I’m an Average Joe. Nicole has a Masters in Environmental Studies and sustainability is her passion. That’s not me. I’m a librarian and right now just getting through life with a toddler and an infant is my passion. So sometimes it feels like maybe the same rules wouldn’t apply to an Average Joe that would apply to a keener like Nicole. But if you take a few minutes to actually think about sustainable living (as I’ve been forced to do by going through this exercise) and go back to my simple definition, then even the Average Joe can do something. Or even better, a bunch of somethings. And the somethings can be easy (how hard is it to shut the water off when brushing your teeth?) And the somethings can have spin-off benefits (e.g. having one vehicle also means spending less money). And probably, the more somethings you do, even more positive choices will follow as you begin to be more conscious about sustainability. And we don’t need a Masters in Environmental Studies for that. (And FYI, if you ever want to make something a habit, enlist the help of a toddler…those little guys are militant about habits. Are you lazy about turning off lights before you leave a room? Just get my son to help you flip off the light switch one time, and I guarantee you’ll have a little light-turning-off enforcer for life.)
3. I’ve already mentioned just a couple of points about Arctic living that are not likely to be issues for the general readership. Even though I face some challenges up here, I’ve got some pretty amazing models from the Inuit culture, who managed to perfect sustainable living in the most cruel of environments. There are many, many more unique elements to my lifestyle (truly, I wish more people could visit up here and experience the wonders of the north). For example, when I take my kids for a “walk” at this time of year, one of them rides on my back in my amautiq and the other is pulled in a sled. I think Nicole sees these anecdotes as a bit of a hook, because my experiences up here are so unique and tend to garner interest. But even if your life isn’t as glamorous or interesting as that of a northerner, I guess you can still go back to my simple definition of sustainable living and do what works wherever you happen to be, regardless of the challenges you face there.
1 comment:
Great guest blog Rae-Lynne, although I would hardly call you average!! :) I am willing to bet the culture there has rubbed off on you maybe more than you realize. While you may not recycle, because you don't have that option, you are probably better than most at being efficient - and are less wasteful than some people here in the city where, despite recycling, it's easy to throw stuff out and buy new stuff...
xo
Emily
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