Any ways to sell someone on the idea of going green

AmyLane542010

My husband is not against it but he's not entirely stoked about it either. (nor are my parents who live in the same town with us) Making my own laundry soap and buying greener soaps, and deodorants were an easy sell. (with my husband not my parents though they'll use the laundry soap if I bring it over or make it for them) Getting him to agree that driving an hour or more to get meats or that finding a recycling center then collecting our recycleables and driving there is another matter. Its expensive and time consuming. Any ideas on how to get him more excited about it?  I can't con him into watching foo inc with me. (i've already seen it) The only reason he's excited about the beef is because the farmer comes to a local farmers market about 30 min away AND the beef is dry aged so it tastes better (the husband was a butcher in his younger days)

pennyandandy

I think the best way is to start with the easy stuff, like you have. And cheap stuff. For instance, we also make our own soap, and we clothes line dry (as much as we can). It saves energy=saves money. Since he used to be a butcher, that is a great angle for you to go with, because he should know the value of quality meat and what is best for your family. As far as the recycleables, that is harder because it is not as cost effective or easy. Setting up a recycling habit can be hard at first, but it does get easier. What if you collect cans and turn those in for money and let him spend the money on something he wants?

sillygoosegirl

In my experience, if you are trying to "sell" an idea, people can tell.  Most people do not like being "sold" an idea.  I think it generally works better to lead by example.  Show him how enthusiastic you are.  Make it clear that you are going to do this stuff with or without his help.  Don't ask a lot of him.  Especially don't ask him to do anything you aren't doing yourself.  (Don't ask him to drive an hour to get the meats, drive it yourself, etc.)  This typically makes a more favorable impression (both of the activity and it's importance) than trying to "sell" the other person.  I think when he sees how committed you are to it, he will start to get on board (though it may still be a gradual thing).  

AmyLane542010

Anything you do is selling someone on something, be it selling by example, selling through coercion, or selling with facts. Hell the way you dress is selling someone on your personality... I'm not asking him to do anything I'm not already doing. When it comes to buying household items and cleaners, thats all me. Our general process goes something like this, "honey why are you buying deodorant off the internet?"  i respond "because its better for you" he says "why?" then I explain the ways aluminum oxides are potentially negative for your health... "why are you buying that cleaner?" me "because it smells better, its made from natural products, and if the cat happens to walk in it, she wont get sick or die" (I have a delicate cat that has to go to the vet for anafilaxis if she eats a bug, having things around that wont harm her can be tricky) and so on...

NavyClan

AmyLane542010:

Anything you do is selling someone on something, be it selling by example, selling through coercion, or selling with facts. Hell the way you dress is selling someone on your personality... I'm not asking him to do anything I'm not already doing. When it comes to buying household items and cleaners, thats all me. Our general process goes something like this, "honey why are you buying deodorant off the internet?"  i respond "because its better for you" he says "why?" then I explain the ways aluminum oxides are potentially negative for your health... "why are you buying that cleaner?" me "because it smells better, its made from natural products, and if the cat happens to walk in it, she wont get sick or die" (I have a delicate cat that has to go to the vet for anafilaxis if she eats a bug, having things around that wont harm her can be tricky) and so on...

right, but some people don't care about the facts. If every decision/new "greener" thing you do ends up a lengthy discourse, he's not going to want to hear it. Just start making small changes, and eventually it will become second nature. I started most of the things we do just for the sake of saving money. Now DH knows if there's a spill, he reaches for the pile of cloths we have for that purpose. When something needs cleaned, he grabs the spray bottle of vinegar and baking soda I've prepared. I don't lecture him on the benefits of each every time I prepare them, I just explained what they were for and stopped buying the alternatives we had previously used.  

AmyLane542010

He usually asks why Im doing something or why I wont do something so I tell him.

Lisa78

In my experience, it just required some patience. I realized that DH wasn't opposed to being more green, he just tended to restist anything that was "different" than what he was used to. I just made the changes I wanted to, and after a while, it was not different anymore, it was just what we did.

Also pointing out the money we were saving - which makes up for the things that were more pricey was always helpful!

 

 

SuperGreen

I lucked out, my DH is very understanding of my being green and has actually come up with a lot of good ideas himself.  What I found that works with him is baby steps.  I start one green initiative at a time, let's say recycling because we did that first, and do it myself for awhile, then he picks up on it, once we're both doing it for awhile I move on to the next one.  For recycling, I started rinsing the recyclables and leaving them on the counter to dry.  DH would ask what's going on, I would tell him I'm recycling and show him the picture on the side of the bin of what could be recycled and what couldn't.  After a few weeks of him seeing me pulling recyclable items out of the trash after he chucked them, he started placing them on the counter, where I would rinse them and put them in the bin.  Then he started rinsing them himself, and now he's doing the whole shebang.

I did the same process with removing paper towels.  We used to go through 2 rolls a month, now it's 1 every other month (we only really use them for pet messes now).  I bought some rags, and started using them for wiping up messes and cleaning instead of PT.  I also hid the PT roll, which keep DH from grabbing it the way he always had.  After awhile, he started using the rags and now we have a whole system of these rags are used for this, and these rags are used for that.  I did the same process for composting, and we started gardening together.

 

Well-said Lisa78, "I just made the changes I wanted to, and after a while, it was not different anymore, it was just what we did. "

rocket2japan

I am a compulsive recycler. That said, if you have to drive all over the place to do it, how green is it really? Just a thought. I have it easy, since I live in Portland and we have curbside recycling. My husband collects the stuff they don't take and brings it to another plant.

I think making one change at a time is good. Lead by example. Just be excited about it and people will pick up on that. Trying to sell people on the idea will be more difficult. A lot of things can be re-purposed or done cheaper the green way.