Survivalist mode vs ethical choices
This last week we have been on a family holiday to Wales.
We have had a good time bearing in mind that often when holidaying with young children is just dealing with them having a breakdown in a more picturesque location.
But one thing I noticed was the huge increase in plastic waste we got through.
When you're at home it's a lot easier to reduce plastic, you can gather, money permitting, your plastic free alternatives, local knowledge of the best places to shop, networks etc. It is a lot easier to prepare.
When you're in a different country and you don't know the facilities, you're running on survivalist mode a lot more.
Take this scenario. You are at a soft play. Child 1 is having a nice time. Child 2 is having a meltdown yelling that's she's scared and not letting you put her down but does want to go in to the soft play but not down. So you have to make your way out through the softplay whilst holding a screaming 2 year old. Kettlebell workouts have nothing on this.
Child 1 decides she is hungry and thirsty.
NOW.
You brought drinks.
But she has seen that there are fruitshoots at the soft play.
She needs a fruitshoot not water.
Meanwhile child 2 is still clawing at your face and not letting you put her down. Fine, you go to buy the fruitshoots (2 because anything child 1 has, child 2 must also have).
You inquire about food. Sorry the kitchen doesn't open till 10 you are told. You scoure the counter for the healthiest option from the widespread choice of chocolate bars, cakes or crisps.
Child 1 has spotted wotsits.
Wotsits! Wotsits! Fine. 2 again.
The children sit down and start eating, now calm. You sit and let the adrenalin seep out of your body now the crisis is over.
Do you even think about plastic waste in this scenario?
No this moment is purely about survival.
We got through an awful lot of fruitshoots and crisp packets on our holiday.
Parenting is hard. A lot of the time you are running on survival mode and when the default choice isn't an environmental one it can be hard and sometimes near impossible to make a different one.
Which is why public pressure and advocacy is so important. It isn't enough to just abstain from plastics and sit on a pedalstool for all to see. Because yes although with enough time and money and resources and knowledge we can all make the right ethical choices, often those things aren't there at the spur of the moment.
Purchasing ethically and environmentally shouldn't be something you need to prepare for in advance or a niche product only available online at high prices.
It should just be the default normal option.
We have had a good time bearing in mind that often when holidaying with young children is just dealing with them having a breakdown in a more picturesque location.
But one thing I noticed was the huge increase in plastic waste we got through.
When you're at home it's a lot easier to reduce plastic, you can gather, money permitting, your plastic free alternatives, local knowledge of the best places to shop, networks etc. It is a lot easier to prepare.
When you're in a different country and you don't know the facilities, you're running on survivalist mode a lot more.
Take this scenario. You are at a soft play. Child 1 is having a nice time. Child 2 is having a meltdown yelling that's she's scared and not letting you put her down but does want to go in to the soft play but not down. So you have to make your way out through the softplay whilst holding a screaming 2 year old. Kettlebell workouts have nothing on this.
Child 1 decides she is hungry and thirsty.
NOW.
You brought drinks.
But she has seen that there are fruitshoots at the soft play.
She needs a fruitshoot not water.
Meanwhile child 2 is still clawing at your face and not letting you put her down. Fine, you go to buy the fruitshoots (2 because anything child 1 has, child 2 must also have).
You inquire about food. Sorry the kitchen doesn't open till 10 you are told. You scoure the counter for the healthiest option from the widespread choice of chocolate bars, cakes or crisps.
Child 1 has spotted wotsits.
Wotsits! Wotsits! Fine. 2 again.
The children sit down and start eating, now calm. You sit and let the adrenalin seep out of your body now the crisis is over.
Do you even think about plastic waste in this scenario?
No this moment is purely about survival.
We got through an awful lot of fruitshoots and crisp packets on our holiday.
Parenting is hard. A lot of the time you are running on survival mode and when the default choice isn't an environmental one it can be hard and sometimes near impossible to make a different one.
Which is why public pressure and advocacy is so important. It isn't enough to just abstain from plastics and sit on a pedalstool for all to see. Because yes although with enough time and money and resources and knowledge we can all make the right ethical choices, often those things aren't there at the spur of the moment.
Purchasing ethically and environmentally shouldn't be something you need to prepare for in advance or a niche product only available online at high prices.
It should just be the default normal option.
Comments
Post a Comment