Can You Be Green When You Are Sick?

Photo Credit: Flickr/sun dazed

Well, some of us do turn a shade of green when we aren’t feeling well, but that isn’t what I am referring to. How well do we adhere to green living standards when we are under the weather?  I am here to tell you, I am not faring well.  I have been ill since Sunday and because I feel so terrible, I have inadvertently thrown green living almost completely out the window.

I have had a fever which has made me incredibly chilled for the last four days. This means my thermostat gets inched up every so often. I also have my Bucky pillow (just a buckwheat-filled neck wrap if you aren’t familiar) and I have microwaved that thing maybe 100 times over this time period to try to stay warm.

Another energy suck – my television that I had just weeks ago given up successfully and happily, has been on 24 hours a day in an attempt to distract me from feeling so terrible.  I don’t know why but it is oddly comforting when I am ill.

I never have disposable facial tissue but now that my sinuses need something, I have used about a roll of bathroom tissue.  I did manage to make a trip to the store for some supplies.  I ended up making some of the most comfort based impulse buys ever – Ice cream, cookies, snacks – all things that I have vowed to cut out of my life to eliminate packaging and the ills of processed foods. I also bought Ibuprofen and cough drops. I’m sure those aren’t on the green list either.

It doesn’t stop there. I went to the doctor’s office and I was so hungry on my way home that I stopped for French fries at a drive thru!  And let’s discuss the doctor’s office for a minute. There is nothing eco-friendly about that place, other than they turned out the light in my room when I asked them to. But perhaps we don’t really want too many reusable things where there are so many sick people.

My point here is not to list all of the things that I am doing wrong so that I can feel guilty about my eco-sins.  I mean, for me that’s a lot of waste! But rather, we should acknowledge that we can only do our best at any given time - right now my best is not very good.  Green living takes planning and effort, and right now I can’t do that.  But I am on the mend and will be right back on the green living path as soon as I am able.  And this is an area that when I am feeling better, I would like to think of ways to prepare for any future illness.

I also wanted to post this to start a discussion about what others do when they are ill? Are there any green living tips that you adhere to when you are sick?  How do you feel about the waste associated with hospitals?  Do you feel guilty when you can’t uphold your standard level of green?

Please post your feedback here so we can collectively come up with a good plan for next flu season!

Eco Home Consultations provides green living consultation services in the Seattle area, focusing on practical ways to integrate green living into your household. Learn more at www.ecohomeconsults.com.