Columnist enjoys process of growing greener

Anyone who has ever tried to break an old habit, or take on a new one, can tell you change isn’t easy. True change requires a new way of thinking; a new way of living. Getting up an hour earlier each morning to head to the gym takes discipline and commitment. Who wouldn’t rather roll over and sleep a little more? Cutting calories means not giving in to that late-afternoon sugar craving. The grande latte and Snickers bar lunch has to go. Sensible choices have to take their place. Even basic curbside recycling requires taking a little time and thought to sort items and put the bin on the street . To be a new person – a better person - you have to shed a little of your old self. And you have to take on a new persona. The same can be said of adopting a greener lifestyle. On the surface, letting go of one’s old energy-wasting, kilowatt-sucking, carbon-emitting ways, is simple. But trying to do too much too fast can be overwhelming. Where do we start? How far do we go? Like so many others, I am trying to be a better steward of finite resources. I try to think about my carbon footprint before I take a step. Making significant change is a process. It’s a journey. You don’t get there overnight. There are those who early on adopted a lean, green lifestyle. They are rigorous, even militant, in their beliefs. And then there are others, people like me, who are committed to making changes, but are trying to fit those habits into busy lifestyles and tight budgets. We’re doing it one step at a time, around family schedules and obligations. Home Work The first change I made was to shrink the space around me. My house is small. We downsized from too many rooms and too much lawn and a 30-minute commute three years ago, trading a suburban lifestyle for a cottage on a narrow city lot just minutes from downtown. The move wasn’t without its complications. But I think it’s made us stronger as a family. Now, I can catch the bus on the corner and be downtown in minutes. Or, if I drive, I use only a fraction of the gas I once consumed. Mowing the lawn takes minutes instead of hours. We use less of everything. Less power, less water and – just as important to someone in my position - less time. In many ways, the time-saving benefit of downsizing has had the most impact. A garden of little gardens I grew up in a family of gardeners. Now, with only a small backyard – between the house, the garage and the patio, there isn’t much green space - my garden has to be practical and creative. With such a small space, I’ve tried to make the best use of every nook and corner. I filled containers with produce. Wine barrels hold herbs and tomatoes and even corn. Colorful glazed pots overflow with lettuce and other salad greens. More planters hold bush beans, peppers, eggplant and cabbage. Pumpkin vines trail along the ground in the narrow space between a raised bed filled with cabbage, onions, zucchini, squash and cucumber and the driveway. My garden isn’t an acre of rows to be plowed and weeded. It is a collection of individual gardens. A petite henhouse, designed and built to fit the small backyard, nestles against the garage and three well-fed hens greet us every morning. They spend hours every day grazing in the backyard and flock to peck at vegetable scraps and peelings. In return, they give me organic material to fertilize and compost. And good company. The chickens are fascinating to watch. They were this year’s chicks so they should be laying eggs by early fall. Fine Feathers I’ve discovered that big changes to the way I live are made one little step at a time. No fancy wardrobe required. No special education. Not even a new toolbox. It’s as much about the way I see things as use things. Searching for a simpler, more sustainable life is a process. It’s taking what we need and returning what we can share. But it doesn’t have to mean sacrificing comfort, style and hospitality. I’m changing the way the young hens in my backyard are changing. They shed old feathers and add new every day. Like everyone else I know, I still have a long way to go. But I’m growing greener every day.