Hi All, Climate Master John Fischer here with KLCC's Living Less Unsustainably. When I talk with people about sustainability, I get two kinds of questions. The first asks for more details on a topic - why aluminum containers are better than glass. The other questions basically ask -"So - are you perfect ?!?"
The first group is nuanced with answers that change - it's what I've been talking about on the radio for years. The perfect question is easy to answer. I am not perfect. Nobody alive is, and you shouldn't strive to be perfect, you should work to be better.
Let me give you an example from my own imperfect life. I have mowed my lawn with only human power for a few years - until June 7 2025. Too much time spent climbing and skiing mountains, while the grass kept growing around the edges forced me into a quandary. Start up the salvaged, repaired, second hand mower, or risk losing grandchildren - maybe even grown children in the high grass.
I measured - one quart of gasoline in four years. Not perfect, but capital m much better. Here are some ideas to consider. Get to-go coffee in your own cup - most of the time. Mend rather than replace some of your clothes. Bike or walk to the store at least sometimes. Follow the arugula pesto recipe on the phone rather than printing it. Line dry the laundry - ahh that t-shirt smells good - unless the HOA says you can't; and if outside drying is forbidden, bring up a rule change at the next meeting. Borrow or rent that rarely used tool rather than buy one - and if you have one you don't use at all anymore, sell it or donate it so that it will get it's job done instead of just gathering dust.
Perfection is a high bar - dial it back a little - you'll be more successful. I'm far from perfect John Fischer with Living Less Unsustainably.
