let the change begin

A change is gonna come.

“Change” is a word that’s resonating pretty deeply around this country these days. I voted once for “Change we can believe in,” and turns out I’ll be voting for exactly that again in November—Barack Obama is going to turn this nation around because of the things he believes in and his passion to make the changes we all need in education, healthcare, the environment, and government.

And change is also very prevalent in my own personal life.

I can safely say I’m a card-carrying bus commuter and it’s definitely saving me money, not to mention it’s keeping my road rage at a comfortable nonexistent level. Riding the bus, walking home, listening to NPR on my iPod, carrying my new BPA-free Nalgene water bottle, toting around one of several books about sustainability, and smiling when I walk up to my comfortably-parked car with a huge “Texas For Obama” sign in the back windshield... oh, excuse me? Did I just emit some "holier-than-thou" vibes? I didn't mean it... I'm just trying to be a do-gooder hippie.

What’s next? Baby steps. Like selling the car and making my own clothes. Hah! Have you seen my sewing skills? No, you haven't, because I DON'T SEW!

Instead, I am trying to go vegetarian. Or part-time vegetarian, at least. Eggs and milk? Organic, free-range, grass-fed, you name it. Beef? Must be grass-fed and organic, if not local. Chicken? Yeah, you’d better hope it’s free-range. There are a few exclusions, though: brisket from Louie Mueller BBQ (or possibly another Texas BBQ joint). I may not be able to go without red wine (although some good wines are produced 60 miles from where I live) or coffee.

That said, I live in a place where it’s easy to find sustainable options to almost any food, and I’m able to eat locally-produced organic fruits and veggies. I’ve been growing my own kitchen herbs somewhat successfully now, and hope to branch out in the fall with some container veggies. In the meantime, my boyfriend and I will be getting a box of local food delivered each week through a program here.

Our first box comes on Friday. Can’t wait to see what’s in it! I’m guessing maybe some summer beets, cucumbers, blackberries, figs, peaches, eggplant, garlic, kale... The list goes on. Sounds like it will be delicious!

As far as I can tell, it's not so hard to make changes like these. All it's taken is one little question: is this a sustainable choice? So it's hard to get in my car when I know now that it's better all around to take the bus. It's hard to buy individual containers of yogurt when I know they aren't recyclable and I can buy the big vat of yogurt for less, anyway. It's hard to buy that trinket from Ross when I know it's not something I NEED. (This has not yet kept me from purchasing inexpensive clothing and lots of it, though, much to my beloved boyfriend's dismay!)

So, here’s a toast to change, on the individual and bigger-picture levels.