ND Life: Use the Accommodations
I've shared this story before, but this conversation comes up time and again. The debate with a friend about paper plates. Their argument was that using disposable plates is bad for the environment, so I should do everything in my power to only use "proper" reusable ones.
My argument was that as a very busy single mother with ADHD and neurodivergent children, paper plates mean I have to spend less time washing up... often in a panic because I forgot to do it sooner and now we need to eat and all the plates are dirty in the sink.
Their response was that the planet is more important then my comfort, and if I don't do better there won't be a planet for my children to inherit.
To which, my response was that there are 100 companies responsible for 70% of climate changing emissions and my paper plates are an accommodation that lets me be a better parent.
My breastfeeding, reusable period products, and cloth nappies have probably done more to reduce waste, than my paper plates add to it.
Why am I sharing this, and putting myself at risk of public criticism? Because allowing parents to make accommodations without guilt or shame can have a positive ripple effect that actually reduces waste and harm to the planet. When we focus in on one thing - here it's paper plates - we forget the bigger picture. We forget that we can do more than that one thing to help or hurt the planet, we forget that parents are unsupported and doing their best in isolation, and we forget that blaming individuals for environmental problems is exactly what those 100 companies producing 70% of the problem wants us to do.
Quite simply, if we as a society aren't going to invest in providing practical, ongoing support to families, we're going to to have to give them a break somewhere. For me, that break is paper plates when things are overwhelming. for you it might be something else, but please don't let people or society let you feel guilty - after all, society has placed us in this position where accommodations are needed in the first place.