Change starts at home

Listening to a feature on National Public Radio recently about the true motivation behind most people’s “green” efforts, I was struck by the simple truth. The point being made was that most of us make global environmentally beneficial decisions based not on what is good for the planet, but on factors much closer to home. Instead of taking the long view, most of us have our own health and welfare, as well as the health and welfare of our families, on our minds when we choose products and lifestyles. When I first heard her words, I cringed a bit. Guilty as charged. Like the woman on the radio, I too buy organic milk and applesauce because that’s what I want to feed my daughter. I choose compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) because I want to save money and energy. I’m looking into low VOC interior paint and greener flooring products like Marmoleum or cork for my kitchen re-do because I don’t want toxic gasses in my home. I keep three little hens in the backyard for fresh eggs. Of course, I care about the wider issues. And that factors into the choices I make. But, to be honest, my consuming, day-to-day concern, is taking care of my own. After feeling like the world’s biggest hypocrite for a few minutes, I remembered something my grandmother told me. I’d questioned some stand she’d taken, I can’t even remember what it was now, and she patiently explained to me that all big changes begin at home. When you set a course for the future, she told me, you take the first step on a path that starts at your own front door. Before you go out and try to change the world, she said, you’d better make sure your own nest is in order. The older I get, the more I understand just what she meant by those words. As a mother, I don’t want my children eating food tainted with hormones and/or chemicals. But, then, as a mother, I don’t want any child to eat that way. Why should my family be any different? How can I not work toward that kind of life for every child? I want my home to be safe, clean and healthy. But, then, everyone deserves the same. My focus now is on making a better world for my children. But, looking ahead, what about their children? And generations to come? That’s what ultimately pushes me forward. That’s what makes me stop and consider the layers of impact - the carbon footprint, the packaging, the recyclability, the sustainability - of products I purchase and decisions I make. Yes, most of us, whether or not we admit it, have a short line of focus. To see the future, we need to see it first focused on our own lives. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. A ripple in a pond spreads out from the point of contact. Change moves through the world in the same way. Cheryl-Anne Millsap is a freelance columnist for The Spokesman-Review. Her essays can be heard on Spokane Public Radio and on public radio stations across the country. She is the author of “Home Planet: A Life in Four Seasons,” and can be reached at catmillsap@gmail.com