You Can’t Always Green What You Want

In my journey to go green, I’ve made some cold-turkey changes…like changing out my light bulbs and carrying reusable shopping bags.

But many things aren’t that simple. I am constantly finding out that you can’t always get everything you want into one neat little package.

For instance, my deodorant. I always used Secret. Loved it. Kept me dry and non-stinky. But then I found out the secret. Aluminum. That’s what was keeping me fresh as a daisy. But aluminum has been linked to Alzheimer's, cancer, and God knows what else. The other ingredients in my favorite deodorant weren’t much better. So I decided to switch to a natural brand, Tom’s.

I began my crossover in the winter when I barely sweat. Worked like a charm.

And then, it started to get warm. I felt myself starting to get sweaty. I took a sniff. Crap. It was the deodorant. The missing aluminum! It wasn’t clogging up my sweat glands. I was definitely au naturale.

It was the same with my toothpaste.

It was supposed to be a routine visit to my new dentist. A simple cleaning. He put his magnifying camera in my mouth and there I was on the screen in front of me. He took a laser pointer and started showing me little marks. Cavities. And a lot of them. I’ve had one cavity in my whole life and now I have…a lot! I brush, I floss. How did this happen?

He asked me what toothpaste I was using. “Tom’s” I replied. He gasped. “You need the fluoride!” “No!” I shouted back. Fluoride is known to be toxic and linked to osteoporosis and now he wanted me to go back to using it! He told me it was the equivalent to not using bleach to clean your tub. Well…we know what happened to me the last time I used bleach and I won’t go there again.

So the big looming question…what do I do now?

Isn’t the presidential election like that? You’ve chosen your candidate, you’re solid in your choice and then he reveals something you just don’t agree with.

My candidate acknowledges that global warming is happening. He believes in wind and solar power and creating green jobs. But some of his solutions, like clean coal technology and off-shore drilling, are not the best things for the environment.

And so the question comes up again…what do I do now?

The truth is, I don’t want to smell and I hate the drill. So I compromise. Secret in the summer, Tom’s in the winter. Colgate in the morning, Tom’s before bed.

My candidate’s positions that I agree with outweigh the ones that I don’t. With that in mind, Obama gets my support, but not for everything. If he wants my support for clean coal technology, he’ll find, like I do, that you can’t always get what you want.