Getting Off the Consumer Merry-Go-Round

A large part of living a more ecologically conscious life day-to-day is about reducing the amount that one consumes. There is a reason why "reduce" is the first R of the environmental 3 Rs: reduce, reuse recycle. It is time to slow down the consumerist  steamroller and purchase less, use less, make do with less.

I would be a hypocrite saying that I lead by example with this. By living in a suburban community of a developed nation I am a consumer whether I like it or not. This is multiplied by having children. They are always begging for the latest toy, the newest widget, another pair of shoes (Shoes? What? Don't look in my closet, ok?). We too frequently confuse a want with a need as a society.

When I was very young my parents did not have a lot of money and often struggled. One winter they they burned older furniture in the fireplace until they could afford a new furnace. Often my mother sewed my clothes to keep within a budget. Homemade presents were a regular occurrence at birthdays and Christmas; she also enjoyed crafting so it wasn't just to save money. Now, as I reflect upon my childhood, I wish I had appreciated my mother's homespun efforts more. While she had to do it out of necessity, I want to emulate it for more of the simple life she created.

I admit that as an adult some of my spending habits are directly related to feeling like I didn't have enough or I wasn't keeping up with my peers. Financially my parents were stronger by the time my brother was born, but odd snippets and images stick with me from my youth. I didn't get my first real pair of jeans until I was twelve years old and my mother frequently took us to a clothing factory in Chinatown where we bought knock-off styles straight from the manufacturer (which truly mortified me and yes, I was teased for it). I loved Playmobile toys but I only every had some from McDonalds happy meals or sets I saved up for myself. I remember being told that I couldn't have something because they didn't have the money at the time. Of course I remember having lots of other material things, and I was well taken care of and much loved, never truly needing anything.

When my husband finished school and we were both finally working full time we started on the consumerist merry-go-round. We bought a townhouse, we slowly started buying new furniture instead of student hand-me-downs, we bought a second car, I was able to buy the latest styles when they were still in style. When we started a family, though, the merry-go-round went into high gear. Christmas, which we had previously been quite jaded about, suddenly became magical again, not to mention birthdays. We bought all the toys we had wanted as children, including tonnes of Little People and Playmobile. In some ways we were reliving our childhood and buying ourselves these things.

It is almost as if I live a double life. I try to live by natural parenting ideals; cloth diapering when all three children were infants, breast feeding, reusable feminine products, hybrid car, walking and biking as much as is convenient, growing veggies in a backyard garden, recycling and composting. We are asking family to cut down on the amount of gifts we exchange at holidays, we try to make gifts or give experiential gifts as much as possible. We are slowly replacing items around our home with more ecologically friendly ones (for example, push mower when rechargeable mower broke down). We eat local, organic and in season as much as possible. We don't buy commercial cleaners and instead use vinegar for most of our cleaning needs.

But I also drive a mini-van, I love shopping for shoes, I like to buy new clothing items each season to update my wardrobe and we buy our daughters plastic toys. For Mother's Day a year and a half ago I desperately wanted and got an iPhone4, and for my last birthday similarly I got an iPad3. We have pizza delivered for dinner when we are busy, we occasionally like to eat out and we enjoy hosting big parties. We have been to Disneyland once and are hopefully planning a big Hawaii vacation with my parents. As a family we generally do not go without something we really want.

I am trying to really examine what we need, and more and more I am reflecting on our wants versus needs when I feel the impulse to buy. Has it stopped me from buying? Not all the time. Has it slowed me down? I hope so. My priorities in life are different than someone else so I don't expect someone to make the same decisions as me. Case in point - my husband thinks I spend too much on clothes and I do not prioritize buying DVDs and music as he does. But we are beginning the conversation with our daughters about needs and wants, talking about what we are grateful for and how fortunate our lives are. I want them to be happy and content in life regardless what they have materially, and I want them to be conscious about where their material goods come from and how they were produced.

There are definitely areas where I need to re-examine my life, my wants and spending patterns. I can do better. I need to take more risks with living by what I believe. Some might call me a hypocrite and I'm sure that when someone like me starts a blog dedicated to thinking about ways to be more ecological it opens me up to finger pointing and criticism.

I think I am a work in progress and I am trying to do better, step-by-step each day. Slowly but surely I am changing my thinking and changing my behaviour.

Insta Nature Love

I have always felt soothed by a walk in a natural setting, be it by water or through a thicket of trees. I love being outside year-round; in fact I love being outside in the cooler, wetter months almost more because there are fewer people around. With my young daughters I find we cannot spend a whole day inside during inclement weather without someone (or all) going a little batty.

Along the south arm of the Fraser River

When we lived in a small townhouse we had to get out for our walk and play at the neighbourhood playground everyday. On wet days we called it a "rainy day walk", on stormy days it was called a "windy day walk", and on. We love adding to our nature collection and I am constantly finding special rocks, acorns, unusual leaves, etc hoarded in bags, under pillows and in drawers.

Walking up to the west dyke of the Fraser River

My girls love noticing special things, or simple, beautiful things when being out in nature. This summer we spent time at the Terra Nova Sharing Farm, walking around and noticing the different crops in the community gardens, the fascinating insects on plants, and the variety of wildlife and farm animals we encountered.

Exploring around the Terra Nova Rural Area

Like many parents I have found that having children makes me stop and notice things from a different perspective, both literally and figuratively. I have to get down lower than I am used to being and I see things that I do not normally see at my eye level, and the phrase "stop and smell the roses" has even more meaning to me when I have to walk at a much slower pace than usual.

Watching bees pollinate flowers while we sit 

in a garden and talk about what we see: Victoria, B.C.

Unfortunately, as my family has grown and added more personalities and moods, it has become more difficult to get out on a daily nature walk. With two children I could always throw one into a stroller or back carrier to encourage a nap and head out with snacks.

A lovely early spring afternoon walk

With three children, for some reason it is that much more difficult to convince everyone to get out. I am back at work part time now and my oldest two, with additional extracurricular interests, are in school all day so our time is more limited. Also, we moved from our townhouse on the dyke which was a two minute walk to ducks, eagles, herons, cows, garter snakes and an endless river walk, so our easy access to nature is somewhat more limited.

The west dyke near Garry Point

We are now only a five minute bike ride or ten minute walk from the beautiful and historic scenery of Britannia Shipyards, and just a bit further afield is Steveston Village. So much to see and do; it just takes a little more effort.

A winter walk along the boardwalk into Steveston Village

It may seem counterintuitive, but technology has increased my awareness and desire to push everyone out the door and get outside. The media is always cautioning people about the dangers of technology in creating a sedentary lifestyle with the increase in screen time; however, because of online interests and apps, I have found a new way to connect with nature.

My garden

I am a straight up Instagram addict. I have always loved taking family photos and documenting our life with a camera (currently participating in Becky Higgins' Project Life by taking a Photo Of The Day) but Instagram has taken this to a whole new level for me. They say that the best camera is the one that you have with you, and for me this is my iPhone4. Of course I would love a fancy dancy DSLR camera  but I love being creative with photo editing apps on my phone and iPad.

St. Mary Lake, Salt Spring Island

The other thing I love so much about Instagram, which I did not realize when I first joined, is the social networking aspect. For me it isn't about numbers of followers, it is about making meaningful connections with other people who share my passion for photo taking and editing. I am fascinated by seeing the world through other people's eyes, and it is interesting to see different parts of the world (I follow people in South Africa, Australia, Dubai, Ecuador, England, Scotland, Indonesia, Russia, Croatia, and on). I have made Instagram friends in my local area and hope to have an InstaMeet sometime (I've met one Instagram friend in person, the talented and lovely Silly Guts (Instagram name).

We look for nature in urban environments too: 

the parking lot at Children's Hospital, Vancouver

Because of Instagram I have learned so much about photography, such as framing, perspective, texture, positive and negative space, and use of colour that has helped me grow (follower feedback has been very helpful as well).

Parksville, B.C.

But most of all Instagram has helped me develop a deeper appreciation and respect for nature. Where ever I go I am looking around me with the eyes of a photographer and looking for an interesting shot. I have been known to make my husband pull over or go around the block so I can go back and take a photo and I stop my bike ride or run to take a shot that catches my eye.

Garry Point Park, Steveston

But I also go outside now with the specific intent of hunting for interesting photos. Sometimes I go by myself (ok, usually with my two year old in tow), but often I take my older daughters with me. Modelling is very powerful, to the point that my oldest has an iPod and loves taking photos with it (I've even set her up with a private Instagram account so she can follow me), and my middle daughter has an old digital camera that she uses. I can imagine the funny sight we make, the three of us running around snapping pictures.

Manning Park, B.C.

Through photography, and Instagram, I am slowing down to notice things even more: the beauty of the sunlight through the leaves, the way light illuminates the petals of a flower, the insects at ground level, the patterns that pinecones make on the ground, the ripples from the wake of a boat or unique cloud formations.

My children's school playground

I have heard the criticism that I might not be enjoying life because I am too busy with my face staring at an iPhone screen. I am quite conscious of how much screen time I have when I am out and about with my children and I do honestly try to limit what I do so I can be present with them. Yes, I take a lot of photos, and sometimes it irritates my family, but I don't think that they feel I do nothing but take photos. I try to limit the time I spend reviewing, organizing and editing photos to the evening when the kids are in bed. However, now that my older daughters also enjoy taking photos, it has become a shared activity, and they will help me notice things and ask me to take photos of them.

Kite buggies at Garry Point Park

My love of nature and natural settings was not awakened by photography, but it has been nurtured in a new way because of this passion. It may even be because of social networking in general, and Instagram in particular, that the idea for this blog developed in my mind. I wanted to find a way to share my love of the visual and natural world, and when I thought about the efforts of my family to live a more ecologically conscious life the two came together into this blog where I want to document our journey. Of course I could have just kept a journal, much like my Project Life, but I have learned so much through social networking on line that I wanted to connect with people and seek out others who are following their own path.

Golden Island sunset, Parksville, B.C.

If you would like to connect with me on Instagram, I am crustyroll35.

I am looking forward to sharing what I have learned from taking macro photos in a later post!