It Ain’t Easy Being Green 💚: What I’m Currently Struggling With

Hey earth muffins! My journey towards living zero/low waste began over a year ago, and I must admit: I am still having struggles being green. 😓 Some of these changes are ones I am reluctant to make but a fair majority are ones that, due to circumstance, I am having a hard time making in my life at the moment. When scrolling through the homepage of my @lifeofanearthmuffin Instagram account, I only ever see the amazing accomplishments of others in the zero waste community. While social media does allow people to only post what they want you to see, it is often frustrating that their journeys to living sustainably look easier than mine. Today, I wanted to get vulnerable with you all to share my current struggles with “going green” and my struggles of being green in general.  
 
A picture of Kermit the frog looking out a window with the words It Ain't Easy Being Green on it to discuss the struggles of being green
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I think the first major thing I am struggling with is how inaccessible sustainable products are in the city I am living in for my masters program. While I could drive an extra 20 to 30 minutes to get to a bulk store or place orders on multiple websites, I am on a tight budget as a grad student and don’t want to put any extra miles on my car if I don’t need to. Plus, the city I am in is an expensive place to live, which means that the prices on sustainable goods are much higher than they should be because people have the extra disposable income to spare (but I sure don’t!). This results in me shopping at the closest grocery store and making do with what they offer, which is usually buying things in cardboard and the largest size possible. And that sucks! As you all saw in my plant-based grocery haul, I was used to absolutely acing sustainable grocery shopping – now, I have to resort to packaging to get some of my essentials. It almost feels like I am backtracking in my journey, as all I want to do is utilize a bulk bin section.

My journey has also been tough recently due to the fact that I share my apartment with a roommate. When you live alone (like I did this summer) you are able to buy the things you want… But now I need to make compromises in terms of things we share (such as cleaning supplies). My roommate is absolutely amazing (I love her to death!), but there definitely is a tradeoff to living sustainably when you aren’t living alone. Quite the struggles being green!

While I do feel like I am taking a small step backwards in my sustainable journey, I do know that when I finish this program I will be able to hit the ground running again. The city I am moving to is the same place I have interned at these past two summers, so I know that there are places nearby where I can buy sustainable products at fair prices. I also will be living with my boyfriend next year, and even though he is not as on board with the whole zero waste thing, I know that he will let me buy the things I want and do the things I want to do.

 
Overall, I hope this post goes to show that living a sustainable lifestyle has its ups and downs. When you feel like you have finally made some progress in a certain area, other parts of your life might force you to not be as sustainable as you like. And that is totally okay! As long as you know what your end goals are, the sustainable journey can take as long (or as short) as you want! I hope that by sharing my own struggles I have inspired you all to continue on your own sustainable journeys.
 
A piece of paper with the words I believe in you typed on it
 

What have you been struggling with recently?

Love,
Jenna ♥

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