What I Mean by “A Real Green Life”

Here's what I mean by the term, "a real green life."

"Real" means...

For me, "real" in this context has to do with things like...

• Real values - exploring and developing your own values and being guided by them as much as possible.
• The real you - doing your best to find out who you really are. (As opposed to who you think the rest of the world wants you to be.) And making a sincere commitment to be as kind and inclusive toward the real you as you would be toward any one else.
• Real food - growing some of your own and making choices that nourish your family and the land/community that grew the food, as much as you can. 
• Real, clean ways of caring for your self and family - with regards to what to put on your skin, in your body, on the surfaces of your house, and in our soil, air, and water (and what not to).
• Real vs fake - practicing being able to see through the fakes, fads, and quick fixes. Ditching the substitutes and going after what you really need. For example, real vs fast food; real home-based healthcare vs pharmaceuticals; real in-person hugs, tears, and laughter vs emojis.

And "green" means...

To me, "green" has to do with making choices that are regenerative, or at least that do as little harm as possible.

In any area of our lives we can ask, is this the most regenerative choice I can make? Or in the absence of a regenerative choice, is this the least harmful action I can take?

The principle applies regardless of what specific thing we're talking about. You might be wanting to minimize harm or restore health to something as small as a single garden bed or to a whole garden or farm, a relationship, your own health... the list can be endless.

While you're being real and green, beware the "should" trap

I began this "real green life" journey when my first child was a baby -- more than 18 years ago at the time of writing. 

I've learned a lot that I'm deeply grateful to have learned. I've raised a healthier family than I would have without my "real and green" focus And I've reduced mine and my family's ecological footprint compared to what it would otherwise have been. 

BUT. Gradually over the last few years it's dawned on me that along the way I've done an awful lot of  "shoulding" on myself in the process. I "should" do this and I "should not" do that, 'cause this is real and green, and that is not.

An awful lot of judging, 'cause this is real and green, and that is not.

And an awful lot of finger pointing, 'cause this is real and green, and that is not.

None of which is very regenerative. 

So I would just add to my real and green definitions here in this post, that it's ok to hold all this stuff lightly, and to be as kind to yourself as you want to be to the rest of the world. In my opinion, regenerative living starts as an inside job. 

What stops us, and what can we do about it?

With that list of definitions in hand, what's stopping us from living this kind of life? What trips us up, from day to day?

In "3 Keys to a Real Green Life," I'll explore three specific things that I think have a lot to do with the mess we find ourselves in, and three ways we can unpack the solution from within the problem.