Baby Steps.

Fairly unrelated image from my iPhone.

When I first started thinking about the Lavender Experiment I was driven by huge, lofty goals of complete self-sufficiency - a garden overflowing with enough organic fruit and veges to feed my family every week, solar panels, huge rainwater harvesting tanks, organic, fair-trade clothes, chemical-free living. You name it, I wanted it.

But now, things are more complicated. I'm busier than I've ever been and most days I get through the absolute necessities and not much else. I'm all about doing what I can, where I can. Yes, it's incredibly admirable to live an entirely self-sufficient life, completely off the grid, but for me and my family it's not realistic right now.

We all hear about the imminent dangers of climate change. We all hear that we need to act now and act big in order to slow its approach. We see the melting ice, the rising sea, the floods, the droughts, the catastrophic weather events.

Though enthusiastic about the experiment, my soon became, "Well, what difference can I make? What could I possibly do?" I was so overwhelmed by the challenge at hand that I ultimately did nothing.

The way I see it now, it's far better making changes where we can, as opposed to having lofty intentions but doing nothing about them. Baby steps.

So this month I use low-VOC paint, recycle and buy second-hand furniture to restore. Next month we hold a garage sale, plant some native plants in the garden and restart the compost bins. I can buy gifts from local and independent producers. I can green clean. I can use fabric nappies on my kids. I can recycle, lots. I can get some chooks for the backyard.

These aren't big steps. But if I list all the baby steps I take this year, I can see that I may just start to make a difference.