How would you like it if I say I would like you to turn green? No, no, not green with envy. I’m talking about being green as in being environmentally conscious. As far my habits go, I refuse to mindlessly buy things, refuse to believe that modern always equals good and refuse to become cynical.
I prefer to carry my own bag for shopping and insist that the vendor not give me a plastic one. Shop keepers earlier used to assure me that they won’t charge me extra. Now they look at me funnily. The regulars who know me and who have heard my explanations swiftly put things in my bag and pack me off, before their other customers can launch on how plastic bags have become indispensable and I counter them with a talk on their harmful effects.

The bakery guy is torn between pleasing me by putting his freshly baked bread in the paper bag and seeing it lose its shape or packing it neatly as usual in plastic cover. He can’t hide his smirk at what he sees as my idiosyncrasy.

One shopping chain even politely refused to let me carry the single pair of jeans I had bought without a plastic bag, saying it was against their rule. That I got a paper bag after some explanation didn’t amuse my daughter who hates attention of any sort! Wanting to reuse as much as possible, I insisted that we get our cordless phone repaired rather than buy a new one. Several trips to the repair shop failed to address the issue and when every one pointed out that I was burning more fuel in the process, I had to concede defeat and buy a new instrument.

Being green can be expensive too. As we found while browsing in a high end shop. Not wanting to use diapers with my little son, I had packed him in cloth diapers, securely, or so I thought. When a few drops of offending liquid fell on the gleaming floor, I scooped up my son, cleaned up and hurriedly bought a belt that cost what I wouldn’t have normally paid for two dresses!

Not buying water, disliking shopping of the kind and many other habits of mine raise many eyebrows and a few questions. I ignore the eyebrows and answer the questions to the best of my abilities because it feels good to collect those carbon credits.