Hey earth muffins! If you have been following this blog, you know that I moved in with my boyfriend last summer. Before that, I was living by myself in the apartment I rented for school. I wasn’t supposed to have that whole place to myself, but my closest friend was my roommate until she graduated in December… And then she couldn’t find someone to sublet. It was pretty nice to have the whole place to myself while studying for the CPA exams! After spending a few months living alone, moving in with my boyfriend was 1) awesome but 2) took a toll on my sustainable journey. Living with someone who isn’t as eco-friendly as you can impact your own environmental journey; in today’s post, I will be sharing how living with my boyfriend has impacted mine!
~It requires some compromise on things.
As my boyfriend isn’t as eco-minded, we often have different views on things. He prefers “normal” paper towels while I like my Natissy reusable ones. These different mindsets lead to compromising. He hated bar soap in the bathroom, so we switched back to liquid in the bathroom but bar soap in the kitchen. We still have both types of paper towels on hand. Because of his sensitive skin, we still use Tide pods for laundry instead of an Eco egg or soap nuts. Living with someone requires compromise regardless if you are on an eco journey or not. While it might feel like I am taking a step back in certain areas of the apartment, it is important to remind yourself that every small change has an impact! Plus, you might be surprised at what your partner is open to. Once we get an actual house, my boyfriend is onboard with getting a bidet attachment, which was exciting to say the least. 😊
~There is more temptation to not be as sustainable when living with someone.
Because my boyfriend isn’t as eco-friendly, he doesn’t think twice about ordering takeout or buying a bunch of stuff online. If he is stopping somewhere (McDonald’s McFlurries are one of his faves), he will ask me if I want anything… And I often say yes. Being tempted to create plastic waste, especially with takeout, often makes me feel guilty. Eco guilt is definitely a real thing! To try to combat this temptation, I designated Friday as our takeout night. The other nights of the week I meal plan and cook, which helps reduce food waste. Living with someone definitely has more temptation to be lazy and revert to my old ways of not living sustainably.
~You need to remind yourself why you are on this journey!
As I said above, living with someone who isn’t as eco-friendly can create temptation to be less sustainable. I’ve found that it is super helpful to constantly remind myself why I’m on my eco journey. Then, I am less likely to give into that temptation! Life of an Earth Muffin is a great reminder, as I spend a lot of my time writing posts, sharing eco content, and thinking about sustainable topics. I’ve also found it helpful to read eco books from my library, especially new ones that come out. Check out this list of my favorite ones! If you aren’t into reading, there are a ton of documentaries that can inspire and remind you why you decided to be more sustainable in the first place. If you check out the Books & Movies board on my Pinterest, I’m always pinning environmental suggestions!
~Allows you to share the “why”.
It might seem like there are a bunch of negatives to living with someone who isn’t as eco-friendly; but, I love that I am able to share this journey with someone who is quite new to it all. Instead of trying to get your partner to make all the same swaps you made, it is important to share why you are doing it. Explain the impact food waste has on the environment if sent to the landfill. Talk about the effects of plastic and how easy it is to swap out certain items. Set an example and show them that your life is better with reusable, eco-friendly options! For anyone on an eco-journey it is important to share the message with those around you… So, this is a great place to start!
Summary of How Living with Someone Has Impacted My Journey
Living with my boyfriend is great. We no longer have to do long distance and can focus on growing as a couple now that we are in the “adult world” together. Because he isn’t as eco-friendly, I’ve had to compromise and resist temptation to progress in my eco journey. Whenever I feel like I’m getting lazy or not caring as much about sustainability, I find that reminding myself of the “why” is helpful in making me passionate again. I am hopeful that by leading with example, I will (slowly) make my boyfriend care about the environment as much as I do… Which will help us grow even more! How has your eco journey been impacted by the people you live with?
Love,
Jenna ♥
What an important post! I think the fact that you highlighted the fact that you both compromise is really meaningful. Also, reminding yourself why you are choosing to be more mindful is excellent advice. You are awesome!
This is a really important issue. I think you’re off to a good start with compromising but setting a schedule to limit some of the compromises, and also speaking positively about how your choices make your life better.
Could you do your laundry separately so that only his is washed with the Tide Pods, and keep trying greener detergents until you find one compatible with his skin? I find it hard to believe that Tide is the gentlest product out there! I just tried Blueland laundry tablets for the first time yesterday, and they seem to work very well.
My partner of 27 years always has been committed to a green lifestyle philosophically, but we’ve often had to negotiate what change we’ll make next. One way he is helpful to me is pointing out when I might be putting too much effort into something with a small environmental payoff. For example, yesterday I was cutting the rim off a tofu container with scissors in order to remove the different type plastic from the top so that the polypropylene part can be recycled; this is never easy, but this one seemed particularly tough, and the jagged edge kept snapping back at my hand. Daniel said, “If you hurt yourself, are you really going to feel it was worth it to save that small amount of plastic?” I was 3/4 through, so I decided to finish, but I appreciate the reminder to balance risk to myself with minimization of my impact.
Love this – thanks for sharing!! I definitely think once we get a house in the near future (and don’t have to pay for each load of laundry) that we will slowly find a detergent that works with his skin. 🙂
Jenna ♥