readingAny time I think I’d like to to try something new, my brain naturally reacts by creating a list of things that I’ll need in order to do it right.

Does your head work like this, too?

It can be useful to come up with a few things that will help guarantee your success, but if you don’t keep your wandering mind in check, it can quickly generate an impossible list of things for you to buy, make, or otherwise acquire in order to “do it right.”

This is dangerous territory if you’re serious about making a change.  Left to it’s own devices, I know my brain can talk me right out of any good idea.

That’s why, instead,  I like to make short lists of things I don’t need to start something.  This is usually the same list of things I think I do need, but with a little more creative reasoning applied to them.

If you want to start making a better effort to live sustainably, here’s a list of 5 things everyone says are important but that you definitely do not need.  Save your money and get creative.

Books & manuals

If you’ve found yourself interested in the green movement, you’ve probably already read a couple books on the subject and come up with some ideas of what you can do.  Leave it at that and get started.

If you read book after book looking for the one with the magic bullet – the one with all the answers to fit your lifestyle and make your dreams come true – all you’ll ever do is read books.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with reading, but I have a bias for doing.  It’s much more effective in the long term.

Besides, the book you’re looking for doesn’t exist.  Search is just your brain’s mechanism for keeping you from actually doing something uncomfortable.

If you really do need a book with every answer in it, you’d better get started writing.

A hybrid car

Who could even think of going green without taking a serious look at their transportation?  Cars emit so much CO2 we ought to be ashamed to be seen in them.  The only way to do right by the world is to go buy a hybrid car so you can do the least harm.

Wrong.

Yes, cars are a huge part of our footprint, but if you think you need a new  hybrid vehicle to get yourself on the right path, then you’re distracting yourself from looking at the really important issues behind car ownership – how much we drive them and how efficiently we drive them.

A car is a tool and, like any tool, you should have a good idea of how to use it before you buy a new one.

Consider walking or riding your bike for shorter trips. Get familiar with your city’s transit system.  Learn how to hypermile. Basically, get the most out of what you’ve already got.

A newer car is, in most circumstances, better for the environment, but if you can’t afford one, then convincing yourself you need one to go green is just an excuse to not get started at all.

New appliances

Just like a new car, new appliances should be the last thing on your list when you’re learning to go green.  They’re big money pits that your head will try to use against you and your attempts to live more sustainably.

Instead, get the most out of the ones you already have.

Learn the best ways to use your dishwasher.  Keep your refrigerator full, at the right temperature, and don’t leave the door open. Leave the oven door open after cooking for extra heat.

Don’t just forget about buying a new dryer, eliminate the need for it completely.

New appliances are just shiny distractions.  Shiny distractions that keep your mind from getting creative with how you use what you already own.

CFL light bulbs

Despite what all the experts might tell you, you have no need for a house full of CFL light bulbs.  Not all at once, at least.

Before you go spend a small fortune and half your weekend changing every…single…bulb in your whole house, spend some time figuring out which rooms you use the most and when you use them.  Get better at turning lights off when the sun’s out.  Teach yourself to turn off lights in the rooms you’re not currently using.

Once you’ve got these steps down, then go buy CFL bulbs, but just a few of them.

You don’t need to spend half your paycheck all at once.  You can buy a couple and put them in the fixtures that are used the most.  Then, when a light burns out, replace it witch a CFL.

Whatever you do, don’t let the daunting task of changing all your light bulbs get in the way of getting started on a smaller scale.

Tons of external support

Wouldn’t it be nice if everything we ever did got us a big pat on the back from everyone we knew?  I’d love it if my email inbox filled up every day with kudos for my latest post.  It would really be nice.

Unfortunately, not everyone sees eye to eye with you and even those that do are busy with their own lives and probably don’t have time to give you a gold star every time you remember to put the aluminum can in the recycling instead of the trash.

Truly embracing sustainability is something you do to satisfy your own internal values.  You do it because it’s the right thing to do whether or not anyone else recognizes that it is.

When you focus on doing the right thing just because, you can satisfy yourself without having to rely on others to keep you motivated.

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If you want to tell me what else you don’t need to go green, leave a comment, or get free updates to learn all kinds of neat things.

Connect with me on Twitter: @tylertervooren

Image of man reading by kwerfeldein

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