Eco Living Question – How Green Is Green Enough?

Last year I spent a few months crashing at a friends house while I was working away from home. He was a confirmed “green” who put a lot of effort into living a more sustainable lifestyle.

He had his own allotment and grew most of his own food as a result. He was a vegetarian (but not a vegan). He liked to walk or cycle if he could rather than drive. He recycled regularly. He instructed me on the most energy-efficient way to use his washing machine. And so on. Most people would agree that this guy was doing his bit.

But there was an ironic flipside. He lived in an old house, far bigger than he really needed. The house, whilst beautiful, was single glazed and was old enough not to have cavity walls meaning little or no household insulation. Lights were frequently left on all night for the sake of the dog. And he was also a foodie and so as well as growing much of his own food he also bought fancy wines and exotic foods from around the world.

The question I got thinking about was how green is really green enough.

In terms of his actions he did much to be applauded. He followed the common-sense guidelines that have been drummed into us for years. And yet he was also wasting a lot of energy unnecessarily which could have been saved.

My goal here is not to slate my friend’s attempts, but rather to simply raise the point about both the yin and the yang of living a green lifestyle. It made me wonder whether his efforts on one front crossed out his losses on the other. And also made me realize how difficult it can be to decide on whether we really are living a sustainable, “one planet” lifestyle.

What do you think? Should he move into a greener home, or be happy where he is trying to do what he can to live his lifestyle as he likes while reducing his carbon footprint where he can? Please leave me your thoughts…