Trepidation about green living choices

When I moved from doing the simpler going-green actions like composting my food waste, using cloth napkins and handkerchiefs and combining my errands to using cloth wipes in the bathroom and bringing my own hand towel to work, I felt a certain bit of trepidation. With the towel, I carry it from my cube to the bathroom and leave it by the sink as I use the toilet. It is not something I can hide. My initial concerns were "what were people going to say?" Honestly, no one has said anything to me. They may be thinking all they want but I have not been confronted with "why are you bringing your own towel?"

If that was not bad enough, I have sewn cloth wipes and reusable menstral pads. With the anonymity of the blog, I feel comfortable enough writing about these facts. However, I do not go around telling other people that I use cloth rather than paper in the bathroom. Line drying these items is a bit nerve wracking. I either hang up other larger pieces of laundry then the wipes or pads behind them, or I hang up the pads and wipes and quickly put larger items up to hide what I am placing on the line. Who knows what the neighbors and people driving by think.

When my family was over recently, I had a choice: do I put the cloth wipes under the sink so no one will see or just leave them out? Despite my concern, I left them out--and no one said anything to me. Either they did not know what they were or did not want to touch the subject at all. The bonus for using cloth wipes: I take months to go through a 12-pack of toilet paper.

It can be scary doing things outside what many people call "normal" but I like the feeling of self-sufficiency and the greener lifestyle. I made these items out of fabric and scraps I had onhand, I freed myself from having to buy disposable items, and I like that I am reducing my consumption and the amount of stuff headed for the landfill. I encourage you to stretch your greener and frugal wings and try something a bit radical. You may find you like it while helping your bottom line and living a bit easier on the planet.